Pulse - September 2023 - 10

Relief Vets Respond
Relief veterinarians and their proponents react
to one practice owner's criticisms / By Sarah Rumple
"
T
he Evolution of Relief, " a feature story I authored for the February 2023 issue of Pulse magazine,
came about because Irvine, California, practice owner and manager Maria Morgan, MBA, CVPM,
had grown increasingly frustrated with relief veterinarians she had encountered in her area. Soon
after the article was published, I began receiving messages from relief veterinarians expressing their own
frustration and views about Morgan's complaints. This article explores those views.
Complaint: Many relief vets
lack experience
What Morgan said: " When you have someone
who hasn't been mentored, who hasn't
had proper training, is one or two years in,
and decides to work relief...in my mind,
there is a concern about them being qualified
enough to see the myriad cases presented in a
general practice. "
" This might be an unpopular opinion, but
she's probably right, " said Jeff Klemens, DVM,
owner of Reliable Relief Services.
Dr. Klemens graduated from Purdue University
College of Veterinary Medicine in
2005 and worked as an associate in various
small animal general practices and emergency
hospitals before starting his company in 2018.
He referenced a piece that Dr. Justine Lee had
written about going into emergency medicine
straight out of school.
" It's not that you can't do it. Some people
10
are incredibly apt and can create a skill level
quickly, " Dr. Klemens explained. " But you
haven't managed a chronic diabetic-you
haven't managed things in a way that you have
any real sense of what it's like to do something
like that. And you're presented with these
cases in critical ways. You just need a little seasoning,
and I think the same applies to relief
work. "
Dr. Klemens argued that five years of experience
would likely be sufficient for most
veterinarians before making the leap to relief
work, but that the experience should not be
limited to one practice.
" Can you go do this in somebody else's
sandbox with their tools and their drugs? "
asked Dr. Klemens. " You need experience, and
you need experience in more than one realm
to really do it well. "
Dr. Klemens might see Jessica Lovegrove,
DVM, founding president of the newly
formed Relief Veterinary Medical Association
(RVMA), as an exception to his rule. After
earning her DVM in 2019 and working as
an associate for about 8 months, Dr. Lovegrove
decided to become a relief veterinarian in
June 2020.
" Everyone is different, and I think it depends
on the specific veterinarian, " Dr. Lovegrove
said. " I don't think I would have learned
nearly as much as I have had I not been a relief
vet. I've seen so much. I've worked in practices
with boarded professionals. In my experience,
it's good for young veterinarians to put themselves
out there as long as they know their
limitations and they're open, honest, and vocal
about those limitations when communicating
with practices. "
Complaint: Relief vets often
offer limited services
What Morgan said: " Some relief doctors
SEPTEMBER 2023
PULSE

Pulse - September 2023

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