Handle with Care: A veterinary guide to manging client complaints

Course purpose: 

Complaints are an unavoidable part of a veterinary practice that works with people, animals, uncertainty and emotionally significant decisions. This course is designed to help veterinary professionals manage complaints as professional interactions rather than isolated moments of conflict.

The emphasis is practical. You will learn how to recognise what a complaint is really about, listen without making premature assumptions, communicate with distressed or dissatisfied clients, decide when a concern requires further review, document complaints objectively, support colleagues after difficult encounters and use credible complaint information to improve practice systems.

The course does not teach you to eliminate complaints. It teaches a more useful goal: to respond well when concerns arise, reduce avoidable problems and use appropriate complaints and near-misses as opportunities for professional learning and practice improvement.

CPD point allocation: 8 points (AC/3597/26)

Course format: Fully online (8 hours)

                           Course completion self-paced but must be completed within 8 week course period (Theory and practical 

                           components via written assessments)

Course dates:  Open from:  4 October - 28 November 2026

Course facilitator: Dr Marguerite Aitchison

Cost: R 880.00 excl. VAT (Not registered for VAT)

Course topics

1: Why Clients Complain

2: Looking Beneath the Surface 

3: Where Complaints Arrive 

4: Why Complaint Management Matters

5: When a Complaint Becomes Useful Information

6: The Fundamental Response

7: Working Across Communication Channels

8: Escalating and Documenting Complaints

9: Looking After the Veterinary Team

10: Preventing Complaints Through Practice Audit