Leadership and vision

If you read the news and social media, you've likely seen the messages about mistreatment of veterinary clinic staff by clients. Threats, abuse, social media rants, bad reviews, and warnings signs on clinic doors — it seems like the industry is under fire. Pet ownership is up to an unprecedented high and the skills shortages are affecting most roles in the veterinary team. Clinics are under immense pressure and clients have run out of patience, and manners.

Similar consumer behaviour is being seen in other industries. The pandemic has heightened our threat system, our fight instincts are triggered, fear, frustration, illness, and lockdown separations have made for fraught social interactions. No matter how we look at it, we have experienced unprecedented changes to our social structure, with many of us facing traumatic, life-altering disruptions in our jobs and families.

In many sectors, more people are changing jobs than in any other time in our generation. It's a job seeker's market. We want better conditions, we want more pay, we want work–life balance, we want some control over our futures. Amid all of this, students entering the veterinary sector face a mountain of challenges starting with a shortage of mentors and coaches simply as a result of skills shortages and unusually busy workplaces. How will these graduates help us out of this difficult situation? The challenges seem insurmountable.