Veterinary Viewfinder Podcast

What does it mean to be a veterinarian, a credentialed veterinary technician, an assistant, or a new role entering the clinical space?

In this episode, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, dig into veterinary medicine’s identity problem: how comparisons to human medicine, unclear titles, internal hierarchies, and emerging roles like Colorado’s veterinary professional associate (VPA) can shape how teams see themselves and each other.

They talk candidly about why “more than” or “less than” language can create competition rather than confidence, how that trickles down through the clinic, and why role clarity matters for morale, collaboration, and long-term career satisfaction.

This conversation is especially relevant for veterinarians, vet techs, assistants, practice managers, and anyone navigating scope-of-practice debates or changing team structures.

Ernie and Beckie make the case for being proud of your role without needing to compare it to someone else’s, and for building clinic cultures where every team member understands their value.

#VeterinaryMedicine#VetMed#VetTechLife#VeterinaryTeams#VetMedLeadership

After-hours and urgent care have changed dramatically in veterinary medicine, but the system still has serious gaps. In this episode, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, look at what happens when pet owners need help after hours, and there’s nowhere realistic to send them.

The conversation starts with the old model of pagers, late-night calls, and general practices carrying emergency responsibility. Then it moves into today’s urgent care boom, the difference between true urgent care and walk-in sick visits, and the strain this puts on veterinary teams.

But this episode also widens the lens beyond dogs and cats. Horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, birds, and other companion animals are often left with even fewer options, especially when emergencies happen outside normal clinic hours.

Ernie and Beckie talk honestly about sustainability, affordability, team burnout, and why expanding care may be both a challenge and an opportunity for the profession.
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#VetMed
#VeterinaryUrgentCare
#AfterHoursVetCare
#VeterinaryViewfinder

This week on the Veterinary Viewfinder, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, talk with Michelle Crew, a credentialed LVT and the entrepreneur behind The Mobile Vet Tech, about building a career outside the traditional clinic setting.

After losing what she thought was her “unicorn job” during COVID, Michelle began offering in-home services such as nail trims and anal gland expression, and found a new way to support pets, clients, and other veterinary professionals.

Michelle shares what she has learned about starting slowly, setting client boundaries, staying safe on house calls, protecting mental health, and redefining what it means to work “at the top of your license.”

The conversation also highlights her work helping other veterinary technicians through TikTok, The Unattached Facebook group, and Endless Journeys: The Vet Tech Odyssey Podcast.

For vet techs, assistants, practice managers, and veterinarians, this episode offers a practical, encouraging look at entrepreneurship, alternative career paths, and the many ways credentialed professionals can make an impact.

#VeterinaryMedicine
#VetTechLife
#CredentialedVetTech
#MobileVetTech
#VeterinaryViewfinder

In this episode of The Veterinary Viewfinder, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, use the current Hantavirus conversation as a jumping-off point for a bigger issue affecting every veterinary team: public trust in science.

This is not a panic episode, and it is not about predicting another COVID. Instead, it is a practical conversation about science skepticism, vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and what all of that may mean for veterinary medicine going forward.

Ernie and Beckie talk through how fear spreads, why social media noise often drowns out calm expert guidance, and why veterinary professionals may increasingly find themselves answering client questions tied to public health, animals, and trust. They also explore the role of vet teams as credible, steady voices in a confusing information landscape.

If you work in a vet clinic, this episode will help you think about client communication, One Health awareness, and how to respond when public uncertainty spills into everyday veterinary practice.

#VeterinaryMedicine #VetMed #VeterinaryViewfinder #ScienceCommunication #VaccineHesitancy

Missed charges happen in every veterinary practice, but what happens next says a lot about clinic culture.

In this episode, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, take on the uncomfortable reality of billing mistakes: forgotten charges, wrong invoice items, inventory mix-ups, and the dreaded follow-up call to a client.

They discuss why missed charges often turn into blame, especially for technicians, CSRs, and support staff, and how clinics can handle these mistakes without creating fear or finger-pointing.

Beckie emphasizes the role of psychological safety, while Ernie shares how written policies, clear thresholds, and manager-led client communication helped his teams manage billing errors more fairly.

The episode offers practical takeaways for owners, managers, veterinarians, techs, and front-desk teams: make charges easier to enter correctly, define when the clinic absorbs small errors, decide who contacts the client, and stop treating normal human mistakes like personal failures.

#VeterinaryMedicine
#VetTechLife
#VeterinaryPracticeManagement
#VetMedLeadership
#VeterinaryViewfinder