Pulse - May 2022 - 10

4 Hospital Design
Trends Making an Impact
on Veterinary Medicine
A few changes in practice design can lead
to big benefits for veterinary teams, pet
owners, and pets / By Sarah Rumple
Dressed in her white lab coat and
red-rimmed glasses, Dr. Tinley
places her stethoscope against her
feline patient and listens intently.
Next, she reviews the cat's X-rays
and carefully places him back
into his soft-sided carrier before
moving on to another exam room,
where her next patient-a dog-is
waiting for her.
Dr. Tinley takes her job quite seriously.
She has spent nearly two hours examining
pets, reviewing lab results, and showing
her patients plenty of love.
" Tinley, we have to get going now, " an
elderly woman calls.
Dr. Tinley pets the stuffed dog one last
time and reluctantly removes her lab coat,
hanging it up on the wall with the stethoscope.
Suddenly she's just 5-year-old Tinley
again-her title removed as quickly as
her lab coat.
" I want to be a veterinarian for dogs,
cats, and horses, " Tinley says seriously,
before she runs to her grandmother's side.
A volunteer comes into the mock exam
room to sanitize the equipment for the
next curious child.
Later, a group of first graders watches a
veterinarian remove a mass from a 7-yearold
Chihuahua through a floor-to-ceiling
viewing window. A docent stands next
to the window, adjusts something on her
microphone, and talks into her headset.
" Is now a good time? " she asks.
The veterinarian looks at her and nods.
10
5-year-old Tinley loves visiting the Dumb Friends League Animal Hospital at CSU Spur. " I can't get her
to leave, " her grandmother said.
" OK, the kids can hear you now. So,
can you explain what you're doing? " the
docent asks the veterinarian.
Suddenly, everyone in the viewing area
can hear what's going on in the surgery
suite. A video camera strategically placed
above the surgery table films the procedure,
while video monitors above the viewing
window display the surgery up-close for
everyone to see. The veterinarian explains
what's happening with the dog. Completely
enthralled, the kids raise their hands
to ask questions. Finally, the teacher of the
group tells the kids-in Spanish-that it's
time for lunch, and they all scurry down
the hall.
This unique veterinary hospital, which
allows anyone from the general public to
come inside and watch surgeries, dental
procedures, and exams through viewing
windows, is the Dumb Friends League
Animal Hospital at CSU Spur. Located
inside the Vida Building at Colorado State
University's Spur campus near downtown
Denver, the hospital was designed with two
intentions in mind.
" This is a working hospital, and we're
serving only those who cannot afford
veterinary care through subsidized work, "
explained Apryl Steele, DVM, president
and CEO of the Dumb Friends League.
" But the second-and very strong-mission
we have around this is to really engage
inner city youth and other community
members in veterinary medicine, animal
welfare, and STEM careers. "
Designed with education and community
engagement in mind, this new hospital
isn't alone in its innovative and ambitious
thinking. Veterinary hospital designs around
the country are evolving and expanding
beyond the traditional lobby, exam rooms,
and " back " treatment areas, and the profession
is already beginning to feel the benefits
of these exciting changes.
The Trend: Open-Concept Spaces
and Allowing Clients to Stay with
Their Pets
When David Bessler, VMD, took his child to
the emergency room, the ER staff wanted
to take his child away to conduct a test.
Dr. Bessler refused to be separated from his
child, and he started thinking about how pet
owners feel when they take their pet to an
emergency veterinary hospital. This inspired
MAY 2022
PULSE

Pulse - May 2022

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