Our series on “Champions for Change” features people of any gender in any role who are making a difference and creating positive change for women in the veterinary sector – enabling aspirations, inspiring and supporting others to grow and follow their passions, and empowering our community.
Millie Barrett is a Veterinary Care Assistant (VCA) Mentor and Dog-Friendly Advocate at Optivet Referrals, Havant. She is a strong advocate for patient-centric care with a focus on emotional welfare and a pioneer for the role of VCA Mentor, supporting the diverse skills required by VCAs. She was nominated by a colleague, who stated: “Millie was part of a duo who instigated the role of VCA mentor in her practice, and works tirelessness to advocate for our colleagues.”
Read on to find out more about how Millie is driving change for patients and colleagues by instituting protective behaviour protocols and empowering VCA colleagues in her mentoring role.
Hey! I’m Millie: VCA Mentor and Dog-Friendly Advocate at Optivet Referrals Havant. Snake-mum, wildlife enthusiast, solo trekker, historical fiction writer, hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) battler. I, like many, came to veterinary via a winding road. I have a BSc Hons in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, have worked nose-to-nose with Scotland’s Eurasian beavers and have worked on some incredible conservation projects.
COVID-19 altered a lot of lives. I found myself scrabbling for work just to keep myself afloat. When my mental health wore out as duty manager for a large chain, my focus shifted back to veterinary. After college, I had asked myself one of the toughest questions one is forced to ask early on in life: “What do I want to do?” It was between veterinary nursing and ecology for me, but how does a young, wild creature make that call at the age of 17? I have spoken to so many young people during my time as a mentor, and it so often comes down to this. How do we choose? What are the ramifications? I had carried out a few weeks’ work experience at general practices during college. In 2022, my path took me back to veterinary as a fresh-faced VCA, and I loved it.
Please summarise how you are working towards change in the veterinary professions and why do you feel this is important?
I am spinning a few plates at once, so hold tight:
Encouraging and facilitating patient-centric care with a focus on emotional welfare is my main passion. I’ve been working across departments to gain Dogs Trust’s dog-friendly clinic accreditation for our practice. This means practical environmental changes, but also changes in the way we think about our patients. I actively encourage processes that enable us to view an animal as a whole, such as emotional welfare scoring, extensive history-sharing and adaptive care plans to safeguard patient mental wellbeing.
Monitoring patients’ behaviour has not always been a readily-accepted concept. The resistance seems to centre around the belief that an animal’s behaviour should be viewed and dealt with as less important or separate to the clinical matters of the case. But as Temple Grandin said at LVS 2024 (where I was honoured to collect a 30 Under Thirty award last year), “if you’re not looking after the emotional wellbeing of animals, you’re not practicing best medicine.” Both pain and fear cause suffering. We actively monitor the former (though this wasn’t always the case!), and I endeavour to ensure that we actively monitor and enact change for the latter.
Working on our wards, I quickly realised that we had no protective behaviour protocols. No SOP’s for how to manage human-directed aggression. I saw this as detrimental not only to staff safety, but also to patient welfare. So, along with colleagues from different departments, I attended some excellent CPD and set out to make the protocols. I devised a simple, quick-to-use monitoring system to work within our pre-existing digital hospitalisation sheets. This enables the team to record incidents of protective behaviour, including:
- Describing the behaviour (who, what, where?)
- Identifying triggers (when did it happen? What was happening at the time?)
- Suggested/attempted interventions (what is the plan going forward? What worked/did not work?)
A numerical and colour-coded ladder system allows us to grade and track the patient’s behaviour at a glance – warning of escalations or signalling de-escalations. This tool enables high quality information sharing, leading to adaptive, preventative care plans. This, in turn, reduces bite-risk and prevents mental trauma to both parties. We often wish our patients could talk. The truth is, animals perform a plethora of behaviours designed to communicate with us; I think we do them a disservice if we, as an industry, do not try to incorporate behaviour and body language into our monitoring systems.
Lastly, I helped to pioneer the new role of VCA Mentor alongside my deeply experienced and talented colleague. The skills and capabilities required of a VCA are incredibly diverse.
When I started, VCAs had their progress monitored by an RVN. This presented a couple of challenges: firstly, the RVNs struggled to dedicate time, and secondly the two roles vary considerably in structure. This meant that there was room for improvement and opportunities to boost communication skills and team cohesion by trying something new.
So, alongside our Education and Development Officer, we created the VCA Mentor role. I have always enjoyed supporting others to grow in skill and confidence, and was often assigned to train new starters. The role of VCA is sometimes maligned as lowly, as a ‘glorified cleaner’, as just a stepping stone to the role of RVN. I have seen VCA’s form the granite foundations of a practice. Anticipating needs, advocating for patients they come to understand deeply, quietly and without recognition ensuring that everything runs like clockwork. This role is a valid and important one in and of itself.
My colleague and I take different approaches, but this is the beauty of it: we work together to provide equal support and challenge for our fellow VCA’s, who now have designated mentors they can approach at will for guidance. We help bridge the gap between departments, advocate for our colleagues, ensure equal opportunities are given and care for the physical and mental wellbeing of our team. I have seen an increase in effective communication, a reduction in stress among individuals and a depth of trust that I would never have imagined possible. I hope we can continue to empower our colleagues and strongly encourage other practices to do the same.
How do you feel this is making a difference?
I have seen unmanageable, misunderstood, highly stressed patients transform following tailored enrichment, reward-system, environmental, social or anxiolytic plans. It can sometimes be hard to see the wood for the trees, but taking a moment to assess a patient’s emotional welfare and working with colleagues to create a trial-and-error plan can make such a difference. I have seen so many dogs respond positively and become active participants in their cooperative care – it reminds me why I do what I do.
Helping others to understand principles of behaviour and body language and then watching them stand up and advocate for their patients is the best feeling. It’s like pointing out an additional, secret colour in the rainbow. When others see it, and embrace it in their approach to individual animals, it’s just the most wholesome feeling. The patients benefit beyond measure. They have heightened control, experience reduced fear and stress, are safeguarded against such things as learned helplessness and, ultimately, our clients are happier because their pets are happier. No one loses.
What motivated you to want to change things?
I care about each and every one of my patients and colleagues. Where I see room for improvement, I step up – because change is possible, and we all deserve change for the better. I have seen colleagues suffer physical and mental trauma resulting from a lack of protective behaviour protocols. Though I struggle with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, I refuse to allow such things to recur, so if no one else will take the helm, so be it – it might as well be me!
I aim to be the VCA Mentor I would have wanted at the start of my career path. I was motivated to make the role a reality by the wonderful people that came to me and said: “Hey, this suits you.” My colleagues told me I was their go-to for help, for a hug, for encouragement, for reinforcement, for the simple but valuable top-ups on various protocols and how-tos. I never imagined that that person would be me, but I strive to be that person for them.
What has most helped and motivated you along the way?
I cannot overstate how much I appreciate my cheerleaders and my colleagues, some of whom have shown such incredible belief in me – it boggles my mind! Through coaching sessions and personal development plans, my colleague Samantha Lympany-Tier has helped me to thrive and challenge myself. Our Pharmacy Lead, Sara Benton, has been an unending source of encouragement, and for these people I am immensely grateful! I have been inspired by so many of my colleagues and my patients.
What is the best advice you’ve been given, or that you would give to someone else, about driving positive change?
Please never stop believing in better! Be the person, be the change, because you are so capable and so valuable! VCAs, you are such a crucial part of the veterinary team; never let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes what we do and what we give goes unseen. But always remember how much you help your patients, your clients and your colleagues. Advocate for yourself and your team. Advocate for animals who may be misunderstood, whose fear and behavioural responses may lead them to be maligned as ‘naughty’, as ‘nasty’, or as a lost cause. Education and empowerment are your allies when it comes to altering perceptions of behaviour and patient care. Try a different angle, share the small wins (and the big ones!) with your team, and foster a trustworthy, inclusive environment.
What are your next steps to continue creating change for the better?
I can’t wait to finish implementing our new protective behaviour protocols and see what impact this has. We have passionate members from all departments weighing in, bringing their knowledge and insight. I hope to see fewer bite incidents, boosted confidence and more patient-centric care. Hopefully, I will secure dog-friendly clinic accreditation for our practice, and one day I hope to become a Fear Free certified and ISFM cat-friendly professional.
Visiting a veterinary clinic may always be a stressful experience for our animals, but there are steps we can take to reduce those feelings of fear and distress and make our jobs easier in the process. What’s not to love about that?
In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th, 2025, we assembled a collection of ‘Champions for Change’ profiles into a free eBook. Explore exclusive stories highlighting inspirational figures driving positive change for women in veterinary.
Our thanks to Millie for sharing her inspiring story of how she is championing change. If you would like to nominate a Champion for Change or share your story, please let us know.
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