Telemedicine.

What’s your gut reaction when you hear that term?Maybe you think it was just a clever COVID workaround, or second-rate substitute for a “real” vet visit.

Or maybe you’re a bit curious about what it’s like to work in telemedicine— but you’re worried it’ll be boring. Or worse: that you’ll spend your days diagnosing lizards over Zoom.

Whatever you think— chances are, you’re wrong. But don’t worry. This episode will change that. We go deep on the real-world pros and cons of telemedicine, from two key angles:

For curious vets:

• What’s it really like to work in telemedicine?
• Is it fulfilling?
• How will I cope with all the tricky questions (and species?!)
• Is the pay good?
• Can you get into trouble for giving remote advice?

• 
  

For clinic owners:

• How do you integrate telemedicine into your practice?
• What are the practical hurdles?
• What’s worked (and what hasn’t) from someone who’s built a global platform from scratch?

Our guest is Dr. Shadi Ireifej, a board-certified surgeon, tech entrepreneur, and co-founder of VetTriage, a global teletriage platform.

This one made me rethink what “good vet work” really means. I think it’ll do the same for you.

Join us on the slopes of New Zealand for our winter CPD adventure with Vets On Tour Wānaka 25.

Lift your clinical game with our RACE approved clinical podcasts at ⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠ for more clinical confidence and better patient outcomes, or check out our Advanced Surgery Podcast at ⁠⁠cutabove.supercast.com⁠⁠.

Get case support from our team of specialists in our ⁠⁠Specialist Support Space⁠⁠.⁠

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Topics and Time Stamps

01:43 So you think you want to work in telemedicine?

04:20 Common concerns about telehealth work

06:11 Will I get sued for giving the wrong advice?

10:37 Vets on Tour: Upcoming Events

15:55 Income and Work Hours in Telemedicine

18:35 Will I have to give advice for all sorts of weird animals?21:29 Unexpected Joys of Telehealth

23:44 Future of Telehealth and Technology

29:21 Challenges and Lessons in Telehealth for Practice Owners

36:33 What about the technology?

We love to hear from you. If you have a question for us or you’d like to give us some feedback please get in touch via our contact form at ⁠thevetvault.com⁠, or catch up with us on ⁠Instagram⁠. And if you like what you hear, please share the love by clicking on the share button wherever you’re listening and sending a link to someone who you think should hear this.

In this solo episode Hugh tackles a bold idea: if you're not currently using AI in your clinical veterinary work, you may be falling behind. And if/when artificial intelligence gets to the point where it reliably has access to all the most up to date information for managing your patients, will you be negligent if you DON’T use it?

Hubert shares how artificial intelligence is quietly but powerfully reshaping veterinary practice. He paints a vivid picture of an AI-powered clinic, shows you practical tools you can start using immediately, and challenges you to rethink the future of your role as a vet.

What you'll discover:

• A demo showing how to use ChatGPT for clinical reasoning, how to build your own custom AI assistants, and how to set up a personal knowledge library with free tools like Google's NotebookLM.
• How to spot and handle AI hallucinations — and why your human skills like empathy and ethical judgment are still your unique superpowers.
• The business opportunities of AI for your practice, and why clinics that embrace AI may thrive while others struggle.
• How AI could reshape veterinary education and open doors to a more sustainable, fulfilling career.

Hubert doesn’t just speculate — he shows you how AI can work in clinics today, and how you can lead instead of lagging behind.

Tune in if you're ready to future-proof your practice, sharpen your skills, and unlock a better way to be a vet.

Try out our AI Blood Gas Assistant

Join us at Vets on Tour Wānaka, NZ, for the most fun CE event you’ll attend this year.
Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up-to-date, easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Get help with your tricky cases in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Specialist Support Space.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

V⁠⁠isit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for show notes and resources related to this episode.

⁠Subscribe to our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week.

Topics and time stamps

03:08 What could the future of clinical practice look like with AI?

12:48 Can I trust it? What does the data say?

18:22 Where does Ai get its information from?

25:20 How I use it: Using 'general' models for clinical decision making

33:29 Building your own Ai tools

34:06 Google Notebook LM

40:58 MyGPT - your own assistant

54:49 What might the role of the future veterinarian look like?

Join us for the Vet Vault's own conference in the snow: ⁠⁠Vets On Tour Wānaka⁠⁠, New Zealand, 10-15 August 2025!

Have you ever felt pressured, as a vet, to do more 'stuff' - diagnostics, procedures, and sell more, even when you can’t quite see the clinical justification for it?

In this episode we welcome Dr. Brennen McKenzie-veterinarian, researcher, creator of the SkeptVet blog, author of Placebos for Pets? The Truth About Alternative Medicine in Animals, and all-round lover of science-based thinking. And who better to help us draw the line between solid science and revenue-driven decision making than someone who is known for their scepticism? Dr. McKenzie brings real-world wisdom and refreshing honesty to the debate. Together we explore the often-unspoken pressures of profit-driven care, commission-based pay, and what happens when business incentives conflict with good science. Brennen shares lessons from two decades in practice on how to use Spectrum of care reasoning to make clinical decisions that respect science, client resources, and the needs of your employer.

A must-listen for any vet who’s ever questioned the system—and their place in it.

Find out more about Brennen's current work in longevity at loyal.com.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up-to-date, easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Get help with your tricky cases in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Specialist Support Space.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

V⁠⁠isit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for show notes and resources related to this episode.⁠

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠for Hubert's favourite clinical and non-clinical learnings from the week.

Episode Topics and Timestamps

08:11 The Shift to Profit Driven Veterinary Practice

09:46 A Guide to Evidence-Based Decision Making

12:00 Client Communication and Financial Constraints

17:31 Spectrum of Care: A New Approach

32:15 Overdiagnosis and Screening: A Critical Look

39:09 Cognitive Psychology in Veterinary Decision Making

42:45 The Power of Checklists in Medical Practice

43:18 Balancing Autonomy and Systematic Decision Making

45:52 Clinical Audits: Improving Practice Through Data

48:36 Intuitive vs. Algorithmic Thinking in Veterinary Medicine

51:37 The Pitfalls of Anecdotal Evidence in Veterinary Practice

01:07:40 Communicating with Clients About Unproven Therapies

01:18:17 Pass Along Question and The One Bit of Advice