Podcast
The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast
Hosted by Uncharted Veterinary Community · EN
The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast is for veterinary professionals who want to ace the tough parts of practice that happen daily but don't get discussed. We'll cover topics like how to manage workplace conflict, take exceptional care of pets and people, convince pet owners to follow your advice, have difficult money conversations, survive toxic co-workers and much more. If you want to up your communication, efficiency, management, or marketing skills so you can get more success and enjoyment from your career, then this is the podcast for you!
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
411 - How Do I Ask For a Raise in This Economy?
3d ago00:49:11Tap to summarizeAsking for a Raise in a Tough Economy, How Practice Managers Can Advocate Without Burning BridgesHost Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark discuss a mailbag from a practice manager who has not received a raise in three years and feels the impact of inflation while clinic revenue is down after closing boarding and grooming. They emphasize approaching raises as a relationship and business conversation, not an emotional confrontation, by assuming good intent, avoiding unhelpful stories, and being clear about what you need and what success looks like. Andy outlines the SAFE framework (smile, assume good intent, consider how the other person is set up to fail, define the end result), advises giving advance notice before the meeting, and cautions against threats or relying on hypothetical outside offers. They recommend building a case with metrics and contributions that show value and ROI, considering non-monetary options, and exploring other opportunities when needs are not being met.Dr. Andy Roark is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. He is the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference and DrAndyRoark.com. He has been an award-winning columnist for DVM360 and the magazine Today’s Veterinary Business. His social media, website, podcast and YouTube show reach millions of people every month.Dr. Roark has received the NAVC Practice Management Speaker of the Year Award three times, the WVC Practice Management Educator of the Year Award, the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Veterinarian of the Year Award from the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. His greatest achievement however involves marrying a bad-ass scientist and raising 2 kind and wonderful daughters.Mentioned in this episode:Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →410 - When Everything Lands on the Medical Director's Desk
1w ago00:36:15Tap to summarizeToday Maria Pirita sits down with Dr. Jon Younker, a small-animal GP turned practice owner and VetLaunch consultant, about a medical director whose desk has become the default for decisions ranging from protocol disagreements and client complaints to scheduling, staffing, and inventory, creating a bottleneck and cutting into clinical callbacks. They frame the issue as clarifying decision ownership and moving beyond a traditional command-and-control model that breaks down as practices scale. Younker outlines what should belong with the medical director (standard of care, controlled drug policies, veterinarian hiring/firing, major capital purchases, and liability issues) versus what should sit with other experts (scheduling, inventory, client experience). They discuss how “helpfulness” can create dependence, the value of asking staff to bring solutions, using agenda-driven staff and doctor meetings to align protocols and reduce mixed messaging, and applying a “patient, client, clinic” decision filter. Key immediate steps: protected admin time and requiring solutions with every problem brought forward.
Transcribe →409 - My Friends Won't Stop Asking Me for Veterinary Advice
2w ago01:00:07Tap to summarizeWhen Friends Won’t Stop Asking for Vet Advice, Setting Boundaries Without the GuiltMaria Pirita hosts Dr. Andy Roark on the Uncharted Veterinary Podcast to tackle a common veterinary medicine frustration, friends, family, and random acquaintances constantly asking for free pet advice via texts and social media. They respond to a mailbag from a vet tech who feels guilty, worried about liability, and increasingly resentful, and they unpack why this happens more now due to increased access and the profession’s history of not valuing time. Andy shares frameworks like the five-minute rule and lessons from Adam Grant’s Give and Take about dealing with “takers,” plus practical boundary tools such as delaying responses, using front-desk style language, redirecting to an appointment or emergency care when needed, and avoiding reinforcing the behavior. They also discuss identity, introducing yourself beyond your job, and setting clear expectations to prevent burnout.Dr. Andy Roark is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. He is the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference and DrAndyRoark.com. He has been an award-winning columnist for DVM360 and the magazine Today’s Veterinary Business. His social media, website, podcast and YouTube show reach millions of people every month.Dr. Roark has received the NAVC Practice Management Speaker of the Year Award three times, the WVC Practice Management Educator of the Year Award, the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Veterinarian of the Year Award from the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. His greatest achievement however involves marrying a bad-ass scientist and raising 2 kind and wonderful daughters.Mentioned in this episode:Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Care is Your Calling
Transcribe →408 - Empowered or Overstepping? Helping Techs Make Better Decisions
3w ago00:42:33Tap to summarizeMaria Pirita, CVPM sits down with Ron Sosa, CVPM to tackle a mailbag question every practice runs into: how do you build veterinary technician decision-making skills without risking patient safety or liability? They dig into why technicians hesitate to act, the real difference between a training gap and a performance issue, and how psychological safety shapes whether a team member speaks up or stays silent. Ron shares practical ways to map out which decisions belong to techs versus doctors, along with role play techniques and coaching strategies that build confidence without letting anyone overstep their scope.Mentioned in this episode:Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Care is Your Calling
Transcribe →407 - How To Schedule Recheck Visits
Jul 100:59:14Tap to summarizeUrgent care slots turning into a dumping ground for recheck visits? Maria sits down with Dr. Andy Roark to unpack why forward booking breaks down, how to get doctors comfortable handing recheck visits to trained technicians, and what it actually takes to build team accountability around the schedule. If your practice is drowning in progress checks, this one's for you.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Care is Your Calling
Transcribe →406 - War Against Smoke Breaks
Jun 2400:48:53Tap to summarizeBring back smoke breaks! Well... kinda. Your team skips breaks, works through lunch, and pushes through stress because there's "too much to do." But what if that's actually hurting productivity, resilience, and patient care? In this episode, Maria Pirita, CVPM and Ron Sosa, CVPM discuss why veterinary medicine may have accidentally created a culture that discourages breaks, what we lost when "smoke breaks" disappeared, and how leaders can build healthier, more sustainable teams. They explore the connection between breaks, psychological safety, neurodiversity, and performance, along with practical ways to make breaks work in even the busiest practices.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →405 - Frustrated with All The Feelings
Jun 1700:50:24Tap to summarizeIs managing feelings just practice management life? Host Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark tackle a mailbag from a practice leader exhausted by constant team “feelings,” passive-aggressive conflicts, and the sense that leadership must coddle and babysit instead of getting work done. They agree that emotions are part of leadership, but emphasize the goal is not endlessly mediating drama, it is building a team that can self-regulate and resolve conflict. They discuss reframing feelings as part of the job, distinguishing one-off issues from patterns, and diagnosing whether friction is a systems problem (unclear roles, expectations, SOPs) or an interpersonal problem involving a specific person. Tools include root cause analysis using repeated “whys,” training in conflict management and DiSC communication styles, setting culture through team agreements or “great team” exercises, reinforcing purpose and appreciation, and coaching with intentional friction so escalating to leadership is not the easy button.Maria Pirita is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, Elite Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional and former hospital administrator. In her work with Uncharted Veterinary Conference and beyond, Maria has presented to veterinarians and teams across the US and Canada on topics including veterinary marketing, feedback, team building, and positive work culture. With over 10 years of experience in veterinary medicine and over 20 years in leadership, she's passionate helping leaders develop their skills. Maria loves any activity that involves creativity or learning something new. This leads to an abundance of hobbies including crafting, traveling, cooking and aviation.Mentioned in this episode:Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!
Transcribe →404 - How To Let People Go When The Team Likes Them
Jun 1000:45:45Tap to summarizeHost Maria Pirita and guest Ron Sosa, CVPM and author of Rewriting the Rules, tackle a mailbag question about what to tell a veterinary team when a well-liked employee must be fired for reasons that did not directly affect coworkers. They discuss the leader’s mindset, balancing empathy with business needs, and avoiding over-explaining, justifying, or revealing confidential details. Key goals are stabilizing the team, providing as much clarity as possible while maintaining privacy, and minimizing loss of trust, including addressing fears like “Am I next?” They share examples such as termination for time theft, warn against “giving it away” indirectly, and recommend a communication approach that states the facts, sets boundaries, validates emotions, and quickly moves to an operational plan. The episode also notes community support, documentation, and resources like the Don’t Get Sued course module on at-will employment and wrongful termination.Ron Sosa is the Executive Director of Uncharted Veterinary Conference, a published author, international speaker, and veterinary leader with more than 20 years of experience in operations, practice management, leadership development, and consulting. From client service representative to business partner to industry educator, Ron has built a career around helping veterinary professionals create healthier teams and more sustainable workplaces. As the founder of Syn APT Neuroinclusive Leadership, he is especially passionate about neuroinclusive leadership, workplace culture, burnout prevention, and helping people thrive at work.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
Transcribe →403 - Should Vets Really Be Involved in Client Finances?
Jun 300:49:03Tap to summarizeDr. Andy Roark joins Maria Pirita, CVPM, to tackle one of the most emotionally charged challenges in veterinary medicine: client financial conversations. How do you recommend the care a pet truly needs without judging a client's wallet, carrying the weight of their financial decisions, or compromising your standards? Together, they explore spectrum of care, pricing transparency, client communication, and practical ways to build trust while helping pet owners make informed decisions. Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Join us for the Medical Director Summit!Get the Protocol Training Game Here!
Transcribe →402 - The Team Doesn't See How We Support Them
May 2700:48:21Tap to summarizeWhen veterinary leaders build a culture centered around support, flexibility, and growth, it can feel deeply personal when the team still says, “I don’t feel supported.” In this episode, Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark unpack the tension between caring for your people and protecting the operational health of the practice, especially when multiple team members go back to school at the same time. From expectations and accountability to emotional ownership and leadership boundaries, this conversation explores what happens when support without structure starts creating chaos instead of culture.Mentioned in this episode:Care is Your Calling Get the Protocol Training Game Here!Join us for the Medical Director Summit!
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