|
Veterinary Practice News Editorial Blog:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Connection Goes Beyond Your Profession
By Somyr McLean Perry
Managing Editor of Vetpracticenews.com and Veterinary Practice News
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although in our society we must choose a profession by which to put food on the table, our careers don't always define who we are. Yes, it takes certain personality types to become paramedics, chefs, race car drivers or veterinarians, and you can get some sense about people by their trade. But do we really know them? I think we want to.
People are multi-dimensional and it's those layers of personality, life experiences and perspective that really show who a person is and what makes them good at their jobs. We (the editors) are trusted with reporting on the industry as a whole from the medical and business side of veterinary medicine.
But just as important is recognizing that real people make up this industry and they're not always all about work.
Our dental columnist Dr. Don DeForge of Milford, Conn., has been a national soccer referee for 10 years. Although he's licensed to referee for adult soccer matches, he mainly works with younger people. He says that it is his greatest gift to give back to young people the values of good sportsmanship and fair play. Now when you read his columns, which often promote staff advancement and teaching, I bet you'll have a little different perspective.
Dr. Magali Lequient in Salt Lake City is a former colleague of mine. Aside from her day job as a general veterinary practitioner, she's an accomplished rock climber and mountaineer. She's one of those who sleeps suspended from the side of a cliff so she can finish the climb come first light. She practices medicine with the same fierce attention to detail that it takes to move up a 90-degree rock.
And Dr. Joan Bowen of Wellington, Colo., told me that she's been a quilter for years. Some quilts she makes for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's and a couple have won national competitions.
And finally, who knew that I'd come across--separately--a veterinarian in Long Beach, Calif., and one in Baltimore who had two very specific hobbies in common? Dr. Carl Palazzolo and Dr. Johnny Slaughter have traveled regularly to Africa over the years (not together) to pursue their passions for photography. They know about each other now because I introduced them.
Believe it or not, your peers want to know more about you and the amazing experiences that fellow veterinarians go through all over the country. Your commonality is being a veterinarian, but your connection may lay in the deeper layers of what makes you human.
E-mail me about your hobbies, your interests or your talents outside of veterinary medicine and we'll share it with readers in an upcoming story.
« All Editorial Blogs
 Give us your opinion on
Connection Goes Beyond Your Profession
Industry Professional Site: Comments from non-industry professionals will be removed.
|