The Veterinary Edge and the More than just a vet podcast are joining forces – sharing as we do the common goal of shining a light on people within the veterinary profession, both within and away from their professional lives.
Francisco Gómez hosts the podcast. Here he explains his approach...
I’m a clinical director and veterinary surgeon with certificates in Advanced Veterinary Practice and Small Animal Ophthalmology. I work at Lawrence Veterinary Centre in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, but I must stress that my podcast has nothing to do with my job. These are two completely different areas of my life.
More than just a vet came as an idea in a social media post. I have become more aware of vet clients being dissatisfied with veterinary services and sharing their discontent in social media and tabloids. At the same time, I have seen how the profession is becoming more frustrated with not being able to put this fire out and has started to see the client as the enemy that gets in the way of getting the job done.
In my view, we need to tackle this issue at its core: we should see the animal owner who pays every vet, nurse, receptionist and manager mortgage as our ally. One way of doing this is showing that vets are human, rather than the distant professional who tells clients what "Fluffy" can or can’t have.
I’m also a little worried about the continued over-romanticism of TV programmes where veterinary professionals spend the whole day cuddling kittens and invest their time in consulting no more than four patients. The reality is very different, and we have a responsibility to make the public aware of this. We are facing a growing demand for our services when COVID has skyrocketed the number of animals with veterinary needs and Brexit has put up new barriers for professionals seeking a job in the UK. The profession suffers in many other ways: we are not impervious to all the issues that affect society causing stigma, but with the added pressure in some cases, such as in mental health matters where we are especially touched.
More than just a vet seeks to explore the humanity of veterinary professionals, and to show everyone, not just vets, what the lives, struggles and passions of veterinary professionals are. For animal owners, I hope this tool will help them acknowledge that our faults and mistakes are human. For veterinary professionals, I hope it will make them feel that they are not alone.
I’m currently broadcasting two new episodes of More than just a vet each month and they can be found via all the major podcast providers including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and Amazon Music, as well as directly through the podcast website morethanjustavet.net. I hope all The Veterinary Edge readers will take a minute to visit the podcast site, subscribe, and listen to the podcast content. I promise they won’t be disappointed.