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Vet Receptionists


twodoggies2001
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:thumbsup: .... Poor Vets. All those years at Vet School just to squeeze butts whilst Stormie saves the doggy world.

:D :) ;) Stormie to the rescue while her boss does butt duty.

I think it would be really hard to field calls in a busy vet clinic when upset owners, someone who brought in an injured lorikeet and pesky sales reps call in and HAVE TO SPEAK TO THE VET RIGHT NOW not realising that the nurse/practice manager answering the call no doubt knows exactly what's going on at any given moment of the day. Sure there might be those out there with no people skills but that's the same for any industry. I'm sure people with medical problems have come across the odd grumpy/too busy medical receptionist. If I've got a concern about one of my animals I just contact my vet nurse over the net and have full confidence in her advice rather than call or lob up to a busy clinic. Go Stormie!!!

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All receptionists must go to "saint school" first.

They are always expected to produce the impossible on a daily basis, and from time to time enact a miracle. It is not written in the job description, it is an unwritten creed.

Somebody mentioned in this thread about them overbooking patients. Well, I am here to tell you that in the medical world sometimes receptionists are TOLD by the boss to double book and then when somebody fails to appear for their appointment, the medico doesn't lose any income, and there are probably vets who give the same instruction. SO you have to wait? Tough! You are in the waiting room of a busy practice!

HOWEVER ...... when a vet receptionist tells Souff something that smacks of animal rights crap, a dirty big cloud forms on the horizon.

Souff speaks to the vet at the very first opportunity and tells vet that all bets are off.

Will go elsewhere and so will all the referrals.

To all receptionists out there ... vets, doctors, dentists, or whatever, Souff salutes you for doing your job well. :thumbsup:

But do NOT ..... ever ever ever ...... start talking about dew claws, tail length, or that all dogs should be desexed.

Souff

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When I first got Keira (MY first dog ie: not a family dog) I called around practices in the area and it was extremely off putting to speak to someone over the phone who was rude and abrupt which some were, I ended up going to the vet practice that had friendly, helpful reception staff. I understand that they can sometimes be busy or stressed out but it is no excuse to treat customers rudely.

I work in Recruitment (Labour Hire) so everyday I deal with people who don't go to work or who just want to treat you like dirt but when I answer the phone or when I am dealing with someone who could be on the other end of the line calling me all sort of horrible names I still manage to be polite, so I expect it from others, if you are in reception then you are in customer service and you should be polite and helpful, not abrupt and rude ever.

On another note, I have moved house and it is too far to travel to my previous vet now. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good vet in Logan City, QLD? I am currently using a local vet but I am not very happy with them and would prefer to go somewhere that a DOLer recommends as I trust you lot :)

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On another note, I have moved house and it is too far to travel to my previous vet now. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good vet in Logan City, QLD? I am currently using a local vet but I am not very happy with them and would prefer to go somewhere that a DOLer recommends as I trust you lot :thumbsup:

Anvet Beenleigh is quite good with friendly staff. It has excellent modern facilities too.

Edited by Greytmate
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On another note, I have moved house and it is too far to travel to my previous vet now. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good vet in Logan City, QLD? I am currently using a local vet but I am not very happy with them and would prefer to go somewhere that a DOLer recommends as I trust you lot :thumbsup:

Anvet Beenleigh is quite good with friendly staff. It has excellent modern facilities too.

Cheers Greymate. I think that may be the one my brother takes his dogs too so will check it out.

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I am happy with our vet surgery. We are newish to the area and have only one dog (certainly not VIPs) and I couldn't fault them so far. Some of the nurses sound more chipper than others on the phone but they all seem to provide good service regardless. I don't mind what mood people are in as long as they are still helpful. Our preferred vet is lovely and Billie goes a tad manic in the waiting room when she hears her voice.

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No problems with the nurses or vet answering the phone or agreeing to see my pets if needed. Never had a problem going in after hours either probably because I don't abuse that facility there are lots of people who do I have seen and heard them when I have been in the Vets.

There is also another mentality with some members of the public who want to get phone advice rather than have to pay for a consult or wait (speaking from experience with humans not pets).

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On another note, I have moved house and it is too far to travel to my previous vet now. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good vet in Logan City, QLD? I am currently using a local vet but I am not very happy with them and would prefer to go somewhere that a DOLer recommends as I trust you lot :rofl:

Anvet Beenleigh is quite good with friendly staff. It has excellent modern facilities too.

Cheers Greymate. I think that may be the one my brother takes his dogs too so will check it out.

My vet is Beenleigh Vet Hospital. I prefer to see Renata as she is a straight talker but Sidney is young and very good as well. One thing I like there is that they stagger appointments and when you go the waiting room isn't full of people and other animals, which is great if you have a vet hating dog. I think their prices are also reasonable.

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I really love our local vet. The vets there are all great (and big fans of Kelpies) and the regular staff are also terrific - they know Elbie and Hoover very well and are very caring in their approach. The surgery often has work experience students there who are a bit clueless but they're very well-meaning.

The regular staff (vet nurses/receptionist) always fit us in immediately when there's an emergency - when Elbie cut his paw at 10 weeks and a few weeks ago when Hoover's eye was reddish and had a discharge, we didn't think it was a big deal but they told us to bring him in immediately because eye problems can be serious. We had time issues so they let us drop him off there and pick him up a few hours later even after they were closed. When Elbie was wee and had ringworm, they didn't charge us for the check-ups to see if the ringworm was getting better.

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On another note, I have moved house and it is too far to travel to my previous vet now. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good vet in Logan City, QLD? I am currently using a local vet but I am not very happy with them and would prefer to go somewhere that a DOLer recommends as I trust you lot :laugh:

Anvet Beenleigh is quite good with friendly staff. It has excellent modern facilities too.

Cheers Greymate. I think that may be the one my brother takes his dogs too so will check it out.

My vet is Beenleigh Vet Hospital. I prefer to see Renata as she is a straight talker but Sidney is young and very good as well. One thing I like there is that they stagger appointments and when you go the waiting room isn't full of people and other animals, which is great if you have a vet hating dog. I think their prices are also reasonable.

Cool Keira loves vets and vet surgeries they give her treats lol but she is leash aggressive so the less other dogs the better. Thanks i will look into both of these :rofl:

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I used to use Anvet for my animals other than my dogs and they have been great and I have changed back recently to ANVET due to there new better equipt practise and mainly as I have utmost faith in a particular senior vet nusre there, she is the best!. But I did have a not so great experience a few weeks back. I raced in with an emergency, my newfy had bloat, no one on the desk, no bell etc so I knocked on the door of a consult room and a vet opened the door (clipping nails of swf). I explained that it was an emergency and the dog was bloating, they said they would be with me shortly....... 30 mins later a nurse spoke to me in the waiting room checked his gums (white) and asked why I thought it was bloat, mmm it was soooo obvious, off she went and another 15 mins later the vet called us in. To end a sad situation my boy was PTS.. after needless time and suffering, maybe the outcome could have been different. I did not get any alone time with him either, vet sat there with the needle at ready and said "tell me when"!!!!!

I am very upset by this but I will say this is a one off as I have had many good experiences at Anvet and will give them another chance but will discuss the situation when I am in next and am not overly emotional.

RIP Floyd

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I used to use Anvet for my animals other than my dogs and they have been great and I have changed back recently to ANVET due to there new better equipt practise and mainly as I have utmost faith in a particular senior vet nusre there, she is the best!. But I did have a not so great experience a few weeks back. I raced in with an emergency, my newfy had bloat, no one on the desk, no bell etc so I knocked on the door of a consult room and a vet opened the door (clipping nails of swf). I explained that it was an emergency and the dog was bloating, they said they would be with me shortly....... 30 mins later a nurse spoke to me in the waiting room checked his gums (white) and asked why I thought it was bloat, mmm it was soooo obvious, off she went and another 15 mins later the vet called us in. To end a sad situation my boy was PTS.. after needless time and suffering, maybe the outcome could have been different. I did not get any alone time with him either, vet sat there with the needle at ready and said "tell me when"!!!!!

I am very upset by this but I will say this is a one off as I have had many good experiences at Anvet and will give them another chance but will discuss the situation when I am in next and am not overly emotional.

RIP Floyd

Thanks horrible Ashka I am so sorry for your loss run free Floyd :laugh:

I will be speaking to both Anvet the the Animal Hospital for my next appointments :rofl: Thanks

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At my local vet there is one vet nurse/receptionist who is bloody marvelous, she is so helpful.

There is another one there though who when I see I have to stop myself from groaning. I can understand someone having a bad day but this girl is having a bad YEAR.

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Well we only have the one vet clinic in my area but the vet nurses/ receptionists are great. They all know me, Akasha and m car by sight, I have been in weekly for the last 2 months. they also know Akasha has people and noise issues so they book me in at quiet times but they also know if there is something wrong i will call and book in ASAP.

There are a couple of vets that work there and I have finally decided the one I like the most and so I only see her.

When you find a good place with great people you keep going back.

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We don't really have a choice we have two hospitals, but there is no contest!

Recently two receptionists left and I am quite thankful for that. I ring often regarding heart medication for my dog, and have regular check ups and after 12 months they still didn't remember my name, my dogs name or the medication he was on.

The two that are there now have been part time in the past and are brilliant. I ring they say yep, no worries , know who I am, who my dogs are and the tablets they are on. I can ring up about getting more, drop in to pick them up later and they will be done up. No waiting for half an hour to get it sorted.

If I have an emergency I just go in, I ring on the way but here is no waiting as long as there is a vet there they will see you. They are not cheap but they have up to date quipment and are flexiable.

I cannot stand one of the nurses but generally do not have to see her. If I do I am polite and leave it at that.

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I have two vet practices I use and both have great reception/nurses. My dogs vets practice have the best staff, they all know my dogs and their issues and I could not ask for better service. I have never had a single problem with them in the 2 1/2 years I have been going there. They are worth every cent.

I use a different vets office for my cats, they dont like to travel so this one is local. Once again, fantastic helpful staff. They fitted me in last thing on Christmas eve, one vet was doing an op the other vet saw my foster kitten at 5 minutes notice and did not charge me. There is nothing like a friendly supportive helpful person on the other end of the phone when you are in panic with an ill pet.

Remember to thank your vet nurses and reception staff when they do a good job. I bet lots of people are less than polite during their day and they deserve our thanks for a job well done.

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The Vet Nurses at my Vets are great. However, I dont expect them to give me advice on treatment or anything else and the term 'nurse' is possibly not accurate. They are not trained in much more than reception and kennel duties. If I have an issue with my dogs, I phone and ask to speak to my Vet unless it is a simple question about opening hours or whatever.

A Vet Nurse should never give medical advice unless they are qualified to do so. Some clinics train their nurses in this regard, and some nurses in some practices are very highly qualified, but many are really only trained for reception and simple procedures.

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The Vet Nurses at my Vets are great. However, I dont expect them to give me advice on treatment or anything else and the term 'nurse' is possibly not accurate. They are not trained in much more than reception and kennel duties. If I have an issue with my dogs, I phone and ask to speak to my Vet unless it is a simple question about opening hours or whatever.

A Vet Nurse should never give medical advice unless they are qualified to do so. Some clinics train their nurses in this regard, and some nurses in some practices are very highly qualified, but many are really only trained for reception and simple procedures.

In Aus there is a Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing and a Diploma in Veterinary Nursing so yes, if they are qualified they ARE Nurses and they CAN absolutely provide medical information to their skill level.

Maybe the nurses are only receptionists at your clinic but that is not the norm.

Please don't denigrate our profession further than it already is. MANY nurses are qualified in medical and surgical and MANY get paid less than a Safeway checkout operator!!!

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