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
Wellness
Why This Introvert is Wiped After Each Shift
I am an introvert. If you’re reading this post, you might be too. Introverts are abundant in veterinary medicine. Many of us chose this field because animals made us feel connected to the world without the constant “work” of being around people. As it turns out, people are as big a part of this job… Read More
Are You a Model or a Martyr?
It is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to instilling wellness into the veterinary profession… veterinary care providers who would rather be a martyr than model good behavior for their colleagues and staff. I’ve seen it all too often: the veterinarian who always stays late to see the end-of-the-day emergency, the technician… Read More
Why Your Lunch is a Really Big Deal
Can we talk about lunch for a moment? I know, I know: “Ha! What’s that!?” Lunch – or its lack thereof – is treated as some sort of insolvable problem in veterinary medicine: “That’s just the way the work is”, “Animals don’t get sick to schedule.” There are busy and stressful days in… Read More
I Was Wrong About the Worst Part of My Job
A year ago, today, I wrote an article about “giving your all to euthanasia”. The article gave comfort to many, including owners. In this article, I stated that “euthanasia can be the hardest part of my job.” As a technician, yes, euthanasia can really wear on my soul. When you have euthanized the third, fourth… Read More
The Best Gift I Gave to Myself
It had been a bad month. There were staffing issues, including an employee with a serious dog bite injury. Our basement flooded, creating a big mess. A flu-like virus struck the whole family one at a time and I spent many nights caring for sick children so I was sleep deprived. But the hardest of… Read More