Did you hear we have a “wicked problem” in veterinary medicine? We’ve named it, and, yes, we can tame it. Veterinary medicine is up to the challenge. Will taming it be easy? No. Quick? No. Painless? No. That’s OK because if anybody has the devotion, perseverance, empathy, wisdom and compassion required to figure things out, it’s the human beings of veterinary medicine and our growing support systems. Of course, I might be biased.
For 27 years, I have had the honor and privilege of caring for and advocating for animals, which is why I became a veterinarian. Turns out that collaterally (and largely unconsciously), I also got to:
- Experience firsthand the beauty, expansion and deepening of our understanding of the human-animal bond.
- Bear witness to an exponential explosion of diagnostic and treatment modalities available to veterinary patients.
- Be repeatedly amazed and humbled by the complexity of the relationships in the 3D triad of veterinary professionals, clients and patients.
Ultimately, I learned what was required for me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to stand in service to all of the above.
Was it worth it? Yes. However, I can say now that at many points along the way, especially over the past 10 years, I wasn’t sure. More and more it seemed the growing number, size and scope of problems far outpaced the solutions.
Everything came full circle for me when I received a flier in 2022 from the University of Tennessee and its One Health Initiative about an “armchair discussion to discuss transdisciplinary approaches to solve the world’s wicked problems.” The event focused on “The Science of Team Science.”
The term “wicked problems” resonated strongly with me. Over the past 18 months, we have seen it used in several contexts, such as our profession’s workforce shortage, which is tightly tied to our mental and emotional health, well-being, burnout, suicide rate and ongoing quality-of-life conversations. Wicked problems, indeed.
What Is a Wicked Problem?
Wicked problems are complex challenges with multiple and conflicting perspectives about the best solutions. A wicked problem exceeds the ability of one profession or societal sector to address it and requires multistakeholder, multidisciplinary teams to tackle it.
What Is the Value in Naming Our Wicked Problem?
Through my learning journey and formal training as a coach, I came to understand that when I can name something, I can tame it. The challenge reliably seems to lie in determining what “it” is. Two fundamental things influence the naming process.
First, the problem we see on the surface is not always “the problem.” We often try to solve what we think or feel is the issue and then fix it, narrowing our perspective significantly. If and when we get curious, we can appreciate the layers of contributing factors, which, when identified, can lead to the actual problem needing to be solved.
Until we name the root, the problem remains unsolved, and we exhaust ourselves as we go in circles. This can happen with individuals, teams, groups and systems. The concept is supported by various coaching and therapeutic models and the “five whys” method of design theory for problem-solving.
Second, humans are often at risk of personalizing, internalizing or externalizing problems. Sometimes, when we cannot solve a problem (especially a commonly encountered or impactful issue), we start to think we (or things about us) are the problem. And when other people are involved, we begin to believe that “they” (or something about “them”) might be the problem.
When we see the bigger picture and what else the problem might be about, we often see that it is not solely about “us” or “them.” We then can work together as individuals, teams, groups or systems toward solving the actual problem.
By naming our wicked problem, I inherently understand that the issue is bigger than me or any one of us. What feels like a deeply personal problem that involves all of us is no one person’s responsibility to bear or fix. Furthermore, no single veterinary professional, group, team, hospital, organization, association or stakeholder has the answers or can fix the wicked problem for any or all of us. We must look to more than one other discipline for information, resources, concepts, support and solutions.
How Can We Tame It?
The five characteristics that can help us, at least to start, are the 5 C’s — curiosity, courage, collaboration, creativity and compassion. Recognizing there will be challenges, we can see:
- Everyone has a different starting point. How we begin is unique to the individual, team, hospital, organization, association and stakeholder.
- Each starting point requires different tools, skills, resources, techniques and solutions.
- Someone must be open to asking for help, which often comes with a lot of stigma.
- Allies and stakeholders must be truly curious to learn and understand what it means to be a veterinary professional.
- There needs to be a readiness for change. For a variety of reasons, that’s not the case for all of us.
- Not being ready for change needs to be OK, and it cannot mean those who are ready don’t or can’t start.
My training as a trauma-informed coach solidified for me that one potential thing that prevents change is trauma, broadly explained as one (or many) issues from our past that continue to impact our present. The definition of trauma is evolving, as is the impact of emotional trauma, which is a layer we have had little awareness of until relatively recently. Psychological health and safety is a topic that is expanding quickly and brings in the concept of chronic and traumatic stressors, moral injury, and other occupational hazards present and relevant to the veterinary profession.
Early Steps
Complex? Yes. Fortunately, by naming our wicked problem, we create increased awareness and movement, which is the start of taming it.
In celebration, I want to list all the ways I see change happening and all the promising conversations among individuals, teams, hospitals, associations, academic institutions, organizations and disciplines. Honestly, they are too numerous to count, and I know only a small piece of what is happening out there.
With every conversation I have and every initiative I am part of, I am grateful for the opportunities and hope created. Because of all of you, I say with 100% confidence that I believe the human beings of veterinary medicine and our growing list of allies are up to the challenge of helping us solve our wicked problem.
And now I dare to dream of the possibilities of how all of us will be part of collaborative and inventive solutions.
LEARN MORE
- “The ‘Wicked’ Problem of Our Workforce Shortage,” The Canadian Veterinary Journal, bit.ly/4fxGDcz
- “Wicked Problems,” Interaction Design Foundation, bit.ly/3Yw8WCg
- Veterinary Visionaries, veterinaryvisionaries.org