By Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CTC
“Hire big hearts. Train big minds.”
That’s the hiring advice given by Fear Free-certified oncology specialist Dr. Gregory K. Ogilvie, DVM. He follows it himself when seeking new staff at California Veterinary Specialists Angel Care Cancer Center, where he serves as director.
Fear Free is a support Dr. Ogilvie relies on as he works to fulfill his veterinary team’s mission to deliver compassionate care to animals and their caregivers. It’s also the foundation of a supportive team environment for the staff. Just as Fear Free gets down to the baseline emotional state and wellbeing of the animal, so too does a successful practice uphold the core reason for care: the love of animals.
For Dr. Ogilvie, good hiring practices come down to the heart.
“Work with people who care from the essence of their being,” he says.
Dr. Ogilvie uses another guide during the hiring process as well. His goal is to identify and employ people he wants to emulate.
“If you work with people you’d like to become like, you indeed are working with the right people and you will soar.”
The responsibility to staff continues after the hiring process is complete. Recognizing the practice as a team with each member supporting and uplifting one another translates into better patient care and work environment.
An important part of the team-building process is assigning people to leadership roles. That’s especially true for Dr. Ogilvie, who oversees approximately 300 individuals in two hospitals. Each hospital has a special Fear Free Committee staffed by people who are passionate about the mission. It’s their job to oversee the process of integrating Fear Free principles and processes into hospital environments and operations.
Dr. Ogilvie credits the veterinary nurses and technicians as being the key to the Fear Free process. He believes one of the best ways to create a veterinary environment that supports Fear Free is by placing team members in roles where they thrive. When hiring for the heart, it’s important to allow people to live out their love for animals in their work, Dr. Ogilvie says. This ensures that their time and talents best serve the entire team.
“Meet them for why they came in: to care for pets, not to run the copy machine. Let them do that. Allow them to love, care and heal.”
