I had several “firsts” this month. I spent five days on my first canoeing adventure on the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in north-central Montana. Deep mud, lovely grasses, intense shale and sandstone rock formations, bighorn sheep, fossilized bison teeth, birds, more birds, and lots of sun. The people on the trip were wonderful. A gaggle of veterinarians and their friends and spouses and three amazing river guides — the types of young people that work hard, play hard, love nature’s treasures, appreciate laughter, and are comfortable in their skin. It was a lovely nature adventure and also my first time being “out of cell service” in three years.
And then there was this first. I took my beloved “foster failure” dog, George, to our veterinary teaching hospital for what turned out to be a urinary tract infection and bladder stones. Fast forward … surgery, recovery, all better. And the care he received at WSU was no less than exceptional. I provide hospital tours for donors and stakeholders, and I visit the hospital in my role as Dean, but I had not had the pleasure of experiencing our hospital as a client. And it was good. Long lines at 7:30 a.m. were dealt with quickly and professionally. The front desk, forward-facing, client service staff were uniformly great. There were some dogs (not my dog, of course) that were not well-behaved … students appeared and relieved stressed “pet parents” and pets quickly. I eavesdropped on conversations that were compassionate and informative. The veterinary students, staff, residents, and clinicians who worked with George (and, by definition, with me) were kind, upbeat, thoughtful, and skilled. And my positive experience wasn’t because I am the Dean. Many did not know, at least initially, and, if anything, that could have made people nervous. What I learned from watching is what I have heard from so many people outside and within the college — our teaching hospital provides excellent client and patient-focused service. For those in our hospital, know the work you do translates to positive community relationships, dedicated and pet-inspired donations to the Good Samaritan Fund or clinical research or hospital operations, and tangible goodwill from WSU stakeholders who believe in you and what you do. Thank you for taking care of our community, but, especially, thank you for taking care of George.
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