AS part of my work as a veterinary consultation coach (whereby I stand-in on many consultations), I have noticed that a surprising number of younger vets do not make a clear and specific recommendation about what they believe to be the most effective way to resolve the patient's clinical issue. In contrast, the more experienced practitioners whom I observe are much more willing to ‘prescribe’ an opinion as to the best way forward. At first I assumed that this was the predictable behaviour of practitioners working with the confidence that comes with experience. However, during the ‘post-match’ analysis of the consultations, I was surprised when many of the recent graduates told me they were taught that they should not give clients a specific recommendation. Instead, they tell me, that vets should lay out all the options (with which I agree), discuss the pros and cons of each and then stand back and allow the client to choose the …