How can YOU help your veterinarian?

The next time that you hear or see a bad review about a veterinarian, you should share this TED talk with them.

“...every perceived failure, every time we have to euthanize a pet because we are unable to help, every time we have a negative client interaction, or if there is a bad review of us online, it slowly chips away at our humanity, and our love for this profession.”

This TED talk really resonated with me tonight. I had just been lamenting with one of my veterinary assistants on an angry client. Said angry client left without paying for the consultation fee and told the assistant that we can expect a bad review. I get upset when people focus on the bad reviews online. There are always two sides of a story. What is it that they say, guilty until proven innocent?

I have said this in the past, we as veterinarians are our own worst enemy. We feel bad about every mistake we make, regardless of the outcome, and then even when we don’t make any mistakes, and the outcome is poor, we also feel badly.

In a previous job, I was being punished for making a mistake, and what I said to my confidants, no matter what punishment they give me, it will be much less than I do to punish myself. The constant self-deprecation that your mind’s voice repeats. Over and over. If only I had done this... I should have paid more attention to this... I was in a rush, so I made a mistake... If I had more staff, I wouldn’t have made these mistakes... Your mind’s voice doesn’t stop when you lay your head on your pillow at night.

Yes, many professions have a lot of pressure on them, and a lot on their plate. No one is trapped between compassion and money as much as veterinarians are. Why? Because if we really loved animals, we would do it for free. Guess what? My time is my most valuable resource, and I give a LOT of time to my clients, that I am not compensated financially for. A lot of the time it is because of our own guilt, that we cannot sleep if we do not get to the tasks we need to do. A lot of the time we are under appreciated.

So, I plead to you to grow your own compassion. Stop the cyber bashing of veterinarians. Stop your angry rants. And if you see a bad review, stand behind the fact that this is not the full story.

Have compassion.

Be human.