Q&A with GVMA President, Dr. Jonathan Bentley
How do you support recent graduates in transitioning from academic learning to practical, hands-on veterinary care?
It is important to be able take what is learned from the academic setting and switch that knowledge over to the practical or real world. In vet school we learn to identify normal from abnormal and how to treat or fix the abnormal. But the real world of veterinary practice is complex and dynamic. And although what is offered in the academic setting has improved from when I was in vet school, skillsets such as client and interpersonal communication and utilizing spectrum of care still must be learned or honed. I consider these skillsets to be the foundation of clinical wisdom, which I define as the ability to adjust, adapt, and apply the knowledge gained in vet school to different situations or circumstances in the real world. And the best way to do that is to have a mentor.
Before I started at Sugar Hill Animal Hospital as a new grad, I was allowed to extern prior to my graduation and was partnered with the clinic owner, Dr. West Hamryka and one of his more senior technicians, Wendi. West not only allowed but insisted that I scrub in with him in surgery and shadow him on his more challenging cases. Wendi, on the other hand, not only trained me as to the general flow of the practice but also trained the vet assistant I was to work with, so we learned each other’s routine. Both were instrumental in my becoming the veterinarian I am today. Mentorship is what helps make a good vet. I remember West telling me something that stuck with during my first year out of vet school, “a bad veterinarian can be more harmful than no veterinarian.”
Can you describe the team culture here and how recent graduates are integrated into it?
I like to think of our clinic as a modified teaching hospital that occasionally likes to be silly. Our clinic huddles have an educational or informative component, we have regular lunch and learns, and we host externs from undergrad as well as veterinary school and technician programs. Two of our associates came from the Explorer Program that is sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. They were allowed to shadow at an early age and as they matured academically, they returned for externships and eventually joined our doctor team. Every extern is required to present a round topic once a week during their time at the hospital and of course each presentation is to end in a Dr. Bentley style Dad joke.
What opportunities are there for professional development within your practice?
Mentorship is not only about coaching or providing hands on experience, but also about listening and providing support. Since we have merged with Mission Veterinary Partners, we have been able to take what we were already doing and make our mentorship program more robust. New grads are paired with a senior or more experienced associate that they trust for at least 12 months, and we try to make sure that the mentor and mentee match each other’s learning and communication style. We also allow for at least 50% overlap in the mentor’s and mentee’s schedule. Once a week, the mentee and mentor get the opportunity to meet during clinic hours but away from the clinic to go over challenging cases, swap ideas, and go over concerns.
How does the team handle challenging cases, and what role do recent graduates play in these situations?
We utilize a combination of team-based medicine and continuous learning within my doctor team. Each member team has a special interest such as soft tissue/orthopedic surgery, cardiology, feline internal medicine, or “unique and interesting” types of clients. More importantly, each doctor is available as a resource. In this manner, for the good of the patient we can refer and rely on each other for the best possible outcome. Even though I shadowed West predominantly, I learned that for the good of the patient I had a responsibility to utilize the resources available to me – my fellow associates. I encourage this behavior in my new grads. But one of the things I have come to learn is that new grads also elevate us. I can honestly say that we have learned a lot from our new grads; their knowledge base from vet school is fresh and every new grad I have worked with so far has brought something to clinic that has helped to elevate our style of medicine.
In what ways do you mentor recent graduates in developing their diagnostic and surgical skills?
I have learned in my medical director role that there are a variety of different ways to develop certain skills. But what I have also learned is that I have had to take a step back from the “trial by fire” or even the “see one, do one, and teach one” approach and cater to how the mentee learns best. Some new grads can see something once and are ready to not only spay the dog but do the pexy as well. Others need to read the book, see me do something a few times and watch a YouTube video. By forming that close knit connection between the mentor and the mentee early on we can best provide the appropriate stretch and help our new grads grow. My goal for every new grad that comes into our hospital is to bridge the gap between competence and confidence.
How does the practice encourage and manage work-life balance among its staff, especially for recent graduates adjusting to the profession?
I feel that as veterinarians it is intrinsic in our nature to give a lot of ourselves and even have our identity deeply rooted in our job. We are guilty of often caring too much. Work life balance is something that must be taught early in a new graduate’s career. We try to start off slow and share the same schedule roughly with their mentors. In this way they can learn efficiencies such as utilizing their resources and how to best delegate and collaborate with their doctor team and the staff. Part of what is talked about during the mentor and mentee meetups is how to set up boundaries; encouraging them to establish specific work hours and avoid taking work home whenever possible. In my personal experience I have learned to separate my identity from being a veterinarian and the hospital itself by setting goals for what I want to accomplish outside of practice, focusing on hobbies when I can and establishing relationship with individuals who have no relation to vet med.
What feedback mechanisms are in place for recent graduates to discuss their progress, concerns, and professional aspirations?
During our mentor/mentee meet ups we go over issues, concerns and discuss progress. Because we try to pair each mentee with the right mentor, the discussion topics vary from discussing effective client communication to developing an at home budget. I believe that having these regularly scheduled check-ins helps provide guidance and encourage open communication about any challenges they may be facing. From my medical director perspective, I try to have individual touch bases and micro huddles within the doctor team which helps me keep a pulse on how we are doing.
