An Introduction to B.A.R. On the Floor

Our Technician Training team, along with Debrah Lee, our Veterinary Well-being Program Director, and Monica Maxwell, our Chief Administrative Officer, have been working on a new kind of veterinary education. Traditionally, our educational efforts at DoveLewis have been focused on increasing our medical knowledge. It can be easy to simply focus on the hard skills of our jobs. As technicians, we perform medical math and critical blood transfusions with such keen repetitiveness that we can overlook other aspects of our profession- like personal and professional development.  However, our well-being and success as an industry are significantly impacted by our emotional intelligence, resiliency, and how we respond to conflict.  This led us to create a different kind of educational video series: B.A.R. on the Floor.

B.A.R. on the Floor is a personal and professional development series created for anyone in the veterinary field. These videos are generally less than 30 minutes and will be presented by numerous experts here at DoveLewis. We will cover topics including recognizing and improving emotional intelligence, understanding trauma, and having difficult conversations with co-workers and clients. By addressing the challenges in our work, these videos will further equip us with the essential skills we need to be the best we can be for our patients, clients, and coworkers.  

The title of this series is a nod to the commonly used acronym in veterinary medicine BAR (bright, alert, and responsive). The hospital and administration teams are part of a mission that believes deeply in providing excellent care for both animals and the community in which we live in.  Stress, trauma, and conflict are innate to the work we do.  Individually, we can remain bright, alert, and responsive and be better prepared to receive and process the trauma and stress when we realize how these contributors impact us. 

We are requiring all staff members ꟷ including administrative and leadership ꟷ to watch the B.A.R series, with the option to attend a break-out session for further discussion. The break-out sessions are not intended to be used as a test, but as a place where thoughtful conversation and self-reflection can happen. What is something from the video that stuck with you? How can you relate?

atDove members also have the opportunity to work through this series just as we are at DoveLewis. Asking your team to have these conversations at your own clinic may be uncomfortable at first, but we hope that you and your team will see the value in recognizing these difficult topics because each of you are essential to your clinic’s success.

We know from caring for our patients that B.A.R. represents patients that are bright, alert, and responsive. We hope that B.A.R. on the Floor will allow you to be the same.

Not an atDove member? Join us to watch this series and more.