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Dispelling Five Common Myths About Mental Health
Did you know that almost half of adults have had a decline in their mental health since the start of the pandemic? In fact, mental health problems are on the rise worldwide and across all demographics. This makes Mental Health Awareness Month an especially important reminder to tune in to and talk about our mental […]
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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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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, […]
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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, […]
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Make Wellbeing a Reality By Resolving to Schedule Self-Care
As we forge ahead into the new year and think about the priorities and goals we want to set for ourselves, I urge you to put scheduling self-care at the top of your list. I have made a personal commitment to scheduling my self-care on a day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, and quarter-by-quarter basis this year and […]
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Ten Practical Tips for Promoting Brain Health
I am pretty sure that every single adult worries about their cognitive health at some point in their life. A few years ago, when I read the fictional book Still Alice by Lisa Genova (who has a PhD in neuroscience), about a middle-aged Harvard psychologist who develops Alzheimer’s at the height of her career, I […]
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What can be done about the shortage of veterinarians in emergency practice?
Anyone working in companion animal practice in the USA, Canada, and many other parts of the world, is well aware of the current crisis impacting emergency veterinary hospitals. Over the last few months, there have been several news stories with headlines citing emergency practices closing their doors due to insufficient staff to deal with the […]
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What You can Do to Reduce Veterinary Technician Burnout
As a veterinarian specializing in emergency and critical care medicine, I can honestly say that I am useless without my technicians. More appropriately termed veterinary nurses, my vet techs are nothing short of amazing in caring for the unstable or critically ill dogs and cats that I oversee in the veterinary ER and ICU. Which […]
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Let’s Do Our Part to Prevent Suicide Among Veterinary Professionals
It’s rare that a week goes by when I don’t receive a Google alert telling me that another article has been published mentioning the staggering stats of suicide among veterinary professionals. Most of the reports are spurned by the news that veterinary hospitals have had to close or turn away clients due to an ever-increasing […]
