Listen in as Dr. Jim Clark takes the time to share the story of his fascinating veterinary career path. From how he started his first practice, to the importance of listening to your colleagues, and how his path took him through multi-practice ownership and teaching at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to his three-legged approach to success in the profession. Dr. Clark also spends the time to share his tips for veterinary colleagues who are interested in being independent practice owners, including a recommended timeline and the most important things to consider.

This episode has all the makings of how we as humans are a work in progress, and provides relatable insights into leadership, partnerships, finance, teaching, and a love for animals.

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.

GUEST BIO:

Jim Clark, DVM, MBA

U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Jim Clark is an animal lover, entrepreneur, multi-practice owner, clinician, and educator. After working in general and emergency practice for more than 20 years, earning an MBA, and serving as an owner in four ER/Spec practices, Clark joined the faculty of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010, assuming leadership of their Professional Skills curriculum. He currently provides instruction in communication, mental health, career planning, DEI, and business management skills.

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

Veterinary Education and Communication Coaching: http://www.petpracticepartners.com/

VIN Foundation Start Up Club: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/veterinary-practice-start-up-club/

VIN Foundation Student Debt Education: https://vinfoundation.org/studentdebtcenter

Get updates to stay tuned for the VIN Foundation webinars on student debt.

You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

If you like this podcast, we would appreciate it if you follow and share. As always, we welcome feedback. If you have an idea for a podcast episode, we’d love to hear it!

Animal lover Becky Godchaux shares how she came to create the veterinary student scholarship offering two new veterinary students up to $140,000 each for their DVM education. Listen in to learn what inspired her generosity, how animals have positively impacted her life, and how she views the important relationship between the animal, the client, and the veterinarian. This is a great episode for animal lovers who want to support a healthy animal community.

The VIN Foundation is honored to be the home of the Mike Dunn, DVM Veterinary Student Scholarship created by Becky Godchaux. Learn more about the scholarship in the link below.

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

• Veterinary Student Scholarship: https://vinfoundation.org/scholarship
• VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

If you enjoy listening to this podcast and want to support these efforts, please consider making a donation to the VIN Foundation: https://vinfoundation.org/give.

You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Listen in as Dr. Rebecca Mears from the VIN Foundation Student Debt Education Team shares her unorthodox path to veterinary medicine, the trends she is seeing in her work with veterinary students and student debt. Find out how a horse jockey and dinosaur fit into her story. As she says in the beginning, this episode is a fun ride!

GUEST BIO:

Dr. Rebecca Mears

Rebecca Mears, DVM is from Lexington, KY, where she completed her BS at University of Kentucky. She is a graduate of University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Rebecca has worked as an equine general practitioner and is an active AAEP member. She has been involved in the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) since vet school and now as a co-advisor for the National VBMA. In her work with VIN and the VIN Foundation she has a primary focus on student debt education and is a member of the VIN Student Team. She is passionate about giving back to the profession and improving the lives of veterinarians, pre-vet and vet students. In her time away from veterinary medicine, she can be found hiking, baking, and hosting impromptu dance parties.

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

• VIN Foundation Student Debt Center: https://vinfoundation.org/studentdebtcenter
• VIN Students: https://www.vin.com/students
• VBMA: https://vbma.biz/
• Vets for Pets and People: https://news.uga.edu/vets-for-pets-and-people/
• Check your current student loan servicers and other loan details -- VIN Foundation My Student Loans tool: http://www.vinfoundation.org/mystudentloans
• Loan Repayment Simulator: https://vinfoundation.org/loansim
• VIN Foundation WikiDebt: https://vinfoundation.org/wikidebt
• VIN Foundation Webinars: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/webinars/
• VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/
• VIN Foundation GIVE page to support these programs & tools: https://vinfoundation.org/give

You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

If you like this podcast, we would appreciate it if you follow and share. As always, we welcome feedback. If you have an idea for a podcast episode, we’d love to hear it!

Listen in as VIN Foundation Vets4Vets® team member Dr. Susan Cohen dives deep on perfectionism. She covers how to identify it in ourselves and/or others, how it impacts veterinary teams, and helpful tools to decrease the self-torment. Learn how to move toward enjoying the good stuff, and find out what a bliss list is and how it can be motivational. Check the links below to download a copy of Susan’s Bliss List example.

GUEST BIO:

Dr. Susan Cohen

Susan P. Cohen, DSW, ACSW has been called a pioneer in the fields of pet loss, human-animal interaction, and the human side of veterinary practice. Since 1982 Dr. Cohen has helped pet lovers make decisions about the illness of their pets. She developed the first-ever Pet Loss Support Group and began an animal assisted activity program that took the then-unusual form of having volunteers work with their own pets. She originated many training programs for workers in the veterinary and social service fields, and she has been a field instructor for several schools of social work. She has written several book chapters and scholarly articles on social work, veterinary practice, and the human-animal bond. Her most recent book chapter, “Loss, Grief, and Bereavement in the Context of Human-Animal Relationships” (Susan Cohen, DSW; and Adam Clark, LSW, AASW) was published in 2019. She is currently working on a chapter on pet loss for Routledge’s International Handbook on Human-Animal Interaction. These days she consults with veterinary groups on client and professional communication, compassion fatigue, and how to make practice fun again. She facilitates online support groups for veterinarians, animal welfare workers, managers, and those grieving the loss of a pet. She teaches online workshops and lectures widely to veterinary colleges and conferences, colleges of social work, veterinary technician programs, and human health groups on communication, pet loss and bereavement, human-animal interaction, client relations, compassion fatigue, and career development. She is Vice Chairperson of SWAHAB (Social Workers Advancing the Human-Animal Bond), the first such committee of the National Association of Social Workers. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and Smithsonian Magazine. In addition, she has made numerous television and radio addresses nationwide, including “The Today Show,” “20-20,” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

• VIN Foundation Vets4Vets®: https://vinfoundation.org/v4v
• Bliss list example: https://vinfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/VINFoundation-Veterinary-Pulse-Episode-157-Dr.-Susan-Cohen-on-Perfectionism-Bliss-List-example.pdf
• Red Shoes Syndrome podcast: https://vinfoundation.org/are-you-caring-too-much-red-shoe-syndrome-with-dr-susan-cohen/
• Wabi Sabi: ​​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi
• Nine Signs Your Perfectionism is Out of Control: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/telltale-signs-your-perfectionism-out-control-dr-travis-bradberry/
• 14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out of Control: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-perfectionism-is-ruin_n_4212069

Quotes mentioned in the episode:

• Brene Brown: “Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.”
• Fred Astaire: “Do it big, do it right, and do it with style.”

You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

If you like this podcast, we would appreciate it if you leave a review, subscribe/follow and share. As always, we welcome feedback. If you have an idea for a podcast episode, we’d love to hear it!