An associate veterinarian who always has an explanation, a reason, or someone else to point to when things go wrong can quietly erode team trust, frustrate leaders, and stall growth, especially when accountability never quite lands. In this episode, Uncharted Veterinary Podcast hosts Dr. Andy Roark and Stephanie Goss unpack what’s really driving excuse-based behavior and how leaders can shift the conversation toward ownership and improvement without creating shame or defensiveness. They explore how fear, confidence, and clinic culture shape accountability, and share practical strategies to stop the excuse spiral, set clear expectations, use curiosity to redirect conversations, and coach simple “repair language” that helps team members take ownership and move forward. If you’ve ever felt stuck in repetitive, frustrating conversations that go nowhere, this episode will help you lead with clarity, compassion, and a stronger path toward accountability. Let’s get into this episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Office Hours

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Join Dr. Andy Roark for Office Hours at the Uncharted Veterinary Community!

Zoetis - Simparica Trio

Learn more about Simparica-Trio!

Uncharted Practice Owner Summit at NAVC SkillShop

Owning a veterinary practice comes with challenges no one teaches you in school. The Uncharted Practice Owner Summit, hosted at NAVC SkillShop in Orlando, is a hands-on leadership workshop designed to help owners strengthen their teams, improve operations, and make confident business decisions. This small-group, working session focuses on real-world tools and honest conversations, not passive lectures. Spots are limited. Register now!

Register for The Uncharted Practice Owner Summit Today!

Ron Sosa, CVPM and Executive Director of Uncharted Veterinary Conference, joins Maria Pirita to tackle the question every practice manager secretly wonders: Is getting your CVPM actually worth it? If you've heard mixed reviews about whether CVPM certification leads to better pay, opens career doors, or just adds letters after your name, this episode is your honest reality check. Maria and Ron dive into the compensation truth (spoiler: it depends on way more than you think), the actual learning value, the surprisingly emotional pinning ceremony, and why your why matters more than anything else. You'll walk away understanding the real commitment involved, how to have the money conversation with your boss, and whether this credential aligns with your career goals or if you're just climbing a ladder you never wanted to be on. Plus, Ron drops some wisdom about neurodivergent veterinary professionals that'll make you think differently about burnout. Gang, let's get into this episode.

Links:

1. VHMA (Veterinary Hospital Managers Association)
2. VHMA Compensation Study
3. Ron's LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Office Hours

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Join Dr. Andy Roark for Office Hours at the Uncharted Veterinary Community!

Uncharted Practice Owner Summit at NAVC SkillShop

Owning a veterinary practice comes with challenges no one teaches you in school. The Uncharted Practice Owner Summit, hosted at NAVC SkillShop in Orlando, is a hands-on leadership workshop designed to help owners strengthen their teams, improve operations, and make confident business decisions. This small-group, working session focuses on real-world tools and honest conversations, not passive lectures. Spots are limited. Register now!

Register for The Uncharted Practice Owner Summit Today!

Can you be an effective practice manager of a veterinary hospital if you never scrub out? In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark and Maria Pirita, CVPM respond to a mailbag question from a new-ish practice manager whose team says she’s, “not helpful because she can’t draw blood or place IVs” even though she’s been fixing administrative problems that keep the hospital functioning. Andy and Maria frame the issue as a common tension between “medicine people” and “operations people,” and emphasize that the solution is not learning blood draws but getting clear on role expectations, success metrics, and KPIs with the person who evaluates the manager. They discuss resetting team expectations by narrating leadership, building transparency into weekly rhythms, tying administrative work to team pain points like schedules, supplies, breaks, and leaving on time, and seeking endorsement from medical leadership.

Uncharted Practice Owner Summit at NAVC SkillShop

Owning a veterinary practice comes with challenges no one teaches you in school. The Uncharted Practice Owner Summit, hosted at NAVC SkillShop in Orlando, is a hands-on leadership workshop designed to help owners strengthen their teams, improve operations, and make confident business decisions. This small-group, working session focuses on real-world tools and honest conversations, not passive lectures.

Spots are limited. Register now:

https://navc.com/skillshop/uncharted-practice-owner-summit/

Upcoming events: https://learn.unchartedvet.com/pages/events

All Links: https://linktr.ee/UnchartedVet

Do you have something that you would love Andy and Maria to discuss on the podcast? If so, send us a message through the mailbag! Submit it here: unchartedvet.com/mailbag