Training on the Most Important Appointment: The Euthanasia

After contacting over 28 hospitals, I discovered that many team members have a difficult time in communicating with clients regarding euthanasia. Many of them are awkward and do not convey empathy to the clients while they are making the most difficult appointment. In this presentation I discuss commonly made mistakes in the scheduling, the handling, and the communication during a euthanasia appointment. I discuss how managers can train their team members on having this difficult conversation. I also gibe tips and specific phrases of what team members can say to owners during this difficult time.

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Approved for 1 hour California Statutorily Approved CE

Melissa Tompkins, BBS, CVPM, PHRca, CCFP; South Coast Veterinary Management Solutions

Melissa started working in the veterinary field 17 years ago, starting out as a tech assistant/receptionist.  She worked her way up to become a practice manager in 2005 and never looked back. She has worked in general practice (Feline Only), specialty, and emergency.

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from Cal Poly Pomona, became a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager in 2011, and received her PHRca certification in 2020.  Recently, she became a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional, and is now helping hospital s deal with burnout and compassion fatigue. She also owns her own consulting business, South Coast Veterinary Management Solutions so she can help multiple hospitals.

She is a published author of multiple articles and has also been a speaker at several annual conferences and symposiums. Melissa is highly active within the local veterinary community co-founding the North Orange County Veterinary Hospital manager group. She loves helping other managers and team members grown within the veterinary profession.  In 2018 she was the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association’s Paraprofessional of the year.