Paul D. Pion, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), co-founder, VIN
Today, I’m writing about the tenth item in the VINner’s Oath:
10 I recognize that VIN is for veterinarians and veterinary students only. I will not allow my staff to access my VIN account; instead I will encourage them to join VSPN.
The VIN Community is often called “the largest group veterinary practice in the world,” enabling colleagues to share information, experiences, and support across large distances. One critical difference between VIN and your practice is VIN is a place for veterinarians, veterinary students and educators, not support staff.
In practice, none of us can do our best work without support personnel. So it may feel natural to send your technicians, assistants, receptionists, or office managers to VIN to look up a drug dose, post a case while you’re in surgery, or to watch a video or read a message board thread for their edification.
However, it’s important to remember that unlike a library, conference, or journal, VIN is a community for and by veterinary colleagues. Our profession is a small one, and while asking your technician to post a case for you in the message boards seems innocuous, by sharing your log-in you enable your staff to read posts from all VIN colleagues, some of whom may be sharing sensitive information they believe (and deserve to trust) is kept confidential within a closed circle of colleagues.
The good news is there is a place where your staff can enjoy their own community of colleagues, opportunities for online continual education, and access to information resources. That place is VSPN , the Veterinary Support Personnel Network.
VSPN is free to your staff. They just need to register for their own account.
Granted, VSPN doesn’t relieve you from posting your own cases, but as we discussed in Items 1 and 2 of the VINners’ Oath, it is critical that each VINner post for themselves and not delegate the task to anyone else.
This is the last item of the current version of the VINners’ Oath. You might also want to review The Ten Commandments of VIN. These are VIN’s promises to you and all colleagues. Some have misinterpreted The VINners’ Oath as your commitments to VIN. That is not the case.
The VINners’ Oath is your and every VINner’s commitment to each other to help keep VIN a safe, enjoyable, and supportive place for all colleagues.