What We Bring

Dr. Rick DeBowes co-founded the Veterinary Leadership Experience, where he worked with veterinary students and professionals to improve their longevity in and satisfaction with the field. This episode discusses the early experiences that led him to develop the program and the lessons he imparted to participants.

In this episode, we meet Dr. Christina Tran, Clinical Relations Lead Veterinarian and an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona's College of Veterinary Medicine. She is also the immediate past president and a founding board member of the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association.    She explores how she stumbled on her passion for teaching, how small everyday actions affect diversity and inclusion, and more.

After taking time off for her own mental wellness, technician Sarah Stowman made it her mission to elevate the conversation about compassion fatigue and mental health at her clinic. After training as a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP) and Certified Trauma Professional (CTP), she was able to create a shared language and resources at her own clinic, while also doing outreach at a local college. In this episode, she shares how she's trailblazing new initiatives on her team, the importance of awareness, and leading with curiosity.

The second part of our two-part episode about the experiences of Doctors Paula Baya and Miranda Bean during their veterinary internship year. In this episode, we discuss the lessons learned along the way and advice for future interns.  

Veterinary internships have been a hot topic in recent years. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of pursuing internships, "The Match" process, and more through the eyes of two doctors who have gone through it: Doctors Paula Baya and Miranda Bean. 

Still a relatively new field, veterinary social work is gaining traction in clinics and shelters across the country. (The host of this show, Debrah Lee, LCSW leads the Veterinary Well-Being program at DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Hospital in Portland, OR.) Vetmed professionals often joke that they went into the field because they get along better with animals than people. But companion animals are inextricably linked to the humans that care for them. In this episode, Kelly Bremken, MSW, a veterinary social work intern at the Oregon Humane Society, explains how her role impacts both animals and humans in the community. We also discuss how the advent of veterinary social work has legitimized the need for greater emphasis on mental health and self-care in the industry.

During the pandemic, many veterinary clinics have been hit hard by an increase in patients. When we're handling a challenging caseload, what happens when, inevitably, a mistake is made? In this episode, we delve into medical errors through the lens of a veterinarian whose procedural error resulted in the loss of a patient. He discusses the impact the error had on the trajectory of his career and his personal life.

Humans aren't the only ones who need blood in an emergency. Blood is also a vital resource when providing veterinary care, but where does it come from? In this episode, the director of Blue Ridge Veterinary Blood Bank Jocelyn Pratt discusses the challenges they've faced both before and after the pandemic.  Find out more about canine blood banks: Blue Ridge Veterinary Blood Bank DoveLewis Blood Bank

We face extraordinarily difficult situations and choices every day as veterinary professionals. But how can the industry evolve to better support the individuals who care for patients? In this episode, Dr. Indu Mani discusses her view of how the industry must evolve to set its practitioners up for success.   Dr. Indu Mani is a veterinarian, editor of the veterinary journals Clinician's Brief, and the Chief Veterinary Officer at Brief Media. She is also currently a Research Fellow in Global Health and Social Medicine (EXT) at Harvard Medical School focusing on bioethics.

This is part two of our conversation with Dr. Shana O'Marra. In this episode, we discuss Balint groups and how they can provide perspective and support for common interpersonal issues we face on the floor. You can learn more about DoveLewis' Balint groups here.

This is the first part of a two-part episode with DoveLewis's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shana O'Marra. In part one, we discuss how she discovered her interest in mentorship and leadership as well as how her own past perfectionism impacted her career choices. We'll also hear Dr. O'Marra speak about the concept of just culture and how it shifts the conversation around medical errors. Tune in to part two to hear the rest of the conversation, where we touch on Balint groups and how they can provide important perspectives and support.

In this episode, DoveLewis's HR Manager Cheryl Latta discusses the importance of stretching to meet new challenges, the pandemic's impact on the industry, and striving for career joy. DoveLewis is hiring! For more information about available roles, please visit https://www.dovelewis.org/careers

Especially in a caregiving profession, how do we create healthy space between our work and personal lives? In this episode, technician Jenn Neal discusses how she's learned to focus on her wins on the floor and make time for anything not related to veterinary medicine outside of work as ways to thrive in the long-term.

Since her childhood, Dr. Jessica Thompson has fostered hundreds of kittens, at times having up to 80 in her home at once. In this episode, she explains how fostering helped her to find passion in her career again, and how it led her to meet one of her favorite artists, Taylor Swift.

In the face of the increased challenges in clinic life during the pandemic, technician Emily VanEron has found an unlikely way to find and spread joy in the vetmed community: stickers. Tune in to hear how she started her small business and how it's helped her cope and connect with other professionals in unprecedented times for the industry. 

In this episode, Dr. Caroline Tonozzi discusses returning to her alma mater as a professor and her experience as a volunteer veterinarian for the Iditarod in the Alaskan wilderness.

Sometimes our career takes us in surprising directions. In this episode, atdove.org Account Executive Kaitlyn Sanborn discusses how she forged a somewhat unexpected path in vet med. She explains how she went from working at a shelter during college to working overnights at the front desk of a hospital to her current roles as an account executive for atdove.org, DoveLewis's veterinary training site, all with a bit of grit, willingness to learn, and flexibility. Of course, no career path is without bumps, and Kaitlyn shares how she learned to balance her personal needs with getting the job done.

Welcome to What We Bring! In our first episode, emergency veterinary technician Kara Erdman, CVT discusses finding her path in veterinary medicine, imposter syndrome as a new graduate, how stress can contribute to compassion fatigue on the hospital floor, and more. Tune in to hear the conversation and an introduction to the show.