Communications and cultural awareness

Abstract

Disproportionate to the amount of formal training in communications and cultural awareness that students receive through the standard veterinary education curriculum, a large part of a bovine practitioner's time is spent communicating with clients, and often times the intricacies of cultural differences must be navigated through this process. The objective of this article and the associated presentation is to highlight specific examples of some of the cultural differences that are likely to be encountered, and practical approaches to handling these differences. Approaches to effective communication on small- and large-scale bovine operations will also be discussed.