When Work Finally Has an Ending

I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian from the time I was a kid. Even now, I love that every appointment is an opportunity to learn something and hopefully help somebody else.

But before I joined IndeVets, I was starting to wonder whether I could keep doing it.

Over my career, I’ve worked in general practice, emergency and critical care, and shelter medicine. I loved all of those areas, but they can be incredibly demanding.

At one point, I worked under a non-veterinarian manager who told us we were replaceable and that they wished they could replace us with robots. There also wasn’t an understanding of the emotional side of veterinary medicine—why euthanasia affects people, or why you carry some of those experiences with you.

I was burned out and starting to not enjoy being a veterinarian anymore, which made me sad.

Then I found IndeVets, and it was like a ray of sunlight in the clouds.

I Wasn’t Looking for Relief Work

honestly wasn’t seriously considering relief when I first attended an IndeVets webinar.

What I heard about the company and the support it gives its doctors made me want to learn more.

From there, I felt welcomed without ever feeling pressured. It was one of the least stressful—but most thorough—interview processes I’ve been through.

A big part of that was talking with actual practicing veterinarians. They understood what practicing medicine is really like and what matters to doctors. They talked about feeling less stressed and enjoying practicing medicine again.

And I thought, I want to get back to that point.

I Can Leave Work and Actually Leave Work

I joined IndeVets in January, and I’m still working five days a week in the Chicago area.

The biggest change isn’t that I suddenly stopped working. It’s that work has an ending now.

I can leave work and actually leave work.

There isn’t an expectation that my personal time is secondary to work or that I’m available 24/7. I can come in, do my job as a veterinarian, and then go home and enjoy my personal time.

I honestly didn’t believe that was possible.

My boyfriend noticed the difference before I did. Within a couple of weeks, he told me I seemed less stressed. Before, I had gotten to the point where I would wake up and think, Do I have to go to work today? Can I call in sick?

I don’t feel that way anymore.

This is the least stressful—and probably the most fun—job I’ve had in years.

Independence Without Being Alone

There’s a lot of independence and flexibility with relief work at IndeVets, but I never feel alone.

Jesse, my scheduling coordinator, and the rest of the scheduling team handle so many of the details that I really can just show up and be a veterinarian. My clinical leader and manager, Casey, is also a veterinarian, so he understands what it’s actually like to practice medicine and is there when I need him.

Jesse just gets me. The team knows my preferences and keeps checking in rather than assuming they’ll always stay the same.

It’s an amazing mix of independence and flexibility with a team that genuinely supports you.

Walking Into a Hospital Prepared

Before a shift, I can review a VetFit brief, which gives me a snapshot of a hospital’s workflow and culture and how they line up with my preferences.

It helps me get a realistic idea of things like pace, staff independence, structure, and what the day may look like before I walk through the door.

I appreciate that IndeVets has standards for the hospitals we work with. I have confidence that I’m walking into a practice where I can feel comfortable focusing on the medicine.

I also have a long-term placement, or LTP, where I work the same day at the same hospital each week.

I get to know the team and clientele and understand more deeply how I can help, while still getting the variety I enjoy about relief work.

And when I’ve traveled farther for shifts, I’ve appreciated receiving paid travel time. It’s another way of showing that my time is both valued and valuable.

A Career That Can Change With My Life

Later this year, I’m moving to Indianapolis, where my boyfriend lives.

What I don’t have to do is find another job.

I told IndeVets I was moving and wanted to stay with the company, and the process was incredibly easy. That is such a huge stress off my shoulders.

Moving is stressful enough. Knowing I don’t also have to find a new job—and can stay with a company I already trust—takes one major thing off my plate.

I also like knowing my career can keep evolving. I work five days a week now. Maybe someday I’ll want to work four. Maybe three.

I know I can have those conversations without feeling like I have to choose between the life I want and staying in a career I love.

That combination of independence, flexibility, structure, and support is what makes this feel sustainable.

I’m Excited to Be a Veterinarian Again

Veterinary medicine is never going to be completely stress-free. That’s the nature of what we do.

But I don’t need to be stressed by everything surrounding the medicine.

Now I can come in, be a veterinarian, enjoy being a veterinarian, go home and be present at home—and repeat the next day if I want to.

Since joining IndeVets, I’m excited to be a veterinarian again.

If you’re curious about relief work but aren’t sure it’s for you, my advice is simple: attend an IndeVets webinar. There’s no pressure and no hard sell. That’s how I started, and I wasn’t seriously considering relief either.

You might be surprised by what being a veterinarian can feel like again.

Interested in learning more about IndeVets? Join our upcoming webinar.