We hear a lot about compassion fatigue these days, and rightly so. We are all more aware of the potential toll our work can have on us and on all aspects of our lives outside work. But we can’t use compassion fatigue as an umbrella encompassing all of our feelings. It’s a wide-reaching issue but… Read More
Life With Clients
Should You Believe That Article You Just Read?
The Internet loves to sensationalize stories. It’s so easy to share these stories through Facebook and other social media platforms. It just takes one click and it is shared to friends and friends of friends and friends of their friends. It spreads like wildfire. But here is the problem… is it true? How often are… Read More
Why Poor People Should Have Pets Without Judgment
I grew up with my older brother in a low-income household headed by a single mother. We were a family of animal lovers and I decided at an early age I wanted to pursue veterinary medicine. When we finally moved into a home with a yard I begged for us to get a dog. Finally,… Read More
How This Vet Answers, ‘What Would You Do?’
I’m a veterinarian. I also sometimes play the role of counselor, therapist, or all-around whatever you need in the moment. And on an almost daily basis at the vet clinic, I get asked one question: “What would you do if he/she was yours?” Now depending on the situation, this question can take on various connotations…. Read More
Why I Don’t Give Clients My First Name at Work
Back in ancient times shortly after vet school graduation, I sat to dinner with a recently minted MD and we commiserated about people giving us a hard time about our ages. “I grew a beard,” he said. “It helps.” That option was out for me, so I cut my hair into an unflattering soccer mom… Read More
How This Tech Responds To “Vets are in it For the Money”
Recently someone asked me what is the worst part about my job as an RVT. I’m sure they were expecting me to say something about euthanasias, but really, the worst part is having to listen to clients tell me that we are only in this for the money, that we don’t care enough about their… Read More