New tech and old traditions with veterinarian Andy Roark

The future is here—but does that mean we need to completely let go of the past?

To Andy Roark, DVM, MSc, practicing veterinarian, speaker, writer, and self-described techno-optimist, the answer is no.

“I believe that we’re living in the greatest time in the history of the world … and things are changing at a really, really fast pace. I think the opportunities there are absolutely incredible… The knowledge that that we all have at our fingertips is incredible. I think that’s gonna make the world better for pets and for people,” said Roark.

At the same time, he sees himself as a traditionalist who believes in the importance of establishing relationships with the people he serves. “I like the James Herriot-like idea of going out to the farm and being among the community,” he said.

Being a part of the community and the social fabric is important to Roark—and as exciting as new technology may be, it doesn’t change that fact.

“The interpersonal relationships and things that have defined veterinary medicine in the past—I don’t want those things to go away,” he said, “and I don’t think that they are going to go away. That’s really what has made this profession wonderful… And so… I think that we can do a lot of things differently. I think that our lives are going to get easier in a lot of ways.”

Easier, how?

AI scribes, for example, says Roark, are not only great for creating clear medical records and providing clients with the notes they need, but they can also help create a more personal experience in the exam room.

“What’s truly, deeply wonderful is that when you know the appointment is being recorded and what needs to be captured is being captured, and you can go back to it,” he said. “It frees you up to be fully present with the other human being in the room in a way that we haven’t had in a long time.”

AI chatbots and agents are another tool Roark is findings immensely useful.

“The ability to ask a very specific question to an AI agent and get a response in the moment is incredibly powerful and useful,” he said. “It’s one thing to say, you know, ‘Tell me about hypothyroidism.’ We’ve had great content that we can go and find; because of the Internet, we have access to that. But hypothyroidism in a specific breed at a specific age that has this weird, other comorbidity going on? That’s challenging to find in the moment.”

He’s not suggesting putting diagnostic decisions in the hands of AI, but, he said, “That level of targeted information is really exciting, and the ability to go directly to the heart of what you’re trying to find and just quickly get that information is really incredible.”

Implementation do’s and don’ts

As a practicing veterinarian, Roark has had the chance to try out some of these AI tools himself—and he has plenty of thoughts regarding how to do it right.

In a word (or two): Pilot program.

“There’s so much hand-waving around technology, and AI as a term is baked into everything. There are AI water bowls, for goodness sake!” he said. “People are tired of hearing about it. It’s baked into every service imaginable—and people want an extra $10 a month for the feature.”

So, he says, he doesn’t expect teams to be excited about it. But for those willing to try it out, it’s important to first answer the question of whether it honestly makes your life (and your team’s life) easier. “That’s what your team wants to know,” he said. “They want to use AI to make their lives easier, to make them faster, and to get better outcomes. That’s what they want.”

In his experience, the best approach is to see what works for you, then let others follow in your footsteps.

“If you get the right products, this introduction is staggeringly easy because all you do is just use it yourself … and the techs will want to see what you’re doing,” he said. “I didn’t start with any other doctors in our clinic when I started with an AI scribe. I just started doing it myself and the other doctors came to peek over my shoulder.” They saw his beautiful, clearly-laid-out records, and they were sold.

There are, however, some potential pitfalls he urges veterinary teams to avoid.

“I do think there’s the danger with AI of becoming so comfortable with it that you allow it to do your mental lifting,” he said. “I think that’s a concern and I do think that can damage trust if it becomes popularly believed that veterinarians are just people who are using AI to answer your questions.”

That, he said, creates a whole different set of problems, and he believes it’s likely to lead to two types of veterinarians in the future: Those who use AI to get their work done, and those who use AI to continue to learn, develop, and improve.

“The second category is always going to have work. They are always going to be valuable. They will always be in demand,” Roark said. “The first group is going to quickly have a hard time because they’re at a real risk of being replaced by cheaper hourly workers who can also use AI.”

Getting it right from the start

Roak said he expects to see “a radical shift in education coming up in the way we train veterinarians and the way we train college students.”

“Part of mentoring people is going to be putting them in positions where they can’t use AI, to make sure they’re still developing as doctors,” he said. He encourages leaders to lead by example to avoid creating a team that runs to AI for answers they can find on their own. “And then, you’re going to need to engage with your people in a way that shows what they really know.”

Roark will discuss this and more in September in Chicago as a keynote speaker at AAHA CON, and he said he’s excited to share his optimistic message in regards to the future of vet med—one that involves both AI and tradition.

“We can take advantage of innovation and growth and change—and still keep that James Herriot core that so many of us gravitated to when we decided that this is what we wanted to do,” he said. “I want to share my excitement for where we’re going, but also my enthusiasm for holding on to the things that really have made this profession special—not just as far as healing and curing animals, but as far as having deep relationships with people and families.”

Photo credit: Andy Roark

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