PetIQ Elevates the Veterinarian Voice with Medical Advisory Council
To consistently deliver best-in-class preventive veterinary care, PetIQ adheres to medical standards as established by our team of veterinarians.
Councilmember Dr. Angela Butler previously worked as a contract veterinarian for PetIQ for six years before joining the team full-time as a Regional Medical Director for Community Clinics. She served one year on the Medical Advisory Council while a contract vet and now serves as one of its co-chairs.
Dr. Butler, can you tell me about the PetIQ Medical Advisory Council? What is its mission and how does it work behind the scenes?
It’s a group that brings the veterinary voice to PetIQ, and it’s made up of veterinarians from the leadership team and employed and contract vets. There are four committees tasked with reviewing PetIQ’s protocols and procedures and suggesting changes.
How does the mission of the council align with the mission of PetIQ?
At PetIQ, we have a mission of treating pets with the best-quality medicine. The committees and council constantly evaluate what “quality” means, so we’re putting the best treatments forward for our pets and pet parents.
What are the committees that make up the council?
There’s a medical protocols committee that looks at vaccine changes or updates. The medical operations committee analyzes things like training and processes for staff. The marketing committee works with the marketing team to ensure that the information is correct. Then there’s a continuing education committee that focuses on improving training specifically for the veterinarians and providing the latest information on medications being used in the centers and clinics.
Is this kind of initiative, an advisory council, common in other practices or companies?
This doesn’t exist in other places, as far as I know. PetIQ really goes out of its way to elevate its employees’ voices, especially the veterinarians.
How does someone become a council member, and how long is their term?
Members serve for at least a year, but they can serve additional terms if they want. Veterinarians can become council members by applying through a letter of intent, and then the current council votes on who the new members should be.
So, do ideas or action items just come from the advisory council?
No, actually. The members of our committees come from a diverse range of backgrounds too. So, they might hear something from a colleague that bubbles up to the group and becomes an action item for the council.
The Medical Advisory Council is made up of both contract and employed veterinarians?
That’s correct. We think it’s essential to bring a diversity of voices to the group. If it were just leadership making decisions, we wouldn’t have any insight into how things are going at the day-to-day level out in the field. By incorporating as many voices as possible, you get a good mix of ideas, which results in better outputs company-wide. That’s the end goal for everything the council does—better outcomes for our pets and pet parents.
