December 2017 - Reflection
Sorry about the lateness of December’s blog everyone, I promise I had made good progress writing this edition during December but then everything went rather mental. The week before Christmas I spent on call which culminated in a Saturday which did not seem to end! My last patient of the day was down as a pug that had been in a dog fight… ‘Geez’ I thought to myself, picturing awful lacerations and eyeballs out of their sockets. In trots in this little dog, the only thing wrong that I could see was that he had a mild limp. This was not what I was expecting! The owner explained her dog (the pug) had run out of her house and into her next-door neighbour’s house where he promptly tucked into the neighbour’s dog’s (a mastiff) lunch. Said mastiff, unsurprisingly, did not take kindly to this theft and gave the little pug what for. Amazingly the wee dog escape unscathed, just pulling a muscle running away home! Which is a nice example of the main thing I have learnt about being a first opinion vet: it’s never a good idea to worry about things ahead of time, but see what you get when it is in front of you.
So, it’s the time of year where I think we all tend to look back and take stock of the past 12 months and think about the year to come. Obviously 2017 was a great year for me, finally succeeding in my lifelong dream of becoming a veterinary surgeon and then, generally, being very happy in my new career. However, I still tend to dwell on the cases that didn’t go right for me, or mistakes I made on the job; and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Vet school actually encourages its students to reflect on your mistakes and times when things didn’t go well and use it as an opportunity to learn. This is laudable but sometimes I wonder as I obsess about a procedure I mucked up or a case that’s not going the way I wanted it, that vet school should perhaps do more to encourage us to dwell as much upon our accomplishments as well as our failures.
As the year turns and I look back over what I have achieved the last 6 months, I will look for the positives and celebrate my successes. I may not have performed life-saving surgeries or diagnosed rare illnesses, but in general I have done the job in front of me. I have been honest when I have made errors and tried my best to fix my mistakes. I have improved my communication skills, my confidence in diagnosing common illnesses and making treatment plans. I am learning my way around the island, remembering clients, their horses and their histories. I know I can get through tough times and that there is something positive I can take from every day.
So here I am on my sofa, scoffing the last of my Christmas choc (from a client, no less!) wishing you all a 2018 to be proud of, and urging everyone to reflect on the bad but focus on the good!
Happy New Year!
So, it’s the time of year where I think we all tend to look back and take stock of the past 12 months and think about the year to come. Obviously 2017 was a great year for me, finally succeeding in my lifelong dream of becoming a veterinary surgeon and then, generally, being very happy in my new career. However, I still tend to dwell on the cases that didn’t go right for me, or mistakes I made on the job; and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Vet school actually encourages its students to reflect on your mistakes and times when things didn’t go well and use it as an opportunity to learn. This is laudable but sometimes I wonder as I obsess about a procedure I mucked up or a case that’s not going the way I wanted it, that vet school should perhaps do more to encourage us to dwell as much upon our accomplishments as well as our failures.
As the year turns and I look back over what I have achieved the last 6 months, I will look for the positives and celebrate my successes. I may not have performed life-saving surgeries or diagnosed rare illnesses, but in general I have done the job in front of me. I have been honest when I have made errors and tried my best to fix my mistakes. I have improved my communication skills, my confidence in diagnosing common illnesses and making treatment plans. I am learning my way around the island, remembering clients, their horses and their histories. I know I can get through tough times and that there is something positive I can take from every day.
So here I am on my sofa, scoffing the last of my Christmas choc (from a client, no less!) wishing you all a 2018 to be proud of, and urging everyone to reflect on the bad but focus on the good!
Happy New Year!
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