Veterinary Vitals

"When I was in vet school, my dad had a heart attack and we did a lot of learning about heart disease and what happens when people have heart attacks and that just spurred my interest. I said, ‘This is it. This is what I'm going to do.’” Dr. Sara Bordelon—who works for CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets in Austin, Texas—never looked back. After earning her DVM degree from Louisiana State Univers...

“Really diving deep into educational research that has to do with diversity, equity and inclusion and how do we help our colleges do better.”  Approximately 21 percent of veterinary students enrolled in the 2019-2020 academic year comprise individuals who are underrepresented in veterinary medicine. This statistic comes from the public data set provided by the Association of American Veterinary Me...

"Self awareness is the cornerstone to constructs such as emotional intelligence." Emotional intelligence is the ability of individuals to recognize their emotions and those of others. Developing this construct can help veterinarians and veterinary staff immensely, from enhancing clinic culture to improving patient outcomes. In this episode, Deb Stone, MBA, PhD, CVPM, unpacks emotional in...

"Seeing someone doing what you want to do that looks like you is tremendously affirming, especially if you’ve never seen that person before." Dr. Hindatu Mohammed owns Allandale Veterinary Clinic in Austin, Texas—which makes her the only black female veterinary practice owner in Austin (that she is aware of). This statement illustrates the scarcity of black veterinarians. This doesn&apos...

"I could see this was going to be something that veterinary medicine takes on, and I wanted to be a part of that journey to bring it to other people and make veterinary medicine more about our patients." Dr. Bethany Weinheimer is a part of a revolution in emergency veterinary medicine. She and David Bessler, DVM, the founder of Veterinary Emergency Group, share what makes this model uniq...

" This college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences is a very highly ranked college, not only nationally but around the world, so firstly it’s an extraordinary privilege to be asked to come back and take a leadership role." John August, DVM, interim dean of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, outlines his goals for the university during his t...

"Making that decision was probably one of the hardest ones that I have made in my career." Finding joy in the profession isn't always a linear path. That was the case for Dr. Tannetje’ Crocker, who had to make a major career move to achieve satisfaction in her job. Her decision required adaptability, open-mindedness and the ability to speak up. After finding joy in the profession, s...

"When I was at my worst, I felt broken. I felt like 'why can't I be happy?'" When William McCauley, DVM, suffered from clinical depression, he came close to committing suicide. This moment was a turning point for him. He realized he needed to make a major change in his life and career. This change shifted his outlook on life, and now he wants to share his story to help oth...

"Being Hispanic and trying to get into veterinary school is difficult. My big thing is I just needed someone to look past my last name." Born to immigrant parents, Dr. Victor Lopez faced multiple barriers to achieving his dream of becoming a veterinarian. Those challenges included his parents' language barrier, few resources, a Latino last name and three rejections from Texas A&...

"As a business owner in a rural area, I'm going, 'Dang it. I need another veterinarian.' And right now, they aren't easy to come by." There is a shortage of rural veterinarians in Texas. This means recruiting and retaining veterinarians out in the country is difficult. Drs. Carol and Joe Hillhouse, who own two mixed animal practices in Texas, outline those hurdles in...

"Because the gender shift was so fast, it caused lots of change. It's not so much change in the profession itself but cultural change." The rapid gender shift in the profession occurred within a matter of just 13 years, from 1980 to 1993. This development created cultural challenges, specifically for women. Drs. Lori Teller and Nancy Turner outline those hurdles in this episode. A f...

“We need more. We still can’t graduate enough licensed veterinary technicians to meet the need.” Licensed veterinary technicians (LVT) are vital members of the veterinary team. They can help reduce burnout, enhance wellness among veterinarians, increase revenue, and save clinics money. In this episode, Joyce Brod, LVT, discusses what it takes to become an LVT, the evolution of education and creden...

"Running a practice and dealing with all of the elements of business as well as medicine just burnt me out where I was at the point where I really wanted to find a different avenue.” After working in the clinical setting for 20 years, Tom Sidwa, DVM, MPH, sought a different outlet to practice veterinary medicine—one that gave him better job satisfaction. That avenue came in the form of public...

"I ultimately went to Tuskegee University for undergrad, and so that also was a jaded view of what veterinarians look like, but at that point I think I started to become more aware that the profession was not as diverse." Approximately 92 percent of veterinarians in the U.S. are white, according to the 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics report titled “Labor Force Characteristics by Race and...

"We may not be able to fix a broken heart necessarily, but we can give the owners, the clients, ideas about what to expect, what to look for, what to do if you notice these things. It gives some of the power back to them." Katie Meier, DVM, Diplomate, ACVIM (Cardiology), is one of approximately 300 board-certified veterinary cardiologists in the world. She was introduced to this specialt...

In our final installment of our miniseries for recent graduates, we sit down with Bethany Weinheimer, DVM. She graduated in 2018 from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Weinheimer talks about what it felt like walking across the stage to receive her diploma and introducing herself as Dr. Weinheimer to clients for the first time. She also shares the challenges of being a r...

Veterinary support staff––licensed and non-licensed technicians, practice managers, client care specialists, receptionists, kennel staff and CVAs––serve as the backbone of veterinary clinics and deserve so much recognition for their service in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like all essential workers, they are putting themselves at risk. But it's all worth it to the three support staff m...

The third episode of our miniseries for recent graduates features 2017 TVMA President Dan Posey, DVM, discussing the mentor-mentee relationship. He lives and breathes mentorship—it is what he does for a living: he teaches, recruits and mentors undergraduate pre-veterinary students. He is a clinical professor and academic coordinator for the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Center at West Texas A&a...

“It’s kind of like we work at Sonic right now.”  That’s how Nicole Bertolini, DVM, of Pearland, Texas, describes her veterinary clinic’s new curbside services. Dr. Bertolini is accompanied by her best friend and former roommate in veterinary school, Anna Foster, DVM, in this bonus episode that ties in with our recent graduate miniseries. Drs. Bertolini and Foster graduated in 2018 from Texas A&amp...

“I know that anxiety exists. It’s real, and we do have to address it because it is different in school than it is being out on our own.” In the second episode of the miniseries for recent graduates, we sit down with the 2016 TVMA Recent Graduate of the Year: Michelle Boatright, DVM. She reveals how she overcame the challenges of being a recent graduate. One such obstacle was wrestling with feeling...

"Get involved early in your career in some aspect of organized veterinary medicine." This episode kicks off the miniseries for recent graduates with this message: it's never too early to immerse yourself in organized veterinary medicine. We're talking to you, recent graduates and veterinary students! When you play a role in organized veterinary medicine, you can make an impact...

There is so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many people to experience stress. This is especially true for veterinary professionals. According to a recent TVMA membership survey, approximately 63 percent of respondents answered with "mental stress" to the question "What issues is your clinic facing right now?" To reduce levels of stress and normalize...

As state and local government officials issue orders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, veterinary clinics must comply with these government orders while continuing to practice quality medicine. In this episode, TVMA General Counsel and Director of Government Relations Elizabeth Choate, JD, helps you better understand how the orders apply to you and your practice. She examines issues like whether...

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the veterinary profession with its own set of challenges, and each veterinary practice faces its own unique issues. In this episode, acclaimed veterinary practice consultant Karen Felsted, DVM, CPA, MS, CVPM, outlines the most common issues and how veterinarians can address them. Topics covered include the following: Taking Care of Your Veterinary Team Physicall...

“If I just had someone in my ear who understood what I was going through. I find comfort in podcasts. I listen to a lot of them because it’s people who have shared interests.”  If you’ve been enjoying this podcast, you will probably like the podcast by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). It’s called My Veterinary Life and is co-hosted by Marci Kirk, DVM. In this episode, Dr. Kirk s...