{"id":22201,"date":"2022-08-01T00:00:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T00:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=22201"},"modified":"2022-07-26T18:18:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T18:18:43","slug":"flow-stoppers-0822","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/flow-stoppers-0822\/","title":{"rendered":"When Clients Become Flow Stoppers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our column has explored the various avenues to \u201cflow,\u201d that state in which we are fully present and meeting the challenges of the moment with a calm, clear focus and full access to all our resources. This time, we\u2019ll look at a potential flow inhibitor all too familiar to most veterinarians: the unpleasant interaction with an unreasonable or irrational client.<\/p>\n

Dr. Melanie Goble, a founding board member of Not One More Vet<\/a>, recounted an experience from her fourth day practicing as a veterinarian. Upset that Dr. Goble hadn\u2019t performed a test the client felt should have been done, the pet owner screamed at her for several minutes, saying, \u201cYou should never have been licensed!\u201d \u201cYou should be dead!\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re not worth the air you\u2019re breathing!\u201d But, of course, the fact that the client was incorrect about Dr. Goble\u2019s medical judgment \u2014 the test wasn\u2019t necessary \u2014 did nothing to alleviate the shock and emotional charge of the moment. After the client left, Dr. Goble walked into the treatment area, burst into tears for two minutes and moved on to her next appointment.<\/p>\n

All these years later, she still feels the shock and pain whenever that interaction comes to mind.<\/p>\n

The Majority Understands<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, almost every veterinarian has a version of such a story. Unbalanced clients can go so far as to make death threats, say they will blow up the doctor\u2019s car or house, or worse. Now, we can add cyberbullying to the list of adverse client experiences. All the negativity usually is triggered by a situation that either wasn\u2019t life-threatening or was beyond the veterinarian\u2019s control.<\/p>\n

When Trey served as the in-house counsel for a company that owned 75 veterinary practices, hospital staffs would refer to him their most persistently and aggressively upset clients<\/a>, and he would communicate with each pet owner. During those conversations, he applied the LEAF technique (described below) to try to ameliorate the situations as best he could. He began to see a consistent pattern that surprised him. The more unhinged a client seemed to be, he found, the greater the likelihood that the doctor and practice had done nothing wrong.<\/p>\n

Trey also noticed an 80\/20 split. About 80% of the very upset clients transferred unresolved emotions from other aspects of their lives onto the veterinary interaction. In comparison, only 20% of the clients who experienced a serious doctor or staff error ever complained. In other words, when a practice made a significant mistake, the clients, by and large, were understanding or at least not inclined to attack the doctor or practice.<\/p>\n

Start by Listening<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The LEAF technique (listen, empathize, act and follow up) can help when a client remains upset and later makes threats or unreasonable demands. Here is the basic LEAF paradigm:<\/p>\n