Colloquial and courtesy expressions in the veterinary consulting room

Communication with the client in the veterinary practice is of the utmost importance when working in the UK. We must not forget that complaints against veterinarians are taken very seriously by the RCVS, which can warn us or temporarily suspend us if it considers that the client is right and that we have not acted appropriately. These actions by the RCVS are actually very beneficial, as maintain the good quality of service and the good reputation of veterinarians within the British society. The vast majority of these complaints are caused by communication problems with the client, so it is very important to understand some courtesy treatment and colloquial expressions that will help us communicate with the client and understand what is the problem with the pet.

Greeting, smiling, shaking hands, apologising, asking permission, or thanking are aspects that are more important in the United Kingdom than in some othercountries. For example, you should not ask for things (from a nurse, from an owner) without ending the sentence with a “Please”. In addition, these requests must be made in the conditional and not in the imperative, that is, "Could you turn the anaesthesia machine off please?" instead of “Turn the anaesthesia machine off please”. And of course, end with a “Thanks” (or thank you, or thank you so much) when they have done us that favor or helped us in something. In case you are not so used to the constant use of the words “Please” and “Thank you”, or to greeting and smiling more often, then you must adapt to the UK so as not to give an impression image of excessive seriousness or even antipathy.

In the British veterinary culture, it never hurts to ask for things conditionally, use the words “please" and “thank you”, and smile. You should always refer to the pet by its name and use "he/she" instead of “it"

It is also important that we address our clients by their title followed by their last name, unless the client asks us to call them by their first name.

TITLES THAT YOU SHOULD USE WITH YOUR CLIENTS

Generally, when starting working in the UK, we will mainly use the titles Mr and Ms, which allow us to address our clients without the need to know their marital status, their age or their academic training. On many occasions, it is the receptionist or the nurse who will tell us what treatment we should give to a particular client, for example when they tell us “Mrs Taylor is waiting for you in consult 2”. It is also important that we do NOT address the pet with an “it”; we should speak of it as “he/she” and we should call it by its name at least one time during the consultation. A good way to start a consultation would be: “What does it seem to be the problem with Ruby, Mrs Taylor? “. “.

The way of perceiving physical contact is also different among cultures. This contact (like putting a hand over someone’s shoulder when talking) is common in Mediterranean, Hispanic, African or Asian cultures, but not in other cultures. In English-speaking cultures it is highly valued not to invade the vital space of a person, even if that approach does not involve any physical contact. For this reason, it is important to respect these cultural differences and to know very well in which situations we can touch a client (usually when there is grief or extreme concern and we want to provide some comfort).

Colloquial terms and expressions in the communication with the client

Anatomy

Digestive system

  This dog´s owner called saying that his dor Tyson was restless, retching and trying to puke. He was asked to bring him to the clinic asap (as soon as possible)

Urogenital

Sistema respiratorio

Neurology/musculoskeletal

Good communication with the client is essen4al to develop our job properly and without complica4ons. When English is not our first language, it is important that we become familiar with terms and expressions used by owners. Do not be afraid of asking when something is not understood.(imagen from Freepik)

Skin, eyes, ears

Treatment

Health status/disease