Recently I was part of an argument in a comments section on Facebook. I told myself not to get involved but after seeing so many veterinary technicians and veterinarians beaming with pride regarding our profession I couldn’t sit back and not defend my colleagues. The medical community is vast- Human physicians, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists, nurses,… Read More
Medicine
How My ER Visits Made Me a Better Vet
In this article we are going to get a little bit personal. Not telling you the color of my underwear personal, but close. In the past month or so I have had two run-ins with the hospital (human hospitals.) One was a scheduled elbow replacement that just took place, the other was a very unscheduled… Read More
The Biggest Lie Vets Tell Themselves
Sometimes we tell ourselves lies to make life easier. We say things like, “I was walking in and out of exam rooms all day long. That counts as exercise,” or “There’s a ban on cellphones in the office, but everyone will understand that it doesn’t apply to me.” We kid ourselves to feel better, and… Read More
How Being a Vet Makes Our Own Medical Choices Better and Worse
My Father was a talented physician. However, he spent his career in public health research and, as such, felt far removed from clinical medical practice. Growing up I always wished he could sign off on my requisite physical exam form for sports. He never obliged and always sent me straight to the pediatrician. Any… Read More
The Real Reason Your Wait at the Vet’s Office is So Long
I recently read a Huff Post article entitled “The Real Reason Your Wait at the Doctor’s Office is So Long.” Veterinary Medicine and Human medicine vary in a lot of very meaningful ways, but we are also often the same. And in this we share a common weakness—we sometimes run behind schedule. In fact, I’d… Read More
The Realities of Human Error In Veterinary Surgery
Helmut* was one of my cancer patients. He also had a painful, nonvisual eye. The eye ended up giving him more trouble than the tumor and the owner elected to have it removed. She had it removed by a board-certified ophthalmologist (not at the hospital I work at, I hasten to add). There was a… Read More