VPN Plus+ ExclusiveBig vet energy, fading fastApril 24, 2025By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAThe only photo I have on my desk at work is one a classmate snapped during my field service rotation 30 years ago last month. Dinosaur that I am, it was one of those pictures you print at the drugstore photo lab in doubles to give away to your new colleagues at graduation. In it, I'm cradling a Pygmy goat kid…and I'm beaming. It exudes "big vet energy" in the best way possible. Everyone has a picture like that—one that captures their veterinary essence in peak bloom. It represents the moment you first recognized yourself as a real veterinarian. It says, "This is what I am. This is what I do. I was made for this." If your version of this picture isn't already on your desk, it probably should be. It will keep you grounded and inspired, humbled yet exultant. When things go wrong, it'll soothe you to recall why you made the choices you did. When everything's just as you think it should be, it will boost your mood all the more. Ironically, though, it is this photo that made me realize I was ready to end my career as I knew it. Sitting at my desk, crunching …
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Lessons in forging a new path in vetmedJanuary 3, 2023Another year has wound down, and in the veterinary world, that means things are about to amp up. The holiday season went by fast, and most likely has increased the tension from people around us. The past year has been tough for most of us in the veterinary space.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveThe clash of commerce and cultureNovember 10, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAThe culture of veterinary medicine has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. While the dedication displayed by veterinary school applicants seeking entry to programs seems not to have diminished, the emerging work ethos is arguably less enthusiastic than it once was. This shift in mentality, should you subscribe to this assessment, is often explained in terms of the dueling axioms describing our younger workforce’s approach to work-life balance: “working to live” rather than “living to work.”
Get a hobby for a better work-life balanceOctober 20, 2022It seems everyone picked up some new hobbies over the pandemic. Everyone, that is, except veterinary professionals.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveVeterinary medicine is losing its personal touch August 12, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAFor me, it is that personal connection that matters most because, without it, I might as well be an accountant, or some other brand of desk jockey. The way I see it, if I’m not invested in my patient and their people, I would not be as motivated to be kind, compassionate, thorough, and diligent.
Shedding new light on work-life balanceSeptember 13, 2021We all aim for work-life balance these days. However, do we really understand this concept, or do we simply run the gauntlet, bewildered and exhausted, hoping for a better tomorrow?
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveVPN Fireside Chats: Doing it all -- work-life balance and beyondJune 25, 2021Dr. Dani McVety talks about how to establish a balance that leaves you feeling "good enough" in the countless roles veterinarians play in their lives.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveNew year, new you?December 23, 2020By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAEight strategies and reslouctions for work/life balance in veterinary medicine.
Mission: Possible?July 5, 2018In the U.S., roughly 179 million households include pets. With the addition of 2.05 million U.S. farming operations and the millions of livestock being raised, the growing demand for veterinary services is a no-brainer.
