The uncertainty of being a veterinarian
(Pic: us being slightly uncertain about the weather on our Scotland trip this week..)
“There is still so much uncertainty in my day….”
These are the words of a vet who’s 4 years in and wants to leave the profession. She feels behind, like she should somehow be further along by now.
Most of the vets that I know that have left clinic talk about this uncertainty they’re so glad they don’t have to feel anymore. It’s like a constant, crippling undercurrent of “What if I’m wrong? Should I have taken that test instead? Do I need to operate, and how long should I wait before making the decision? Should I call the owner now or when I know a bit more?”
But you know what the only problem is here? What’s REALLY stressing vets out? Is that we THINK we should feel certain. That if we were really good vets, and at the level we “should” be, then we WOULD feel certain most of the time.
And you know another thing? I’m 22 years in, and I DON’T feel certain most of the time. AND, furthermore, the times where I DO feel certain, in hindsight I’m still wrong sometimes.
Sidenote: There are times when I seem to get everything right, I get a bit cocky, I start assuming things instead of staying humble and starting with the basics every time, and THEN I make a mistake that humbles me again.
Certainty doesn’t mean anything about you as a vet. In this profession, there are so many crazy things that influence our cases, and so many unknown factors; What did they eat, and when? Was he run over? Is she coughing or retching at home? Was it a seizure or a syncope? What does the owner mean when they say “floppy”?
And all the things that are going on inside the animal that we just can’t know, what’s happened in their past (is it a rescue?), and now add the owners whole education, culture, habits and finances in.
We’re not God; we can’t know everything and we can’t save everyone. But somehow, subconsciously we beat ourselves up for this. Intellectually we OF COURSE know no one is perfect, but in practice? Most of the vets I speak to (and the version of myself from 6 years ago) believe the uncertainty they feel means there’s something wrong with them, that they somehow don’t really belong and that all other vets are always much more certain than themselves.
Well, now you know! They’re not!
I’ve created a little email course for the vets that are dreading going to work partly due to this constant anxiety inducing uncertainty, so if you’d like some (not too overwhelming) help with this you can get it here for 17$:
Gunila Pedersen