Dreams really do come true!

There was never a time in my life when I didn’t want to be a veterinarian. I was so lucky to grow up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan with almost every type of animal a child could imagine — dogs, cats, horses, cows, donkeys, goats, sheep, ducks, and even a llama. From work to entertainment, there wasn’t much in my childhood that didn’t involve animals. So it was little wonder that the day I got accepted to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) was one of the happiest of my life. A dream come true! But during Christmas of my 2nd year my mom died. I can still remember sitting in the parking lot of WCVM after the funeral and thinking, “I am done.” I no longer cared about becoming a vet and only wanted to drive back home and figure out the rest of my life. Well, I did walk into school that day and for that decision I will be forever grateful. Overcoming obstacles on the path to becoming a veterinarian is not a story that is unique to me. I have met people who have never given up — applying year after year to veterinary schools, continuing on in the face of personal and financial hardships and putting so much of their lives on hold to follow their dream. I wish I had the words to articulate what veterinary medicine means to me and I suspect to so many of you. It is much more than a job. It has given me friends, experiences, and a way to help the animals that I care so much about.

So as my year of President’s Messages comes to an end, I have decided to write on what veterinary medicine has taught me. I have been fortunate to be able to speak with students at WCVM for the past several years and so much of this message comes from what I have said to them and what they have asked. What I have told them is that I have tried to be honest about my mistakes and to acknowledge what I don’t know; I have tried not to have tunnel vision when working up a case; and I have learned not to engage with bullies (clients and co-workers) to protect my mental health. I have learned to not be so hard on myself… As most of us in this profession know, we are our own harshest critics.

Not only must we meet the impossible standards that we set for ourselves, we must exceed them. One diagnosis missed will be thought of again and again, regardless of how many animals we have helped that day; negative self-talk has so much more power than anything positive we could tell ourselves. I still remember my first perineal urethrostomy 30 years ago — it breaks my heart to think of that lovely cat that I didn’t save regardless of how many blocked cats I have saved since. I have learned that it is important to be your own best friend because we are often alone during many of the most difficult times of our career. Get good at self-talk; be compassionate with yourself but be sure to extend that same compassion to others. Your coworkers will never forget the small acts of kindness offered to them after hard days or when you have their backs during difficult times.

I have learned that work/life balance means something different to each one of us. I have also stopped caring what the phrase “having it all” means. I was a working mom with 3 small children. Some days I crushed motherhood and my job but there were just as many days that I simply survived. I fed my kids more pizza pops than I care to admit and I was the mother driving to Walmart late on October 30th to buy Halloween costumes that I had promised to make. Thank goodness there was no Pinterest when I was raising my kids — I could never have lived up to those expectations! I have learned that I don’t need to have it all, but I need to be grateful for all that I have.

I have learned that it is more important to be human than it is to be medical. Many of the most memorable times of my career have been when I put my stethoscope down and just listened. Do we suffer from compassion fatigue or ethical fatigue? It is so difficult to make decisions not based on what is best for the animals but based on the financial ability of our clients to pay. Veterinarians rarely stop caring but we do struggle to make the never ending decisions that fill our day.

I have learned that without the human-animal bond veterinarians would have jobs and not a way of life. Rarely does a day go by when I am not humbled by how much love people have for the animals in their lives. I read once that everyone should know what it feels like to be met at the door at the end of the day by a dog that loves you.

I have learned over my career that veterinary medicine is meaningful if what you do means something to you. I have never owned my own clinic nor will I ever cure a disease, but I believe when I treat a sick dog that I can change that animal’s life and the lives of the people who love him. I have learned to find and appreciate meaning in the moments of everyday life in practice. Not all days will be ones to remember, in fact some you will need to forget quickly and move on. Find out what matters to you and remind yourself of this during the tough times.

I have learned to always offer some standard of care. Veterinary medicine has progressed so much over my career that we are able to offer human quality care to most animals. This is something that I struggle with often as not all owners can afford this level of care or feel it is appropriate. While I will always let the owner know what is the best course of action, I will give them options and time to consider those options when appropriate. A warm blanket, a phone call the next day, a special can of food or a hug can go a long way to making someone and some animal feel cared for.

So as my year comes to an end how do I thank this amazing profession? How to thank the veterinarian who crawls out of a warm bed in the middle of January to help a cow that is calving? How to thank a surgeon who spends hours trying to put a dog back together? How to thank those who do research and every year give us new treatments to alleviate pain, suffering, and extend lives? How to thank the animals in our lives that feed us, clothe us and give us more love and devotion than we could ever possibly deserve? Thank you to veterinary medicine for giving me more than I will ever be able to give back. Being a veterinarian has certainly been more than I could have imagined — a dream come true.