Appointment Information & Guidelines
General Information
We are looking forward to seeing your pet in Community Practice. The primary goal of our service is to provide exceptional care to our patients by guiding our 4th year veterinary student clinicians in delivering all aspects of primary care to dogs and cats. To be seen through Community Practice, you must be affiliated with the University of Tennessee as faculty, staff, or student. To provide the best possible care for you and your pet, we would like to provide some information to help you prepare for your pet’s appointment.
Please fill out the Community Practice Questionnaire prior to arriving for your appointment. If you have any problems printing the form, please contact our schedulers during regular business hours at 865-974-8387 or email them at vetclientservices@utk.edu for assistance. Please be sure to fill out a questionnaire for each pet that has an appointment.
If your pet is 7 years of age or older, please also fill out a chronic pain evaluation form. Canine and Feline form
If this is your pet’s first visit to Community Practice, please have all medical records from their previous DVM forwarded to vetcp@utk.edu or faxed to 865-974-0174 prior to the appointment
Please allow 60 – 90 minutes per pet for the appointment. If you need to drop off your pet in the morning for your appointment, please be aware that your pet will need to be picked up no later than 4:30pm. At time of discharge, please allow time for your student clinician to review discharge instructions and any medications going home.
Drop-offs are permitted between 7:30-9:00am. Please be aware that this is a very busy time of the morning; plan to allow a few minutes to complete any needed paperwork and to give a full history to your student clinician.
Communications
If you drop off your pet, please remain available to be reached by phone while your pet is in our care. In order to receive our calls, please make sure your phone accepts blocked numbers and/or turn off the “silence unknown caller” function. Phone calls from our hospital services may show up on your caller ID as “restricted” or “unknown caller.” After an examination is performed by both student clinician and overseeing veterinarian, you will receive a call for any follow up questions, to confirm plan for your pet, and to establish a pick-up time.
For communication training purposes, all patient in-takes and/or discharges may be recorded. This will not impact the care provided to your pet. We welcome feedback on our students’ communication skills and performance.
Every pet seen through Community Practice will be evaluated and reviewed by a veterinarian overseeing the student clinician. However, the student clinician will be the main source of communications before, during, and after your appointment. If there are additional questions or concerns that the student clinician cannot address, please do not hesitate to request to speak with a faculty member at any time.
Fees
Your student clinician may be able to provide a rough cost estimate for the visit based on the general nature of your pet’s problems. A more specific estimate of the cost of evaluation will be given to you during your first visit. Adjustments to this estimate will be given to you if changes develop or are anticipated during your pet’s evaluation or treatment.
Financial Policy
The financial policy of the hospital requires full payment for the entire bill when your pet is discharged from the hospital. If your pet stays overnight, you will be required to submit half of the total expected cost as a deposit. We accept major credit cards, CareCredit, cash or check as forms of payments.
Cancellation Policy
Missed appointments are inconvenient to our current and future patients. Please call us (865-974-8387) at least 24 hours in advance if you are unable to make your scheduled appointment. UTCVM is located in the Eastern Time Zone. If you have any questions about how to prepare for your appointment or what to expect, please contact the Community Practice service at 865-974-8387 or email them directly at vetcp@utk.edu.
Aggressive Animals
Aggressive animals needing medical or surgical care may be seen on a case-by-case basis and only with approval of the clinician in charge. An additional advanced handling fee may be applied.
**Please note that all pets should be brought to the Veterinary Medical Center on a leash or in a pet carrier.**
Thank you for choosing UTCVM Veterinary Medical Center for your pet’s care. We look forward to meeting you! For more information about your upcoming visit to UTCVM, please Click Here.
