Jade Velasquez, LVT

We all hear about how we should have hobbies outside of veterinary medicine. It gives us time to decompress or enjoy an activity that isn’t work-related. Recently I decided to take up gardening. Just a little background here; I once killed a bamboo plant. That’s almost impossible to do. The notion I was going to have a gorgeous garden was a tad idealistic, but I started slow. I began watering the garden twice daily, pruning roses and potting plants in the hopes they could survive the heatwave of summer. I was surprised when sprouts began to spring up and flowers began to bloom.

Then I noticed these adorable little plants that resembled tiny pine trees! I got excited and was curious to see how their rapidly sprouting foliage would turn out. I noticed them not just in my flower beds but sprouting up amongst the hearty blackberry bushes. Then I saw them begin to pepper my gravel driveway. Given that I am a not a botanist, I did a quick Google image search and my heart sank. I had been tending to and caring for a proliferative weed.

Not just any weed, to be more specific a weed called “Horse Tail.” This weed is so sturdy it dates to Paleozoic times. You heard me. It’s a dinosaur weed. It’s a weed that was so resilient that it survived the greatest extinction the Earth has ever experienced. This weed’s single root could extend 7 feet below the soil. They spread via spores and are toxic if ingested over time. These were weeds of a seriously badass magnitude.

Being an overthinker, I began to think of how these weeds that were destroying any chance I had of a beautiful garden tied into the veterinary team. We hear a lot about team culture and toxic workplaces. As a practice manager, my goal is to tend to my team – to sprinkle encouragement, to shower praise and to keep my garden free from weeds. By allowing just one weed to stay I had unknowingly undermined the hard work I had put into growing my garden. I had jeopardized the growth of all my flowers.

So how do we eliminate these weeds?

Step 1: Identify the weed.

Maybe the weed resembles a tree, flower or a desirable plant. The weeds can be our top producers. They can be the go-to person to troubleshoot or fix things. Maybe they have been in the clinic since the Paleozoic times and know the ins and outs of your practice. But they are negative, combative or stifle the growth of the surrounding team members. Don’t minimize the fact they are a weed because overlooking their destruction is a detriment to the whole team.

Step 2: Remember weeds spread.

When you have a weed on your team, their noxiousness spreads to other team members. Maybe gossip begins to circulate, or morale begins to bottom out. Maybe people start complaining about coworkers, clients or protocols. Whether they multiply by seeds or spores, weeds will spread. They will grab onto your team and clog up your garden. Negativity is contagious. A bad attitude will infiltrate your team and keep them from growing.

Step 3: Get rid of the roots.

Weeds survive and spread based on their root system. Say your potential weed had been dug up when the roots were just beginning, it may not have the ability to damage your garden. When practices allow roots to take hold and spread out into the soil, although it may seem that it is a single root system, it wraps its roots around your hardworking and positive employees and they begin to wilt. Growth of individuals and the practice begins to slow. It’s easier to pluck out the weed before it’s set its root deep within the garden’s soil. The destruction of your garden is worth the effort it takes to unroot a negative team member.

We must remember in this field, that we are all creating and growing our practices. When we allow weeds to take hold we are hurting our team, devaluing the care we provide and lowering the quality of care we offer our patients and clients. Your garden may survive for now, but if you don’t tend to it your team will begin to wilt and fade. No matter how hard you try to nourish them, if weeds proliferate your garden will fail. A garden takes patience, hard work and investment. Give your team the opportunity to grow into the beauty you see in them. Pull the weeds early and often.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Recently I had the realization that not everyone you are going to meet in your life will be nice to you. I suppose part of me had always known this, but a recent event hurt my heart more than I ever expected. I am not just a veterinary technician and a practice manager, I am a mother. Juggling trying to be good at all these things is a whole other article but I recently realized the lack of control I have as a mother. Despite loving my son unconditionally and telling him how amazing he is every day, I found out that he is being bullied in school. It didn’t matter that I tried to build his self-esteem. It doesn’t matter that I saw what an awesome, smart person he was. There were already (at age 11) people telling him he was none of those things. That he wasn’t enough.

Yeah, I get it. Many people see bullying as a rite of passage into adulthood. I was picked on, shoved around at the bus stop but I turned out ok, right? Maybe we all snickered about the “weird” kid in class in junior high. Or joked with our friends about the girl who always ate lunch by herself. It’s part of facing adversity and pushing past challenges. It’s part of figuring out where we are in the hierarchy of life. Only the strongest survive. Here’s the thing, bullying and general nastiness doesn’t stop when we graduate. It continues in our chosen profession and I hear about it every day.

One of the biggest reasons people quit their jobs in vet hospitals is toxic environments. There are people who wake up every day and dread going into work. They dread it because somehow their clinic culture has allowed bullying to continue past the school yard. There is gossip and whispering when they walk in the room. There are nasty looks and words are spoken to “remind them of their place.” Their skills are scoffed at and their intelligence is questioned daily. These behaviors are not only tolerated but encouraged in some hospitals. Yet we wonder why people burn out. We wonder why we can’t keep our clinics staffed. We wonder why people are killing themselves.

Each of those people is someone’s daughter or son. I think not only of the pain it causes to experience bullying but the pain that radiates out to their family and within the community. Our actions and the words we say have consequences. They can inflict great pain, or they can build someone up and inspire them. They can stifle someone and leave them feeling weak and small. Or they can empower them to achieve, learn and become great. If we want to change the bullying that takes place within the walls, it starts with us. It starts with me and it starts with you. Look into the mirror and dig deep. Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

As a mother I cannot protect my son from the pain he will feel in life. I cannot protect him from people who choose to try and tear him down. I can only hope that he will see the good in himself and try to guide him to find his own strength. I can try to remind him that he is not alone and that he will get through this. I can remind him that his words and actions hold power. I hope that he chooses those words and actions wisely. I hope that those of us in this profession can too. And I remember that without hope there is no change.  Be that change.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.