Article published Sep 8, 2007
Vets get lessons on bedside manner
CSU, CU med school join forces to provide communication training
BY CARI MERRILL
CariMerrill@coloradoan.com

DENVER - Mary Gerwin's pets are her family.

If she's willing to make the longer drive to the Firehouse Animal Health Center from her Denver home, she wants a veterinarian who takes her concerns to heart and listens to any worries she might have. Through a program from Colorado State University's School of Veterinary medicine, she gets just that.

The Argus Institute, in conjunction with the University of Colorado's Denver Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, provides communication training to the vet clinic staff so they are better able to relate to the pet owners.

Argus director and veterinarian Jane Shaw and Dr. Gwyn Barley, director of the Center for Advancing Professional
Excellence at CU's Denver Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, have led a year-long training program, taking one Friday each month to implement the unique schooling and apply it in a live setting, transferring the skills learned in lab to pet owners.

During lab sessions, actors play the role of clients, following a script written by Shaw and Barley that outlines, in detail, fictional pet ailments and possible reactions of their owners. This gives the staff at Firehouse the opportunity to learn how to handle a variety of situations, such as end-of-life options, while having the chance to take a timeout and get coaching from Shaw and Barley.

But the training doesn't stop there. Shaw and Barley also do one-on-one coaching with staff during client visits, creating transcripts of the visits and providing feedback to vet staff.

Friday morning, the pair shadowed veterinarian Randy McCarthy as he treated Jerry Garcia, a black lab mix, and kittens Lily and Lola.

Each step of the way, McCarthy explained to the pet owner all of the procedures performed, such as listening to Lily's heart beat and telling Gerwin what he heard and what it means, openness pet owners appreciate.

"(Randy) has a way with (Jerry)," said Dave Dechant, Jerry's owner. "He just seems to be truly concerned about pets' health."

Shaw and Barley praised McCarthy about the way he takes the time to make each client feel special, asking about family or other pets. He gives them choices, opening up the lines of communication so patients feel more open to sharing rather than answering with yes or no questions.

But the transition in communication styles hasn't been easy.

"It's hard to translate from didactic to lab to practice," Barley said of the veterinarians and staff who go through the
transition, especially for seasoned doctors who are "hardwired" in a way they've done things for years.

Gerwin appreciates the training. "(Randy) understands the role they play in my life," said Gerwin, who's owned cats for the past 25 years. "They're my family; I don't have kids."