Commentary
Clarifying why nurses are trusted more than doctors, Angela Haupt’s article provides veterinarians and practice managers important realities to consider when empowering veterinary nurses and technicians. Consider her statements when entrusting veterinary practice teams with increased responsibility for owner engagement and patient care.
- Doctors and nurses do different jobs and the scope of those jobs is more separated than most people realize. “The doctors’ scope of practice is to diagnose, treat, and prescribe. Nurses are forbidden from doing those things.”
- Nurses are trained for something else: to assess patients in real time, administer the treatments that doctors order, watch for complications, and advocate for patients.
- Doctors work in episodes. Nurses often work in 12-hour shifts that allow them to notice changes big or small.
- Doctors aren’t actually spending less time on their patients than nurses. They’re spending it differently, often invisibly.
- The trust gap (nurses versus doctors) isn’t only about who’s in the room. It’s also about what patients are willing to say to who’s there.
Haupt’s advice is complemented in this featured post by Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS, from last week that shows elevating veterinary nurse use directly impacts patient care, team morale and practice revenue. “Veterinary nurses want growth. Doctors want relief. Clients want better patient care.” <Link>.
Source: Time, June 22, 2026. Link. People often don’t know how much science training nurses have. The scientific grounding is only part of what nursing education requires as empathy, active listening and patient advocacy — are braided into the curriculum. The American Nurses Association code of ethics establishes a nurse’s professional loyalties: The patient comes first. Fellow nurses come second. The employer comes third.
Image: Link.
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