Working through Covid
As we look back over the last few years, it gives us time to reflect and consider how Covid affected us all, how our team had to adapt, and how the veterinary profession as a whole was affected.
Due to the multiple lockdowns, isolation requirements, social distancing, and PPE requirements, a lot of changes were made which put not just our team but also our clients and their pets into uncharted territory. We acknowledge that these times were challenging for all, and whilst we always reward and champion our team here at M+P it would be wrong of us not to also say a massive thank you to our clients for working with us through those difficult times, and trusting we would always be doing our best for you and your pets despite it looking and feeling a bit different to normal.
We, like the whole profession were affected by short staffing as many of our team went down with Covid, forcing us to split into small teams and reduce our hours to cope. We had to work in unfamiliar roles, for example our vets became nurses and were monitoring anaesthetics and answering the phone on reception.
Here our vet Cathy monitors a patient’s general anaesthetic while our vet Gemma worked on them.
During certain periods we were not allowed to have clients in the building with their pets, and we could only see urgent care or emergency cases. For pet owner, this will have been extremely challenging, and you put enormous faith and trust in us to care for your pets and ensure they were comfortable without you. We always had a nurse cuddling and supporting them while our vets examined them and called you with updates and plans.
We definitely didn’t look like our normal selves in the masks, gowns and gloves but your pets still loved us and gave us licks regardless. They are the best judges of character after all!
In high pressured and emotionally challenging situations like this it was not uncommon that members of the profession worldwide received some backlash and difficult behaviours from the public, but thankfully this was not a common occurrence for us.
