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Creating safe, supportive, and high-functioning veterinary teams goes far beyond clinical skill: it starts with leadership, culture, and the everyday interactions that shape how people feel about speaking up, learning, and coping with errors.
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Luiz Santos, a veterinary anesthesiologist, educator, and PhD researcher whose work explores humble leadership, psychological safety, safety climate, error disclosure, and the second victim phenomenon in veterinary practice. Luiz shares how leadership behaviours, team culture, and even seemingly small acts of incivility can profoundly impact both patient safety and the wellbeing of veterinary professionals.
You will learn what humble leadership really looks like in practice, why psychological safety is essential for learning and growth, and practical strategies for fostering safer, more resilient, and more compassionate teams. Whether you’re a practice owner, manager, or team member, this conversation offers evidence-based insights to improve communication, support wellbeing, and strengthen safety in every veterinary workplace.
Watch the Video Version of this Episode
https://youtu.be/b9zXfiDkZic
Resources
Follow Dr. Luiz Santos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ls522/
Impact of humble leadership on attitudes to error disclosure: the mediating role of psychological safety and safety climate in Australian veterinary practices: https://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/9/4/394
Navigating veterinary error disclosure: An examination of humble leadership and safety attitudes in veterinary practices in Australia: https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/vetr.5816
The Power of Mattering (Book by Zach Mercurio)
We Need to Talk About Error: https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1136/vr.103331
Discerning the effect of the relationship between disclosure and responsiveness on depression, anxiety, and compassion fatigue among veterinarians: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/4/javma.22.08.0359.xml
A Compassionate Calling: What It Really Means to Be a Veterinarian: https://acompassionatecalling.com/
Thank you to our sponsor Hill’s Pet Nutrition
For more information about Hill's products and nutritional philosophy, please visit HillsPet.com or HillsPet.ca.
Newsletter
For more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter: https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletter
Additional Resources
To learn more about Reviving Veterinary Medicine’s offerings including lunch & learns, critical incident group debriefing, and online programs, please visit our website: https://revivingvetmed.com/
Thank you to Hill’s Pet Nutrition
For more information about Hill's products and nutritional philosophy, please visit HillsPet.ca.
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