Interacting with practice staff and clients
- Be polite and professional at all times when talking to clients (address them by their full name e.g. Mrs MacDonald, Dr Brown unless invited to do otherwise)
- Don’t feel too uncomfortable with silences – the vet or nurse may just be having ‘that sort of day’, and not feel like making conversation; or they may be trying to concentrate on what they are doing, especially in theatre
- If you are struggling, some examples of icebreaker questions could include:
- For vets or qualified nurses:
- Where did you train?
- What is your special area of interest?
- Where else have you worked?
- For clients:
- Have you had her since she was a puppy?
- Have you got any other cats?
- Do you compete with him? (to an equine client)