Why belonging in practice has to go beyond inclusive language
Bottom line
A new dvm360 commentary by Tripp Oliphant, DVM, argues that veterinary practices need to move beyond inclusive language alone and focus on creating real belonging for LGBTQIA+ team members. The piece highlights practical leadership behaviors, including respecting pronouns, avoiding assumptions about identity or relationships, and responding promptly when discrimination concerns come up. That framing aligns with broader veterinary inclusion efforts from groups including PrideVMC and the AVMA, which have emphasized that psychological safety, not just visible signals of support, shapes whether people feel safe being themselves at work. (pridevmc.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is a workforce and culture issue, not just a language issue. PrideVMC says correct pronoun use should be standard practice in veterinary spaces, while AVMA education on belonging and psychological safety ties inclusive workplaces to stronger engagement and healthier teams. Separate JAVMA research has also linked workplace psychosocial factors, including leadership quality, rewards, and meaning of work, with organizational commitment, underscoring why practice leaders should treat belonging as an operational priority. (pridevmc.org)
What to watch: Expect continued focus on concrete team policies, manager training, and response protocols that turn inclusive intent into day-to-day psychological safety. (axon.avma.org)
A dvm360 article by Tripp Oliphant, DVM, is pushing a familiar veterinary workplace conversation one step further: inclusive language matters, but it doesn’t automatically create belonging. The commentary centers on what practice leaders actually do after the signage, pronoun fields, and stated values are in place, especially when LGBTQIA+ professionals are deciding whether a workplace feels safe, respectful, and trustworthy. That message lands as veterinary organizations continue to frame belonging and psychological safety as core workforce issues. (pridevmc.org)
The broader context has been building for years. dvm360, AAHA, AVMA, and PrideVMC have all published resources urging practices to use inclusive language, avoid assumptions, and communicate welcome to both clients and teams. But those same groups increasingly distinguish between surface-level inclusion and the deeper work of culture change, including how leaders handle bias, client behavior, dress codes, bathrooms, hiring language, and everyday team interactions. (dvm360.com)
That’s where Oliphant’s argument fits. Based on the source summary, the article focuses on three practical behaviors: respecting pronouns, avoiding assumptions, and taking timely action when discrimination concerns arise. Those recommendations closely track PrideVMC guidance, which says pronoun use should be standard practice in veterinary settings and warns that misuse can undermine safety. PrideVMC also notes that harassment can include refusal to use pronouns properly and other identity-based microaggressions, and that unsupported discrimination makes it less likely gender-diverse professionals will view a practice as safe. (pridevmc.org)
Industry resources suggest this is about more than interpersonal courtesy. AVMA’s Journey for Teams program explicitly teaches psychological safety, microaggressions, allyship, and gender diversity as workplace competencies, while AVMA education on belonging describes how lack of psychological safety can drive distress and exhaustion. In other words, the profession is increasingly treating belonging as something that affects retention, wellbeing, and team function, not as a side conversation separate from medicine or operations. (axon.avma.org)
Expert and industry commentary points in the same direction. AAHA has advised practices to make clear that discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people won’t be tolerated and to back visible inclusion with usable resources and allyship. dvm360 commentary from other veterinary leaders has similarly stressed that people need to feel seen, heard, and valued as whole people, and that practices should demonstrate inclusion consistently, not just during recruitment or Pride Month. (aaha.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, belonging is becoming a management issue with direct implications for hiring, retention, morale, and trust. Research published in JAVMA found workplace psychosocial factors, including leadership quality, recognition, and meaning of work, were associated with organizational commitment. While that study wasn’t specific to LGBTQIA+ identity, it supports the larger point behind Oliphant’s article: when people don’t feel psychologically safe, practices risk disengagement, turnover, and a weaker culture. In a labor-constrained profession, leaders can’t afford to treat inclusion as symbolic. (avmajournals.avma.org)
There’s also a client-facing layer. Veterinary teams serve diverse pet parents, and dvm360 and AAHA have both argued that inclusive environments affect not only staff wellbeing but also how clients experience care. Practices that normalize respectful language, avoid assumptions about families and identities, and respond clearly to discriminatory conduct may be better positioned to build trust across both the team and the exam room. (dvm360.com)
What to watch: The next step is whether practices translate these ideas into systems, including onboarding, badge and email pronoun options, anti-harassment protocols, manager coaching, and clear responses to client misconduct, rather than leaving belonging to individual goodwill. (pridevmc.org)