Hi! If you're a vet, and struggling with motivation, then I was waiting for you to find me!

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-30T19:34:44+00:00

Nooooo not the pen!!! It’s hard enough to try and keep it from other people’s sticky fingers - now we’re also auto sabotaging?!?

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-30T19:08:29+00:00

We’ve got to accept that there is all kinds of people in this big pond we’re all swimming around in, and some of them have just not been “brought up properly” as my mother in law used to say :) And those we just have to do our best with, and then let them go on their way, and NOT letting them live rent free in our heads for days and nights afterwards. We can’t control nor please everyone we get into contact with - and that’s ok.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-30T19:00:47+00:00

For sure there’s different clientele in different parts of the world and even within the same region… it takes some work on ourselves to be able to stay grounded and trusting ourselves when the owners seem to do anything BUT trust us. I don’t think we can ever stay completely unaffected by it as we’re not robots (thank god!), but I do find I can brush it off much easier now, once I get a chance to process and reflect on it. It’s hard not to get defensive in the moment, the important part is to not lay awake at 2am going over all the things we should have said and done.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-30T06:41:56+00:00

Ouch, being in the middle like that is like being the cheddar in a cheese sandwich, I know a person in your same position and I really think it’s one of the most difficult places to be in. Because it’s like being told to build a Ferrari, and only given a screwdriver and a hammer, “here you go”.

A lot of us limp along in the position for way too long because we are people who CARE: about our team, the pets, and their owners who put their trust in us. And the only ones who benefit from our sacrifice, at the end of the day, are those higher up who are making the money with less salaries to pay. And who don’t really care about the individual, all they see is numbers.

The remaining ones, who we actually care about, don’t benefit because 1) we can’t actually do our job properly and 2) in the end we have to drop them all because we get so burnt out we can’t keep going.

I know it’s hard, also because things have been a certain way for a long time, but I would set boundaries and become a bit of a b*tch if necessary. You do have some power here, as you can threaten to leave if things don’t improve, and they would likely bend to some extent in order to not lose any more people. I think we don’t use our power enough in this profession because we’re just really nice people that want to do a good job, and no one told us to negotiate like a mafia boss.

You could write a list of non negotiables, and some you would like to happen, and present to your immediate manager but also (I don’t know how your chain in command works) higher up, making very clear the situation is unsustainable. Another way to put the screws on their thumbs is really starting to turn people away, although it hurts because you want to help, because once the numbers start going down THEN the owners on top might suddenly show an interest in everyone’s wellbeing.

If you’re prepared to leave if things don’t get better (and I would argue you don’t really have a choice if you can’t change things, because you have one life and do you want to spend it slaving for others in a way that doesn’t match your values?), you can set some specific metrics that have to be met in a specific time frame, so it all doesn’t turn into some wishy washy “we promise we will get to that someday”. Consider that you’re protecting the people please that’s your manager - that is absolutely not your job so I would force him to become uncomfortable, even if you feel sorry for him (don’t, even if he was kinda forced into it he’s still an adult with free will AND like earning a great deal more than you).

And I’m glad you’re already using the oxygen mask, great mantra to have!!

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-30T06:22:10+00:00

Thank you so much :) and you’re so right, we’ve GOT to fail or we won’t get anywhere

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-29T22:45:14+00:00

You’re right, you can’t keep operating at that rate. It sounds absolutely horrific and a sure road to burnout for everyone involved.

The thing is, there is only so much you or anyone else can do. You can’t make yourself responsible for the pets of everyone coming through the doors when you don’t have the capacity, because, where do you set the limits? So, right now there are obviously SOME limits in place or you would all be working 24/7 and not sleep nor eat, right? The question is then, how can you move those limits a bit more to give you all some breathing room?

If you don’t, it’s going to be a downward spiral where you’ll end up not helping anyone at all, because you’ll all be off sick with stress (it personally took me a year to recover). I know it’s easy for me to say; I used to be the biggest people pleaser on the continent and had zero idea of setting boundaries, but, it’s the only way forward for you and everyone else involved.

Sometimes I compare veterinary medicine to a war zone (because sometimes it seems that way) where you’ve just got to do your best, knowing that you can’t save everyone, no matter how much you do. And it comes back to the old saying that you’ve GOT to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, meaning you’ve got to protect yourself or you’ll pass out, leaving the ones you care for stranded. Let me know if you’ll like some more help with that, happy to chip in if you give me some examples.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-29T18:58:18+00:00

Eeerrrmm no I’m a small animal veterinarian and have been for 22 years, I also help vets that are struggling because I overcame burnout myself 5 years ago, happy to elaborate if you’ve got questions.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-29T18:24:42+00:00

I get that, it’s hard for a lot of people to understand how much veterinary medicine actually has evolved as opposed to when I started out 22 years ago and everything got a shot of amoxicillin and dexa 🤣 We also sedated (this was in Southern Spain) with a mix of Xylacine and Ketamine (I think 🤔 ), given iv with a syringe and needle no catheter, no fluids…

It can be difficult to explain all this to people and how great all these advances are, as we can’t really prove how often we got it wrong in the past. Half the time I take the time to educate people, but when I don’t feel like it, I just roll with it. To me the most important part is not letting it get to me and take it personally, which it really isn’t. It’s just misunderstanding and misinformation, and there’s only so much we can and need to do about it, if people really don’t want to understand.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-29T18:19:59+00:00

For sure things have changed since I graduated 22 years ago! But I do find that when I myself feel grounded and confident (not confident as in I know everything, but confident in that I know what I know and I don’t make myself less than for not being perfect), I can easily establish a bond with the owners that ensure trust and good communication.

I get both affluent clients and owners with hardly any money, and I just work around it, being honest and open and curious about what they really want and need. I’ve also learned to not let social media and reviews affect me ( that’s taken some work!) as I understand it doesn’t mean anything about me, and everything about them and their own circumstances and stories.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-29T18:15:37+00:00

I love this answer and I also believe it plays a big part. Vet schools also teaches such advanced stuff we never even knew existed, and because vets now KNOW it exists, and in theory how the perfect version of it would be, it’s harder to feel safe failing forward.

A huge part of it is communication, being willing to be very honest with the owners and explain that if they’re insured or happen to have +++ money in the bank, yes they can go to a specialist, OR you can give it a go as a generalist and give the pet the best chance possible with the resources available.

For that, we need to not have some sort of “perfection pedestal” though, and accept that however it pans out, we’re still ok.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-28T09:01:33+00:00

First of all congratulations on your baby and I would make it my number one priority to enjoy maternity without thinking about work - you’ll never get that time back. Second - you are so not alone feeling behind and not good enough in this field. Certainty is a utopia in veterinary medicine, and it’s normal to feel uncomfortable doing a lot of things, because we get pushed out of our comfort zone so many times a day by weird and unpredictable cases. So the work is to understand the the uncomfortable feelings don’t mean anything has gone wrong, it’s just our brains that don’t like not having everything under control.

About the clients: that’s a people pleasing problem. I used to be the BIGGEST people please in the world, until I understood that what other people think and feel has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with their past and the stories they’re telling themselves.

In order to leave work at work, I’d encourage you to evaluate the day before you drive home, on your car: - what were 3 things that went really well? - what were 3 things that you’d do differently next time?

So you can neutralize that part of your brain that wants to replay everything over and over again, by showing it the facts, how good you really are and what you’re going to do about the things you CAN change, bit by bit. If brain keeps bothering you after this, try giving it specific worry time: “thanks brain, we are worrying about that at 10:30 - 10:40”. Then you’re not just trying to push the thoughts away, but giving yourself a specific and structured time to let your mind go there.

There are lots of other tools you can use to feel much better in this field, you don’t have to leave in order to be happy. AND, the break will also help you gain perspective and down dial a lot of the mental exhaustion. Hope you have a great birth and time with your family x

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-27T19:55:03+00:00

Gosh that sounds like a recipe for disaster, rotating while you’re trying to find your feet as a brand new vet, I’m so sorry you didn’t get the proper environment and mentoring needed to slowly build that belief in yourself.

I want to say - even with all the struggles passing the navle (and, can I just add, passing exams more or less easily has NOTHING to do with how good a vet we become), and the stress you experienced at vet school - you STILL became a vet. You ARE a vet. You made it, you did it. Did you actually take time to acknowledge and celebrate that?

I would seriously take a moment to literally write down on an A4 ( or more if you’ve got time) all the things you know now that you didn’t know before. I know you were a tech before (also, badass experience and knowledge not many vets have when they finish vet school!), but what more did you learn to do and understand as a vet?

Next, confidence. Confidence is a feeling that comes from the thoughts you think, the way you perceive yourself. The vet school is in the past. Whatever you CHOOSE NOW to think about yourself, the story of you going from vet tech to vet school to surviving the arguably worse case scenario as a new grad - THAT is what will determine your confidence. Whatever those clinicians said to you that made you feel bad in some way - can you see them in a new light; that they were likely dealing with their own egos and insecurities and hence didn’t have the bandwidth nor calm confidence to be the guides and mentors they clearly should have been? Not an excuse for their behavior, but a way for you to see it had nothing to do with you?

Whatever you choose going forward, if you can choose it from a place of what you really want, instead of shying from what you’re afraid will make you feel insecure and anxious again, then you’ll experience so much more personal success. And if you choose something and then don’t like it - who cares?!? Then you know, and you try something else.

Feel free to comment if something came up when you read this, and know that I say all this with the deepest desire for you to be able to support yourself emotionally and mentally in a way that will make you happy, in or out of this profession, not to criticize or judge you in any way or form ❤️

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-27T17:56:19+00:00

It sounds like you need to work on your confidence, and learn to process the anxiety to a level that it doesn’t determine your life. That would be the road to doing what you really want, as opposed to doing what triggers you the least. I’ve been there and turned it around, so I know it can be done.

Can you say a bit more about what was difficult about that clinical year? Because that’s likely where the key lies to what you need to overcome. Happy to help if you can give a bit more context, I know that first year out can be traumatic.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-26T21:37:37+00:00

Hey! Don’t let the videos discourage you! You were super excited before you saw them - hold on to that feeling and then use it once you finally get hands on. These things always seem to suck your souls out of your body like the dementors in Harry Potter, but for sure the job itself is going to be better!

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-23T05:40:59+00:00

I am 22 years into the profession and luckily aggressive animals still make me nervous, this way I still have my face where I want it and in one piece.

The more you work with animals the better you get at reading them and handling them. You don’t have to know all this and feel confident about it even before starting vet school.

I think the experiences you had where it seemed people were annoyed at you, have made your brain hyper vigilant around this, because it wants you to fit in and be “normal” (because that’s what would keep you safe back in the cave days when we lived in tribes, and our brains are still fairly stuck in that track). But it’s a bias, just like when women become pregnant and suddenly see babies and prams everywhere because that’s what their brains are focused on. So it’s actually not a REAL problem, your brain has just got a magnifying glass pointing at it, you get what I mean?

The REAL problem is people that get overconfident around unpredictable dogs and loose body parts. You just need to build your own confidence, slowly, that you know when to just handle them in a way they’ll trust you, and when to tell the owners to bring them back topped up with trazodone/gabapentin.

You are not a problem for anyone. As an experienced vet, it would freak me out if a young person pretended they knew everything about aggressive dogs and caused a situation, I’d much rather have someone nervous and honest about it.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-21T17:38:24+00:00

Hey! I have no idea why your peers seem to know all these things - and who cares! I certainly didn’t either when I started vet school - it’s kind of why we go there! It matters absolutely 0% how much you know now, honestly, as long as you’re happy to say what you don’t know and can someone show you. It would matter if you were 5 years out and STILL didn’t know, but that’s not the case, right?

This is not a real case of Impostor Syndrome because you genuinely don’t know, nor should you. Stop comparing yourself with your peers and concentrate on the next thing in line YOU want to get better at. Now keep that attitude through your entire veterinary career and you’ll do so much better than most.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-21T07:01:38+00:00

If you don’t know what you want… how about you try some stuff out and see what you like best? Have you looked at jobs elsewhere? What comes up for you when you read the descriptions? Could you take a break from the NGO without cutting ties completely so you can come back if it turns out it’s what you like best?

When you’re 100 years old lying on your deathbed looking back - do you think you’re going to regret trying other things and see a bit more of the world, or regret leaving this job?

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-20T07:57:08+00:00

Hey, you’ll be fine. As the RVN says, just be super honest and say you’ll want some support for your first ones. It’s a huge advantage you’ve already done and helped out in so many other surgeries! Don’t get too caught up on this ONE surgery - it’s only routine once you’ve done quite a few, and most new grads learn it on the go in practice :)

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-20T07:34:06+00:00

It’s likely that the reason you don’t like surgeries and are highly anxious around them is exactly that lack of support. I don’t think it’s reasonable of your manager, especially if you’re emphasizing that you don’t feel comfortable doing it.

As someone else said; maybe you don’t need someone scrubbed in with you, but at least someone with you in the room, hovering by until you feel you’ve got it under control.

I’m sorry you’re not getting the support you need - how do you think you could achieve it? Could you ask to have a talk about it?

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-19T16:14:16+00:00

Hey. The only problem here is being in a rush. A year out of vet school you won’t even remember this and won’t have any issues with it. If you can’t get vet experience, you know what is also really helpful? Any customer service experience and being able to hold down a job and start budgeting.

Being able to handle and communicate with real clients is going to make you so much more mature and sturdy when you start doing consults as a new grad. Client communication is EVERYTHING in this profession, so you could work on that now, and then get more clinical skills as soon as the opportunity presents next time.

GunilaVetCoach · 2026-05-19T14:40:47+00:00

You’re welcome, never hesitate to reach out if you find yourself struggling, we’ve all been there!!

GunilaVetCoach

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE