Stressed by Angry Clients? Expert Tips on How to Cope

Audrey Pavia

There’s no denying the past two years have been hard on people. Thanks to the pandemic, anxiety and uncertainty have permeated just about every aspect of our society. For many people, their pets are a great source of solace during these difficult times, so it’s not surprising that when pets get sick, people are sometimes unable to cope. The result can be explosive tempers, rude behavior, and even aggression, directed at veterinarians and their staff.

“Veterinarians, their teams, and clients, along with the rest of society, have been under great stress over the last two years because of the pandemic and all the changes and disruptions that COVID-19 has caused,” says Jose Arce, DVM, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “While there are positive signs of recovery as more people get vaccinated, we recognize that the entire country, including the veterinary profession, is still feeling the impact of COVID-19, and that will probably continue for some time.”

Pam Nichols, DVM, CCRP, CFI, president of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is also seeing an increase in this type of behavior among clients.

“People are more bonded than ever to their pets,” she says. “That alone creates an atmosphere of intensity. Couple that with fear of the unknown, of losing a pet, of the finances associated with pet care, and the stress levels can be over the top. I also think that with an increase in distance between the client and the veterinarian because of drop-off visits and COVID masked visits, it is easy to assume the negative, or be angry with a veterinary professional that you don’t have a long-standing, personal relationship with.”

Boaz Man, DVM, who practices at Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida, has also noticed an increase in frustrated pet owners over the last couple of years.

“The increase is often stress related and is multifactorial, including the pandemic, its associated safety restrictions, inflation, and staffing issues,” he says. “All these circumstances have led to financial and emotional hardships and frustrated pet parents.”

Good Communication

Understanding that clients are struggling emotionally to cope with a situation, and are acting out as a result, can help veterinarians and staffers find ways to defuse the situation.

“Whenever a pet parent is upset or frustrated, we must make an effort to understand the source of anger,” says Dr. Man. “We can easily identify most concerns by taking the time to listen to what the pet parent has to say. We will use the pet parent’s name, repeat their concern, and then ask how we can help resolve the issue.”

Dr. Arce says the AVMA encourages veterinarians and staff to show compassion, model desired behaviors, and give clients positive reinforcement. The organization also encourages them to set clear boundaries.

“Aggressive, rude behavior targeting veterinary teams is unacceptable,” he says.

To help veterinary professionals build relationships with clients and avoid these kinds of problems, the AVMA provides resources to members.

“We recently launched a resource for our members that helps build stronger and more trusting relationships through effective communication strategies for clients,” he says. “We are all in this together, and patience and courtesy on everyone’s part will give us the result we all want, which is the best possible care for our animals.”

The resource, found at https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/practice-management/communicating-clients-using-right-language-improve-care, includes a webinar for veterinary professionals on how to effectively talk to clients.

“We know the pressure on veterinarians and their teams is very real,” says Arce. “That’s why we encourage our members to take full advantage of our various resources to improve practice efficiency via telehealth and other means, to engage in team-building and wellness practices, to learn how to best engage with angry clients, and to utilize the free cyberbullying consultant if members feel they are the victim of online abuse.”

The AAHA also provides guidelines to vet professionals on dealing with upset clients.

“We have a ‘Healthy Workplace Culture Initiative,’ which addresses communication, setting healthy boundaries, advocacy for our teams and ourselves,” says Nichols. “It makes it very clear that we can set boundaries, remain calm, listen actively and diffuse situations quite frequently.”

In his own experiences, Dr. Man has found that communication is the key when it comes to handling an escalated situation where emotions are involved.

“Listening to pet parents’ concerns, identifying them, and responding appropriately can often lead to resolution of issues at hand,” he says. “Most of the difficult circumstances can be avoided by appropriate communication, and approving treatment plans and their associated costs for pets prior to providing medical care.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Audrey Pavia is a freelance writer and author of Horses For Dummies and Horseback Riding for Dummies. She lives in Norco, California, with her two Spanish Mustangs, Milagro and Rio.
 

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