Team Culture

On your first day working with pets, you are given four gifts. Three are dogs; one is a sled.

The three dogs are named Giving, Happiness, and Stability. The sled is called Life.

Giving represents what we do to help pets or people without expecting repayment. This may involve time, labor, money, medications, or knowledge.

Happiness represents our enjoyment and wellbeing.

Stability is our ability to support ourselves, our families, and the people working in our practices who rely on us for their livelihood.

The gifts are given so that Life can take us on a meaningful journey. We can experience the thrill of our three dogs working together, thriving, and covering new ground with exuberance. Life can be exhilarating, and the passage on it consequential and rewarding.

Those of us who love, feed, and exercise all three of our dogs have an amazing trip with Life, and we experience these joys. When we neglect one or more of our dogs, we are limited in where Life can take us and how rewarding and exciting the journey can be. It takes all three dogs to pull the sled.

People who struggle with Life are often suffering from a common problem: They tend one dog more than the others, making for an uneven journey. In the veterinary world, the most commonly neglected dog is Happiness, and the most over-fed is Giving.

“Wait!” you say. “Giving is important!”

Yes, giving is extremely important, but it’s one dog in a three-dog team. Giving should be exercised regularly, but not at the expense of Happiness and Stability. I know first-hand that this is something people in veterinary medicine have a hard time with.

If Giving gets all your love and care, while Happiness and Stability languish, you’ve got a team with one strong dog and two weak ones. When you hear people say they feel unhappy about how much they give of themselves without any return benefits, you are hearing what happens when Giving is allowed to take everything while Happiness and Stability go without. At some point, these people lose control of Life and go wherever Giving takes them. After a while, they become exhausted and resentful, because this sled ride isn’t turning out at all as they’d hoped. It happens all the time, especially in this profession.

Some of us make a different mistake and let Stability get our attention, while we ignore Giving and Happiness. If you focus solely on financial gains, you may end up wondering why that Life journey isn’t as rewarding as it could be. It’s because when Happiness gets weak and Giving is miserable, the sled team falls apart.

Alternatively, those who give all their attention to Happiness while neglecting Stability and Giving usually have a great time… for a while. Ultimately, Happiness can’t thrive without Stability or Giving, and Life stalls out.

So, if we want Life to provide us with a long and wonderful journey, how do we make that happen? There are three things to remember.

Rotate Your Dogs Regularly

In a successful Life, each dog takes a turn in the lead. Sometimes the sled is pulled by Giving, sometimes by Stability, and sometimes by Happiness. Letting any one dog run the show all the time is a recipe for mediocrity at best, catastrophic failure at worst.

If you haven’t rotated your dogs recently, now’s the time. Maybe you should follow Happiness for a while, or maybe you need to figure out where Stability could take you. Or if Giving hasn’t set the pace for a while, let that happen now, and see how your Life changes.

Make Sure Your Dogs Work Together

The best path for Life is not the one your favorite dog wants to take. It’s the one that best suits all three. For example, Giving should never trample Happiness or Stability. They should goad each other forward — just like the packs of happy dogs you see zipping around together at the dog park. If your dogs are not working in harmony, it’s probably time to change course.

Keep Your Team Well-Fed

Sometimes it seems that if we divide our attention and support between Giving, Happiness, and Stability, none will reach its full potential. Wrong. It’s only when we take care of all three dogs that Life goes further and takes us forward to a place where we can find even more resources to share.

In the end, people who maintain Happiness, Giving, and Stability will have three healthy dogs that form a balanced team. These people will enjoy Life more than anyone else, and they will see and do amazing things.

So, from one animal lover to another… How are you caring for your three dogs?

By: Kathryn A. Hughes MD

“A good surgeon has the eye of an eagle, the heart of a lion, and the hand of a woman…”– 15th Century English Proverb

#ILookLikeASurgeon, a new hashtag on Twitter and the movement it inspired, has resonated deeply with me.

I look like a Surgeon. There is so much more behind this seemingly simple statement of fact. I am not just saying that I have excelled and I have achieved and I am accomplished by being a surgeon. In saying I look like a surgeon. I am saying that it is normal for me to be a surgeon; that it is normal for me to be seen as a surgeon; that it is normal for me to command the respect and authority of a surgeon; and ultimately, that it is normal for others who look like me to aspire to be surgeons.

I look like a Woman. And in that statement, in the moment I am visualized, there is an instantaneous assessment, judgement, and conclusion about who I am and what I am capable of. Even more importantly, about what I am not capable of. It dictates where I can go, what I can wear, what I can say, and even how I say it, especially if I value personal safety.

[tweetthis]Women are often unfairly judged in what they can (and can’t) do as doctors.[/tweetthis]

With the genesis and appearance of the hashtag #ILookLikeASurgeon, I felt an overwhelming sense of connection and community, validation and gratitude. #ILookLikeASurgeon has spread across Twitter and the Internet, crossing continents and spanning the globe. #ILookLikeASurgeon has inspired surgeons and others, and is garnering the attention and support of media outlets, our medical and surgical organizations, and our healthcare institutions.

Yet this very public, open, and global movement has affected me in a very personal way, touching me at my very core. #ILookLikeASurgeon represents many things to me. It says “I am here,” “See me.” It is me claiming my profession, the profession that I and all surgeons work and sacrifice so very hard to attain and maintain. Finally, as a physician and especially as a surgeon, my profession is not merely a job or a career, but a fundamental part of who I am. No matter where I may go or what I may do, being a physician and being a surgeon is part of who I am. In a very palpable and real way for me, with #ILookLikeASurgeon I am claiming myself as well; this is me.

[tweetthis]Why do some struggle with the idea you can be a surgeon & a woman?[/tweetthis]

To many people (too many people), the same individual who declares “I am a Surgeon” can not be the same individual who says “I am a Woman.” #ILookLikeASurgeon challenges that. There is a fairly well-known riddle, a real brain-teaser, that continues to stump people. It goes:  A father and son were out driving in a car on a stormy night, and were involved in a serious accident. The father was killed instantly, and the seriously injured boy was brought to the hospital, in need of emergency surgery. The surgeon entered the room, took one look at the young patient, and declared, “I cannot operate on this boy. He is my son.” From here, the listener must figure out why the surgeon can’t operate. This riddle is not new; it was not new when I first heard it nearly 40 years ago. Yet it remains quite the stumper to this day. (And I will let you, dear reader, work it out for yourself if you haven’t already heard it before). The passion and the point behind #ILookLikeASurgeon seeks to turn the brain-teaser into a no-brainer.

#ILookLikeASurgeon speaks to diversity extending beyond gender, and that too is powerful. But for women, who make up more that half of the world around us, more than half of college and medical students, it shows that we are also present in this space traditionally dominated by men, alongside them. It calls on us to normalize diversity, even as we strive to normalize the numbers to reflect the world around us. It calls on us to appreciate that our differences are only different, not better or worse.

American College of Surgeons President, Andy Warshaw, MD, FACS was quoted in a Tweet, saying, “We all look alike in the O.R.; It’s quality, not gender, that counts.” #ILookLikeASurgeon and the community and momentum it has inspired gives me hope that both in and out of the O.R. we will be seen as Surgeons, and that our work and not our gender will speak for us.

[tweetthis]#ILookLikeASurgeon and the culture of judging female doctors[/tweetthis]

Dr. Kathryn A. (Kathy) Hughes is a board certified General Surgeon, who has spent the majority of her career in private practice in community hospitals. She writes regularly on her site, Behind The Mask. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Firstline magazine has launched a video series called Coffee on the Couch with Tasha McNerney CVT to help veterinary technicians grow their careers. In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark gives some epic career advice for anyone in veterinary medicine while searching for both a couch and some coffee.

[tweetthis]Coffee On the Couch: Epic Career Advice for Techs (or anyone else) with @DrAndyRoark[/tweetthis]

Also by Tasha McNerney CVT: Are You Doing All You Can To Prevent Patient Pain?

We all tend to have a slightly glamorous vision of veterinary careers. We like to imagine ourselves changing the lives of every client, patient and stray animal that crosses our path every single day.

Then our careers begin and we are bombarded with the not-so-glamorous aspects: the medical records, inoperable tumors, anal gland explosions, crazy clients, long work hours, gossip, lack of sleep, joint pains, headaches, and realization that you just don’t have enough strength to do it all. I believe that, as we get further into our careers, we will all need to follow these tips on what NOT to do in the veterinary industry if we want to survive (plus keep your sanity).

Do not:

1. Save every pet

I know we all want desperately to save every pet that comes our way. That desire is probably what got us started in veterinary medicine in the first place. However, it just takes watching an episode or two of a pet hoarding show to realize this nightmare could become your reality if you take responsibility for every stray and abandoned animal that crosses your path. Help those you absolutely can, but be brave enough to say “no”.

2. Worry

Once you begin to worry about the day ahead, your surgeries, the sick pet you once lost under anesthesia, or your staff, you risk losing focus on what you can actually control. Worrying will get you nowhere.

3. Skip a vacation

We are tired, fatigued and stressed people. You need your beauty rest and a week of relaxation. Even if that means a stay-cation, sometimes you need a break.

4. Get into the drama

Who honestly has time for petty drama? Pick your battles and ignore the rest. If things are getting out of hand, go to your boss and not your co-worker.

 5. Eat all the donuts

Who can resist all the scrumptious treats our clients drop off? Unfortunately, if you indulge in every one, you might notice your waistline gradually (and continuously) expanding. Treat your body well and it will continue to hold up for years to come.

6. Bring your baggage

Whether you are affected by your work life or home life, you need to leave your baggage at the door.

 7. Take your boss for granted

Most of the time, your boss is wearing many hats. This person may be trying to manage, lead, own a clinic and fit being a veterinarian in somewhere as well. Don’t take it for granted that he or she juggles these duties all day, every day. Cut ‘em some slack.

8. Pass up a veterinary convention

Veterinary conferences or conventions are a ton of fun. They are usually packed with exciting lectures, contests, and concerts; and who can resist the freebies in the exhibit hall? There are new things to learn and new inventions to discover. It can gel to become some fantastic time away from the clinic.

9. Judge pet owners

You never know who your clients truly are. You cannot judge them based on their appearance or initial attitude. The old adage holds true here; never judge a book by its cover!

10. Forget about your support staff

The support staff (assistants, technicians, receptionists and kennel staff) is the heart of your clinic. The moment you take them for granted is the moment your clinic gets crushed with gossip, turnover and turmoil.

11. Tell distant relatives and acquaintances your profession

 Unless you want late-night texts and phone calls about hairballs and fleas, it would be wise to not broadcast your profession. Don’t you get enough questions from paying clients?

12. Join social media groups for dog breeders

Do you really want to have an aneurysm reading all the crazy things rogue breeders are up to? You cannot fix the world and you should probably never join one of these groups unless you want to make it to an early grave. Just trust me on this; you will not win this battle!

The veterinary industry is full of stressors, but they can easily be managed if you know what NOT to do. Take some of the stress out and choose your battles wisely if you want to survive. 

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jada Lewis, CVT – Originally from Wisconsin, but now residing in Glendale, AZ., Jada has been a CVT since 2008. She enjoys writing blogs and helping clinics provide better patient care with Smart Flow. You can check out more of her blogs at http://blog.smartflowsheet.com.

As I reflect on the Thanksgiving holiday, most of the things I’m thankful for sound a bit cliché. I’m thankful for my health and the health of my family, the people I work with who make my job great, and the pet owners who bring their pets to me and do right by them. I’m glad for the freedoms I have (thank you veterans) and the opportunities to do what I love. I think most of us could easily put together a “gratitude list” very similar to this in just a few moments.

But what about the truly important things that we don’t talk about so freely? What are the gifts we don’t discuss, but that make our lives SO much more rewarding? Here is my top 5:

1) Colleagues who listen without judgment.

We all know that getting a second opinion or seeking the wisdom of experience makes great sense for our patients and our own development. Still, we’re also all a bit insecure and hesitant to admit that we may not know what’s best in every situation.

That’s why I’m grateful for those colleagues (veterinarians, managers, technicians, etc) who happily answer questions and share advice in the exact way that they would want to receive it. These people are also the ones secure enough to ask me questions and give me the opportunity to return their favors.

2) Technicians who understand that I want to help.

To be honest, I can be a bit hard to work for if you’re not someone who loves to learn. I ask questions, quiz people, and teach whenever I can. I push people to be their best, and I know that sometimes life would be easier if I would just stop.

I’m grateful for the technicians that humor me, that want to learn and grow, and that understand I just want us all to be our best. I’m especially grateful for those that understand they are worth the effort I’m putting into and demanding from, them every day.

3) Technicians who take action.

Medicine is a dance, and it’s much more fun (and effective) to dance with people who know the steps and jump right into doing them. I’m thankful for the technicians who know their business and don’t wait for me (or any other vet) to tell them what to do. These technicians are pure professionals, and working with them is an eye-opening, job-changing experience. Every vet should be blessed to have the experience.

4) Pet owners who have questions.

I had a pet owner in the clinic earlier this week that apologized profusely for the list of questions she brought with her. I love people like this. I want to share my knowledge with them, and I know they will get a lot out of my time. I also know that their pet will benefit greatly from our time together. These pet owners are dedicated and I am always grateful for them.

5) Our support team.

You know those pet owners that send Thank You notes when their pets get better or even bring in pans of brownies over the holidays? I’m grateful for those people. You know the drug reps that genuinely want to help our practices improve and bring us educational opportunities and encouragement we wouldn’t otherwise get? I love those guys. And those specialists that call you right back, answer your questions and make you feel like they’ll be there if you need them? Yeah, those guys are awesome as well. These people are all partners in the mental health, happiness, and success of veterinary teams. They all mean the world to me, and I plan to do a better job of letting them know it from here on out.

So there you have it. Those are my top 5 not-top-of-mind gifts that I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving. If you come into contact with any of these people, please tell them “Thank You” from me… or possibly from you.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!