My Veterinary Life

We are so excited to share another bonus episode today! We are Laura Venner who is just starting her fourth year of veterinary school at Ohio State and Victoria McKaba who is just starting her 4th year at the University of Illinois. They discuss how their schools and communities are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and how they are adjusting and focusing on their wellbeing. They are both leaders in the student AVMA and have been working on everything from special programs/events to regular check-ins with this community. Laura serves as the Global Public Health Officer and has helped organize an interprofessional virtual 5K (link below). Victoria is the Chapter President Representative Elect and has been active in creating spaces for student chapter presidents to connect and share ideas with each. We had a great time chatting and learned so much. We can safely say the future of veterinary medicine is very bright. If you are looking for the most up to date resources and information on COVID-19 as it relates

“I tease with people that the work I do now, helping veterinarians is kind of like herd health for veterinarians. So, I get to use a little bit of my math brain but it’s on a different than what I did before.” Our guest today is Dr. Jen Quammen. Dr. Quammen is was an amazing guest and so generous with sharing her story! Her career has taken many twists and turns, many of which have even surprised her! She is the type of person that can strike up a conversation with anyone and thinks physics is ‘phun’. We won’t hold that against her though! We have such a lively conversation that spans topics from wellbeing and self-care to frogs to kettlebells. We laughed a lot and even learned a thing or two. We truly had a blast chatting with her and can’t wait it to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLi

We are so excited to share another bonus episode today! Our guest is Dr. Nicki Wise. She is an associate professor at St. George University in Grenada. We discuss how she and her family had to make some quick decisions in response to COVID-19 as well as how the University is responding and continuing to support their students. Our conversation also covers what the day to day looks like now for the veterinary school as well as how they are planning for a virtual commencement. We had a great time chatting with Dr. Wise and truly appreciated her positive attitude in responding to all these challenges. If you are looking for the most up to date resources and information on COVID-19 as it relates to veterinarians, please visit avma.org/coronavirus. The team at AVMA is working around the clock to keep this information updated. Thanks for joining us on this journey! We hope you continue to stay safe and healthy! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us

“At the end of the day, people development, leadership skills, leadership development, and just making a greater impact in the profession, is definitely meaningful for me.” Our guest today is Dr. Kimberly Ann Therrien. She is the Vice President of Veterinary Quality in the Midwest Region for Banfield Pet Hospital. She is also the current president of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI). We discuss these roles as well as her transition from veterinary school into the profession and then a further transition from Canada to the United States. We also dig into why leadership roles are so important to her. Dr. Therrien is one of these people you feel lucky to know! She is always elevating those around her, and we can’t wait to see what is next for her! We were so inspired by our conversation and excited to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us a

We have another special episode of the podcast today. We are joined by Dr. Patricia Wohlferth-Bethke. Dr. Pat manages the AVMA’s Veterinary Career Center and shares with us why career maintenance is so important, even during times of uncertainty. She has great perspectives and ideas on how to think about next steps for your career. It’s a great reminder to track our accomplishments and celebrate our successes, no matter what is going on around us! Throughout the conversation we mention AVMA’s COVID-19 resources, which can be found at avma.org/coronavirus. The team at AVMA is working around the clock to keep this information updated. For more career related resources, you can visit avma.org/vcc. We will continue to share stories and resources with you and hope that everyone is staying healthy and safe! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social M

“Really carving out time to spend in the things you enjoy. And also a big part of it is learning to be comfortable being by yourself. ” We are changing thing up again today! We are joined by Dr. Kristin Wuellner to talk about what we wish we’d known when we had graduated. Put another way, what advice would you give yourself as you enter into the veterinary profession. We have a great time swapping stories and thoughts on this topic. The transition from student to doctor is not always as smooth as we would like. We hope our perspectives can help listeners recognize that we are not alone no matter what stage of your career you are in. If you have advice you would like to share with recent graduates, be sure to email us, we are always working on resources for this critical time in a career! We hope you enjoy this episode! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follo

“Even if you think AHHH a fish, a fish, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do it has fins, its slimy. You know the basics, right? You know whether it is a bird or a fish or a cow or a horse, we know the basics.” Our guest today is Dr. Jessica Fox. She is a 2015 graduate from University of Minnesota and since graduation she has packed a lot into her career! This includes attending and becoming Aquavet Certified in at all three levels, receiving a certificate in Fish Health Medicine, Aquaculture as well as a certificate in Turkey and Broiler Health Management. And get this, she’s not done yet! This year she will receive her master’s in public health. Dr. Fox is a such a fun, creative and engaging individual with so much knowledge to share. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of her lectures at various conferences across the country, we would highly recommend it! We truly had a blast chatting with her and can’t wait to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please b

We have another special episode of the podcast today. We are joined by Dr. Melinda Merck. She has an incredible story of how she is responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dr. Merck is a veterinarian who typically works in the area of Veterinary Forensics. Once she realized how COVID-19 was going to impact our communities, she stepped up and started looking for ways to help. She is currently working at a local grocery store and it is truly incredible how she is applying her veterinary skills for the benefit of those around her. She shares some incredible stories and insights and we are so grateful she was able to spend some time with us to share this journey. If you are interested in resources on COVID-19, please visit AVMA.org, where our team is working around the clock to keep these materials up to date. We will continue sharing these stories with you and hope that everyone is staying healthy and safe! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a

“Don’t tell me that you want to do something, but you can’t, that’s just going to make me want to figure out how you can.” Our guest today is Dr. Rebecca Steers. She is 2010 graduate from Cunning School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. During school she was very active with the Student AVMA and was national SAVMA president. After graduation, she served as a veterinarian in the U S Army. From here she spent time as an associate veterinarian and as a relief veterinarian before starting Steers Veterinary Services. Dr. Steers continues to be involved in organized veterinary medicine and has been a speaker at many conferences as well as a board member for the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative. We had a great conversation, despite some technical difficulties and can’t wait to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can al

“Often people see potential in us that we don’t see ourselves and if you can kind of lean into that and just embrace that, it just opens up so many opportunities.” Our guest today is Dr. Ellen Lowery. Dr. Lowery shared so many wonderful perspectives from her time in the veterinary profession. We are so excited to announce that Dr. Lowery is in a new role since recording this episode. She is currently the Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Purdue University. What an awesome new chapter in an already amazing career! We learned so much from her and can’t wait it to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

We have another special episode of the podcast today. We are joined by three different veterinarians from across the country. They share what adjustments their clinics and organizations have made in response to COVID-19 concerns. We kick things of with Dr. Melanie Bowden. She owns her own veterinary relief business and is currently located on the west coast but does have clients on the east coast, which has required increased communication in the past weeks. She discusses the challenges she has faced and how she is tackling them head on. Next, we chat with Dr. Kate Boatright who is in Pennsylvania. She is not only in clinical medicine but also very active in organized veterinary medicine and with things changing almost by the hour, there is no shortage of items that require her attention. Finally, we had to Dallas, Texas where we talk to recent graduate, Dr. Caitlin Conner. She is currently an ER veterinarian and discusses what steps they have taken to ensure the safety of their staff, clients and patients. W

“Sometimes taking a hit in your life can be one of the most beautiful things that happens to you.” Those wise words are from Dr. Kristin Wuellner. She joins us on a fun episode where we discuss what veterinarians can learn from the Football Industry. Even if you aren’t a football fan, there are some great insights shared today. We learned so much from each other’s perspectives. We can’t wait it to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcastAs mentioned in the intro, be sure to check out the Veterinary Vitals Podcast which is hosted by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and can be found on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/veterinary-vitals/id1493205605

We have a special episode for everyone today. We chat with Dr. Jen Brandt, AVMA’s Director of Member Wellbeing and Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives about wellbeing tips during the time of uncertainty around COVID-19. Please visit AVMA.org or AVMA’s social media accounts for up to date information on the corona virus and the impacts on the veterinary profession. Our Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Gail Golab and our entire Marketing and Communications Team have been working tirelessly to provide resources around COVID-19. Our teams are also advocating at every level for veterinary professionals to ensure we can continue to make meaningful contributions to our society. My Veterinary Life Podcast will continue to bring you weekly episodes each Thursday and deliver bonus content when possible! We hope everyone is staying healthy and well! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org

“I would just say know your worth. Know your worth and realize it is probably bigger than what you actually think it is.” Our guest today is Dr. Katy Nelson. We had a blast chatting with her! She is no stranger to media outlets, and we hear how taking a chance and putting herself out there has led to an amazing career, which includes hosting her own television series. She shares so much wisdom and insight throughout our conversation. She also manages to sprinkle in some truly hilarious stories that had us all laughing. We learned so much from her and can’t wait it to share this journey with you! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“My big goal is to prove to the profession that you can provide a flexible schedule for our emerging female workforce so that they can have a work-life balance- allow them to be a mom and a veterinarian and not have to choose between the two.” Our guest today is Dr. Cindy Barnes. Dr. Barnes is a 2012 graduate from Colorado State University. She has fit in so much throughout her personal and professional life and we were really inspired by our conversation. She’s held so many different roles in the profession including starting out in the kennel ward to owning a practice to now being the CEO of Shepherd Veterinary Software. We learned so much from her and can’t wait it to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“It’s not always about you, right? Sometimes it’s about diarrhea and sometimes it’s about that other person and what’s going on in their head. and you know it’s just kind of, it’s a funny story that I-I just love, because it just helps me remember that little token of advice.” Our guest today is Dr. Ericka Mendez. She is the author of The Purposeful Vet Blog which tackles tough topics in veterinary medicine. Dr. Mendez is very open about her “love-hate relationship with my profession” and her personal struggles outside of work which brings a true authenticity to this interview and her blog. We learned so much from her and can’t wait it to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcastIf you would like to learn more about the Purposeful Vet, visit her website here: https://www.thepurpo

“Veterinarians make the best cocktail or dinner party guests.” We are changing things up on this week’s episode! Dr. Emily Tincher joins us for Vet Med True False. In this episode, each of us shares a statement or misconception about veterinary medicine and we debate if we believe it is true or false. We have a great time digging into these topics and we hope you enjoy our conversation. Next week, we will return to our regular show style and hear about another amazing journey from one of our colleagues! Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“The question is- what’s stopping us from doing the best work of our lives? And just let that hang in the air.” We are so excited to bring you this week’s episode of My Veterinary Life Podcast with special guest, Aaron Dignan. If you attended VLC, you are hopefully familiar with Aaron’s work as he was the Keynote for the 2020 conference. If you are not familiar with his work, this episode is a great introduction. His entire presentation and body of work centers around one question- What is stopping us from doing the best work of our lives? It’s a question we should be asking on an individual and organizational level. We only scratch the surface of how to achieve unlock the full potential of your workplace. We’ve included links below so you can learn more through his book and weekly podcast. We hope you enjoy this fun and lively discussion with Aaron Dignan. Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at

: “If a profession limits itself to only including a certain group of people, then the problem with that is you get a limited number of ideas and perspectives and values. And over time, you know, you’ve kind of doomed yourself to becoming stagnant and halting your own growth” Those wise words are from Sean Gadson, our guest today on My Veterinary Life Podcast. Sean is a third-year veterinary student at UC Davis. He reached out to us to discuss diversity and inclusion within the veterinary profession. Sean has great insights and shares how prejudice and judgments by others has shaped his own life. His answers to some of our questions really surprised us! Our conversation was extremely interesting and thought provoking. We can’t wait to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcast

“But I always say relief vets are a little like pollinators. We will take ideas from practice and bring it to another, we will share things and I think the whole veterinary profession can grow as a result of that.” Our guest today is Dr. Cindy Trice. Dr. Trice is a graduate of UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She is the founder and CEO of Relief Rover and a HUGE advocate for relief medicine. Throughout her career she has had the privilege of working in over 50 unique settings across the country. She shares what she has learned from her time in relief work and why she feels it is so important in veterinary medicine. We had the best conversation with Dr. Trice and can’t wait it to share this journey with you!Remember we want to hear from you! Please be sure to subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts and leave us a ratings and review. You can also contact us at MVLPodcast@avma.org You can also follow us on Social Media @AVMAVets #MyVetLife #MVLPodcastWant to know more about Dr. Trice’s company? Visit her