IVC Evidensia Referral Summit Gets Delegates Talking
On Tuesday 18 October, IVC Evidensia held its third successful Referral Summit for colleagues across the Group focusing on the theme of team communications during an afternoon that brought Diplomates, Residents, Advanced Practitioners, National Specialists and many more of our talented people together.
Nearly 200 delegates attended the virtual event from 10 countries, demonstrating IVC Evidensia’s commitment to facilitating connections within the Referral Community to support development of our teams.
Following feedback and learnings from previous Referral Summits, the topic for this Autumn event was ‘team communication’, with three highly respected external speakers each delivering important messages, advice and tips to help our referral teams in their day-to-day working relationships.
Clive Elwood, previously Director of Davies Veterinary Specialists and now an Executive Coach, began the afternoon by exploring teamwork and discussed breaking down hierarchy to ensure individuals feel comfortable and they are part of a mutually accountable team, which is important for creating psychological safety.
Tessa Plagis, a vet and Communication Advisor and Trainer from St Ana Advies in The Netherlands, continued the theme with a focus on compliments and feedback, as veterinary surgeons are also often mentors, and how feedback can be best received in order to establish and nurture working relationships.
Chris Turner, a Human ECC consultant, co-founder of Civility Saves Lives, and the final speaker of the afternoon, shared stories, research and personal accounts throughout a very thought-provoking presentation that focused on culture and civility, explaining that our behaviour toward each other is the single greatest factor in how competent our teams perform.
Valerie Lamb, RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Medicine and EBVS® European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists said, “I love the summits - I have attended all of them and they have all been very enjoyable.”
Dr Gayle Hallowell, IVC Evidensia Director of Veterinary Professional Development said of the Summit, “It was so great to be able to bring together nearly 200 referral vets, residents and interns from across the Group to cover the very important topic of communication in the workplace. It has been a fantastic event and certainly will allow everyone to reflect on approaches to working together. I can’t wait for the next summit in Spring 23.”
This Autumn Referral Summit is part one in a two-part series focusing on communication, reinforcing IVC Evidensia’s commitment to creating great workplaces and encouraging professional development in all areas. Referral Summits provide regular and accessible forums that support our referral teams’ ongoing learning and improvement, allowing them to continue delivering outstanding care.