Week 4: Big Steps Ahead
Jenny T -
Welcome back, everyone! This week has been relatively chill and laidback as spring break approaches!
I’ve spent this week starting my course on Fear Free, a new concept in veterinary medicine that aims to recognize and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress associated with visits to the veterinary hospital. Fear Free has been implemented in many practices because it prioritizes animals’ emotional well-being, reducing stress for pets, owners, and veterinary staff while leading to improved patient care and safer procedures. There are eight modules that I need to complete and then I will earn my Fear Free Certification!
I’m super excited to announce that I’ve achieved my 100 hours of clinical experience! This is a huge step for me because I’ll start an externship at a clinic or hospital instead of going to PACC every Tuesday. I loved my experience at PACC, but I want to diversify my experience working in veterinary medicine since I’ve mostly done shelter medicine. More details about my externship will be announced after spring break, so I look forward to keeping you all updated!
A few weeks ago, I sent out surveys to local veterinary clinics to gather insights on mental health and suicide in the field. Initially, responses came in steadily, but they have since slowed down, leaving me anxious about whether I’ll have enough data to draw meaningful conclusions. My goal with this survey is to identify the most prominent struggles veterinary professionals face and the most effective coping strategies they use so I can create tailored resources that provide effective support. Many veterinary professionals feel there is a lack of mental health resources in the field, and I want to find what truly works whether it’s workplace initiatives, peer support systems, or other solutions to help improve well-being in the profession.
I felt discouraged and unmotivated, but I decided to share my concerns with my mentor and peers. My mentor was incredibly supportive and offered to send my survey to our lab assistants and skills trainers at JTED, as well as many of her colleagues and friends. Knowing she had my back was reassuring and relieved some of the stress of having to find more clinics to contact on my own. Soon after, I started seeing more responses come in!
One of my peers also suggested that I follow up with the clinics I had already emailed to ensure they actually received the survey. I dreaded making those calls, but when I finally did, I discovered that many of my emails had ended up in spam folders. Fortunately, the clinics I reached out to were incredibly kind and even redirected me to better email addresses to ensure my survey reached the right people. This experience taught me the importance of persistence and follow-ups. I’ve learned that sometimes the lack of response isn’t from disinterest but simply a technical issue or oversight.
That’s all for now! I’ll be on spring break next week, so I’ll see you guys the week after!
– Jenny
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