Veterinarian Gwen Rees found herself reassessing her options as she realised she needed to move away from clinical work. Finding an opportunity to study what influences farmer decisions in their use of medicines gave her the chance to explore human behaviour, adding novel insights into the world of improved veterinary and farmer communication. Gwen now lectures at Aberystwyth University in Wales and is the president of the British Veterinary Association Wales Branch. She also leads the Veterinary Prescribing Champions (VPCs) network, part of the Arwain DGC project that looks at ways to reduce the use of antimicrobials in cattle, sheep and horses. In this episode, we discuss:

how her PhD project helped recognise that vets often make assumptions about how medicines are used on farm,

the question 'what does a farmer want from their vet?' with regards to understanding how to use prescribed medicines,

the success of the Veterinary Prescribing Champions network in Wales and how this was achieved. Listen in to discover Gwen's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee! Links from the show: Arwain DGC https://menterabusnes.cymru/arwaindgc/home-2/

Farmer and veterinarian Kat Hart believes you shouldn't let a lack of experience hold you back from trying something new. If it's something you are passionate about doing, then make a start and you can learn the skills along the way.

Kat is part of a team of farm vets working in England, where she specialises in young stock, having developed this role from scratch within the practice she's worked in since graduating in 2011.

In this episode, we discuss:

practical tips for vets worried about feeling confident when going onto a new farm,

looking for opportunities to build your unique offering to clients,

building and promoting the family beef and sheep farming business.

Listen in to discover Kat's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

David Main is a vet and professor of production animal health and welfare at the Royal Agricultural University, England.

His research interests lie in welfare education, the science and practice of knowledge exchange, animal welfare assessment and improvement strategies.

Like many, he began his veterinary career expecting to improve animal health and welfare by sharing his technical knowledge and expertise with clients. Soon recognising that this was not the most effective approach to take, he became increasingly interested in learning more about communication style in medical and veterinary interactions.

In this episode, we discuss:

how communication style will influence the uptake of veterinary advice,

using a 'what would a friend say?' approach in conversations dealing with difficult topics, such as terminal illness, to better connect with clients,

how use of positive language in programmes that aim to improve animal welfare, such as Health Feet, achieves better engagement with farmers.

Listen in to hear David's thoughts on communication, cows and coffee!

Links from the episode:

BMJ article 'Communication in difficult situations: what would a friend say?' https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5037.full

Healthy Feet Programme https://ahdb.org.uk/healthy-feet