News

Why Veterinary Professionals Leave Practice: It Is Usually Not One Bad Day
Why Veterinary Professionals Leave Practice: It Is Usually Not One Bad Day Throughout my career in vet med, I have had some really tough conversations with team members; these are those difficult, heart-to-heart talks that happen in veterinary practices everywhere.  A good technician, assistant, CSR, or veterinarian asks to speak privately; they close the door, sit down, and say some version of, “I don’t think I can keep doing this.”  Sometimes tears start falling as the emotion of the moment overwhelms.  Sometimes these moments are calm, which can be even... Read more...
The Daily Debate - What Is Veterinary Medical Ethics?
The Daily Debate - What Is Veterinary Medical Ethics? During my time in vet med, I have come to realize that ethical considerations and tough decisions are just part of the DNA of this profession.  I have been in the exam room more times than I can count where a patient's people and I are simply trying to work out what is the next step in trying to figure out what is best thing for the patient.  There may be advanced diagnostics available, a referral hospital several hours away, and... Read more...
When Speaking Up Feels Risky: Psychological Safety in Veterinary Medicine
Psychological safety in veterinary medicine means that people can speak honestly about patient care, workload, mistakes, uncertainty, conflict, and their own well-being without expecting humiliation or retaliation.  It does not mean that everyone agrees, and it does not remove accountability, professional standards, or difficult conversations.  In fact, I think it allows us to have those conversations more honestly because people are not spending all of their energy protecting themselves. Psychological safety should not be confused with comfort. Tough conversations are often uncomfortable, and most of us know the hesitation that... Read more...
Moral Distress in Vet Med: Carrying the Weight of What Could Not Be Done
There is a particular kind of silence that settles over a veterinary treatment area after a case does not go the way anyone hoped.  It is not always the silence of grief.  Sometimes it is the silence of knowing that a better option existed, but circumstances kept it out of reach. I remember cases where the medical path seemed clear.  A patient needed certain diagnostics, hospitalization, surgery, or simply more time and resources.  The veterinary team was aware of the various possibilities that were just out of reach.  What makes... Read more...
Why Team Belonging Improves Patient and People Care
Why Team Belonging Improves Patient and People Care Some of the best moments at my veterinary clinic happen when people are just able to do what they do and simply feel good about what they are doing well. I have watched a veterinary assistant notice a subtle change in a patient before anyone else saw it.  I have seen a CSR recognize that a worried client was withholding part of the story and create enough trust for the truth to come out.  I have watched technicians adjust an approach to... Read more...
Imposter Phenomenon in Veterinary Medicine: When Competence Still Feels Like Fraud
Imposter Phenomenon in Veterinary Medicine: When Competence Still Feels Like Fraud Veterinary medicine has a strange way of turning a thoughtful professional into a private investigator assigned to prove their own incompetence.  We can finish a complicated surgery, guide a family through seemingly impossible decisions, manage several hospitalized patients concurrently, and still drive home at the end of the day thinking about that one sentence we could have explained better.  We just fail to give ourselves the credit or recognition that we deserve. Read more...
Why Veterinary Burnout Isn’t Just an Individual Problem
Why Veterinary Burnout Isn’t Just an Individual Problem There is a moment at the end of a difficult day in veterinary medicine when the daily buzz and bark of the practice finally calms down, but your mind does not. The last client has left; the treatment area has been cleaned. The constantly ringing phones have been silenced. In the central treatment area, a fluid pump is still beeping, and someone is finishing a medical record from one of the morning's cases. You sit down for the first time since lunch,... Read more...
Occupational Safety Includes Mental Health: Protecting Veterinary Professionals at Work
Occupational Safety Includes Mental Health: Protecting Veterinary Professionals at Work After more than three decades in various roles (25 years as a veterinarian) in veterinary medicine, I have completed a great deal of workplace safety training. I have learned how to handle controlled drugs, avoid radiation exposure, prevent needle-stick injuries, lift patients safely, respond to animal bites, and reduce the spread of infectious disease. We use sharps containers, personal protective equipment, warning labels, safety data sheets, and written protocols because we understand a basic truth: predictable risks deserve intentional prevention.... Read more...
Why We Created The Grit + Love Store
Why We Created The Grit + Love Store If you've landed here looking for a hoodie, t-shirt or a coffee mug, you might wonder why this store talks so much about veterinary wellness, ethics, and mental health.  The answer is simple.... GRIT + LOVE was never meant to be just another apparel brand. It began with a question:  How do we create something that supports the people who dedicate their lives to caring for everyone else? Every purchase also supports a broader mission. Proceeds help advance veterinary mental health awareness... Read more...