Smart Flow Blog

Recently, my boyfriend and I have purchased a house together. Hurray, right?! Well, sure. I’m really excited to move in with him and finally not have to discuss if we’re going to spend the night at his place or if I’m going to stay at my apartment. I’m excited to spend all of our evenings together, cooking together, creating a home together.

A list of things I’m not excited about: sorting through my stuff, packing, physically moving all of my stuff that has accumulated in my tiny apartment (who knew you could cram this much stuff into a one bedroom?!). Mostly, though, I’m a little nervous about moving in with him because he’s never lived with cats before, and I happen to have three little monsters.

When I was working as a veterinary technician, surgery mornings were never my favourite time of day. Don’t get me wrong, I adored the actual surgery part. You know those big windows they have in Grey’s Anatomy where doctors sit to scrutinize the current surgery? I feel like I would absolutely be a frequent flyer in one of those. Ask me to sit in on a cool surgery any day, but ask me to fill out the stacks of paperwork associated with surgery (in neat handwriting so it’s legible, please), chase the doctor to find out what drug protocol they would like to use and do the calculation, and make sure all consent forms are signed? No, thank you. I’d rather not.

Do you get wary of all the extra work associated with surgery days, too? Well, then you need Smart Flow, my friend.

We all know the pains of a regular piece of paper flowsheet. First you have to print it out. Then you have to handwrite the patient's information in, or put a label. Then you need to get your pen, calculator and highlighter, and fill out the medications, TPR q's, plan the bathroom breaks and feedings. Then you need to make sure you're writing everything in carefully, making sure your handwriting is neat and legible. You also have to make sure you highlight the right hour, because having to throwout an entire sheet of hardwork and start over is the worst. Doesn't it seem like there should be a better way? With Smart Flow, there is. 

When I was younger, I was convinced that I was the cat whisperer. I had a cat that had kittens and these kittens would follow five year old me around like little ducklings. Wherever Kat went, cats went, and that was just how it was. As I got older and went through high school, my love for animals never wavered, though my confidence in my intelligence and motivation to go through vet school, did. I was then convinced that I had a career as a writer ahead of me, a romanticised idea that I could move to New York, live in a loft in Brooklyn, and be an ultra hip, though most likely starving, writing sensation. So instead of following my passion for animals, I followed my passion for writing and went to Journalism school. After a couple, or rather many, bad decisions, including quitting school and working full time instead of pursuing post secondary education, I realized that something was missing. That’s when I started doing research and found a program at my local college called ‘Veterinary Technician’. After a little more digging, I found out that vet techs are a million and a half people in one.. Being a natural multi tasker, people person and self proclaimed cat whisperer, I knew that this program would be the perfect fit for me.

As veterinary professionals, we all know what it’s like on surgery days in the clinic. The hustle and bustle of drop offs, talking to the clients to get consent and explain procedure. Calculating drugs and drawing them up. Testing the machines for leaks. Wrangling tiny or large moving targets to place IV catheters. Premedicating. Intubating. Getting them into surgery.

So, Snoopy it was. My little right hand cat that followed me around from day 1. Well more like day 20 when she could actually walk. We were inseparable, she always waited for me at the door when I came home from school, and I always shared my pillow with her. She got into the habit of sleeping with one of my hands on her at all times, and she could be very demanding if that didn’t happen. Every day I would come home from school and we would hang out. She was there when I was doing my homework, she was there when I had one tonsil infection after another, on my good days and my bad.

The core principles of teamwork are all the same, regardless of what work environment you’re in. It doesn’t matter if you work in a vet clinic, an office, or at Smart Flow, the goals and foundation of teamwork is all equal.

For teamwork to be effective and smooth you want to:

1. Set clear goals
2. Hold yourself and your team accountable,
3. Be supportive
4. Train your team
5. Reward your team
6. Communicate openly and productively
7. Be approachable

19 years ago..

I got my first cat. She was my first pet ever, my first kitten, my first friend that I can remember. Later, she would give birth to the best friend I ever could have asked for. My confidante, my security blanket, my snuggle buddy, the reason I went into veterinary medicine. This is how I got there. 

Part of the reason why Smart Flow is so great, is that it’s really easy to use. This means that it’s relatively simple to get it up and running in your clinic yourself, with the help of one of our amazing (and talented) onboarding specialists. These guys help you get set up with Smart Flow from A-Z, completely remotely. They help you upload your inventory, improve your work flow, show you how to set up your templates, and even help educate your staff. Our onboarding specialists are truly awesome. However, there are some situations where it’s even better to have two of Smart Flow’s staff travel to the clinic in person, to help lend a hand.

We like to think that Smart Flow is pretty cool. We would also love to say that it is perfect and nothing ever goes wrong. Of course that is not the case. Nothing is perfect, even the cool digital flowsheet and only virtual anesthetic sheet out there.