The Uncharted Veterinary Podcast

15 episodes scanned. 76% of ad slots promote the show's own products.

Recent Episodes

1. 426 - Coaching Veterinarian on How to Bring Up Issues

   Oct 28, 2026

   Dr. Andy Roark joins host Maria Pirita for a mailbag episode on coaching an associate veterinarian who challenges protocols in ways that land harshly with the team. They discuss separating behavior from personality, framing the conversation as a low-stakes ways-of-working discussion, managing the team's perception of feedback, and building a formal system for proposing protocol changes. Roark also shares an early-career lesson about pushing change too quickly, which he calls the Roark Report.

2. 425 - What CE Should I Attend Next?

   Oct 21, 2026

   Veterinary leader Ron Sosa joins host Maria Pirita to discuss how veterinary managers and leaders can choose continuing education from options such as conferences, online CE, certifications, and coaching. They cover starting with long-term impact or legacy goals, treating conferences as a way to identify what motivates you before investing in deeper learning, and the value and drawbacks of CE outside veterinary medicine. The conversation also covers Ron's non-veterinary coaching certification, networking, and ways to find CE opportunities, including LinkedIn and local resources.

3. 424 - Career Paths for Veterinary Technicians

   Oct 19, 2026

   Dr. Andy Roark hosts a National Veterinary Technician Week panel with four registered veterinary technicians who work at Hill's Pet Nutrition: Anna Springer, Jennifer Katchadourian, Erin Richmond, and Misty Tobyne. They describe moving from clinical practice into roles in industry, including consultation, technician education, field sales, research, regulatory affairs, and professional veterinary affairs. The discussion covers mentorship, the value of business skills and curiosity, pitfalls of career pivots, and the need for credential standardization and title protection.

4. 423 - How Online Pharmacies Affect Independent Practices

   Oct 14, 2026

   Dr. Andy Roark joins host Maria Pirita for a mailbag episode answering a listener from a high-touch, privately owned clinic that feels unable to compete with online pharmacies, telehealth, and corporate groups. Roark introduces his "Vet Medicine 3.0" framework of fragmentation, argues that independent practices should compete on relationships, convenience, and their own services rather than on retail price, and the hosts discuss missed charges, prescription follow-through, and client feedback. They also cover the Southwest Airlines story as an example of a small company's structural advantage.

5. 422 - I Need to Delegate but the Team is Too Busy to Help

   Oct 7, 2026

   Ron Sosa discusses delegation challenges with host Maria Prida, addressing a mailbag from a practice manager who accumulated multiple roles during staffing shortages and now struggles to delegate due to fears about task completion, quality, and team capacity. They explore the mental and emotional barriers to delegation, including perfectionism and vulnerability, then provide actionable frameworks for identifying what to keep versus delegate, structuring effective handoffs, and building psychological safety on teams.

6. 421 - Tied to the Floor, Banned From Hiring, But Asked to Fix Everything

   Sep 30, 2026

   Host Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark discuss a detailed mailbag from a corporate practice manager working 32 hours on the floor with only 8 hours for management, banned from hiring, yet tasked with raising productivity from 160 to 180. They explore how to assess staffing against industry benchmarks, manage up effectively with curiosity and clarity, and identify four operational levers to improve results: raising prices, increasing care completeness, bringing in more clients, and improving efficiency through time optimization and AI tools.

7. 420 - When You Suspect an Employee Is Impaired at Work

   Sep 23, 2026

   Jo McGuire from the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association discusses how veterinary practices should handle suspected marijuana impairment at work amid changing state laws. The episode addresses a mailbag case where a practice manager observed possible intoxication and explores legal requirements, documentation, testing policies, and compassionate approaches to substance use in the workplace.

8. 419 - I'm a Veterinary Team Lead, Where Do I Go From Here?

   Sep 16, 2026

   Elizabeth Stark, CVT, FVTE, MBA and founder of Vet Raft Solutions, joins host Maria Pirita to address a mailbag from a veterinary team lead considering a move to practice management but uncertain about the administrative and customer-service demands. They discuss the false narrative that practice management is the only path to career advancement and income growth in veterinary medicine, explore the distinction between formal and informal leadership, and outline alternative lateral career paths focused on education and team development without abandoning patient care.

9. 418 - Should Your Veterinary Clinic Have an Angel Fund?

   Sep 9, 2026

   Beth Mahaffey, co-founder of Pennridge Animal Hospital and founder of Harley's Haven Dog Rescue, discusses the practical and emotional benefits of establishing an angel fund or nonprofit within a veterinary practice. The episode explores why practices consider starting a fund, the legal structures available (informal, third-party, or independent nonprofit), how to build a governance board, and strategies for marketing a fund without alienating full-paying clients. Mahaffey shares her 16-year experience running a 501(c)(3) rescue that has expanded to include community outreach, a community fund, and a dedicated angel fund for clinic patients.

10. 417 - How Much Financial Transparency Do Support Staff Need?

    Sep 2, 2026

    Ron Sosa discusses financial transparency in veterinary practices, addressing a mailbag question from an associate DVM seeking visibility into clinic finances to help motivate staff and drive operational improvements. Ron shares why practice owners often resist sharing financials—seasonal profit swings, debt concerns, embezzlement fears, and identity anxieties—and offers a practical framework using five P&L buckets (labor, cost of goods sold, overhead, administrative, profit) shared monthly with trends over time, paired with operational KPIs to convert data into actionable initiatives.