How do you turn years on the clinic floor into confidence in the OR—and in the exam room? Can problem-based learning and shelter spay/neuter rotations build better communicators?

Host Dr. Dani Rabwin is joined by Amber Elalem (WesternU CVM, 3rd-year vet student) for a candid conversation on PBL, supportive surgical teaching, communication under pressure, debt mindset, social media responsibility, and the mentorship new grads actually need.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Clinic-to-classroom: how kennel tech → practice manager shaped Amber’s vet-school path
• PBL at WesternU: better recall, faster clinical reasoning, learning through real cases
• Shelter spay/neuter rotations: a preceptor model that reduces fear and builds skill
• Communication wins: reflective listening, narrating care, and euthanasia empathy
• Shared decision-making vs “gold standard”: aligning what’s best for pet and client
• Debt reality (~$350k): negotiating first jobs and weighing specialty tradeoffs
• Social media with a license at stake: boundaries, disclaimers, privacy, safety
• Mentorship that works: “cheerleading + bumpers,” not hand-holding
• How to be a proactive mentee: set goals, share feedback preferences, ask for cases

Who this is for

• Veterinary students and pre-vets (especially PBL-curious)
• Early-career veterinarians & interns
• Practice owners/medical directors building real mentorship
• Shelter med & HQHVSN teams
• Anyone refining client communication under stress

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro — kennel tech → PM → WesternU 3rd-year 02:45 Why WesternU & how PBL works (and sticks)

06:58 Shelter spay/neuter rotation + fear-reducing teaching 10:35 Confidence in surgery: “cheerleader with check-ins,” not hovering

13:22 Rotations ahead + communication gains

16:40 Social media: documenting the journey with responsibility

20:18 Debt mindset (~$350k): medicine first, negotiating, specialty/urgent-care paths

24:05 Shared decisions: best for pet + client (not just “gold standard”)

27:30 Language that helps: reflective listening, narrate-the-exam, euthanasia empathy

31:12 Online risks & boundaries: disclaimers, privacy, safety

34:40 Mentorship that works: confidence, bumpers, timely feedback

38:05 Be a proactive mentee: goals, feedback cadence, case mix

41:10 What’s next: behavior interest vs ER/urgent care—and keeping the joy

Resources mentioned

• New-grad mentorship “bumpers” checklist (goals, feedback prefs, case targets)
• Debrief template for tough cases

Ready Vet Go — because mentorship matters, and vets shouldn’t have to go it alone.

Follow: @readyvetgo_

Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#vetstudent #PBL #spayneuter #mentorship #communication #ReadyVetGo