Veterinarians between empathy, ethics and escalation

It is late in the evening and after a short ring, the glass door opens. Three people are sitting on a bench in the waiting area on the right, another on the far left. The secretary at reception welcomes the newcomer in a friendly manner, but the hustle and bustle at the back is clearly noticeable. While a whole team is on site at the veterinary clinic around Krakelshaff during the day to look after the animal patients, a single emergency vet takes over the entire service at night. A surgical team is "on call", but except in absolutely urgent cases, the latter is on their own until the next shift starts the following morning.

The same scenario, but at the Bereldingen veterinary clinic. Here, too, one person sits alone in the surgery at night; there is not enough budget for a security service. The problem: all emergencies in the country arrive either in Bereldange or in Bettembourg – Luxembourg does not have another veterinary clinic. "Our vets are therefore the only ones who are still available after midnight, " emphasises Dr Tom Conzemius, Veterinary Director in Bereldange. There is enough stress in both practices, it's just part of the veterinarians' everyday work. What is not included in the deal, however, is the aggression shown by some pet owners.

Women and foreigners mobbed the most

From insults and threats to online bashing – "98 per cent of people are nice and polite, but the other two per cent are enough to completely change the mood in the team and at some point nobody wants to work in the emergency service anymore, " says Dr Conzemius. Next year, the clinic will move from Bereldingen to a new building. The first investment that the team is "treating" itself to in terms of protective measures: an entrance gate where pet owners first have to wait and prove their behaviour before being granted access to the actual reception area. "Although this penalises the majority of our customers because a few don't know how to behave, this is the only solution for us, " explains the clinic manager.

There is always negative behaviour towards female staff in particular, which manifests itself in both verbal attacks and fisticuffs. "Some men get really aggressive, especially with our secretarial staff. When I then enter the room as a doctor, the tone of voice changes abruptly and they are friendly again. I absolutely cannot tolerate this, " says Dr Conzemius. The clinic makes the same observation when it comes to behaviour towards French-speaking employees: "There are two cases: some customers who politely explain that they don't speak French well and for whom we find a suitable solution. And the others, mostly older gentlemen, who get upset and cheeky in Luxembourgish. I now throw them out immediately, because we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of aggression. It's quite simple: either we work with foreigners or we can close the clinic, full stop."