Feeling wildly unprepared as a veterinarian?

When people ask me why being in the veterinary profession is so hard, I always struggle with where even to begin.

In the last two nights I had:

A family out walking saw their beloved dog keel over and die from a heart attack right in front of them. The (young) mum’s sister had just died by suicide. When they arrived at the clinic with the dog in the boot, the parents were so out of it that they left their two children in their car seats in the car, all doors open. While my nurse took care of the passed dog and parents, I gently got the kids out of the car, closed the doors and settled them in the waiting room, doing my best to make them feel taken care off until their parents could.

A man's cat had been missing for two weeks and came back late last night skinny, limping and injured, showing clear signs of having been run over by a car. The night prior, this man’s wife and 3-year old daughter had been unwillingly caught up in a police car chase and their car was totaled. He was still so shook from that to an extent we struggled to have a normal conversation with him, never mind making important decisions around his cat and their finances there and then.

A young woman’s 6m old rabbit showed signs of gut stasis and diarrhea. She could not afford the emergency fee but we told her to come in anyway to treat on welfare grounds as we knew the rabbit wouldn’t last the night otherwise. Her other rabbit had recently been spayed and died the following night, and the owner was convinced she had done something wrong. She kept panicking (she was extremely emotional and my nurse and I agreed there was likely something else going on) and it was really hard to make her understand what needed to be done and why. 

So imagine, as a vet, treating the animals (or organizing cremation for the first one, which by the way turned out to be a 2,5h ordeal, this family needed time and space) has been the LEAST part of my job so far this week. Who prepares us for this? Where do we learn the people skills to deal with cases like these? I am so lucky I have the years behind me, plus intense training as a coach, so NOW I can cope and feel really fulfilled helping these people. 

But if you, as a vet, most of the time feel wildly underprepared for the craziness that hits you in the clinic, you’re not wrong! You’re NOT prepared! The emotions we go through in a shift, and the responsibilities we feel on our shoulders I really think are second to none. 

I unfortunately can’t magically transfer my 22y of experience as a veterinary surgeon and all my coaching training into your brain, BUT the next best thing after that is my course Happy in Vet Med where I teach all the tools you need to be robustly prepared, able to cope and feel fulfilled at the end of a shift, without the 2am jolt “Should I have advised imaging on that dog?!!”. 

Check it out, it includes a free coaching session with me, email support, videos, audios, worksheets and an end of course certificate for 12h CPD. Because what’s better to spend your time learning than actually being able to STAY in the profession, and enjoy it without going crazy? AND, if you buy the course and then want to join any of my 1-1 coaching you get discounted the price of the course as it’s included in my coaching programmes: https://gunilalifecoach.com/happyvet

Pic: also remember to play with your friend's new puppy so you don't forget why you're in this in the first place 🥰

In your corner,

Ready to fall back in love with Vet Med?

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or doubting yourself — I get it. I've been there. Here's how I can help:

• Book a Free 50-Minute Coaching Consultation — Let's chat about where you are and where you want to be if you're thinking about joining my coaching programme. Book here
• Want help, right now? Book a single session and get coached on a specific issue, or a specific feeling you're experiencing right now. No need to prepare anything, just show up and I'll ask you questions so we can quickly find out what's going on and I'll talk you through the tools to feel better and/or ways to deal with the issue. Book here for 150$
• Download the Free Burnout Guide — 10 ways to overcome burnout in the veterinary clinic. Get it here
• Explore the Happy in Vet Med Programme — Beat burnout and imposter syndrome. Learn more

You don't have to do this alone.