Chirp, a novel peer-to-peer veterinary mentoring app, seeks mentors
'Veterinary medicine is not meant to be a solo sport' - Dr. Diane Levitan
by Mary Guiden
The veterinary industry’s first peer-to-peer mentoring app for early career veterinarians, known as Chirp, is seeking mentors. Chirp will officially launch in the months to come, according to its founder, Dr. Diane Levitan, VMD, DACVIM, an experienced veterinarian and professor.
Chirp was created by Levitan with help from other experts to provide instant answers and assistance from qualified, seasoned veterinarians.
Mentors are paid $20 per call and there is no time commitment, said Levitan.
Chirp’s formation has roots in Levitan’s own career. She was not "day one ready" after graduating from veterinary school. However, she was fortunate to land an internship, which she describes as providing her with the most formative year of her career.
After working in veterinary medicine for 30 years, mostly as an internist, she said that very few new graduates – no matter how talented they are — are "day one ready."
According to a company news release, Chirp allows a veterinarian to immediately connect with an experienced mentor who can walk them through just about any problem they may be facing, from how to interpret test results and create treatment plans to best ways to manage time and communicate with clients.
It’s similar in concept to #VetTwitter, with a more involved and personalized approach that also protects patients and clients.
In today’s job market, practices looking to hire veterinarians can differentiate themselves by offering Chirp as a benefit of employment. Chirp is available for a monthly subscription fee of $38 per practice or $420 annually, plus $32 per consultation.
Consultations are typically one or two questions and can take 10 to 20 minutes. The consults are summarized and transcribed for future reference. Brief feedback from mentees is requested after each call, and calls are continuously reviewed for quality assurance.
In addition to helping early career veterinarians gain confidence, Chirp aims to help veterinary practices keep more revenue in-house by referring fewer cases out. Referring out three cases per month at $2,500 per case translates to $90,000 annual practice loss for unnecessary referrals.
Levitan said in a recent interview at the ACVIM Forum in Philadelphia that Chirp mentor advice extends beyond the veterinary clinic.
One mentor, for example, can talk with early career clinicians about how to juggle home life, and be a mom and a veterinarian. Chirp has 40 mentors officially on board and another 30 are in the process of joining the app.
“Veterinary medicine is not meant to be a solo sport,” said Levitan. “We can easily support one another using today’s technology. Through this app, early career vets can simply and quickly connect with experienced veterinarians, improving quality of life for everyone.”
The app will feature mentors with expertise in business management, time management, work-life balance, communication, exotics, reproduction, dentistry and other areas of special interest. Each is carefully selected, and all general practice mentors have a minimum of 10 years of veterinary practice experience.
Consultations are typically one to two questions and 10 to 20 minutes, and they are summarized and transcribed for future reference. Following a consultation, the mentees provide brief feedback, and calls are reviewed for quality assurance.
To sign up to be a Chirp mentor or mentee, visit chirp.vet.
About Chirp Vet Mentors
Chirp is the first peer-to-peer mentorship app in veterinary medicine. It allows early career veterinarians to instantly access mentor veterinarians with a minimum of 10 years of experience. The app helps new veterinarians gain confidence and build more sustainable careers, while helping veterinary practices attract new veterinarians, reduce turnover, and improve revenue by keeping more cases in-house. Learn more at chirp.vet.
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