Reviving Vet Med

Send us Fan MailBurnout is a universal challenge in veterinary medicine, but does the practice environment change the experience? In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Emily Li, an Emergency and Critical Care specialist based in Melbourne, Australia.Emily’s interest in mental health was forged on the front lines of emergency medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by her own lived experience and the challenges she saw in the clinic, she dedicated her Master’s thesis to comparing burnout drivers among general practitioners and emergency veterinarians across Australia.During this episode, we discuss how workplace structures and workload predictability impact both groups. We also explore what surprisingly does not differ between general practice and ER burnout, and why Emily believes systemic changes, rather than just individual resilience, are the only way forward for the profession. Emily shares a grounded, evidence based perspective on the real drivers of exhaustion and highlights the importance of the person in environment fit.Watch the Video Version of this Episodehttps://youtu.be/ycynLHKEEHcResourcesFollow Dr. Emily Li on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-li-b59309137/  Read Dr. Li’s papers: A comparison between veterinary small animal general practitioners and emergency practitioners in Australia Part 1 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10993158/) and Part 2 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10932987/)  Thank you to our sponsor Hill’s Pet NutritionFor more information about Hill's products and nutritional philosophy, please visit HillsPet.com or HillsPet.ca.Thank you to our sponsor Co-VetFor a free trial of Co-Vet, please visit https://www.co.vet/. And follow Co-Vet on social media: Instagram: @covet.ai, Facebook: @coVetAIApp, LinkedIn: @CoVet NewsletterFor more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter: https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletterOnline ResourcesTo access Reviving Veterinary Medicine’s free resources including handouts, posters, meditations, and quizzes, please visit: https://revivingvetmed.com/resources Questions, Suggestions, or Sponsorship OpportunitiesEmail: [email protected] Thank you to Hill’s Pet NutritionFor more information about Hill's products and nutritional philosophy, please visit HillsPet.ca.Thank you to our sponsor CoVetCoVet helps generate your records and automate your admin work so you can focus on your medicine.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailMedical error is one of the most challenging and least discussed realities in veterinary medicine, yet it has profound implications for the mental health and career longevity of the professionals involved. In this episode, Dr. Rochelle Low, veterinarian and Global VP of Quality and Patient Safety at Mars Veterinary Health, joins us to explore why patient safety is actually a vital pillar of team wellbeing.Drawing from her research on the "Second Victim" experience and her 2025 global study of over 64,000 safety events, Rochelle shares how a systems-based approach can shift the focus from individual shame to collective learning. We discuss the emotional trajectory teams face after an adverse event, why errors are often rooted in system design rather than personal failure, and the specific types of support, like peer connection and psychological safety, that help professionals recover and stay in the field.Rochelle also reflects on a personal medication error case and how an immediate, supportive leadership response shaped her own professional identity. This conversation offers a powerful and practical lens for anyone in veterinary medicine who wants to move past "blame and shame" to build a culture that truly protects both our patients and our people.Watch the Video Version of this Episode[Link pending]ResourcesConnect with Dr. Rochelle Low on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelle-low-53ab0091/  Read Dr. Low’s research papers:Veterinary healthcare needs to talk more about error: For the wellbeing of our patients and medical teams: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9708451/ Patient safety events cause harm across a variety of veterinary care settings: a global retrospective analysis: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/263/7/javma.24.08.0523.xml Personal resilience, good leadership, and a psychologically safe culture play a mitigating role on the impact of patient safety events: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/263/3/javma.24.09.0620.xml Thank you to our sponsor ScribenoteSee how Scribenote works: https://www.scribenote.com?utm_campaign=RVM&utm_source=rvm-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=MARK-402Book a Demo: https://calendly.com/d/4zm-dsr-wfh/scribenote-demoStart with a Free 14-Day Trial Today: https://app.scribenote.com/auth/register?utm_campaign=RVM&utm_source=rvm-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_content=MARK-402NewsletterFor more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter: https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletterOnline ResourcesTo access Reviving Veterinary Medicine’s free resources including handouts, posters, meditations, and quizzes, please visit: https://revivingvetmed.com/resourcesQuestions, Suggestions, or Sponsorship OpportunitiesEmail: [email protected] you to our sponsor ScribenoteThe first AI-powered veterinary SOAP creator that builds accurate medical records effortlessly. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this bonus episode, Dr. Sonja Olson guides you through a meditation designed to cultivate equanimity and radical acceptance; powerful tools for maintaining emotional balance, compassion, and clarity amidst the challenges of veterinary practice and caregiving roles.This 10-minute meditation offers practical strategies to reduce reactivity, stay grounded in difficult interactions, and nurture resilience in both your professional and personal life. Through gentle guidance, you’ll explore ways to bring kindness and calm to yourself, your patients, your colleagues, and even those you find challenging.Take a few minutes to pause, breathe, and reconnect with a sense of balance. Perfect for your breakroom, office, or anywhere you need a moment of calm. Share this meditation with a colleague who could use the support, and check out additional thoughts and teachings from Dr. Sonja Olson on her YouTube channel. ResourcesVisit Sonja’s website: https://www.sonjaolsondvm.com   Visit Sonja’s YouTube channel @KindfulMomentswithDrSonja: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1KtsXn4EfTgAs_vDh4rxxQNewsletterFor more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter: https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletter Online Resources To access Reviving Veterinary Medicine’s free resources including handouts, posters, meditations, and quizzes, please visit: https://revivingvetmed.com/resources Questions, Suggestions, or Sponsorship OpportunitiesEmail: [email protected] Support the show

Send us Fan MailUnconscious bias (also known as implicit bias) is a prejudice or judgment that is present but not consciously recognized. Every person has unconscious biases that we attribute to another person or group of people, which thereby impact our instinctual decisions and reactions. And it happens without us realizing it! In honour of Pride Month, in this episode we discuss the many different forms of unconscious bias, how they impact our day-to-day decisions and interactions, and how we can reduce them to foster equity and inclusion in the veterinary workplace.Video Versionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myRtNSxr46g/ResourcesPawsibilities Vet Med: https://pawsibilitiesvetmed.com/Project Implicit (Harvard Bias Test): https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.htmlHow to outsmart your own unconscious bias (17 min video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP-cqFLS8Q4A profession in crisis: discrimination in veterinary medicine (7 min video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Pl4YX_QNc Four steps for busting unconscious bias (4 min video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-n7el87DmoAVMA Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity courses: https://axon.avma.org/page/diversity-equity-inclusion-coursesOnline ProgramsTo learn more about our 4- and 8-week online programs approved for CE credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE, please visit:https://revivingvetmed.com/programs/NewsletterFor more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter:https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletterSupport the show

Send us Fan MailGood mental health isn’t about being happy all the time. In fact, a mentally healthy life includes the full range of human emotions – even the uncomfortable ones like sadness, fear, anxiety, and anger. These emotions are a part of being human and pushing them down doesn’t make them go away.On the contrary, one of the best ways to quiet our emotions is to give them a voice. Join me as I talk you through practical tools to boost emotional literacy, thereby fostering mental health and wellbeing.Video versionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVSqbwQ6BngOnline ProgramsTo learn more about our 4- and 8-week online programs approved for CE credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE, please visit:https://revivingvetmed.com/programs/NewsletterFor more practical pointers and tangible tips related to veterinary mental health and wellbeing, subscribe to our e-newsletter: https://revivingvetmed.kartra.com/page/newsletter Questions or SuggestionsEmail [email protected] Support the show