Leading a busy emergency department means there’s never enough time—especially when you’re trying to balance patient care with mentoring the next generation of veterinarians.
At the Veterinary Medical Center of Central New York (VMCCNY), Emily Jensen, DVM, knows that challenge well. With nearly a decade of ER experience, she thrives on the high-energy pace of emergency medicine.
“I really like the fast pace of it,” she said. “I like being delivered something really scary and high energy and having to figure out really quickly what’s wrong, make them feel better, communicate that with clients, and get everybody back to a stable place.”
But as she trains new veterinary graduates through the hospital’s immersion program, Dr. Jensen is determined to show them that thriving in this career isn’t about working until you burn out.
“The biggest thing for me is making them into efficient, resilient doctors who can join our team long-term. My priority right now is making sure they have a really good foundation and learn what is really fun about this profession.”
For Dr. Jensen, finding the right technology has been key to making that possible. Instinct EMR has transformed how she works, helping her see more patients, spend less time on records, and still get home on time. Or as she puts it:
“Instinct has changed my life.”
A Better Way to Work and Train
When VMCCNY first implemented Instinct EMR, Dr. Jensen was part of the rollout team. Since then, it’s become a vital part of her day, streamlining everything from patient intake and triage to consults, estimates, treatment plans, and discharge.
“When an animal comes in, we have Instinct up on several different computer screens,” she explained. “We’re using Instinct immediately between the customer care reps, the technicians, and the doctors.”
One of the biggest changes? The flexibility to open multiple windows and see medical records and treatment plans side-by-side.
“As soon as I take a case, I can open their medical record and I’m ordering things right next to their consult. I can have a medical record almost done by the time I even go into the room.”
It’s not just about speed—Instinct EMR also helps Dr. Jensen stay organized.
“I think one of the things that we struggle with is really organizing our thoughts and having so many tabs open at once. Instinct really helps with that.”
This efficiency has transformed how Dr. Jensen manages her day and how she teaches new graduates to thrive in emergency medicine.
“I used to spend many hours after my shift doing medical records. Now, with Instinct, I don’t stay late. I’ve maybe written records from home once or twice in the three or four years we’ve used it.”
More Time for Patients (and People)
By simplifying documentation and reducing redundant tasks, Dr. Jensen can focus on what matters most: patient care and mentorship.
“As soon as I’m finished with a record, I unpin them, they’re gone, and then that’s fewer things on my board,” she says. “I am much quicker to say I got the next thing. I can see five things or seven things or eight things at once because I know that I could be efficient with all of that.”
That confidence gives her more capacity to support the hospital’s new graduates without burning out.
“My goal is to continue producing and supporting doctors so that they can do this part of this profession for a longer time,” she says. “Burnout is a vicious cycle we see a lot. So my goal for the next year is to make sure these grads get a good foundation, see the really cool parts of this profession, and learn how to stay resilient.”
Empowering a Collaborative Culture
For Dr. Jensen, Instinct’s impact goes beyond efficiency. It supports the collaborative, solutions-focused culture at VMCCNY, which is also shaped by a leadership team that values input from everyone on staff.
“They’ve always been amazing about taking everyone’s perceptions and recommendations because they know that the best insights can come from any part of the team,” she says.
Instinct’s customizability supports that teamwork. Shared treatment groups, board filtering, and intuitive workflows help every member of the hospital stay aligned without extra effort.
“We never want it to replace us thinking and coming up with the things we need to, but it’s a nice way of remembering, yes, let me also do that for this patient—because we typically will.”
Final Word
For Dr. Jensen and the VMCCNY team, Instinct EMR has become more than just a medical record system. It’s an essential part of delivering safer, more efficient patient care without sacrificing team well-being.
Instinct ensures charges and treatments are captured so nothing slips through the cracks.
“It captures it for you so that you have that option and you’re not missing those charges. The quality of care that the patient’s getting and the accuracy each time… It’s all there for you.”
Instinct has also become a recruiting and retention tool.
“One of the big selling points for me has been Instinct and showing them how well it works for our hospital, and how efficient it can make you as a clinician. It makes you feel excited to work at a place like that.”
Her verdict?
“I truly [am] a really big fan. I think it’s revolutionary, and I really do feel that it has improved the quality of life for not just doctors and technicians and administration and billing and all of those things, but also for the pets that we’re helping and the people that we’re helping, too.”
Massive thanks to Dr. Jensen and the VMCCNY team for taking the time to share their experiences with us (and you!). We hope their insights help you take the next step toward a better software solution for your hospital.
If you’re curious whether Instinct EMR could be the right solution for you and your team, reach out and get a tour.
