5 Best Veterinary Podcasts for 2021

1. That Vet Life

Dr. Moriah McCauley is a first-year graduate, and as a new doctor, she brings a positive and fresh view to learning and growing in the veterinary profession. Her focus on communication and "telling the story" provide an essential lesson for anyone that interacts with clients. As we all know, they are the gatekeepers to our patients' care, and these communication skills are how we get to the best medicine. I particularly love the "Skill Set" episodes where she presents tools and tips that help vets and techs get the message through, and the dermatology episode with Dr. Jeff Tinsley, called Why is that dog itchy?, is a great starting point.

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2. The Joyful DVM

As if being a DVM wasn't enough, Dr. Cari Wise is a certified life coach who combines all her skills to bring us the Joyful DVM podcast. She brings together encouragement and empowerment to help us create a life and career that we actually enjoy. While veterinary medicine is certainly rewarding, the mental strains and compassion fatigue are well-documented, and guidance to help yourself and your team is always welcome. The episodes are short, focused, and reflect the challenges and anxieties we all face.

Check out the episode that kicked off 2021, which examines fear and how to manage it in everyday life. Understanding how you feel and why can really help in controlling how you react in certain situations.

3. VHMA Manager-to-Manager

As a member of the VHMA, I appreciate the access I get to other managers and being able to learn from them. The manager-to-manager podcast is a new venture from the association that provides ideas from others in the trenches, addressing a new topic every month. The January episode is a timely examination of numbers and KPIs, just in time to cope with the end-of-year roll-up that we're all working on.

David Liss, MBA, CVPM, PHR, RVT, and Debbie Hill, CVPM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, work through not just what data to get, but also how to use it. They discuss some of the messages we're seeing across the industry and how to engage your team with those ideas. I particularly liked the discussion about income break-out and how to help your team understand it.

4. Inventory Nation

Who wants to talk more about inventory? Right, no one, but my P&L tells me that getting and keeping inventory costs under control is important — and I appreciate all the help my team and I can get. Nicole Clausen, CSSGB, CCFP, CVBL, brings her expertise to the table working with her guests to examine how they manage inventory, the challenges they face, and the solutions they've found. For me, a key part of this is that it isn't theory; it is about the actual experience of doing the job. Hearing that I'm not alone and using the experience of others to make the way I work better is a lot easier than figuring it out myself. Listen to her discussion with Jennifer Potts, RVT, about getting her practice into shape, including migration to a new cloud-based practice management system.

5. Blunt Dissection

And for something completely different, Dr. Dave Nicol interviews people from across the industry. It is such a privilege to listen to their stories, which are sometimes funny, sometimes dark, but always powerful. If you want to be inspired to strive to be the best you can this is a great place to start. I wish I'd heard about this sooner. I'm stronger, more passionate, and more focused from hearing about their lives. If you haven't listened before, I'd recommend the 2020 wrap-up episode to get a feel for what you're missing.

There is so much to listen to and learn now, and sorting through it can be hard. Whatever you listen to this year, try to engage fully with the podcasts and help them be better with your feedback. Guide the hosts in what you want to hear about, and they can help all of us grow.

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