I still remember Curly and Moe’s first puppy visit all those years ago. I had just moved to the community and purchased the small animal veterinary clinic about a month before. I didn’t know many people and was under a lot of stress trying to figure out how to run a business. So, when these… Read More
Life With Clients
In Defense of Holding Space for Clients
I’ve noticed a troubling trend in vet medicine. It’s not exactly client bashing, but more of lack of compassion and taking time to actually talk to clients. Lest you think me a starry-eyed optimistic new grad out to make every client happy and save the world, that is not the case. I’ve been in practice… Read More
How Responding to My Own Cat’s Code Helped Me Become a Better Nurse
“You don’t understand.” This is the statement given to me by anguished owners responding during their most difficult hours. My empathy sounds empty, as though I could never know or understand their pain. I glance into the corner of room five and quickly look away from the spot I last held my beloved pet after… Read More
There I Said It: I’m Not Your Therapist
There, I said it. I’ve actually been thinking it for a long time. I don’t want to hear client stories unrelated to their pet’s visits. I have no desire to understand their family’s tangled web of conflict. Much less take on the task of caring enough to serve as the peacemaker. I’m your veterinarian, I’m… Read More
My Dog Died When I Was Away on Holiday
Yes, to me the unexpected happened, a pet owners’ worst nightmare. I was going on a 2-week vacation to the Caribbean with my husband. A long-awaited mental break after an exhausting year. Our dog Jack always went next door to my neighbors, literally his home away from home. I dropped him off, gave him a… Read More
The Difference Between Pleasing and Serving in Veterinary Medicine
Hello, my name is Ericka and I’m a recovering people-pleaser. Are you a people pleaser? Have you ever said those words in reference to yourself during an interview? Like most women, I was taught as a child to do as I was told, to act in a way that would please others and to always… Read More