Great article! This terrific sentence made me smile on a number of levels:
"As I write this, Otis’ owner still hasn't paid the entirety of their bill, even the discounted one; but their dog is alive and happy, and he has, like this sentence, a semicolon."
This is lovely, a beautiful tribute to your son, aptly named “Will.”
As a pet owner, I’m nearly in tears reading about your passion to help, your resolute decision to move forward, your willingness to enlist others in overcoming challenging endeavors, and your genuine empathy and concern for the entire pet family.
You are the kind of vet we all long for. One that practices relationship-centered medicine which I define as the difference between telling a pet owner facing financial challenges, “sorry this is your problem, you should’ve planned better” vs. “let’s face this problem and work out a plan together - I am on your side.”
Sadly there isn’t enough of this in vet med anymore - it’s a much more transactional process which I think might make vets more money, but I also think this approach steals the joy of getting to know your clients and patients and deliver the care they need at a price they can afford - to the best of your ability.
Great article! This terrific sentence made me smile on a number of levels:
"As I write this, Otis’ owner still hasn't paid the entirety of their bill, even the discounted one; but their dog is alive and happy, and he has, like this sentence, a semicolon."
I’m fairly sure that’s not the correct medical term for it, but it should be.
This is lovely, a beautiful tribute to your son, aptly named “Will.”
As a pet owner, I’m nearly in tears reading about your passion to help, your resolute decision to move forward, your willingness to enlist others in overcoming challenging endeavors, and your genuine empathy and concern for the entire pet family.
You are the kind of vet we all long for. One that practices relationship-centered medicine which I define as the difference between telling a pet owner facing financial challenges, “sorry this is your problem, you should’ve planned better” vs. “let’s face this problem and work out a plan together - I am on your side.”
Sadly there isn’t enough of this in vet med anymore - it’s a much more transactional process which I think might make vets more money, but I also think this approach steals the joy of getting to know your clients and patients and deliver the care they need at a price they can afford - to the best of your ability.