Thursday, July 28, 2011

Enthusiasm for my work

I became a veterinarian not only for my love of animals but also my enjoyment for people attached to them.  Over the years (17 years to be exact), I have seen colleagues seem to loose their love for their work  (assuming they had it to start with).  I hear sad stories from clients that have had bad experiences with veterinarians that left the pet owner with feelings that the vet didn't really care about the pet.  They have made claims to me that their old vet was rude to them, yelled at them, threw things (not at them).  When I hear of these things, I can only apologize to them for their experience (even though it is not my doing) and reassure them that my staff and I will work hard to help them and their pet to have a more positive experience.  Privately, I am disturbed by these stories and wonder why these veterinarians behave in such an unprofessional and uncaring manner.  What inspires them?

I will admit there are times I get frustrated with my work.  Interrupted meals, interrupted family events, interrupted sleep.  Actively listening as a client vents their anger to me because I was on vacation or out of town with my grandchildren, instead of being available to take their emergency call.  I have had clients angry at me because I refused to come in on Sunday (my only day off) so they could buy pet food.  I have had them interrupt my home life with non-emergency phone calls asking me how much it costs to spay or neuter, what are our office hours (even though our answering machine tells them), or try to make an appointment for boarding or grooming (when the appointment book is at work and not in my home).  I have had them simply arrive at my home, unannounced and uninvited, while I have family there, wanting me to examine, diagnose, and treat a pet (free of course since we were not in the office where all my equipment and medicines are kept).  I have felt inadequate and helpless when someone brings me a pet that needs care and they do not have the funds available to treat the pet.  I have been called names because I do not work for free, yelled at because a pet died regardless of good medicine.....YET....

I love my job.  I love the warm fuzzy feeling I get when I see the smiles on faces from clients because my staff and I helped their pet through an illness.  I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when my staff and I follow a case from near death to happy and healthy.  I feel valuable as a health care provider by educating my clients about preventative health care and how they can help keep their pet healthy. I feel honored and humbled when I can be a part of each pet's life from the beginning to the end.  I feel blessed that I am a part of something bigger than myself.  I am thankful to each client that walks through our door at the clinic, because without them .... I couldn't be me...I would be unemployed (LOL).

Every job has it's ups and downs, good days and bad (just like any good relationship).  I am thankful that there are far many more good things about what I do than there are frustrations.  I hope that in the years to come, I never let few irritations ruin or jade my professional life as a veterinarian and a care giver for those animals that are injured or ill and for the people attached to them.  I make a promise to myself and to my patients that if a time ever comes that I can no longer find the joy in what I do....I will retire and become a WalMart greeter!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Troll Doctor is in the house

Several times when Bruce and I have been on vacation we have noted some fellow vacationers taking pictures of their "vacation" travel gnome enjoying their vacation.  A scuba diving couple we know has a monkey that they take pictures of and while we were at Mt. Rainier we saw a couple taking a picture of a rubber chicken hanging over the guard rail near a water fall.  I felt left out.  I told Bruce that we needed a travel gnome.

Since I don't get out on vacation alot, usually only one week a year, I came up with the idea of a clinic gnome.  And I found a perfect one.  So everyone meet Troll Dr.  and watch for his adventures.

Learn something new every day

I have long felt that any day that I do not learn something new, even the most trivial of things, it is a day wasted.  Recently a client was educating me about how to rid my house of fleas.  All I had to do is wait until winter, open all the doors and windows of my house so that it got really cold and the cold would kill them.  Wow!  Why didn't I ever think of that one!  I think keeping my pets on flea control year round was a better alternative!