Email! Tweets! Snapchat! Instagram! Facebook! Yikes!!!
We have so many ways to communicate with each other and yet the art of communication seems to be getting lost in the chaos.
Multitasking, usually in the form of a downward stare at a cell phone, occurs constantly in our society even if the action is right in front of our face. We try to stay one step ahead of our day, knocking out an errand while doing another, getting a jump on the next event all while staying in time with the constant deluge of emails and texts that raid our devices. Not that many of these communications are truly that urgent, but we have chosen to make them so. If one doesn’t respond in an hour the alarm bells ring. Can’t be reached? C’mon, that’s impossible these days unless you make the effort to hide.
Now I get this, sometimes our days’ dealings warrant a constant level of information and communication. Staying abreast of each others actions, the movement in the market or changes in the geopolitical scene, for example, dictate we keep in touch. Or even more familiar, a child’s constantly changing schedule of school, practices and lessons that alter last minute due to weather delays that plague a parent’s well-thought-out day. Thank goodness for the cell phone then!
So what does this have to do with your pet’s eye problems and the Animal Eye Clinic? For one, people want information so they can make educated decisions. So they look up what they think is their pet’s problem based on external symptoms and come in with lots of questions along with a touch of anxiety based on all the different diagnoses they were able to research on the web. A red eye? Oh my, the things you might find are endless! Our goal here is to decrease your worry and anxiety by narrowing that list of issues with diagnostic tests or, even better, by giving you a definitive diagnosis with specific treatment options. We give this information to you verbally and in writing in case you are overwhelmed and forget what was said. This also insures that you will be looking up the right disease if more information is what you need. What a relief!
Just as importantly, you know you will be getting our total attention as we are firmly fixed in the present to take care of you and your pet. My staff, many who have been with me for years, will look you in the eye, say hello and take your history upon arrival. I create the time and space in our comfortable and friendly office to sit down and examine your pet and then talk about all the things I see. We give you this information so you feel comfortable and don’t just give you a short handout and a prescription to fill. We try our best to run on schedule for your appointment as we know your time is important too! Our goal is to educate and communicate and that is what makes this practice special.
I could certainly be busier, double booking appointments, hustling in and out of exam rooms and leaving you and Dr. Google to sort through the details. That’s just not our style. All we ask of you is to unplug from the world and turn off your phone for the time it takes to examine your friend and impart this information. Be an active participant in your pet’s health knowing that all the craziness of the world, the emails and texts, will still be waiting when you leave the building! As an advocate for your pet, I want to insure that you also leave smarter than when you entered with less anxiety, more information and a feeling that you and your pet are in good hands.