In this blog I hope to give you a glimpse behind the preverbal curtain at my time with Pol Veterinary Service. I can’t and won’t talk about the Doctors, it is neither my place to talk about them, nor are those stories mine to tell. Instead, I can write about what my job was like, and what I did at the clinic; and, believe me, it was fast paced, loud, and hectic. Hopefully, this will be an entertaining story about a crazy busy clinic and the people who mostly stayed just to the side of the camera’s screen, but kept the clinic together. This blog isn’t about a specific day, or a specific event, but rather just a general description of a typical day. Enjoy!
7:45 a.m. The clinic opens at 8 o’clock, so I would try to arrive about ten to fifteen minutes early so I could unlock the side door and let the camera crew in. Once the side door was open, five or so guys would run around the clinic turning on their big show lights and setting up any still cameras they wanted for that day. I would have about ten minutes to get the computers up and running, the surgery patient information together, and open the front door for the flood of patients to begin pouring into the front office/lobby. On an average day there was three people working the front office where people would check in, check out, and receive their take home medications.
8:00 a.m. I have just unlocked and opened the front door to the clinic, and four to six owners with their animals in tow would pour into the little lobby because they all dutifully did as instructed and showed up at 8 a.m. sharp for surgery drop off. There are only two computers in the front office to check people in, and I step to the first computer (I tried to claim the computer on the left with a sticky note, but no one respected it). As I step to the computer, at least three clients come towards me. I have to quickly figure out which one was first, or which one seems the most in a hurry, and get that patient checked in for surgery. If the patient I pick just so happens to be deemed the most interesting case by the film crew, everything slows down. Microphones are produced and placed on me and the client, two different cameramen take their places, one behind me looking at the client and one behind the client looking at me. When everyone is ready, the check in begins.
Within minutes I have to figure out which patient I’m checking in, determine if that patient is due for vaccines, decide if the patient will get a chemistry panel (a blood test) to check their liver and kidneys, amongst other things, to determine if the patient is a good candidate for surgery or if the doctor needed to treat an underlying problem. After the patient is checked in and the vaccines and chemistry panel is decided, I take the patient from the owner and back to the surgery/prep room. I help with the blood draw and any other diagnostics the doctor orders, and start the blood test (all the while a guy with a camera and possibly someone else with a boom mic follow me through an already tight building). Once the patient is in the kennel and the blood test is running, I head back to the front to do it all over again with the next surgery patient. Also, there are one or two other people checking in surgeries, so, I’m not just working around the film crew, but my coworkers who are just as busy as I am.
8:45 a.m. All the surgeries are checked in and, on some days, I’m the one that goes back to the surgery room to help shave, prep, and generally work with the doctors in surgery, but on a normal day I’m in the front filing the charts from the previous day and pulling charts for tomorrows surgeries and general appointments. Sometimes even this monotonous task is filmed. My coworkers and I have about fifteen to thirty minutes to get whatever charts from yesterday put away, and pull any charts we will need for tomorrow. Hopefully today’s charts were pulled yesterday. Around 9-9:15 a.m. the first of the general appointments start to roll in.
9:15 a.m. Once the first client walks in for their scheduled appointment, the seal is broken and it sometimes feels like the levees break. The clients, from that point on, do not stop coming; wave after wave crash upon that front desk. On a typical day the clinic will have two or three doctors seeing appointments from 9 a.m. to 11 or 12, and the schedule will be quadruple booked with an appointment every fifteen minutes. That comes out to be somewhere between 32 and 48 patients coming in for an appointment in the morning. If we have three doctors, each doctor will need to see 10 to 16 patients.
Check-ins have to be quick. I have to get a patient checked in, weighed, get a brief history from the owners, and get the patient into an exam room for a doctor as fast as possible. Because, once that check in is done, another client will be ready to check out. On top of checking patients in and out at a breakneck pace, I was also expected to restrain patients, clean rooms between appointments, fill prescriptions, run blood work, fecal floats, and run urinalyses in the lab, and work in radiology. Anything a doctor needed, that was my job, and one doctor or another almost always needed something. I was doing all of this with a six person camera crew filming everything they could. A dog needed to go to radiology, the film crew followed; a growling dog needed to be restrained, the film crew was there. The film crew really was great at staying out of the way as much as possible, but there was only so much room in that clinic.
12:00 p.m. One of the good things about the clinic’s pace is that time goes by quickly. Before you knew it, 9:00 a.m. had become 12:00p.m., the flood of clients turned into a trickle, and it was time for lunch. The doctors would shove some food into their faces and hit the road for farm calls. The doctors would average three farm calls in an afternoon, but sometimes the count was much higher. Every once in a while I would go with Emily on her farm calls, but usually I stayed at the clinic. The farm call time gave the office staff time to clean up from the whirlwind that was the morning. We would unpack and stock all of the medical supplies that had been delivered (sometimes we would get three separate shipment drop-offs), restock the exam rooms, file away the 30+ charts from the morning, and, most importantly to me, eat some lunch. The doctors’ farm call time went from noon to 3:00 p.m., at 3 o’clock general small animal appointments started back up.
3:00 p.m. General appointments begin. These appointments were generally a mirror image of the morning appointments with the added bonus that not all doctors would get back from farm calls by 3 o’clock. On really bad days no doctor was back by three, and then the patients would pile up in the waiting room. With the return of the doctors, the camera crew would return, and the clinic became cramped again. It was not unheard of for a client to show up at his appointment time, and have to wait an hour before a doctor could see his pet. The afternoons quickly became a blur of checking in and checking out patients, along with working in the lab, and radiology, and pharmacy. The clinic officially closes at 5:00 p.m., but that’s not really the truth. The doctors were almost never done seeing appointments by 5:00, if Emily left the clinic by 6p.m. she was doing well. On top of this, the clinic didn’t close until 6p.m. on Monday and Friday. So, the staff wouldn’t leave until around 7p.m.
I’ve gotten a couple of questions asking me how it was working at Pol Vet Clinic, and this post sums up typical day pretty well. Working at Pol Vet was frantic, it was nerve raking at times. Sometimes, I felt like a had too many balls in the air and that kept me from spinning my plates. It was also claustrophobic at times, the clinic is small, and it was hard at times fitting the office staff, with the camera crew, and the clients into that building. But, it was also fun. I loved being with the people I worked with. I enjoyed being a part of something that helped a lot of people in the community. The guys on the film crew became some of my best friends in Michigan. I don’t miss the chaos that Pol Vet brought into my family, but I do miss the people (both clients and coworkers) there.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and, as always, thanks for reading!!
OMG Tony, I always wondered what your days were like there! ‘Busy’ seems like an understatement!
Also, you gave me some ptsd to my own past as a vet assistant at a small and busy clinic over 15 years ago!
Ah, yes, the magic of television at work. What we see on the TV screen is very often nothing like what we see if we go to the same location in person. I imagine it takes a certain personality to be able to handle that type of environment for any length of time.
I loved Dr Emily on the show and really miss her . I’m enjoying your blogs tremendously and hope you continue to write a lot . I really think that a book should be in the works.
I never realized how much you did , wow that’s something , my husband & I will really miss Emily & you , hugs & prayers for your beautiful family , hope to see Emily in a another get show , not so busy as she was , but it did seem like Emily was the only one on call last night & that wasn’t right @ all , so I don’t blame her for leaving especially W/ a growing family , I’m going to miss you Emily 😢 💗 🙋
WE ALL WILL MISS HER AND TONY.
I’m going to miss y’all on the show. I wish you and your family the best and I hope Dr Emily is happy in her new job. Family is real important in my life so I understand. I was away from mine quite a bit in my 21 years in the military. God bless y’all.
Very interesting. Are you working as a vet tech in Virginia?
vet assistant, yep. Still working with Emily and I love it
That’s awesome you two still work together! Will miss you on Dr. Pol, but I totally get the reason for moving on. Keep up the great blog entries 👍🏻
Thank you for sharing your family life with us. It is a great pleasure to get to know you. Keep sharing and when the time is right we all anxiously await that book or movie deal. Blessing to the Thomas family.
Thanks, insight is fascinating
Thank you for sharing what your days were like at the clinic. I could tell from the show you wore many hats, but didn’t realize exactly how many. Is it that busy at the clinic in Virginia? Is there any talk of a Dr. Emily show for National Geographic or other networks? I love all the doctors at Pol vet, but watching Dr. Emily work and explain things she was doing was my favorite!
From seeing the show, the packed clinic and this blog I can understand the stress the entire family was under. In my opinion this job is ideal for a single person with no children, as long hours and emergency calls won’t affect anyone else. It appears working at Dr. Pol’s seems like working at an ER in middle of Manhattan loads of experience.
Goodness, thanks for the insight, but now I’m stressed! 😂 What do you and Emily do for fun on the weekends now that y’all are off and she doesn’t have to be on call? (Not that you truly have free time with 3 kids in the picture!)
A friend is the nephew of Dr. Brenda. I am so happy you and Emily have found peace and balance in your lives, but we miss you both!
It’s nice to read the other side of the medal Tony , I like the way you write things down.
Thank you so much for sharing that story. I loved it! It’s so interesting visualizing what it was like working there. I used to work at a very hectic “people” medical clinic, and I can’t even imagine having a film crew inserted into the middle of it. Lol. You all and the film crew did an incredible job of holding it all together!
I don’t begin to fathom how you and Emily stood this for so long, unless it was for the money, and even then, how you kept your sanity. This is not how people are supposed to live and be happy!
Tony, I loved seeing you and Emily on the show and I still love watching even though you two aren’t there. I’m glad, though, that Emily made the change. Your family time is so very important while the children are small and this time goes by so quickly. God bless you all. A change is good and just what is needed in some circumstances.
Wow! I figured it was busy at PVS but your story put a whole new light on it! Bet it’s a lot calmer where you are now without the camera crew around.
I have really enjoyed the blog since Emily and you opened it and reading about your life . I really enjoyed watching Emily on Dr Pol’s show. I’m really going to miss watching her on the show but I understand.
Thank you Tony for writing!
That’s much too hectic. I’m so happy for your family that you and Dr.Emily have moved on. I wish you all the best
Thank you for sharing! It definitely looks like a booming pace! I enjoy reading of your lives. You and Emily are so sweet together! I’ve been married 34 years next month. Time flies when you’re busy- and having fun. 😉
Enjoyed this post a lot! I need a nap! 😉
Much said w/o saying it! Will always be a Dr. Pol program fan as there always was a ‘smile’ in the air of all the busyness! Enjoyed reading your ‘view’ and yes, as Dr. Pol would say, I also sensed times of distress. The one that upset me..I am not on staff so I can say..was when Dr. Emily went into early labor with your little boy. To me, staff should have treated it with the same regard as urgent animal emergencies were treated. It possibly could have been life threatening, and yet I sensed that ( early labor, maternity leave ) was but an additional burden on overly busy staff. There, I says it like I sees it! Enjoy the view!
it was just like that in the two hospitals I worked in….crazy all day but enjoyed every minute and now miss it
Great read Tony!
Wow! I enjoyed reading this, Tony. I never knew how immersed and involved you were with the practice.
I really enjoy all these stories. Wow! It must be nice to take a breath now.
Great post Tony. Never knew it was that hectic. Kind of wondering why they overbooked so heavily tough.
Hi, I am from the Netherlands. First I liked the shows from the incrediable dr Pol l. But reading your and Emily’s blog and seeing the latest shows it confirmed my idea that they made a circus out of it. Seeing some animals in a terrible state. Big wounds, terrible stables, let vets run in the yard to catch the animals. The chaos in the office, etc. I wondered why they show it on tv. I am not a great animal lover, only had 2 cats and that was enough. But the way the show is going on I think “It’s all for the money”. You did the right thing to leave and I hope dr. Brenda does the same. And I even hope that dr. Pol realizes that this has nothing to do with Vetinary. Like the blogs.
Kindly regards, Rosemarie
I worked in a vets office and the chaos is typical in an ordinary day. In it for the money? Imagine you are a country vet. People are calling you and want their pet taken care of. Do you tell them to wait? Do you tell them no? Dr. Pol doesn’t want to turn anyone away. It is also a rural area where people don’t have much cash money. We had to adjust our charges to what many people could afford at our clinic. What you are seeing are too many pets that need care compared to too few vets. This couple has young children and need time with their kids. The kids don’t stay young for long and you only get one shot. I’m missing them, but wish them well.
Dr. Pol does not seem to me to be in it for the money. Would anyone watch if the show was just about regular check ups and vaccines? And he can’t control what barns/stables look like.
Any thoughts, comments about people who come in from a distance (up to 2 hours plus) to get their animals treated? Can they really not get adequate to exceptional care nearer where they live? Also, any thoughts, comments about people who come in with the whole family? …when you write about the crowded conditions in the clinic…
Wow that was an excellent post. I was somewhat winded after running around with you !! In watching the show all of the chaos does not come across so it was really an eye opener to actually hear how things were. Gob Bless those vets and the entire office staff for a wonderful job in caring for all the animals. The love shows. Good job Tony
Great post Tony. Thanks for sharing a day at Dr. Pols office.
Are you working in Your new location?
An interesting insight that does not surprise me as many times I hear ‘busy vet office’ on the show.
I also know when cameras roll that the public only sees what the cameras want you to see in order to make it more interesting,
I always notice that the staff, especially the doctors, always look worn out as though they do not get enough sleep.
Sounds like a hectic and crazy schedule that is not conducive to family life with children. Children grow up quickly and those years are gone, but a career can happen anytime.
I am sure both of you learned a ton of stuff while working with Dr. Pol. I’d say some very valuable things that will take you well into the future and help you both at home and in your careers,
Like others, my husband and I will miss seeing your family on Dr. Pol, but I know there is a time and a season for all things, and so I hope where you are now is a much better fit. I am sure you will stay life long friends with so many people whom you both came to know and love in Michigan.
It is nice to follow you both on here and see how life treats you and how God continues to bless your family.
It would be nice if Dr. Emily would acknowledge what she learned from Dr. Pol and Dr. Brenda, but nope!
I saw Charles on a podcast the other day, and he said they would have an episode about Dr. Emily leaving and saying goodbye to everyone. He also said that he and his family wish nothing but the best for Dr. Emily and her family.
Thank you, Tony, for filling in the blanks of what went on behind the scenes. I have no doubt they miss you at Pol. Keep the blogs coming!
India looks so much like her beautiful momma!
We also live in a very poor area of Michigan. So the vet’s that stay are overbooked and stressed beyond their limits. We thankfully, Don’t have camera crews following them around. But there are times when you will have to wait a very long time to see the vet or even to get someone to ask the reason your even there. But because they are low cost everyone is willing to wait. In our area the the animal control is so busy picking up loose animals,Their running the streets,hit by cars..on the side of the roads. Dead. We had one vet tell us they had to leave because they couldn’t make any money here. So he left for Ann Arbor. Said he could make money there. We do know the turn over for good vets in our area isn’t good.
Thanks Tony for a look at a typical day in the life of a PVC employee.
Thanks from your view of what we don’t see. Glad you all are enjoying your lives now and the beautiful pictures Emily has posted in the past.
Yep, I had a feeling that’s the way it was. How Emily ( and you), lasted that long was amazing. Hopefully that extra Geo Wild money paid off of those student debts.
I’ve often wondered about the Chaos the staff at PVS survive. After days like this (which seems like daily) when do you all have to find the time for the interviews that go side by side with the clips we see on the show?
As I thought, it would be a mad house with a busy clinic. I never thought about the space and now sit back watching the show and think wow it must have be cramped.
Still wish y’all had stayed, but pray things are doing well where you are.
God Bless and thank y’all for starting this blog. Will miss seeing you and your children as they grow on the show, but will enjoy seeing them on here.
I hope you find a decent place to call home if this place does not suit y’all. Tell Emily Dunlap, TN needs a large animal vet, mostly horses. 🙂 Closest one is an hour away. Plus small animals, she would take over the area being the person she is. 🙂
I add my thanks for this blog because I’ve always wondered how the docs were able to see so many people and now I know it’s because of the support staff and all that you do! I’m always so happy to see pictures of you guys past and present and how big the kids are. And I was glad to read that you guys are working together now. You are that wonderful anchor for her and I love you because you’re not jealous! Your support is unconditional! Hugs to all of you! 💖💗
Very enlightening story, Tony. I am thoroughly enjoying both of your blogs. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to hearing more.
It sounds very much like a vet I worked for in the past. Busy, frantic at times . I loved the job though and working with the animals. As you said, a good feeling when you have been able to help clients and their animals
Loved your posting, great reading
It’s so interesting reading about your experiences! Thank you both for sharing parts of your life with us. I cannot imagine how challenging it must have been working while being filmed by the Nat Geo crew. I hope you got occasional breaks from the filming in between seasons. That job would be a challenge with young kids, to say the least. It sounds like it was a good decision to move on. We look forward to reading about more adventures with your family!
Absolutely loved it!!! Never a dull moment!!
Keep ’em coming!
THANKS FOR WHAT WE DONT SEE.
Emily & Tony, I think you are both amazing professionals and amazing people. Your blog has the right name as you both shine as examples of how everyone should live their life. You are caring people and so smart in your respective fields of expertise. I just recently found your blog and am so happy you have found your peace. (I have to admit to being a HUGE fan of not only DR Emily but Emily Thomas the person also, and when Tony began appearing on the show I knew this was a couple that I would have loved to get to know) So thank you for sharing so much of yourself and I wish you and your family all the best❤️
P. S. LOVE that you are following a path that is best for your family and not doing what other people might think you should do. Follow your heart and take care of each other and those precious babies, all the best😘
P.S.S. (BTW, I’ve never subscribed to a blog before but yours moved me) I just wanted to add that I know what we saw in the TV show was just a glimpse into your vet (mad) skills but you are (pardon the pun) an incredible vet. I feel like if you are strong enough to do all the things you do as a vet, then you are certainly strong enough to overcome any mental health issues that come your way. You have so many people who love and care about you, use that strength when you need it. God bless (last post lol)
We used to go to Dr. Pol before he started all this tv stuff. He was very busy back then too! He and his staff were always very nice to us. Dr. Pol has always helped and cared about the animals and their owners. There were times when we would get, let’s say, discounts from him. He had also put down a couple of our animals. He really does care very much for the people and the animals he deals with. He was then just like you see him on the show now. We really miss Dr. Emily, and you, on the show. I’ve worked jobs were I hardly ever seen my kids as they grew, for years at a time. The money I was making wasn’t worth the time I missed with my kids. So I understand why y’all had left us Michiganders. Them little ones grow up so dang quick! Lol. I know there were times that weren’t so great working there and I have so much respect for y’all for not bringing up any dirt there may of been. We all have worked jobs where things were bad at times whether while working or just were done. Just leave it in the past and move on. And while your at it just think about the good and do good. The world will be a better place for sure! 🙈🙉🙊 I’m not talking about y’all but people in general. 😀 You are a very lucky man with a wife like Dr. Emily. Y’all are blessed. Money’s not as important as family is. Spend as much family time as you can. I wish y’all the best and will be following y’all as long as you’ll let us! 👍 Really enjoy reading about all of you! ✌️
Thanks for your post Tony! I love watching Dr. Pol. What a hectic time, but you got to take with you all the memories! Keep writing, you and Emily!
Maybe you could check out my blog, yalldidnthearitfromme@wordpress.com
Thank you Tony!
Even watching the show seemed hectic and that was only for an hour.
My daughter worked for a veterinarian clinic all through college. As much as she liked animals she left after she graduated . She loved her job but couldn’t make enough to support herself. Her clinic was a brand new large state of the art clinic so I can only imagine the chaos in the small Pol building.
I really appreciate yours and Dr. Emily’s time there . Have learned much.
I only hope that you and she are happy and doing well in VA.
So interesting! Thanks, Tony. Sounds like things were/are so very hectic at PVS, but you all made it look easy. I always felt bad for Dr Emily doing all the OT and having to spend so much time away from your sweet family. Glad things are better now.
I do not know how you could miss the compliments the staff give to Dr. Pol. They are to the point and give him his due with respect to his experience. I see him giving assistance to his staff with his comments and they stating they are unable to perform and him showing them how to do them. Then again that is the beauty of editing.
Wow!
Well, I hope you are enjoying your new state, new job and all the precious family time with your little ones. Really been enjoying the blog. You guys are great story tellers.
Well, i love the show and like everyone i loved watching Tony and Emily doin their thing. I will miss you, but will still watch. I love the Pols and Dr Brenda. I agree, its way too busy. I think its ran that way because the Pols are greatest generation
People. And Dr Pol grew up with WWll out his back door. Our generation works hard, but those folks can work and work and work and also make do (ie the small building). I would not have the patience either. Thank you for this blog. It makes your being gone less painful.
Thanks for posting Tony. I figured it was hectic just by watching. I also know first hand what it is like to not be with my kids while they were young. Sure wish I could have been. So understand the change of work and place. What many don’t understand is finding someone who does care about your family member (pet) is hard to do. I am one who would travel a long distances just for my pets to be seen just because the pets did not like the doctor they were seen by. So I can understand why many would drive many hours or just a few. Enjoy your kids cause before you know it they will be gone. Been there.