Often we have this perception that we need to do things completely differently if we want to stay relevant. We need to be better than our competitors, think more creatively, and stand out so that our clients would choose our practice over the one down the road. Or we need to try a completely different medical or surgical intervention to solve a complex case. It can be stressful when the patient does not respond to the normal treatment protocol, leaving no choice but to become innovative.
How do you know when and how to innovate? What is cutting edge in veterinary medicine and what would be frowned upon by your colleagues as defined as risky treatment protocols? Who do we turn to when we want to brainstorm and debate treatment options - where is the line between improving quality of life of our terminal patients and merely prolonging suffering? The veterinary game can be a lonely and complicated one, and often puts you in a position to make difficult decisions under pressure.
Should you buy into wearable devices, do genetic testing, offer telemedicine, consider 3D printing for prosthetics? Which of these innovations are at the forefront of veterinary medicine and which are gimmicks that will cost the owners and the practice a lot of money without delivering the desired results?
This is where CPD and veterinary coaching plays such a critical role in helping you become the veterinary professional that you want to be. The rate of change, new medicine, successful trials and diets are coming out at a rapid pace. The access of communication between continents has vastly improved and we can call on colleagues from all over the world to hear what they are doing and see how we can potentially implement their learnings in our practices. However, this network is not easy to call upon if you do not have access to it.
So where do you learn the rules? Where do you start? It is always important to go back to the foundational learning - as that forms the fundamental way in which you think, treat and conduct yourself in an everyday situation. However, with the enhancements in veterinary medicine, we are now able to save patients that we would have lost a few years ago. We are able to try different methods to get even better results, we can even throw traditional treatment options out the window and try something new in order to get a better clinical outcome - we can break rules like artists!
At Platinum CPD, we offer ‘Ask The Expert’ sessions for our members regularly, where we release a topic and you then have the opportunity to ask our experts from all over the world all of your burning questions about said topic. You can debate, learn from peers and build the veterinary community that will support you in becoming the best veterinarian you can be.
We want you to flourish in practice. We want to share with you the knowledge and skills of our educational partners; give you the space where you can practice those skills, master new techniques and have even more successful clinical outcomes. We look forward to welcoming you soon!
