UVP 126 Invasion of Privacy - When Clients Ask Your Vaccine Status

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Dr. Andy Roark and Practice Manager Stephanie Goss tackle a topic that is being heard on repeat in the clinic these days - what do we do when clients ask the team “Are you vaccinated?” If you don’t want your team to have that deer in the headlights look, listen in to the discussion Andy and Stephanie have about not only what to say and how to say it but some cautionary thoughts for making sure you are protecting the privacy of your team. Discussion Points Please do not be caught off guard by this question. If it hasn’t happened yet, it will! Clients want to protect themselves AND this is a source of small talk as we all begin to re-enter the world and start sharing airspace again. Andy suggests the great idea to consider with your team - what if clients ask if you are vaccinated and on the flip side, what if they ask why DID you get vaccinated? Having these conversations with your team early and often will help them start to wrap their brains around both sides. Just because this is likely to become more common, doesn’t mean the invasion into their personal lives is right or acceptable. Your team needs to have a common approach that everyone can use, regardless of their personal stake in the situation and their personal opinions. They aren’t representing themselves, they are representing the business. Your team has a right to privacy. Clients don’t actually need the answer they are seeking when it comes to private medical information. You can help your team feel confident by giving them some language that feels comfortable. Two of Stephanie’s favourite suggestions shared by friends are: “We cannot disclose anyone’s individual vaccine status. We have team members who have just become eligible for vaccination and/or who aren’t medically cleared to be vaccinated yet. Even with 100% of the team vaccinated, we want you to know what we are doing in addition to vaccine access, to keep you and our team safe. Safety measures include…” “We are trying our best to make it as easy as possible for our team members to access the vaccine. However, their medical information is private, so I can't disclose anyone's vaccination status, including my own. I appreciate your respect for our privacy.” Links: Upcoming events: https://unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/ Last chance to sign up for New Grad Mentorship 2.0 with Dr. Lindsay Gallagher! Lindsay is going to use her experiences as a new grad and help you harness energy, excitement and formulate a plan to set your new grad up for success. https://unchartedvet.com/product/new-grad-mentorship/ All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet Got a question for the mailbag? Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag