Vet Spotlight: Dr. Kruck uses the Vetster for Clinics program to provide care to her clients
Meet Dr. Kruck, a Minnesota veterinarian who’s been practicing since 2006 with a strong interest in internal medicine, pain management, geriatrics, intensive care and soft tissue surgery. She has been on the board of several rescue organizations as well as a statewide animal coalition and care for animals in developing countries through standard veterinary care and nonprofit organizations. Dr. Kruck is leveraging the Vetster for Clinics program to expand care to their clients when they are closed, or at capacity.
“Vetster has given clients an avenue to reach us after hours, without requiring an emergency appointment. It further bonds clients to our practice knowing we are available around the clock to support their pet's health.”
Tell us about yourself and the clinic you work at today
I enjoy working with dogs, cats and their pet owners, exploring and supporting the human animal bond. I have a great deal of experience with small animal soft tissue surgery, geriatric patient medicine, pediatrics and emergency medicine and am always engaged in learning more about all aspects of small animal medicine to best serve my patients.I have been the lead veterinarian at Bark and Bliss Animal Wellness Centre since its inception in 2017 and enjoy helping our clients.
How has Vetster for Clinics helped your staff, and your business?
Our clinic offers 24 hour Emergency Service, but this is cost prohibitive and we needed an additional option for clients that had non-emergent concerns with their pets, outside of normal business hours. The Vetster for Clinics program keeps clients within our realm of practice and seeing our staff for their concerns versus having to receive care at another clinic. Clients can reach us after hours thanks to Vetster, without requiring an emergency appointment. It further bonds clients to our practice knowing we are available around the clock to support their pet's health.
Why did you choose the Vetster platform?
Because Vetster takes care of the reminders, the platform and most importantly the payment, there is no need for awkward conversations on collecting payment, need for staff to remind clients of their appointments or need for our team to provide technical support. In that way, it is much more cost effective and time efficient overall.
I enjoy the features on Vetster. Among my favorites are the video interface, the reminders the client and the provider receive, and the prepayment for services handled by Vetster.
What is the most memorable case you handled on Vetster?
I had an appointment with a feline patient, and the cat had had a very traumatic experience when it was young, so in person vet visits were not a possibility. Because of where the client lived she was unable to get a visit from the local house-call vets. The cat was coughing and the owner was concerned it had pneumonia or asthma. Luckily, the cat was very happy to be on video, his gums were quite pink, I could see his breathing was normal and he started to do the "hairball type" hacking cough. It was very nice to let the client know it wasn't something serious and that it could be treated with a change in diet and some Laxatone.
What would you like to see change in the industry in the next five years?
Due to the veterinarian and veterinary technician shortage that the United States and Canada are experiencing, I would like to see the expansion of abilities for veterinarians to prescribe some medications for patients they have not physically seen. Because so many pets cannot get into their veterinarians for weeks to months for an office visit, pets are going without necessary care and treatments in some cases because of the current statutes and what establishes the Veterinary Patient Client Relationship.
What would you say to other clinics that are thinking about offering virtual services?
You have nothing to lose by using Vetster for Clinics. The setup takes very little time, and the platform doesn’t cost the clinic anything. Your staff has the ability to choose the times they are available and what they would like to get paid for appointments, so the additional commitment is up to them. In addition, it gives staff an avenue to increase their pay if they are looking for additional hours and income without the practice having to budget for more hours for staff.
I enjoy using Vetster in my off hours from the clinic. It allows me to get additional pay in my free time, which I can earmark for other things such as vacations, student loans or fun money. At the same time, when I have a busy week at work and do not have the additional hours or energy available, I can easily pause my availability to not be available until I have the bandwidth to do so again. It allows me to maintain the work life balance that we veterinarians often find so challenging.
If you're interested in being featured in our blog, please contact Jennifer, our Manager of Veterinary Success by emailing jennifer@vetster.com.
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