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Why we need to be careful how we talk about suicides among veterinary professionals
Hardly a week goes by when I don’t receive a Google alert or see some glaring headline about suicides in the veterinary profession. Even Time Magazine has weighed in on this heavy topic with a headline that reads “Veterinarians face unique issues that make suicide one of the profession’s biggest worries”. But while we are […]
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Stop Being a Martyr and Start Modeling Healthy Behavior
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 who […]
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Five Tips for Battling Burnout in Veterinary Practice
Do you feel emotionally drained by your clients? Are you frustrated by your work or feel that you are working too hard? Does working with people all day require massive effort? Have you stopped caring what happens to some of your patients? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are probably […]
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Why Workplace Appreciation Matters and How to Do It Well
If you’re anything like me, then you know what it’s like not to feel appreciated for the work that you do. Whether it’s the client you bent over backward for who didn’t even say thank you, or the team member whose shift you covered who didn’t acknowledge your gesture, it feels hurtful, deflating, and downright […]
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How telehealth can improve the wellbeing of veterinary teams
When people ask me “What is something that we could cultivate within veterinary medicine to improve the wellbeing of veterinary teams?”, one of the first things that comes to mind is telehealth. While still a relatively new concept in the veterinary space, telehealth is the use of digital information and communication technologies to deliver health […]
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Defining Futile Care and Its Impact on Wellbeing in Veterinary Medicine
As an emergency and critical care specialist, I can wholeheartedly attest to providing futile care to patients whose owners who would not consent to euthanasia or discontinuation of intensive care. I remember one dog in particular who had a collapsing trachea that was stented and then had progression of his disease resulting in laryngeal and […]
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Eight Tips for Taking a Self-Care Staycation
I don’t know about you, but the idea of traveling right now has me feeling nauseated. It seems that every time I turn around, I’m hearing about travel disasters from friends and colleagues, who have had flights canceled or severely delayed during the last few months. Apparently the supply of flight attendants, pilots, and other […]
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Why gender inclusive language matters in veterinary medicine
I distinctly remember the first time I was called out for using non-inclusive language. I was an Assistant Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College and had just received student evaluations for my emergency medicine lectures for the 3rd year class. Most of the comments were positive and regarded me as a good lecturer who delivered […]
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10 Tips for Starting a Meditation Practice
Do you ever drive home after a shift only to forget how you got there? Do you find yourself on autopilot throughout your day, while doing household chores or slogging through work? Do you feel like you have the attention span of a goldfish? (FYI: that’s the attention span for the majority of the adult […]
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Seven Strategies for Getting More Exercise
When veterinary team members come to me for wellness coaching, I often hear “I know I should exercise more, but I can never seem to make it happen. What advice can you give me?” First off, I promise you that everyone is capable of exercise, in some form or another. It’s just a matter of […]
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Ethically Challenging Situations Have Risen Dramatically in Veterinary Medicine During the Pandemic
Ethically challenging situations (ECS) are not new to veterinary medicine, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made them much more common. The tremendous toll that ECS impose on all members of the veterinary team cannot be overstated. A 2018 survey study of almost 900 North American veterinarians revealed that more than 70% experienced or witnessed moderate […]
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Five Simple Steps for Responding to Negative Online Reviews
There’s nothing that compares to that sick sinking feeling that we experience when we see a 1-star online review. These reviews are often filled with CAPS LOCK words and proclamations starting with “never” (e.g., “never going back…”, “never recommend…”, “never again…”). Many things shared in negative online reviews are exaggerated, over-emphasized, or just plain false, […]