April 25, 2025

#141: From FOMO to Pro: How I Use AI in the Clinic (And How You Can Too). With Dr Hubert Hiemstra

#141: From FOMO to Pro: How I Use AI in the Clinic (And How You Can Too). With Dr Hubert Hiemstra
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Season 1

In this solo episode Hugh tackles a bold idea: if you're not currently using AI in your clinical veterinary work, you may be falling behind. And if/when artificial intelligence gets to the point where it reliably has access to all the most up to date information for managing your patients, will you be negligent if you DON’T use it? 

Hubert shares how artificial intelligence is quietly but powerfully reshaping veterinary practice. He paints a vivid picture of an AI-powered clinic, shows you practical tools you can start using immediately, and challenges you to rethink the future of your role as a vet.

Drawing on two years of practical experience using AI tools in podcasting and clinical settings, Hubert provides real-world demonstrations of how AI can be integrated into everyday vet work. He discusses the current reliability of AI in clinical decision-making, shares evidence from human medicine studies, and highlights where AI shines — and where it still falls short. Practical tips cover using ChatGPT, Perplexity, and custom AI assistants to speed up decision-making, improve case management, and even build clinic-specific knowledge tools.
The episode also delves into the philosophical implications of AI's integration into the profession, forecasting a shift in veterinarians’ roles towards becoming curators of context, emotional connectors, and ethical decision-makers. Hubert closes by reflecting on how AI could drive new business models in veterinary care and how vets can position themselves to thrive by focusing on human skills, technical expertise, and continuous learning.

What you'll discover:

  • A demo showing how to use ChatGPT for clinical reasoning, how to build your own custom AI assistants, and how to set up a personal knowledge library with free tools like Google's NotebookLM.
  • How to spot and handle AI hallucinations — and why your human skills like empathy and ethical judgment are still your unique superpowers.
  • The business opportunities of AI for your practice, and why clinics that embrace AI may thrive while others struggle.
  • How AI could reshape veterinary education and open doors to a more sustainable, fulfilling career.

 

Hubert doesn’t just speculate — he shows you how AI can work in clinics today, and how you can lead instead of lagging behind.

Tune in if you're ready to future-proof your practice, sharpen your skills, and unlock a better way to be a vet.

 

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Topics and time stamps

03:08 What could the future of clinical practice look like with AI?

12:48 Can I trust it? What does the data say?

18:22 Where does Ai get its information from?

25:20 How I use it: Using 'general' models for clinical decision making

33:29 Building your own Ai tools

34:06 Google Notebook LM

40:58 MyGPT - your own assistant

54:49 What might the role of the future veterinarian look like?

 

How AI Will Reshape the Future of Veterinary Clinics

AI is poised to significantly reshape the future of veterinary clinics in numerous ways, potentially impacting everything from client interaction to the daily workflow of veterinary professionals. Hubert believes AI is the biggest new thing to happen possibly in our lifetime and could shape veterinary science in the next decade, starting now.
Here's a breakdown of how AI could reshape veterinary clinics, according to the source:
Enhanced Client Experience and Communication:
  • Imagine a client arriving at a comfortable clinic lounge and being greeted by a front-of-house team member who offers them a coffee and a tablet. Alternatively, a scanner could recognise the pet's microchip, bringing up their records and prompting an AI-driven chat on the client's phone or the provided tablet.
  • A polite AI avatar, potentially even with the vet's face and voice, could interact with the client. This AI could verify client details, similar to how a human client care representative (CCR) would, but without the risk of forgetting.
  • The AI could collect a perfect and comprehensive history, remembering to ask about diet, toxins, deworming status, tick preventatives, and other important details that human vets might sometimes overlook. It could also access and utilise information already stored in the practice management software (PIMS), such as vaccination and medical history.
  • This AI could summarise the collected history, highlighting relevant past events for the vet or triage nurse/tech to review before the appointment. It could even incorporate knowledge of the patient's entire history from every clinic they've visited if integrated with a larger database.
  • Furthermore, the AI could access the most up-to-date clinical knowledge, including recent studies, providing the vet with key pointers and considerations before the consultation even begins.
  • After the consultation, and AI assistant would generate notes, discharge forms, referral letters and any other necessary documents.
  • Discharge sheets could include a 24/7 Ai service follow-up questions. For serious concerns, AI could connect the owner with the clinic team or schedule an appointment.
Examples Of Improved Diagnostic and Treatment Processes:
  • AI could analyse patient records and test results, highlighting points of concern and creating to-do lists for the veterinary team.
  • With access to current clinical knowledge, AI could provide insights and suggestions for diagnosis and treatment plans, even considering subtle abnormalities in previous results.
  • AI can assist with calculations, such as converting units of measure and determining drug dosages, acting as a double-check for critical medications.
  • AI can aid in interpreting complex test results, suggesting next steps.
  • AI can summarise long patient histories, making it easier and faster to identify relevant information, past treatments, and responses. This is particularly useful in emergency situations with extensive prior records.
Efficiency and Workflow Optimisation:
  • By automating tasks like history taking and note generation, AI can free up valuable time for veterinarians and other staff.
  • AI-powered tools could streamline administrative tasks and improve overall practice efficiency.
  • Building custom AI assistants using platforms like Google Notebook LM or MyGPT could allow clinics to create task-specific tools using their own protocols, standard operating procedures, and preferred resources. This could be used for onboarding new staff, accessing equipment manuals, or understanding practice policies.
The Evolving Role of the Veterinarian:
  • While AI can handle information gathering and processing, the veterinarian's role will likely shift towards being a curator of information, providing context, and making ethical decisions.
  • Empathy, reassurance, and trust-building will remain uniquely human skills and become even more critical. Veterinarians with strong human skills and comfort in using AI will excel.
  • Veterinarians will still need a strong foundational knowledge to ask the right questions of AI and to critically evaluate its suggestions.
  • Manual skills will likely remain important, at least for the near future.
  • AI could lead to increased efficiency and productivity, potentially impacting the business model of veterinary practices, with possibilities for increased wages, profits, or more affordable care. However, there's also a possibility of losing revenue from simple cases as pet owners might initially consult AI.
  • AI will make research more accessible, potentially accelerating progress in veterinary science.
While the seamless integration described might require combining various AI tools currently, veterinary software companies are likely actively developing such comprehensive solutions.
The key is to approach AI as a thinking partner and to always verify information, especially when using general AI models, by asking for references and checking the source.
Overall, AI presents a significant opportunity to enhance the capabilities of veterinary clinics, improve patient care, and reshape the roles of veterinary professionals. However, it also necessitates a focus on uniquely human skills and a thoughtful consideration of the ethical and practical implications of its widespread adoption.