Parenting and veterinary medicine may not seem like they always go hand in hand. The demands of the job conflict with kids activities or, during the current pandemic, virtual schooling. But some practitioners have found they can make things work as long as they throw out the notion that there can be balance. Instead, they see the situation more as work-life integration with ebbs and flows.
During the session Having It All: Parenthood and Veterinary Medicine on Aug. 20 at the AVMA Virtual Convention 2020, parentsfrom stepparents to adoptive parents and everything in betweenalong with those without children talked about their needs, wants, and suggestions for making the professional and the personal come together in a workable manner.
Dr. Caitlin Davis Ashlock, a small animal practitioner in Frankfort, Indiana, is stepmom to a 7-year-old, Spencer. She also is expecting a son. Her philosophy about being a stepparent is that love is love, and there is never too much of it.
One other thing that helped me in my stepparent journey was talking to my husband about what his expectations of me in this role are, Dr. Ashlock said. Talking about expectations helped me to manage my own expectations and not feel like I wasnt doing enough.
Dr. Jon Hornback is an equine practitioner in Simpsonville, Kentucky, with two children. He and his wife found out they were having their first child when he was entering his internship.
Someone once told him, No one works 24 hours a day, so when youre home, make the most of it.
More celebration needs to be shared with those who have chosen not to be parents. Those of us who were parents were so overwhelmed and couldnt put it together. They were there to help us. It takes a village of parents and nonparents, and being a vet unites all of us.
Dr. Maggie Canning, session moderator, Having It All: Parenthood and Veterinary Medicine
Instead of being on his phone or watching TV by himself, he makes a point to spend time with his kids when hes home. Dr. Hornback even incorporates the kids into his work sometimes.
If theres an emergency, well all jump in the car and get dessert afterward, he said. Its something we like to do as a family.
Dr. Kayla Lichlyter, a small animal veterinarian in southern Indiana, was found to have endocrine issues a few weeks before her wedding. She and her husband, Josh, have two children: Asher, 2, and Adrienne, a newborn, who were both adopted. Becoming a mother helped her learn to say no and set boundaries for herself.
Even though vet med and being a vet is a huge passion of mine, and I love the work I do, at the end of the day, its a job, and theres more to life than that, Dr. Lichlyter said. Thats important to realize: I can want more to my life than just being a vet. Wanting more for your life beyond veterinary medicine doesnt make you a bad veterinarian. And if Im going the extra mile and have a few late nights at work, that doesnt make me a bad mom, either.
Dr. Carissa Norquest, an oncology specialist in Ohio, is married with no kids. She said a number of residents see starting a family as an inconvenience or threat to their career. Ive seen friends who have wanted a kid and waited to finish their PhD who are now struggling to conceive or are considering in vitro protocols because they put their career first, and they do not feel it was appropriately discussed in our career path, she said.
Had her colleagues known more at the beginning, they might have harvested their eggs or engaged in proactive family planning.
Planning early for our future is a topic that needs to be discussed more in veterinary medicine, she said. We need to be more open about this because the consequences are not reversible.
Dr. Brandon Thornberry, who practices in St. Louis, has a 10-month-old son, and his wife, Michelle, is a veterinarian, too. His father is also a veterinarian, so he uniquely understood the demands of the profession from a young age.
My dad was there for me growing up, but there were also times when his patients needed him more. Maybe the net result over my childhood was a balance, but from my perspective, a perfect 50-50 balance is not realistically achievable. That is OK, he said. Sometimes your family or your patients will demand more from you. Family is always my priority, but this profession and lifestyle I have chosen cannot always achieve a 50-50 balance.
Rather than being frustrated that I do not have a balance, I try to seek and advocate for good work-life integration, which means adopting a mindset that recognizes it is OK for work and home life to overlap at times, and work or home life may demand more from me, respectively, in different seasons of life.
Dr. Maggie Canning, one of the sessions moderators, said after having a cesarean section, which she hadnt planned for, she harbored guilt partly because she didnt have trust in her doctor. Now, she says, she has more empathy for first-time puppy owners asking how many times they can bathe their dog.
She encourages other veterinarian parents to join social media groups, such as the AVMAs Early Career Online Community on Facebook. She added, More celebration needs to be shared with those who have chosen not to be parents. Those of us who were parents were so overwhelmed and couldnt put it together. They were there to help us. It takes a village of parents and nonparents, and being a vet unites all of us.
The rest is here:
It takes a village for veterinarian parents to make it work - American Veterinary Medical Association
- Does Your Dog Need Glasses? From Removing Cataracts and Performing Surgeries to Restore Vision, Veterinarians ... - PR Newswire - May 14th, 2024
- The ABCs of CBD for pets | Health | thehendersonnews.com - The Henderson News - May 14th, 2024
- Ask The Vet: Why have vet trips gotten so expensive? - Arizona Daily Sun - May 14th, 2024
- Meet the Team: Nicki Wise - Clemson News - May 14th, 2024
- Texas A&M Veterinarians Work Around The Clock To Save Newborn Foal - Texas A&M University Today - May 14th, 2024
- Just one thing: Benchmarking your team's turnover rate - American Veterinary Medical Association - May 14th, 2024
- Veterinarian Warns Of Summer Pet Threat That Burrows into the Skin - Newsweek - May 14th, 2024
- Azi Chegini and The Dogs of Otavalo Angels in Medicine - Angels in Medicine - May 14th, 2024
- The Dogs of Otavalo Angels in Medicine - Angels in Medicine - May 14th, 2024
- Evette Collaborates With Shepherd Software for First-Ever Solution Aimed to Solve the Veterinary Industry Shortage - Business Wire - May 14th, 2024
- Auburn Veterinarian and Animal Health Researcher Weigh In on HPAI A (H5N1) - Bovine Veterinarian - May 14th, 2024
- Health-related quality of life assessment tool for cats with hyperthyroidism - DVM 360 - May 14th, 2024
- Veterinary innovation and AVMA Convention 2024 - American Veterinary Medical Association - May 5th, 2024
- Helping Cats Stand Up To Pillow Foot - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today - May 5th, 2024
- New Study Dispels Myth That Purebred Dogs Are More Prone To Health Problems - Texas A&M University Today - May 5th, 2024
- Veterinary care, animal hospitals are more scarce. That's bad for pets (and their owners) - USA TODAY - May 5th, 2024
- New Study Busts Long-Believed Myth About the Health of Purebred Dogs - Parade Pets - May 5th, 2024
- CSU breaks ground on Veterinary Health and Education Complex - Source - May 5th, 2024
- New record program aims to improve access of care - DVM 360 - May 5th, 2024
- WSU expected to care for a record number of injured wildlife this year, asking the community for donations and support - NBC Right Now - May 5th, 2024
- Unveiling the Secrets of Veterinary Success: Dive into the Latest Issue of Business by Vet Candy! - Vet Candy - May 5th, 2024
- Canine Educators Help Lift Spirits and Support on Purdue Day of Giving - Purdue University - May 5th, 2024
- CSU to break ground Thursday on expanded veterinary school BizWest - BizWest - May 5th, 2024
- COVETRUS OPENS NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART DISTRIBUTION CENTER TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR ... - StreetInsider.com - May 5th, 2024
- Trainer reveals why your dog will never be fully trained and it makes so much sense! - AOL - May 5th, 2024
- Nonprofit raising money to save dogs in need of lifesaving medical treatment - Sunbury Daily Item - May 5th, 2024
- What is an endoscopy and how can it help your pet? | Ask Dr. Kait - Hanford Sentinel - May 5th, 2024
- Morehead State Veterinary Technology program ranked 13th in nation, #1 in state - Morehead State University News - April 25th, 2024
- veterinary medicine summary | Britannica - April 25th, 2024
- Veterinary Viewpoints: Severe weather and pets - Oklahoma State University - April 25th, 2024
- Clinic center: New hospitals opening across the nation - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- Cancer test launches within US and European veterinary clinics - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- Tracking tool is launched on the first parvovirus awareness day - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- CFMV highlights the urgency of regulating air and road transport of animals - Aeroflap - April 25th, 2024
- Business Memoranda: 04/24/2024 | the BIZ | record-eagle.com - Traverse City Record Eagle - April 25th, 2024
- Wrap up: Animal health company responds to safety concerns over OA drug, and other veterinary news - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Teams-up with Lafayette School Corporation through The League of ... - Purdue University - April 16th, 2024
- ImpriMed to Showcase Groundbreaking AI Research and Applications at Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in ... - Business Wire - April 16th, 2024
- The hardest job in a hospital (according to a veterinarian) - DVM 360 - April 16th, 2024
- Dangers Of Humans Taking Animal Drugs And Vice Versa - Forbes - April 16th, 2024
- Dyer honored at commissioners meeting - The Tribune | The Tribune - Ironton Tribune - April 16th, 2024
- LSU Vet Med releases male bald eagle that was hit by car in October - WGNO New Orleans - April 16th, 2024
- What Killed Their Pets? Owners Blame Meds, but Vets Aren't Sure - The Wall Street Journal - April 16th, 2024
- 10 best practices to steward a healthy relationship with your veterinarian - Ag Proud - April 16th, 2024
- PVM Faculty Promotions Approved by Purdue University Board of Trustees - Purdue University - April 16th, 2024
- Paws Up - brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee - Purdue University - April 16th, 2024
- States begin to restrict cattle imports from those with influenza cases - American Veterinary Medical Association - April 16th, 2024
- What does a veterinarian do? - CareerExplorer - March 29th, 2024
- Veterinary Medicine Overview - CareerExplorer - March 29th, 2024
- Cats with MDR1 mutation at risk of severe reactions to popular medication - WSU News - March 29th, 2024
- Animal chaplains offer spiritual care for every species - The Associated Press - March 29th, 2024
- Loki's Leap: The Golden Retriever who overcame the odds with groundbreaking care - Virginia Tech - March 29th, 2024
- 6 in 10 pet owners surveyed in the UK, Austria and Denmark believe their pets should have access to the same healthcare treatment options as humans -... - March 29th, 2024
- Protecting Puppies From Parvovirus - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today - March 29th, 2024
- Veterinary Medicine in the Digital Age - Boehringer Ingelheim - March 29th, 2024
- Veterinary surgeon: Spare flat-faced pets the respiratory distress - Phys.org - March 29th, 2024
- AMC expands offerings with enhanced surgical suite - American Veterinary Medical Association - March 29th, 2024
- A soul killer: whats behind the USs critical veterinarian shortage? - The Guardian - February 27th, 2024
- Sneak peek: Humane Society International and Ukrainian Red Cross has helped over 100,000 pets in Ukraine, and ... - DVM 360 - February 27th, 2024
- Most veterinarians are women, but they still face sexism in rural areas where theyre most needed - IPM Newsroom - February 27th, 2024
- SA Gets its Largest CT Scanner for Veterinary Practice and Studies - Good Things Guy - February 27th, 2024
- Inside the Lab Part 2: How DNA researchers are helping crack animal cruelty cases - FOX 35 Orlando - February 27th, 2024
- This University Is Set To Become Just The Second HBCU In The Country To Train Veterinarians - Essence - February 27th, 2024
- USDA offers Grants for veterinarians in designated areas of Virginia - Yahoo News - February 10th, 2024
- Curing Pets With Cannabis as Veterinarians Try CBD and THC - The New York Times - February 10th, 2024
- New emergency vet clinic in Northern Liberties lets owners stay with pet - NBC 10 Philadelphia - February 10th, 2024
- The interview - DVM 360 - February 10th, 2024
- Veterinarians, State Ag Directors Champion Rural Veterinary Workforce Act - DTN The Progressive Farmer - February 10th, 2024
- USDA offers Grants for veterinarians in designated areas of Virginia - WFXRtv.com - February 10th, 2024
- Rural Veterinarians Headed to DC for AVMA Legislative Fly-In - AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST - AGInfo Ag Information Network - February 10th, 2024
- MJ Wixsom: Emotional blackmail against veterinarians - The Tribune | The Tribune - Ironton Tribune - February 10th, 2024
- NAVC honors 2023 Speakers of the Year - DVM 360 - January 25th, 2024
- Steve Adubato speaks with the dean of Rowan University's first School of Veterinary Medicine - ROI-NJ.com - January 25th, 2024
- Texas A&M Veterinary Clinical Trial Gives Tabby Cat With Chronic Kidney Disease A Second Chance At Life - Texas A&M University Today - January 25th, 2024
- 4th generation takes the reins as Albany veterinary hospital celebrates 90 years of service - OregonLive - January 25th, 2024
- Synovial extramedullary hematopoiesis in a dog in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - Ahead of ... - American Veterinary Medical... - January 25th, 2024
- Xanthogranulomatous keratitis in a mixed-breed dog in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association ... - American Veterinary Medical... - January 25th, 2024
- C-reactive protein concentration has limited value in the diagnosis of meningoencephalitis of unknown origin in dogs - American Veterinary Medical... - January 25th, 2024
- Veterinary profession heading in right direction with mental health - American Veterinary Medical Association - January 25th, 2024
- Veterinarian shortage in Yakima Valley can make it harder to find animal care - Yakima Herald-Republic - January 25th, 2024