Custom fit career: A job that fits my personal needs & clinical dreams

My story starts like many of yours, probably. I loved animals. I was into science. As I got older, and the idea of merging those two things together into a veterinary career became more real, I also began to recognize the more practical reasons for going into vet medicine. I would get to practice medicine more broadly, across species, unlike human-only practice. And I’d be giving a voice to patients who wouldn’t otherwise have one. My path was decided.

By the time I finished vet school, I felt prepared. I’d heard about the potential for long hours and the emotional toll, and I was going to be smart about the way I approached my veterinary career. I was going to set boundaries, take my vacation time, and ensure I spoke up for myself. I was ready to settle into my first full-time associate position.

And the rest was happily ever after. Just kidding.

Reality kicks in – and it was exactly what I’d been warned about.

In reality, it wasn’t that long before I started feeling the burn-out. As much as I liked the people, the location, the clients… I didn’t have control over my hours. My schedule was all over the place, it was difficult to make plans and felt like my life outside of work was non-existent. And honestly, as much as it pains me to say it, I was starting to feel the beginning of compassion fatigue – I was more irritable with coworkers and starting to lose empathy. I still wanted to be that voice for the voiceless. But I wasn’t providing the best vet care I knew I could with the pressure I was under. And that just didn’t sit right.

I was drowning. Happiness? Sanity? My real self? I couldn’t do what I love and live my life and look out for my own well-being all at once.

I had to admit it: I was living the cautionary tales we’d heard about in vet school. But what was I supposed to do? I was still paying off (big) student loans. I’d spent so much time and effort getting to where I was. So maybe it was my expectations that needed to change? I mean, this is what work is, right? You grind. You juggle everything. You find joy where you can, I guess?

News to me: there IS a way to vet the way I want.

During all this soul-searching, I had coffee with a vet friend. I was unloading a bit, confessing my veterinary career crisis, throwing out all the escapes I was considering – maybe relief work or research, or even going corporate.

He shared more about his own journey and all I could focus on was that he was happy and was getting to practice vet medicine “on his terms without any compromise.” I needed to know more, and he was happy to talk about it.

He talked about the many ways IndeVets lets you work: general practice, surgery, emergency – each role as an IndeVet is yours to build. Their definition of full time (34 hours per week) was simply mind-blowing. I was averaging 50 in a “slow” week.

He said vets could choose part-time or full-time roles and work in any number of ways that fit their lives. For example, he chose to try a few clinics first, fell in love with the team and patients at two, and is now working four days per week (two at each clinic). And he picks up extra shifts as he needs to fill his weekly 34 hours per week.

The story became more attractive and yet, candidly, less believable as he went on. He regularly takes breaks for lunch and even if he had to work through lunch on occasion, he was still getting paid for every minute of it. If that wasn’t enough to fill my too-good-to-be-true list – he also gets paid for any overtime, which included staying after to make follow-up calls and finish notes.

He raved about how he could pick the hours, days, and clinics he wanted to work (but made sure to mention that IndeVets could manage the scheduling, too, if he wanted). At this point in our coffee talk, it was clear he was trying to win me over with all the options! And it was working.

Finally, I get to choose. I vet the way I want; with the support I need.

I joined IndeVets a few weeks later and in the last two years, have never looked back. I confess, as good as it first sounded, I still went in skeptical.

When I first joined, I completed an assessment of my burnout level (as did all new doctors). No surprise: 39% of vets surveyed had high degrees of burnout and/or disengagement. They assessed us again after our first six months and that number was nearly eradicated (down to 4%).

I have to say being an Associate IndeVet has met, and far exceeded, my expectations. I can finally build my career around my life – not the other way around. I choose my own schedule and my clinics. I work at several hospitals close to home. My time off is guilt-free and even encouraged.

For the first time in my career, I have dedicated support – professional and personal. In fact, I am part of an entire squad of support that includes a dedicated Director of Clinical Excellence to help guide the medicine I practice and a Veterinary Social Worker whose sole purpose is to support our physical and mental well-being. Plus at least six other folks who make it their job to make sure my life as a vet is fulfilling.

Finally, I have the kind of career I set out to make for myself. In the beginning, I just didn’t know how. But now I do. And I love knowing that whether it’s tomorrow, in six months, or in ten years, IndeVets will support me and help mold my career to my life – not the other way around.