We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Mallory K, RVT, who serves as Inventory and Technical Manager at Nelson Animal Hospital, a general practice veterinary hospital in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. With more than nine years of experience at the clinic, Mallory has been deeply involved in patient care and operational management, giving her a unique perspective on the hospital’s transition to Instinct EMR.
In this case study, Mallory shares insights into her hospital’s onboarding journey, staff training, and adoption experience of Instinct EMR.
The Challenge: Outdated Systems and Fragmented Workflows
For years, Nelson Animal Hospital relied on an older veterinary practice management system (PIMS) paired with additional software programs to handle treatment sheets and anesthesia documentation. The setup was cumbersome, error-prone, and costly.
“[Our PIMS] just had this incredibly clunky, outdated feel,” recalled Mallory. “They touted that there were five different ways to do everything—but that was exactly the problem. It made training confusing and frustrating.”
Server-based access compounded the challenge. Doctors working outside the clinic had to coordinate logins through a group chat: “Hey, I’m trying to remote in, is anyone else on right now?” On top of that, integration issues between softwares caused billing inaccuracies, requiring extra manual work.
Mallory knew something had to change.
The Decision: A Unified, Cloud-Based Solution
When evaluating options, Mallory championed Instinct EMR. Her goals were clear:
- Consolidation: Replace three separate programs with one platform
- Accessibility: Allow doctors to access records from anywhere
- Ease of use: Intuitive workflows that made sense to staff
- Growth mindset: A partner willing to listen and evolve
“With Instinct, it felt like we had a chance to shape the product and be heard,” she said. “That was never the case with [our other PIMS]. Instinct gave us confidence that the gaps would be addressed over time.”
The Onboarding Experience: Clear, Supportive, and Organized
Onboarding a hospital with a new EMR is a structured, collaborative process that typically spans 10 to 12 weeks. During this time, hospitals work closely with our Implementation and Adoption Specialists to complete application setup, data migration, and team training—an investment of about 50 to 70 hours. Key tasks include configuring products and pricing; building custom treatment plans, charts, and estimate templates; and preparing workflows tailored to the hospital’s needs.
Training is designed to set every team member up for success. Hospitals complete self-paced modules with Instinct Academy’s learning management system, participate in five interactive virtual workshops, and practice with our dedicated “Purractice” environment, where staff can safely explore the system before launch.
Once live, hospitals enter a three-month adoption period, guided by one of our Adoption Specialists. This ensures the team feels supported as they adjust workflows, ask questions in real time, and work toward their long-term goals with Instinct EMR.
For Nelson Animal Hospital, this structured yet flexible approach provided the clarity, hands-on practice, and support they needed. From the detailed roadmap and checklists to the guidance at go-live, Mallory described the process as “fantastic.”
“The roadmap and checklists were incredible—like being back in school with clear deadlines and instructions. I always knew exactly what needed to be done and when,” she explained.
Training tools played a huge role:
- Instinct Academy’s online learning modules gave staff the flexibility to learn at their own pace.
- A practice environment allowed hands-on practice before launch.
- Support during go-live ensured confidence and a smooth transition.
Mallory credited one of our Adoption Specialists with being a key factor in their success: “She was superhuman. Having someone right there, encouraging us and guiding us through—it made all the difference.”
The Results: Efficiency, Satisfaction, and Better Patient Care
Since switching to Instinct EMR, Nelson Animal Hospital has seen several major improvements:
- Streamlined workflows: Treatment-to-billing integration now works seamlessly.
- Remote flexibility: Doctors can complete notes from home without clunky server logins.
- Improved patient care: Modern treatment sheets and documentation ensure accuracy.
- Staff buy-in: While change always takes time, Mallory notes that the system was far easier to learn than their previous PIMS.
“There are still some growing pains, but overall, staff are much happier,” she said. “Instinct is more intuitive, modern, and responsive. It just makes more sense.”
Partnership in Growth
Mallory also highlights our openness to feedback as a differentiator.
“I love that feature requests can be submitted directly in the platform. Our staff started using it right away—and I know Instinct is actually listening. We’ve already seen requests make their way into the roadmap.”
Advice to Other Hospitals
For those preparing to onboard, Mallory emphasizes:
- Take advantage of the practice environment and Instinct Academy to prepare your team.
- Lean on the Instinct team during go-live—their support is invaluable.
Would She Recommend Instinct?
“Absolutely,” Mallory said without hesitation. “The improvements to patient care and staff satisfaction are worth it. I’d just be honest with peers about the data migration challenges—but overall, Instinct has been the right move for us.”
