Turquoise Trail Veterinary Urgent Care

Some scenes from the last couple of weeks: 1) hey, listen, when the patient is really nervous, sometimes you have to make yourself really small to help them feel more comfortable 2) we got this cool gadget (the clear plastic screen that looks like it’s outlined in green) that lets us make sure our ETCO2 monitor, ET tube, and breathing circuit are kept together, kept stable, and kept elevated 3) if you’re brave at the doctor, you get a lollipop; if your pet is brave at the vet, they get a treat; shouldn’t *people* who are brave at the vet get treats, too??

This week’s theme: bandages! First, a lovely client posted some of our best bandage art; then, Dr. Emma Faulkner from the VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital and Referral Center surgery service was nice enough to come teach us some bandaging pointers. It was pretty sweet.

Some photos from the past couple of weeks around the office! 1) Anesthesia training with Leah Contreras, RVT, CVT 2) We loved some of the coloring books pages our clients had completed, so we cut them out and posted them! 3) Check it out! A place to advertise local primary care practices, right in our lobby 4) Holiday lights ?? all-season lights 5) Wonderful informational signs designed by Anna Isenberg

This is EXACTLY why we call all our clients back the following day. Of course we want to know how their pet is feeling, but we also want to give them a chance to ask questions about the discharge instructions, the follow-up plan, etc. It’s pretty well-documented that human brains have a hard time remembering stuff under stressful conditions (like, say, taking your pet to urgent care) and we would rather reach out and initiate a conversation instead of worrying about whether our clients understood everything we told them on the day of the visit. No system is perfect, but ours definitely helps us sleep better at night ??

This is EXACTLY why we call all our clients back the following day. Of course we want to know how their pet is feeling, but we also want to give them a chance to ask questions about the discharge instructions, the follow-up plan, etc. It’s pretty well-documented that human brains have a hard time remembering stuff under stressful conditions (like, say, taking your pet to urgent care) and we would rather reach out and initiate a conversation instead of worrying about whether our clients understood everything we told them on the day of the visit. No system is perfect, but ours definitely helps us sleep better at night ??

Some of our patient have situations* requiring multiple follow-up visits. When that happens, we try very hard to provide them (well, their owners, at least) with one of these orange folders at their last recheck. Inside, we put printed copies of all their medical records, as well as the business card for the doctor who primarily took care of them. HOWEVER, we’re only human, so sometimes we forget… and that’s where the good ol’ USPS comes in, as you can see here. This folder will be off to its new home tomorrow afternoon! *”situations,” like: their primary care vet would prefer we see their case through, or they’re in town temporarily and their primary care vet is somewhere else, OR they don’t have a primary care vet yet

The fact that we’re closing at noon for a couple days* is not very interesting, but the reason IS! Our goal is to schedule one CE (continuing education) event for our staff every two months, and actually we’re kicking off 2025 by going three months straight ??: February ?? anesthesia and analgesia (pain management) with Leah Contreras, RVT, CVT March ?? bandaging April ?? CPR June/July ?? client communication ?????? *and yeah, they’re the 24th and 25th, my sign is wrong ??♂???

We had a fun weekend! - took a picture of a cool sunset - made some sweet bandage art - found out about medical hats for dogs (and cats)

SO! We had some colleagues review our first ad, got some useful feedback, and made a few important revisions. Now presenting: the new and improved job ad, with... - more salary - more CE, and - more vacation*! *this also resulted in our nursing and client care team getting more vacation - couldn't give the (new) doctor more days off without doing the same for the folks who make it happen for us every day.

EXCITING NEWS! Starting this weekend, local pets who are seen at our practice or Mosaic Animal Emergency and Specialty and who don’t have a primary care vet (a.k.a. a family vet) will go home with one of these handouts in their discharge “goodie bag,” along with their medicine and after-care information - swipe to slides two and three for closer-up views. Why? Because it’s really, REALLY important that pets have a veterinarian or veterinary practice who sees them regularly. We want to make it as easy as possible for pet owners to find that person or that practice, and we thought this was a good place to start. Questions? Just ask!