The Vet Vault: Veterinary Career, Clinical Skills & Wellbeing

I don’t know about you, but one of my least favourite things to see on my consult list is a cat with a snotty nose. The idea that my patient’s problem can be anything from a self-limiting mild disease to a serious and frustrating impossible-to-treat condition, and the decision-making around this, fills me with uncertainty and dread. This episode aims to replace that uncertainty with confidence, or at least a solid plan based on sound knowledge!

Dr Kath Briscoe is a Specialist in Feline Medicine who has worked in academic and specialist referral centres and as a referral clinician in a GP setting, and her experience gives her a great insight into the frontline work that we deal with in a non-referral setting. Dr Megan Braunstein is a practice owner and practicing clinician with a Masters in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery and many years of experience. Her practice in Perth, Western Australia, submitted the most feline respiratory PCR panels of any practice on Australia last year, and she helps us unpack what they’re learning about these tests.

Between them, they’ll refresh your foundational knowledge about infectious causes of feline upper respiratory disease and help with decision-making around diagnostics and treatment. We delve into what’s new in the world of diagnostics with a review of feline respiratory disease PCR panels, including learning what it’s great for, when to use it, and how to do it.

This episode is supported by our friends at the SVS Pathology Network, which our Australian listeners will know better as Vetnostics, QML Vetnostics, ASAP Laboratory and Vetpath Laboratory Services. The SVS  Pathology Network provides a wide range of infectious disease PCR tests, including a comprehensive panel for feline respiratory pathogens. Their PCR panels are designed for detecting Australian pathogens, and they have recently introduced additional pathogens on several of their PCR panels. Our guests provide a detailed guide on how to take samples for PCR in this conversation, but your state-based SVS Pathology Network laboratory customer care team are always happy to answer any questions.

Topic list:

1. Feline upper respiratory diagnostics: who needs what? [00:00:00-00:05:00]

2. Discussion of different types of feline upper respiratory diseases [00:05:00-00:06:00]

3. Importance of husbandry and stress management in preventing feline upper respiratory diseases [00:16:00-00:31:00]

4. Hygiene practices for cat households and catteries [00:31:00-00:33:00]

5. Overview of infectious causes of feline upper respiratory diseases [00:02:00-00:08:00]

6. Discussion of feline herpesvirus and its symptoms [00:08:00-00:12:00]

7. Discussion of feline calicivirus and its symptoms [00:12:00-00:14:00]

8. Discussion of other infectious causes of feline upper respiratory diseases [00:14:00-00:16:00]

9. Vaccines for preventing feline upper respiratory diseases [00:16:00-00:18:00]

10. Overview of diagnostic tests for feline upper respiratory diseases [00:18:00-00:20:00]

11. Discussion of PCR panels and their usefulness in diagnosing feline upper respiratory diseases [00:20:00-00:22:00]

12. Discussion of treatment options for feline upper respiratory diseases [1, 00:24:00-00:28:00]

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠vvn.supercast.com, ⁠visit ⁠thevetvault.com⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠Vet Vault Network.⁠ for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter ⁠here⁠.

Come help us create some live clinical content at ⁠⁠IVECSS '23⁠⁠ in Denver, Colorado from 7-11 September.

Get up and running (or working!) with a 10% discount for ⁠Tarkine⁠ shoes, the official shoe of the Vet Vault. (discount automatically applied at checkout using this link).

Confession: sometimes I get tired of wellness discussions, with the constant barrage of advice on resilience and burnout prevention. Not because it's not important, but because it often feels like these conversations boil down to "here are ways how you should be better so that you can better cope with this challenging career." Which is why I loved this conversation with Dr Heidi Hulon, which isn't so much about adapting to challenging circumstances, but rather about revolutionising the whole veterinary experience.

Dr Heidi Hulon has been involved in multiple roles across the profession, from practising clinician, practice owner and industry roles, vet boards leadership roles and even a board member at the Louisville Zoo. She currently serves as a Wellbeing Consulting Veterinarian at Elanco Animal Health. We were introduced to Dr Heidi by our friends at Elanco Australia, who are hosting a series of live, in-person sessions with Dr Heidi called "The Betterinary Series", and in this episode we unpack some of the topics from this series with Heidi, like why culture is key to resilience and how you can use neuroplasticity to reduce negativity bias and experience the positives.

Register here to secure your free spot at the one of the Australian sessions of the Betterinary Series. September 4 in Sydney, 5th in Melbourne, Adelaide on the 6th, Perth on the 7th and Brisbane on the 8th of September.

Topic List:

09:30 Taking care of your wellness before it's obvious that you need to.

14:30 Rekindling your why.

22:17 The stumbling blocks to creating a thrive instead of survive environment.

31:00 The connection between culture and spotting more yellow cars.

35:44 Positivity and it's impact on neuroplasticity.

43:38 Practical ways to put neuroplasticity into practice.

52:27 Details about the Betterinary Series.

53:42 What is right with veterinary medicine?

54:56 What is one change Dr Heidi would make to veterinary medicine?

57:31 Dr Heidi's favourite books.

60:58 Dr Heidi's advice to new grads.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠vvn.supercast.com, ⁠visit ⁠thevetvault.com⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠Vet Vault Network.⁠ for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Come help us create some live clinical content at ⁠⁠IVECSS '23⁠⁠ in Denver, Colorado from 7-11 September.

Get up and running (or working!) with a 10% discount for ⁠Tarkine⁠ shoes, the official shoe of the Vet Vault. (discount automatically applied at checkout using this link).

The Betterinary Series.

Podcast: ⁠Revisionist History⁠ by Malcolm Gladwell.

Book: Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

Book: West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge.

Vets of Australia, meet Spirocerca lupi, a parasite that's been flying under the radar for a while now in Northwest Queensland. But as you'll learn in this episode, is well worth adding to your DD list. To make the introductions we're joined by Professor Peter Irwin, an Emeritus Professor from Murdoch University with a career that spans several continents and almost four-decades. He's a registered specialist in canine medicine with a particular passion and extensive knowledge on anything and everything vector-borne disease.

Our second guest is Dr Gillian Tenni, a passionate GP vet and practice owner from Mount Isa, Australia. Dr Gillian holds an Honours in Parasitology and has a knack for spotting unusual infections in her patients, and with a track record of more than 300 diagnosed cases of Spirocerca lupi, she's our 'boots on the ground'. She's also teamed up with the University of Queensland for a research project on Spirocerca lupi.

Join us for the full Spirocerca story, from what it is (creepy), how it spreads (gross), what it does to our patients (scary!), what to look out for, diagnosis, some tips on treatment, and of course, prevention. Prof. Irwin's wisdom and Dr Tenni's hands-on stories provide us with some real insight on the fascinating parasite and the condition in causes.

This episode is supported by Elanco Australia. You can learn more about their range of products at elanco.com.au.

Topic list:

03:22 Spirocerca Lupi... yes, it's a thing in Australia.

06:52 How does Spirocerca Lupi spread?

09:41 What's the life cycle of the disease in a dog?

12:52 The clinical signs of a Spirocerca infected patient.

19:51 Dung beetles and where Spirocerca is most common in Australia.

22:14 More on the presentation of Spirocerca and the challenges of diagnosis.

34:20 Treatment.

38:10 Add-ons to the typical treatment plan.

41:08 Cross-reactivity in heartworm antigen tests of Spirocerca.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vet Vault Network ⁠for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Come help us create some live clinical content at ⁠⁠IVECSS '23⁠⁠ in Denver, Colorado from 7-11 September.

Get up and running (or working!) with a 10% discount for ⁠Tarkine⁠ shoes, the official shoe of the Vet Vault. (discount automatically applied at checkout using this link).

Join us as we explore the concept of compassion fatigue from a fresh perspective. We take a closer look at the underlying mechanisms behind the terms commonly used when we talk about sustainable careers. While empathy and compassion are often used interchangeably, they are actually distinct concepts, and it's not just a matter of semantics - it’s a matter of neurology, which has practical implications for you, your career, and your happiness. 

Dr Olga Klimecki is a neuroscientist, psychologist, and certified mindfulness and meditation teacher. She holds a PhD from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and is currently a lecturer and senior researcher at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in Germany. Her research focuses on advancing sustainable development goals related to peacebuilding, conflict resolution, socio-emotional education, and overall well-being. With over 70 publications to her name, Dr Klimecki's work on neural plasticity and conflict resolution has earned her prestigious international awards, grants, and fellowships. Additionally, she runs her own consulting, training, and research company to implement evidence-based strategies in various organisations, start-ups, and companies.

During this conversation, we explore the nuances of empathy and compassion, highlighting their differences and learning why empathy can sometimes have negative consequences, and the term "compassion fatigue" might be a misnomer. We also learn how we can practically apply of this knowledge, explaining how you can rewire your brain to experience the hard things we sometimes need to do as positive experiences, rather than something painful and draining. 

Topic list:

6:02 Empathy and compassion. Are they the same thing?

13:52 The connection between empathy and prosocial behaviour.

17:39 Can we really change the way we empathise with others?

20:59 fMRI results from training compassionate and empathetic responses.

27:17 If compassion is good, then where does the term compassion fatigue come from?

29:13 Why empathy first, compassion next?

30:36 It’s not the compassion causing your fatigue... you are just fatigued.

32:16 How do we train compassion? Olga’s tips to train your brain.

39:03 The hardest part of meditation training.

41:39 Put out the welcome mat and notice your judgements.

44:34 Between a stimulus and a response, there is always a space.

47:03 Reflex responses and training ourselves out of them.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠⁠⁠⁠Vet Vault Network for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Join us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Vets on Tour in Wanaka, New Zealand⁠⁠⁠⁠ on 13 - 18 August 2023 for great CE, live podcasting and snow... lots of snow!

Come help us create some live clinical content at ⁠IVECSS '23⁠ in Denver, Colorado from 7-11 September.

Get up and running (or working!) with a 10% discount for Tarkine shoes, the official shoe of the Vet Vault. (discount automatically applied at checkout using this link).

Olga's Research Article - Empathy and Compassion

Dr Doug Mader is a triple board-certified veterinary specialist and has been a veterinarian for nearly four decades. He is an internationally recognized speaker, has written three best-selling medical textbooks, and numerous scientific publications. He has had long-standing columns in multiple media outlets, and he is the recipient of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Conservation Award, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Achievement Award, and the Fred L. Frye Lifetime Achievement Award for Veterinary Medicine. He's a seven-time winner of the North American Veterinary Community Speaker of the Year award and a four-time winner of the Western Veterinary Conference Educator of the Year award. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in the United Kingdom and is Human Animal Bond Certified. He co-founded and ran highly successful practice in California for many years, then did it again in the Florida Keys, and can now add author to his list of achievements with the release of his recent book ⁠The Vet At Noah's Ark⁠. Step aside James Herriot - the man has a few stories and more than just a few bits of wisdom to share. 

In this episode, we discuss both planned and unplanned career changes, trauma (the big T and the small-t kinds), working as an exotics vet, creating your own luck, and following your own star. Dr Doug discusses the human-animal animal bond, specifically how to effectively deal with the 'human' part of that relationship, lessons he learned from years of building the best practice in the worst neighbourhood, what it was like to treat Michael Jackson's pets, and much more.

Topic list:

04:37 Dr Doug's triple board certifications.

13:04 The day Dr Doug didn't die, and how this lead to a career in exotic animals.

21:55 From exotic residency to buying a smallies clinic.

29:55 The role of the human-animal bond and money's place in it.

35:38 Dealing with the human aspect of the human-animal bond.

42:20 Dr Doug's experience treating celebrity pets.

43:53 More of Dr Doug's story and his book - The Vet At Noah's Ark.

46:47 Big traumas vs small traumas - the preparation for the hurricanes in life (literally and metaphoric!)

52:45 Why Dr Doug doesn't celebrate his birthday anymore.

55:04 Getting back up after you've been knocked down.

56:22 Dr Doug's next chapter - more books to come!

60:17 What advice does 85-year-old Doug give current Doug?

62:37 Dr Doug's favourite podcasts.

63:54 Dr Doug's piece of advice to new grads - a lesson on balance.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com, ⁠⁠⁠visit ⁠⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠⁠⁠Vet Vault Network.⁠⁠ for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Join us at ⁠⁠⁠Vets on Tour in Wanaka, New Zealand⁠⁠⁠ on 13 - 18 August 2023 for great CE, live podcasting and snow... lots of snow!

Come help us create some live clinical content at IVECSS '23 in Denver, Colorado from 7-11 September.

Dr Doug's website.

Dr Doug's book: The Vet At Noah's Ark.

Dr Doug's Instagram.

Introducing Dr Mike Bugg. Mike graduated from veterinary school in 2008 and started his career as a mixed animal veterinarian. However, he soon realised the importance of having multiple sources of income and saw other veterinarians struggle with retirement. With a passion for personal finance and investing, Mike started investing in real estate in 2012 with the goal of making veterinary work optional. He and his wife continued to build their real estate portfolio while working, eventually allowing Mike to reduce his veterinary hours, and in 2018, Mike stopped working as a clinical vet altogether. During his final years of practice, Mike felt overwhelmed and unhappy, which led him to explore personal development and seek a more fulfilling life. He discovered that many other veterinarians were experiencing the same struggles, which inspired him to create his podcast, The Veterinary Project. Dr Mike had a vision of a community of veterinarians who would share their experiences and collaborate to overcome the difficulties in the profession.

On this episode of The Vet Vault, Dr Mike joins us to discuss the true value of time for veterinarians and we cover topics such as mindfulness, investing and empathy. Mike shares his personal journey in veterinary medicine and real estate investing, including how he developed The Veterinary Project to support the industry. We delve into the financial challenges facing the veterinary industry and Mike offers practical advice on how to change your money mindset to focus on abundance instead of scarcity. Tune in to gain some insightful and different perspectives on personal development, investing, money and more!

Topic list:

05:35 When and why should you change the "do it yourself" mentality?

13:29 Why Mike openly talks about the "dirty" word, money.

15:47 Mike's career journey - from farm to veterinarian to entrepreneur.

25:56 The all too common money mindset in the vet profession.

34:09 Why being aware of your money mindset and having positive money conversations is so important.

35:43 Valuing yourself, growing your skills and being confident in your abilities.

37:00 Your time: everything is a trade-off.

43:38 More than just a vet - Mike's story.

46:57 How Mike became a real estate investor.

51:41 Mike's take on investing.

56:50 Mike's book - You're Gonna Get Peed On!

64:04 The truth about being a vet.

67:55 The emotional relationship between work and money.

70:50 Mike's view on "empathy exhaustion" rather than compassion fatigue.

78:31 Dr Mike's deep dives on mindfulness and more.

82:54 How would Mike's career look different if he had to restart it knowing what he does now?

89:14 Mike's one piece of advice - get intentional about what you truly want from your life.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠⁠vvn.supercast.com, ⁠⁠visit ⁠⁠thevetvault.com⁠⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠⁠Vet Vault Network.⁠⁠ for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Join us at ⁠⁠Vets on Tour in Wanaka, New Zealand⁠⁠ on 13 - 18 August 2023 for great CE, live podcasting and snow... lots of snow!

Dr Mike's Podcast - The Veterinary Project

Dr Mike's Book - You're Gonna Get Peed On!: How Veterinarians Can Keep Their Dream Job from Becoming a Nightmare While Working Less and Earning More

Dr Shea Cox is a global leader and subject matter expert in veterinary hospice and palliative care. She’s certified as a Pain Practitioner, a Hospice & Palliative Care Veterinarian and a Pet Loss Professional. With a focus on technology, innovation and education, her efforts are changing the end-of-life landscape in veterinary medicine. In addition to launching the first hospice and palliative care service integrated within a specialty hospital setting in 2012, she was also the first to launch a nationwide Telehealth platform dedicated to quality of life and end of life support in 2017.  In 2020, PetHospice was acquired by BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospitals, and Shea and her team are leading the expansion of specialty-level, in-home pain management, hospice and palliative care and end-of-life services across the US.  Shea believes palliative care for pets should become more common and less scary for us GP vets, and after listing to this I’m sure that you’ll  agree!

In this episode, Dr Shea introduces us to the concept of hospice and palliative care to improve the quality of life for pets with both curative and non-curative conditions. We untangle some common misconceptions regarding these care options and emphasise the importance of advocating for both the pet and the client during the end stages of a pet's life. Dr Shea talks us through her career journey from starving art student to palliative care vet, highlighting the significance and satisfaction of providing quality care during a pet's final stages of life. Tune in and learn about resources and tools for end-of-life care management, such as quality of life scales, the importance of personalised goals, as well as the growing industry of in-home euthanasia and hospice practices and how you can integrate it into your work or clinic.

Topic list:

07:48 From art school to vet school: Dr Shea's journey.

10:29 Palliative care vs hospice care - what's the difference?

14:22 Dr Shea's view on palliative care and how it can be both curative and non-curative.

22:20 Why Dr Shea moved from emergency to palliative care and the difference palliation can make to a patient's quality of life.

29:59 Are most vets too quick to euthanise?

35:26 The different attitudes towards euthanasia and convincing owners that they don't always need to euthanise immediately.

39:50 The importance of goal setting with owners - what do they want for their pet? How can they recognise pain at home?

46:55 Why should more vets look into palliative care and what is it like working predominately in the end-of-life space?

52:01 How do we make palliative care more practical to roll out in clinics? Hint - utilise your amazing nurses!

54:21 The benefits of telehealth palliative care, for clinics, owners and patients.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at ⁠vvn.supercast.com, ⁠visit ⁠thevetvault.com⁠ for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online ⁠Vet Vault Network.⁠ for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Join us with Dr Shea Cox at ⁠Vets on Tour in Wanaka, New Zealand⁠ on 13 - 18 August 2023 for great CE, live podcasting and snow... lots of snow!

Have you ever considered, or are considering specialising, but you are put off by the journey of becoming a specialist? Usually the path to specialising means putting almost everything else aside for 3-5 years. But what if there was a different way?

Dr Anna Dengate is a medicine specialist, and she's convinced that there could be an alternative path, and in this conversation she helps us to explore what that could look like. Anna's own career journey hasn't quite followed the the norm. After graduating from Sydney Uni in 2008 her path has meandered its way through several roles: intern, wife, resident, PhD candidate, GP vet, Member of ANZCVS, mum of 1, founding partner in a specialist hospital, Fellow of the ANZCVS, mum of 2, and resident supervisor. Most recently, Anna has been providing specialist medical and ultrasound services to GPs through her business The Vet's North. She also provides ongoing learning opportunities to wider groups of vets with teaching in ultrasound & online medical rounds, and has a new social impact project under development & is working on ways to integrate people with disabilities & traumatic backgrounds into the animal-care industry to increase diversity & inclusion.

Join in for a conversation around what more inclusive residencies could look like, how Anna made it happen for herself, the importance of getting to know yourself for creating a career pathway that fills your bucket, finding the balance between pushing yourself enough for growth without reaching breaking point, and much much more.

Topic list:

03:37 The relative rarity of female veterinary specialists with children.

04:16 Anna's journey through qualification, specialisation & having kids.

08:09 Having a newborn while studying.

11:59 Being prepared to fail.

13:38 Are institutions more supportive for part-time residencies now?

14:30 The barrier to specialising: to be a specialist or have a family?

15:05 Is specialising worth it?

16:31 More on barriers - from vet to specialist, the system is set up wrong.

18:18 Why can't we do it part-time?

20:18 The culture in specialist clinics that does not prioritise balance.

24:42 Givers, Takers & Matchers - who is the most successful?

25:56 The difference between successful vs unsuccessful Givers.

26:44 Can we change the profession & it's lack of boundaries, or is it up to us to know ourselves & our limits?

29:04 Coasting vs striving.

33:10 The benefits of making mistakes & getting to know yourself.

37:17 Negativity bias & how it affects the resilience in the vet industry.

48:37 Focussing on the positives & building resilience.

50:54 How empathy plays a role in resilience.

51:22 Empathy vs compassion - is empathy a bad thing?

53:47 Compassion fatigue vs burnout.

59:50 The connection between teaching & bureaucracy.

62:30 What's Anna excited about in the vet world?

67:49 Anna's education programs.

71:56 Anna's favourite podcasts.

73:28 How would Anna's career look different if she knew the things she knows now?

74:52 Anna's advice for new grads.

Join our Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game & get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at vvn.supercast.com. 

Visit thevetvault.com for show notes & resources for this episode.

Connect with us and other listeners through our Vet Vault Network community for episode highlights, chats, questions & support.

Join LIVE in Adelaide on 31st May - RSVP here. Can't make it to Adelaide? Come join online here

Artificial intelligence in vet industry LIVE June 1st, join us here

Join us at Vets on Tour in Wanaka on 13 - 18 August 2023

Anna's Business - The Vet's North

Who feels like Cushing's is a nice disease to diagnose and manage? Like, how often do you feel like your hyperadrenocorticism patients are really doing REALLY well? My guess is: not that often. This episode will change that.

Dr Sue Foster is a registered specialist in Feline Medicine and Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at Murdoch University in Western Australia. She’s also a medical consultant for Vetnostics and ASAP Laboratory, where a large part of her role is interpreting cortisol test results and supporting veterinarians in their clinical decision-making. In this conversation, Dr Sue challenges the belief that Cushing's is to some degree a 'lifestyle' disease that doesn't always need to be treated, we discuss the subtle ways that it can present, and of course we take a deep dive into those slippery cortisol tests, which should feel a lot less slippery after this episode. Dr Sue also presents a paradigm shift in how we think about treating these cases.

Topics:

0:00 Understanding the cortisol lab tests. 

4:40 ACTH stim vs LDDT - which is better? 

10:28 The TRUE significance of ALP in diagnosing Cushing’s.

13:30 Fasting triglycerides - your friend in Cushing’s screening? 

16:26 Deciding when to test for Cushings .

18:27 More on triglycerides and lipaemia 

23:52 Why Cushing’s cases don’t all have to have pu/pd. 

26:04 The many different faces of Cushing’s - spotting the sneaky hyperA case .

29:42 Why we should consider treating Cushing’s even if they aren’t textbook cases. 

31:41 Cushing’s and anxiety.

35:40 The dog with the high ALP but no clinical signs of Cushing’s.

39:44 Treatment trials for the ‘undiagnosable’ Cushing’s case.

45:13 Monitoring Cushing’s therapy with ACTH stim testing. 

52:30 The quick and easy ACTH stim test. 

56:20 Treating Cushing’s like a pro. 

This episode is supported by the SVS Pathology Network.

QML/TML Vetnostics (QLD & Tas): 1300 838 765 [email protected]

Vetnostics (NSW & ACT): 02 9006 7468 [email protected]

ASAP Laboratory (VIC): 1300 838 522 [email protected]

Vetpath (WA): 08 9317 0777 [email protected]

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at vvn.supercast.com, visit thevetvault.com for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online Vet Vault Network. for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Join us at Vets on Tour in Wanaka, New Zealand on 13 - 18 August 2023 for great CE, live podcasting and snow... lots of snow!

Our guest for this episode - Dr Olivia Oginska, has made it her mission to help us have better relationships, both in and outside of work.

Olivia Oginska is a veterinarian, speaker, positive psychology coach, a certified workplace conflict mediator and an emotional intelligence specialist. Liv has been immersed in the global veterinary community since 2010 when she did multiple externships in the UK, North America and Australia. It was through Liv's veterinary career in the UK, including a surgery residency, that she also gained experience and credentials in positive psychology, emotional intelligence and conflict mediation. This cemented her passion for human wellbeing and interpersonal dynamics and for the last 3 years, Liv has devoted her veterinary career to supporting both individuals, teams and especially leaders in becoming more human-savvy through her consulting and coaching service.

This conversation with Liv is all about navigating work relationships and our relationships with ourselves - we explore what a healthy work relationship looks like. We explore the connection between burnout and the reliance on work to provide not only our professional and financial needs, but also our relationship needs, and we discuss a new way of thinking about balance, what self awareness and emotional intelligence looks like in practice, and much much more.

Topic List:

6:54 Relationships and connections at work - taking care of them.

10:11 Private life and professionalism.

11:00 On the floor relationships and friendships - do people want to be friends with colleagues anymore?

14:36 The connection between burnout and the reliance on work to provide money, growth, community etc.

17:43 The truth about work-life-balance.

23:19 Setting expectations with your partner or friends.

27:59 How to navigate conflict with colleagues.

35:31 Open conversations and leaning into 'conflict'.

38:47 Importance of self-awareness during conflict and how to view things from a different perspective.

48:00 Why do we feel the need to be right and prove ourselves?

49:35 Why we should change our minds and listen to other opinions?

54:49 How Olivia started her career and why she ended up in emotional intelligence coaching.

60:03 Hitting rock bottom and triggering a change in life.

60:09 What does a good team dynamic look like in terms of emotional closeness?

60:10 The importance of aligning values and boundaries.

60:19 Working through imposter syndrome.

Join our community of Vet Vault Nerds to lift your clinical game and get your groove back with our up to date easy-to-consume clinical episodes at vvn.supercast.com, visit thevetvault.com for the show notes and resources for this episode, and connect with us through our online Vet Vault Network. for episode highlights, discussions, questions and support.

Join us in at Vets on Tour in Wanaka, New Zealand on 13 - 18 August 2023 for great CE, live podcasting and snow... lots of snow!

Dr Liv's Consulting Business - Vet Gone Real