Healing from Errors in Vet Med

Key Takeaways from AVMA 2025

Mistakes are an inevitable part of practicing veterinary medicine — no matter how skilled, experienced, or diligent you are. The reality is that being human means being imperfect. Yet, in a profession that often demands perfection, errors can feel devastating and deeply personal. They can shake our confidence and leave us questioning our competence.

At AVMA 2025, we had the privilege of exploring what really happens when things go wrong, how to navigate the emotional aftermath of mistakes, and — most importantly — how to transform these moments into powerful opportunities for growth and connection.

What Happens When You Make a Mistake?

When an error occurs, your body often reacts before your brain can fully process what happened. This “fight, flight, or freeze” response is driven by your amygdala — the part of your brain designed to protect you from danger. Your heart rate and breathing increase, your digestion slows, and your body floods with adrenaline, preparing you to respond to a perceived threat — all before you even have a chance to think clearly.

Understanding this physiological reaction is critical. Recognizing that your initial response is a natural survival mechanism can help you pause, ground yourself, and move forward with intention rather than fear. Many veterinary professionals have shared that this simple awareness helps them feel less overwhelmed in the moment and more capable of managing the emotional storm that follows a mistake.

Steps to Recovering from Mistakes

Recovering from a mistake isn’t just about fixing what went wrong; it’s about healing both professionally and personally. Here are the steps we shared to help guide that process:

• Recognize what’s happening in your body. Tune into your physical and emotional responses — notice your posture, your breath, and feelings of tension or fear. Awareness is the first step toward regaining control.
• Pause to find your center. Give your prefrontal cortex time to catch up, allowing you to shift from a reactive state to a thoughtful, constructive mindset. Even a few slow breaths can make a big difference.
• Research what went wrong. Dive into the situation with curiosity rather than self-judgment. Understand the sequence of events and identify contributing factors through root cause analysis.
• Report and analyze. Transparency is crucial, not only for patient safety but also for building a culture of trust and learning. Share your findings openly and use them as a teaching moment for yourself and your team.
• Apologize. Owning your mistake demonstrates integrity and helps preserve relationships with clients and colleagues. A sincere apology can go a long way in rebuilding trust.
• Reach out. Connect with trusted colleagues, mentors, family, or friends. You don’t have to carry the weight of a mistake alone. Leaning on your support network can help you gain perspective and emotional strength.

Embracing Growth and Feedback

Here’s how to actively grow from these challenging moments:

• Develop self-compassion. Treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer to a struggling friend or colleague. Remember that you are not your mistake.
• Try Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Practices like body scans, gentle movement, and breathwork help reconnect you with the present moment and reduce anxiety. MBSR has been shown to increase emotional resilience and improve overall well-being.
• Build your “power skills.” Emotional intelligence, communication, and peer support skills help you navigate difficult situations more effectively. Programs like NOMV (Not One More Vet) peer support and therapy can offer critical guidance and connection.
• Practice giving and receiving feedback. Embracing feedback is vital for growth but can feel uncomfortable. Approach feedback as a gift rather than a threat. Over time, this shift in mindset can strengthen your confidence and deepen your relationships. Check out links to some of our favorite resources below.

Provocative Thoughts on Mistakes

Our veterinary social worker, Dave Shuey, shared some powerful reflections:

• Performance does not determine outcomes.
• Outcomes cannot be planned; they can only be made possible.
• An individual mistake is always a team mistake.

These insights encourage us to move away from perfectionism and toward a culture of shared responsibility and continuous learning. By reframing our perspective, we can transform the narrative around mistakes from blame and shame to growth and compassion.

Small Practices That Make a Big Difference

In our session, we also highlighted simple yet impactful strategies to build resilience:

• Use affirming mantras. Remind yourself: “I am worthy,” “I am capable,” and “I am going to help a lot of people.” Repeating these phrases can create a mental anchor in moments of stress.
• Explore breathing techniques. Try box breathing (inhale for four counts, hold, exhale, hold) or “smile breath,” where you focus on breathing in positive energy and exhaling tension.
• Move your body. Gentle stretching, a quick walk, or even pairing music with a task can help release physical and emotional tension. Physical movement is a powerful way to process emotions and reset your nervous system.
• Cultivate gratitude. Write down three things you’re grateful for each day, or express appreciation to a colleague. Gratitude practices can shift your focus from what went wrong to what is going well.

Let’s Move Forward Together

Mistakes do not define your skill, your value, or your dedication to veterinary medicine. Instead, they can reveal areas for growth, deepen your empathy, and strengthen the bonds you share with your team. When we embrace mistakes as learning opportunities, we foster a culture of safety, trust, and continuous improvement.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at AVMA 2025 for this vulnerable, inspiring conversation. We are grateful for your openness, your courage, and your commitment to building a healthier veterinary community.

Resources for Deeper Learning

Science & research:

• Veterinary healthcare needs to talk more about error: For the wellbeing of our patients and medical teams. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. September 16, 2022.
• Veterinarians’ experiences with near misses and adverse events. JAVMA Vol. 252, No. 5.
• Toward constructive change after making a medical error: recovery from situations of error theory as a psychosocial model for clinical recovery. Journal of Patient Safety Volume 18, number 6.

Resources for growth:

• The Muse – How to Take Feedback Like a Pro
• Michelle Tillis Lederman – The 5 A’s to Accepting Feedback Gracefully
• Radical Candor – Responding to Negative Feedback

Team-based medicine resources:

• AAHA Technician Utilization Guidelines
• MentorVet: How to Assess for and Incorporate Team-based Medicine
• 8 Ways to Better Utilize Veterinary Technicians

Stay Connected 
Want to continue the discussion?
Reach out to us anytime:
paige.baker@indevets.com 
anita.patel@indevets.com 
Looking for a quick reference? Download a PDF of our session recap here.