Spectrum of care is critical to expanding veterinary care accessibility and increasing client compliance.

This point was further focused on by the AVMA House of Delegates (HOD) during their recently concluded Veterinary Information Forum (VIF) in Denver, Colorado.

Educating veterinary students and professionals, establishing policies, and providing resources on spectrum of care are among the suggestions the AVMA HOD vote to be referred to the AVMA Board of Directors (BOD) for consideration, following the recommendation of the reference committee to which the VIF topic was assigned.

Kristine Hoyt, DVM, delegate for Maine, talks about the need to teach the spectrum of care concept at veterinary colleges after her experiences with recent graduates practicing in rural areas. Many were uncomfortable with offering less advanced care versus those who had practiced for years. Photo courtesy R. Scott Nolen.

Potential resources in the spectrum of care toolkit include continuing education and guide materials, with emphasis on client communication and proper documentation of medical records.

Education goes both ways

Advancing the concept of spectrum of care in the industry means educating both ends of the practice—professionals and clients.

Equipping veterinary students and professionals to offer a variety of care options responsive to client needs and expectations can help increase accessibility of veterinary care and client compliance. Further, this allows delivery of veterinary care regardless of the challenges in their respective practices.

Gary Stuer, DVM, delegate for the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), reiterates the importance of client communication in the practice. Living in rural western Maine, Dr. Stuer shares many of his clients are not financially able or willing to drive to referrals practices for procedures.

“One of the most important things we do as veterinarians with clients is to communicate and have open discussions with them,” Dr. Stuer says. “We need to do same with new associates, especially new graduates.”

Gary Stuer, DVM, delegate to American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), shares his thoughts about the importance of client communication in the practice. Photo courtesy Matt Zinagle.

Many students come to veterinary school with the perspective of practicing the “gold standard” of veterinary medicine, says Peter Hellyer, DVM, MS, DACVA, delegate for Colorado.

“They fear being incompetent and want to do the right thing. I don’t think schools will fix that problem. We can lay the groundwork, but when they come out, they want to do the best (medicine) ever, and they might need a few years’ experience to work that out,” says Dr. Hellyer.

Liesa Stone, DVM, delegate for Ohio, shares The Ohio State University (OSU) is an early adopter of teaching spectrum of care. OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine is rolling out a new curriculum in which the concept has been integrated throughout.

“The goal is to instill confidence and competence in our graduates so that when they graduate, they are Day One ready and more comfortable to have those conversations across the spectrum,” Dr. Stone says.

The session, which was attended by delegates from different state, territorial, and allied veterinary medical groups, was held in conjunction to the 2023 AVMA Convention. For more, click here.