There is sometimes a misconception of what we do – we don’t just sit there and answer the phones and play with all the puppies that come in (well not all the time). The job of a veterinary receptionist is multifaceted, demanding and often underestimated. Every day is a school day, we never know what is on the other end of the phone. We need to remain calm and reassuring at all times even when all the phones are ringing and we have a distraught client in front of us.

We need to be able to prioritise whist at the same time offer the best service we can to the client multitasking as we go, putting up medication, taking payment, making appointments and being the filter between the nurses, vets and clients. We need to be confident in the service we provide showing empathy and giving support to concerned clients.

Emergencies don’t just happen at night, we are trained to recognise any symptoms or ailments that could point to something more urgent and book and arrange appointments accordingly as well as those emergencies that rush in without notice and being able to cope and manage that emergency whilst remaining calm and professional – not always an easy task.

Receptionists are also quite knowledgeable creatures … we are often tasked to give guided advice, whether that’s for preventative health, managing costs, timings for booking neuterings and post operative checks etc.

Pet Health Clubs are quite common place these days – these schemes are a great way to spread the cost of your preventative health medications e.g. flea and worming products.

There are times where advice and assistance is of a more sombre nature. Often calls or visits where your pet is seriously unwell often brings with it difficult decisions and emotions. Here on reception our aim is always to make these difficult visits as stressless and a comfortable as possible.

Throughout the Covid restrictions we missed all of the interaction both human and animal, we love catching up with our clients with their animal adventure tales as much as we missed all of the paw shakes we get in exchange for treats.

We are the first point of contact to all who visit the practice so we have one opportunity to create a first impression.

Written by Gaynor & Amy