A note for every Veterinary Assistant (and anyone who is wondering if they are doing enough with their life)
I think one of the great questions each of us must decide for ourselves is if we have done enough with our lives. For people who are motivated, gold-star-getting, straight-A-achieving, checkers-of-boxes, there is a terrible fear that we have not accomplished enough or become enough in this life.
How do we know when we are doing enough with the time we have been given? Nobody knows.
How do we even measure progress in this regard? There is no clear answer.
I think the lack of clarity around how the universe grades us, and what is required for us to get a gold star in living, bothers a lot of people at an existential level. After all, we want to believe that we are justifying our spot on this world, and we want to know (and we want others to know) that we matter in some way.
People address their fear of not being enough or doing enough in a number of ways. Some people amass as much wealth as possible, as if a bank account can serve as some scoreboard for how well we have done with the years we’ve been given. Others measure their progress traveling the world, eating exotic foods, or attempting feats of extreme athleticism like ultra marathons or shopping at Target on Black Friday.
Over in the veterinary world, the preferred measurement of life accomplishment seems to come in letters after one’s name. Academic degrees serve as report cards we can use to confidently show people that we have done things, we know things, and we are valuable.
Are you worthy to be here? Have you done enough with your life? “Of course! Check out my wall of diplomas! Look at the string of letters after my name!”
As a veterinarian and husband to a college professor, I am personally a big fan of education and advanced training. I do not, however, buy the idea that letters after our names give our lives worth, raise us above other people, or indicate that we are important in any cosmic sense. I also reject the belief that your bank account, passport stamps, or social media followers indicate anything about how well you’ve used your time on earth.
The only measurement I believe truly matters is the impact you’ve had on others.
Yes, I know that impact on others is terribly hard to put on a resume or business card. It doesn’t come with a graduation ceremony. You can’t frame it and hang it in a nice office. You also can’t photograph it very well for the IG, or use it to travel the world. When it comes to providing tangible proof to ourselves and others that we are doing enough with our lives, impact on others is woefully deficient.
Still, the impact that we make is the only currency that really matters. When done well, education is fantastic because it serves as a means to make a greater impact. Solving problems that no one else can solve is a big deal. Simply having a degree that says you could solve complex problems… not so much.
It is from this belief that my love for the veterinary assistants (VAs) springs. This week is Veterinary Assistant Week, and I want to point out the real impact that people in this role make on the patients we see.
Being a veterinary assistant means leaning in to make medicine actually happen. It’s not about academics or status. This is a position that is all about impact and getting care delivered so patients and families get the best emotional and physical outcomes possible. Whether they are supporting pet owners, practicing the art of gentle and intentional animal handling, or prepping for procedures that are about to happen, VAs do the work that makes veterinary medicine go.
So this week, please say “thank you” to the VAs that roll up their sleeves and make the world a better place by doing the work that matters. Let your VAs know the impact that they have in your clinic. And going forward, I hope we can extend this appreciation to anyone and everyone who sets aside status, money, and public recognition to focus instead on having a real positive impact on the lives of those around them.
Everyday, we have the opportunity to help others and to make the world better. Everyday, we can take a moment to reflect on our own impact and to say “thanks” to those we see making a difference.
Ultimately, when we look back and judge whether we lived a good life or not, the relationships we maintained and the impact we had on those around us is what will truly matter. We don’t need titles or accolades to be successful by these standards. We just need to lean in and make the pets and people in front of us better. That’s what VAs do every day.
