392 - State of the Veterinary Front Desk

Dr. Andy Roark welcomes Caitlin Palmer (aka “the desk winch”), a veterinary receptionist at Southern Vet Clinic and a member of the President’s Advisory Board for the North American Association of Veterinary Receptionists (NAVR), to talk about the state of the front desk. They discuss how changing communication preferences and tools like AI may increase the importance of front-desk staff as key client communicators, and why reception should be viewed as a long-term career path with better pay, recognition, and continuing education. Caitlin shares common pain points like disrespectful clients, vaccination hesitancy conversations, lack of appreciation, and the rift between front and back teams, plus the hidden challenge of having to be “on” all the time. They cover solutions like cross-training, consistent messaging, and NAVR’s goals for CE and future certification, and share where to find NAVR and Caitlin online. Caitlin Palmer has spent 16 years in veterinary medicine with a passion for helping animals and the people who love them. She is widely recognized for her TikTok character the “DeskWench,” where she humorously portrays both a veterinary receptionist and “Karen Stevens,” everyone’s favorite disgruntled client, highlighting the real-life challenges of working at the veterinary front desk. Caitlin originally began her adult life as a theatre major studying acting and music, but ultimately chose a career in veterinary medicine because she couldn’t imagine being away from her dog. After overcoming her own battles with mental health, she became a strong advocate for supporting veterinary teams and fostering healthy clinic culture. Caitlin believes that while not everyone performs the hands-on medical aspects of veterinary care (something she jokes she certainly couldn’t do), pets don’t bring themselves to the veterinarian—making CSRs an essential part of patient care and the veterinary team. She proudly serves on the President's Advisory Board for NAAVR and is HONORED to share her passion with you all! Through education, storytelling, and humor, she encourages veterinary receptionists to take pride in their role and recognize the powerful impact they have every day. Mentioned in this episode: On Demand Team Training Bundle Great medicine can still lead to tough conversations with clients. The Team Training Bundle gives your veterinary team practical tools to handle angry clients and communicate clearly in the exam room, so every interaction builds trust instead of tension. Flexible, on-demand training makes it easy to strengthen communication across your entire clinic. Learn more about the Team Training Bundle here! 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 Uncharted Practice Owner Summit at NAVC SkillShop here! Office Hours w/ Dr. Andy Roark 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. Register for Office Hours here! Register for the Dont Get Sued course!

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392 - State of the Veterinary Front Desk is an episode from The Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast by Dr. Andy Roark.

This episode is 20:00 long.

This episode was published on Apr 20, 2026.

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