Dealing with Challenging Situations at Reception

Whilst veterinary practice is usually a lovely environment to work in, it can be difficult at times! A difficult situation is a situation whereby things are not progressing as expected or desired. When a behaviour is not as expected or desired, we can perceive the behaviour as ‘difficult’. Often, we can be quick to label a person who has created the situation as a 'difficult person'. This may or may not be a fair description of their personality. A ‘difficult-person’ means to be difficult, whereas it is possible to be the cause of a difficult situation without meaning to cause others difficulty. Either way, we need to be able to cope with the difficult situations that veterinary receptionists have to deal with.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to adapt to challenges involving people’s emotions.  Developing Emotional Intelligence is crucial to handling difficult situations involving people.