Saturday 17th July 2021 marked an important milestone in my life - I turned 40 (yikes) - and as this day approached (way too quickly, I might add), I found myself reflecting on my journey so far, both in veterinary medicine and in life. I am pleased to say, that even after 15 years as a practicing veterinarian, I still love the job; I feel incredibly blessed for all the amazing places I have been as a result of being a veterinarian, and the wonderful people I have met, many whom are now lifelong friends. Not to mention, all the patients I have dealt with along the way; from the geriatric Great Dane that put me in hospital during my first year of practice, to Pedro, the orphaned zebra foal with failure of passive transfer that I encountered in my first week as an equine internal medicine resident. Safe to say, there has been some major highs as well as some significant lows throughout my career, but without them I wouldn’t be who I am today. So, what are some important lessons I have learnt?
1. Choose your tribe wisely.
Your entire social network influences who you are as a person (not just the five people you are closest to), so be sure to find yourself in the right environment. Surround yourself with the family and friends that lift you up, believe in you, and truly want you to succeed. That listen to your biggest dreams and encourage you to go for it, no matter how crazy they might seem. The same goes for your colleagues. Most of us spend more time with the people we work with than our own families and friends, so you want to be certain they are the right fit. You don’t necessarily have to like everyone you work with, but the overarching workplace culture should be one that aligns with your values and the type of professional you want to be. If it doesn’t, don’t be afraid to move on. I did (three times in fact), and have zero regrets; in fact, if I didn’t make those decisions to move on from a practice that no longer supported my professional goals, I am not sure I would be where I am today.
2. Failure IS an option.
This is a really hard concept to embrace, but a necessary one. As veterinary professionals, we are not in the business of failing, however it is inevitable. There will be times where, despite our best efforts, we will fail our patients, our clients and maybe even our colleagues. It is part of being human and we definitely need to accept that it happens. It is necessary for growth and personal development, and although it might not seem like it at the time, sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise. I have failed many times, both in my personal and professional life, but I have never let it define me. Instead, I have tried to reflect on where things went wrong and think about what could have been done to achieve a different outcome. As hard and even embarrassing as it might be, I have found that talking about my failures at the time (or soon after) with those around me is incredibly helpful. It usually leads to a much bigger conversation, where other people feel comfortable to open up and share their stories of failure, and you soon realise that you are not alone.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
I’ll be honest, this is something I am only now getting comfortable with. Throughout my professional career I have always been the “Yes Woman”. I had really big career goals and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way. In order to reach this goal, I thought I always had to say yes to whatever anyone asked of me, even if it meant some degree of personal sacrifice. I would never put my own needs first or even think to vocalise what I actually wanted. As far as achieving my goals, you could say this was a very successful strategy, as I am now in my dream job, working with an amazing team. But still, my life doesn’t look quite the way I would really like it to. Why? Because I have never asked for what I truly want. When I look at the people I most admire, and the lifestyles they have created, they all have one thing in common: they prioritised their own needs above all else. Not in a selfish way, but in a way that meant their professional and personal lives were synergistic. So, what have I learnt? You have to be your own advocate, as no one is going to do it for you. We advocate for our patients all the time, so why don’t we give ourselves the same courtesy? We should be able to design the life we truly want, without judgement or penalty; and I truly believe that as long as you work hard, do your job to the best of your ability and are an active contributing member of your veterinary team, you can have your cake and eat it too.
4. Multi-tasking is not a thing.
As much as we all like to think we are capable of doing 5 things at once, the reality is we are not. Sure, we might be able to gastroscope a horse, whilst confirming a prescription with our nurse and planning our weekly shopping list in our head, but are we doing those three things well? Chances are no. Because we are distracted, the gastroscope takes 10 minutes longer than it should, resulting in more sedation being required; our calculations for the script are wrong, so we have to re-do it; and by the time we get to writing down our shopping list, we have forgotten all the things we needed. Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking leads to inefficiency - and I completely agree. I always thought I was the Queen of Multi-Tasking; taking great pride in rushing around doing several things at once, being super busy and embracing that hustle culture. Well, safe to say, I was not the Queen. Although I truly believed I was a highly efficient person, I really wasn’t; I was overwhelmed, stressed and had a never-ending to-do list. Over the past few years, I have tried to focus on only doing one task at a time, getting that job done before moving on to the next, which has definitely helped me to improve efficiency (and I think my adrenal glands are appreciative of the effort). My to-do list is still as long as forever and I am still occasionally overwhelmed, but it’s a work in progress.
5. Persistence pays off.
When it comes to my journey so far, there has never been a truer word spoken. Persistence really does pay off. It wasn’t until my final year clinical rotation in equine medicine that I discovered I wanted to be an equine veterinarian. Just prior to graduation I applied for a rotating equine internship at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London, however was unfortunately unsuccessful. Although I knew I was destined for equine medicine, I subsequently accepted a job in small animal practice, working for a small corporate group in England. Although not my first choice, it actually turned out to be a very good decision; and the job provided me with so much experience and an opportunity to really develop my skills as a clinician. Towards the end of my first year in practice, the RVC equine internship came up again. I applied, made it to the interview stage however was once again unsuccessful. Ugh, I was so disappointed. By this time, I was ready to move on from my first practice, and ended up taking a job in a fantastic mixed practice in East Yorkshire. This practice was really amazing; it was so well supported; had a great caseload, the best team and all the toys you could ask for. As amazing as this job was, equine medicine was still calling and so, for the third time I applied for the equine internship at RVC. And this time I was successful! Talk about third time lucky! Those 12 months spent as an equine intern were some of the best of my life, mostly because of my intern and resident mates.
I can’t say for sure, but I am convinced I would not have enjoyed my time as much, had I been successful the first or even the second time I applied! Not to mention I wouldn’t have had the experience my first two jobs provided me; nor had the opportunity to move to South Africa following my internship to start my equine medicine residency. It just goes to show, whatever is for you will never pass you by. If you have a dream, don’t be afraid to go for it. But if it doesn’t happen straight away, don’t give up. Be persistent. I guarantee it will happen when the time is right.
Here’s to being 40 and fabulous!
