Written By This Author
Personal/Professional Development
Each of Us Is More Than “Just a Veterinarian”
Here's a secret ... It is easy to define ourselves by our careers. But we all live diverse, complicated lives outside of that as well.
Personal/Professional Development
Judgment Doesn’t Always Serve You
Here's a secret ... if you can’t be empathetic with clients, try setting personal judgment aside and just be neutral.
Personal/Professional Development
The Grass Always Looks Greener, But It Is Just Grass
Here's a secret ... large animal work isn’t always crisp fall days.
Personal/Professional Development
You Can Swear at Work … Sometimes
Here's a secret ... sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.
Personal/Professional Development
Gratitude Is Never Garbage
Here's a secret ... those thank-you notes from clients are the real testament to the growth and strengths of your professional career.
Personal/Professional Development
These “Terrible Things” Aren’t That Terrible
Here's a secret ... if you stay in veterinary medicine long enough, you will get sued and taken to the board — but it won't be career-ending if you learn from it and move forward.
Personal/Professional Development
Most Things Aren’t Your Fault, Even If You Think They Are
Here's a secret ... your actions and abilities and the limits of veterinary medicine are frequently eclipsed by disease.
Personal/Professional Development
Communicate Clearly, Don’t “Dumb It Down”
Here's a secret ... "dumbing it down" for clients is just as bad as using high-level medical jargon.
Personal/Professional Development
Mistakes Don’t Define You, But They Do Change You!
Here's a secret ... your mistakes teach you more than your successes.
Personal/Professional Development
Human Medicine Doesn’t Have It All Figured Out Either
Here's a secret ... veterinary medicine and human medicine largely run parallel to each other — “behind” in some ways, “ahead” in others.
Personal Wellbeing
Our Worst Days Are Someone’s Best Days
Here's a secret ... no matter how tough it gets sometimes, most of us still wouldn't trade this job for anything.
Personal/Professional Development
You May Never Know How Things Turn Out
Here's a secret ... sometimes losing that patient to follow-up is a good thing.
Personal/Professional Development
Clients Lie … But Not Really
Here's a secret ... whether clients mean to leave out information or not, a good investigative case history is always crucial.
Personal/Professional Development
You Aren’t an Imposter If You Are Already Doing It!
Here's a secret ... imposter syndrome can strike even in the most accomplished veterinarians.
Personal/Professional Development
You Don’t Have to Always Have Goals
Here's a secret ... a smaller amount of intentional goals, rather than a large amount of extemporaneous goals, will create a more balanced and purposeful professional.
Personal/Professional Development
We Have Many Versions of Our “Best Self”
Here's a secret ... you can’t always be your most satisfying version of your best self, but you can always be the best just as you are.
Personal/Professional Development
The Key to Longevity Is to Embrace Change
Here's a secret ... if you're willing to question and adapt more times in your career than you care to think about, you'll soon become the Yoda of vet med.
Personal/Professional Development
Our Profession Is a Small Town
Here's a secret ... vet med is a small world, so maintaining strong bonds and being a good ambassador for the profession will help you go far.
Personal Wellbeing
We Can Vacation, Unapologetically
Here's a secret ... our wellbeing, and even salaries, can be positively affected by taking some time off.
Personal/Professional Development
CE Is a Fun Activity
Here's a secret ... in-person continuing education isn't about how many credit hours you can jam into your schedule. Pursue what you're actually interested in and take some time to make personal connections and recharge outside of the conference.
Personal/Professional Development
Pet Owners Are Your Teammates
Here's a secret ... pet parents may not be medically trained but they know their pets better than anyone. Listen to them when they have concerns.
Practice Management
Veterinarians Shouldn’t Do It All
Veterinarians can maximize their efficiency, patient care, and client satisfaction when they focus on what they do best and properly utilize their trained veterinary nurses/technicians.
Personal Wellbeing
We Are Treating Burnout All Wrong
Here's a secret ... preventing burnout at the organizational level is more important than treating burnout at the personal level.
Personal/Professional Development
It’s OK to Say, “I Don’t Know”
Here’s a secret ... you're not supposed to know everything! And it's not that big of a deal.
Personal/Professional Development
We Can Cancel Review Culture
Review culture in the veterinary field can be exhausting. Dr. Dana Varble explores what might happen if we step away and consider more beneficial alternatives.
Personal Wellbeing
We Are Real-Life Superheroes
This column written by the NAVC’s Chief Veterinary Officer shares the secrets that really should be considered well-known truths and that can help change our thinking and our profession for the better.
News
Lessons Learned From a Trying Year
The year 2020 brought various trials for veterinary professionals.