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KICK ASS VETS is dedicated to empowering veterinarians to take control of their career, so they can

06/07/2023

PART 2:

7. FIND SUPPORT: find like minded people (often parents with kids the same age are most helpful because they understand) to vent, bitch, laugh, swap stories, and lean on each other. Knowing someone else also is struggling is helpful sometimes to know you aren’t alone.
8. ACCEPT HELP: learn to ask for, and accept help! This is exceedingly tough for me, and a huge one for both me and my hubby. But when pregnant, working, with a toddler, you may need help and that’s ok. Also, with this comes with accepting help as people are able to help you, and letting go of micromanaging tendencies. (See Superhero Syndrome blog for more on this)
9. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE: be kind to yourself, forgive yourself, don’t be hard on yourself, whatever term you need to use. If you can only function at 20% your normal, and that’s you giving 100%, because you are exhausted from growing a fetus, that’s ok!
10. SHARE THE LOAD: if you are lucky and have a partner, talk to them and ensure you are sharing the load as equally as you can. And that won’t mean you each do half of each task, but divide and conquer and it’s ok to play to your strengths. But as a “momma” you don’t need to do it all yourself!

It’s all DAMN HARD (for me anyways)… so do your best, be honest with yourself, your work, your partner. Ask for what you need and don’t micromanage so that others can actually help! And reach out for help if you are struggling! We ALL struggle, instagram pictures are high light reels!

And, slow down (I know, I HATE it when people tell me to slow down) and enjoy the happy bits, and try to not let the hard bits ruin your day. Remember, parenting IS a job, and any job has ups and down. 20% of the time you won’t like (or May hate) your job, 20% it’s the best thing in the world, and 60% is just doing and getting s**t done. There isn’t something “wrong” with you if you don’t love every moment with your little angel/monster!

Enjoy what you can, and try to ride the bad waves! And do it in your own style because none of us know what we are doing!!!

06/07/2023

PART 1:

Working, being pregnant, and being a mom… all at the same time.

What has it been like? In a nutshell… tough!

It will be different for everyone, depending on your situation, how much help you have (family, daycare, etc), working hours/schedule, your baby’s temperament, your personality, etc.

TIPS (Based on things that worked for us):
1. WORK SCHEDULE: if you can, be creative and flexible with your work hours to fit with your child care needs. (Ex. My husband works from home, and selectively picked a remote job to ensure this so we could share the child caring load. I selectively picked a job where I could work weekends/evenings)
2. ROUTINE: get into some sort of routine so you don’t get Decision Fatigue by 9am. Whether it’s what you do with baby, what you feed baby or yourself, etc. Babies also love routines! It’s ok to eat the same meal for dinner every night!
3. EXPLORE PROGRAMS FOR KIDS: there are lots of FREE things you can do with babies and kids, so ask around! Taking them to the library (lots have a play space), government run programs (in BC Canada it’s called “Strong Start”).
4. GET “ME TIME”: at some point you need time away from tasks and baby. For me this is nap time sometimes (but usually that’s when I try to get work done), or more commonly when I bring baby to “child minding” at the gym. They watch you kid for a bit so you can work out/nap in the change room/ swim/ relax in the hot tub. This was a life saver for me and allowed me to keep some fitness up which is important for my mental health.
5. TRIAGE: my good friend .vet.ed told me to triage things in my life and not stress if everything didn’t get done. This has been a mantra for me the past couple years! If it’s not life imperative… it can wait!
6. RESET EXPECTATIONS: for me this was huge, and continues to be difficult. Reset the concept of what success and failure looks like, as a professional, parent, partner, fitness, friend, etc. let those around you know you are doing your best, and you just can’t give as much of yourself as you would like, because there isn’t more to give. “That’s another puzzle piece I just can’t handle right now” has been my phrase.

17/05/2022

LOCUM BOUNDARIES:

Do you take last minute shifts?

Do you like that you can charge extra (1.5x or 2x for shifts scheduled with

10/05/2022

LOCUM BOUNDARIES TIP:

Do you give out your cell number? or your personal email? or do you have a separate email that you only use for work?

If you are the type of person that has trouble saying "no", and will feel guilt, or deliberate every single shift request... and you want a day or two 'off'... then DON'T GIVE OUT YOUR CELL NUMBER!

If you truly want to have time off when you are off, without thinking about, scheduling or managing work shifts... then have a separate email you use for work, and then you determine when you check it!

See blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/locumBoundaries.php for more details!!

03/05/2022

LOCUM BOUNDARY TIP:

SCHEDULE!

This is one of the most important parts of work-life balance that doesn't get nearly enough attention by owners, bosses, managers, employees and locums!

Everyone should pay more attention to schedule!

40 hours in one schedule is amazing, and hell in another schedule!

And, a "good schedule" varies from person to person.

Figure out what is "good" for you:
- long or short shifts?
- how many days/nights in a row?
- afternoon, morning or night shifts?
- how many shifts in a month?
- a big run all at once and then a break, or having the shifts spread out?
- every tuesday off for boxing class??

Determine what is "good" for you, and then make rules about which shifts you will take, and which you won't!

See the blog for my personal rules!

See blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/locumBoundaries.php for more details!!

26/04/2022

Locum Boundaries:

Determine if you are willing to be on-call, yes or no.

For some, this is hell, for some, it's no big deal.

Figure out who you are, and set that boundary.... and set your "price" for being on call... whats worth it to you, to your sleep, your ability to have a glass of wine, or do a work-out uninterrupted!

See blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/locumBoundaries.php for more details!!

19/04/2022

LOCUM BOUNDARY TIP:

Set SMART Goals!

Figure out WHAT you actually want to get out of locuming! Why are you doing it? For the money, for the schedule, for the variability.

Then, with those WHYs answered, figure out how to actually get what you want!

Figure out exactly how much money you want to make for life, so you aren't just chasing the dollar and working too much and getting burned out. Figure out what specific schedule works for you. Figure out how much you can actually work, or how much you can actually make per hour, so you can create a budget and financial plan! And, set limits that fit with what is feasible!

See blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/locumBoundaries.php for more details!!

10/04/2022

I see it over and over, veterinarians get exhausted and burned out from their full time job, and they quit to locum, thinking it will solve all their problems.

Then they start locuming, and the problems aren't fixed. They are still over-worked, tired, stressed, and burned out!

Setting boundaries in full-time work is important, but it's equally and sometimes even more important as a locum/relief vet, when you get pressure from MULTIPLE clinics to work!

Setting boundaries will:
- improve your feelings about working
- allow you to enjoy life (travel, family time, sitting and watching Netflix- whatever you do!)
- create stability and longevity in your career
- maintain an ongoing plan for $$ and life
- allow you to determine what rate you need, to balance income vs. demand
- give you actual TIME OFF, instead of illusioned time off

See the full blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/locumBoundaries.php for more!

30/03/2022

Create a support network to talk about Imposter Syndrome, to talk about mental health, to talk about everything you are going through.

Learning to lean on others, and confide in others, can be hard for people that are used to pushing themselves, relying on themselves, and being independent... but being an island can be lonely.

Knowing that other amazing, powerful, strong, smart people have suffered from Imposter Syndrome (like - who openly talks about her brushes with Imposter Syndrome, and makes me feel better about when it rears it's head in my life!), makes it easier for you when it affects you!

So, talk about it, and create that network, so you can have support when you need it!

- see Katie for all things Imposter Syndrome

Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

23/03/2022

Celebrating your wins... no matter how small or large, no matter if it is work or life, is important in terms of acknowledging your successes and accepting praise!

So, be proud when you say "I've accomplished X" and say it loudly, to anyone that will listen!

- see Katie for all things Imposter Syndrome

Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

20/03/2022

Now that I’m back to locuming, I’m faced with the question you guys ask me all the time… “What’s a fair Locum rate?”

You want to be paid appropriately but you don’t want to be greedy!

This is how I SET my rate:
- I determine what I would work that job for per hour as full time, then as add 25%.
- I then determine if I will be working the “hard” (weekends, overnights) shifts or the “easy” (weekday day) shifts and us that to slide or adjust that first value up or down by a range of about 20%.

IMPORTANT… it doesn’t end there!

This is how I CHECK my rate:
- I keep track of my billing so I know if aim over or under charging for my services, to be fair to both myself and the business
- I check to see that my hourly rate is approximately 1/4 what I am billing/hour
-1/4 is 20% production plus 25% Locum loading

It will vary shift to shift, but I track this to ensure that I’m doing my part for the clinic, but also to use as ammo for a raise if needed if I realise aim under charging!

If you need help with this and looking at your numbers and making a plan to ask for a raise, check out my CONSULTING SERVICES at www.kickassvets.com

09/03/2022

When you receive praise... just say "Thank You!"

Why is it so hard for us to say "thank you, I worked hard", or "thank you, it was difficult but I pushed through", or "thank you, I appreciate the compliment", or just "thank you" when we recieve praise.

We so often diminish our accomplishments by saying "thank you BUT... it wasn't that hard/ I got lucky / I had a lot of help/ etc."

Yes, acknowledge the help and team... but also, acknowledge your part in your accomplisments. OWN those compliments and be comfortable accepting praise!

- see Katie for all things Imposter Syndrome

Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

08/03/2022

Confidence means knowing that it's OK to rely on your team. Confidence is knowing you are not an island. Confidence means knowing that as a team, you can accomplish more than yourself as an individual.

Confidence in medicine is knowing that it's a TEAM SPORT. Knowing that you cannot possibly know everything, and that where you fall short a colleague will step in, and vice versa.

See the full blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/confidence.php

List your amazing 'Teammates' in the comments below!

02/03/2022

How to fight your fears of not being good enough, of others thinking you won't know, or of thinking you suck.... verbalize them!

Labelling and outwardly verbalizing fears, both when talking with clients, and when talking with colleagues or internally to yourself, removes the POWER that these fears have!

Also, when you verbalize and sit down and address your fears, and what would happen if that came to light, you realize often the outcome isn't nearly as scary as you thought.

Even better of an exercise is to write down, on paper so you have to visualize it, the fear, consequence and outcome... and this can help you see that with Imposter Syndrome, the "aftermath" or "outcome" of your fears are usually growth, learning and collaboration, all great things in medicine!

Example:
Fear: “I’m afraid I will get a case and not know what to do.”
Consequence- I will have to ask for help on the case
Aftermath- Your team will be happy you asked for help, the patient will receive the best care possible, and you will learn and grow

- see Katie for all things Imposter Syndrome

Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

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01/03/2022

Let's talk about displaying value!

It is NOT your job to determine what treatment is worth to a client. If they want to remortgage their house, that's fine. If they would rather buy a trampoline, that's fine.

What IS your job however, is to display the VALUE of your tests, treatments and recommendations.

What you learn with experience is the VALUE of these tests. You gain the CONFIDENCE that you cannot know the answer without the test, and that confidence allows you to display that necessary confidence.

Displaying value, no matter what socio-economic status your client has, is your job. It is your job for patient advocacy!

See my new blog on Confidence: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/confidence.php

And stay tuned for more about PATIENT ADVOCACY!

23/02/2022

Imposter Syndrome can stem from the fear of not knowing enough, or the fear of failure, or percieved failure by others.

One of the most important aspects to recognize is that in medicine, there is no such thing as "perfect". Medicine is always evolving, always changing, always growing in knowledge. Also, in veterinary medicine, it's impossible to know everything, our brains just aren't that big!

So, drop your drive for perfection, and instead re-set your goal-post to continued learning and growth!

www.katiefordvet.com, - This place to go for Imposter Syndrome.

New Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

21/02/2022

Dealing with S**TTY CLIENTS?

How do you manage? How do you get through the day without wanting to quit or just punch someone (we've all had those feelings!)

By focusing on your own goals! What is your desire for the day?
What is the outcome that you are looking for?
What is actually important?

I don't care about the clients, I care about YOU, and YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

By focusing on what you actually want at the end of the day, you can refocus your energy, and your mental approach to these clients. You can then change how you think about them, how you treat them, which importantly changes how THEY TREAT YOU!

It makes you have nicer interactions, it makes you less stressed, and it makes your drive home one where you can think about that cute puppy, or that kick ass save that you had during the day, or ponder about the pathophysiology of an interesting case... instead of thinking over and over about that as***le client!

Check out the full blog on dealing with S**TTY CLIENTS: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

Let me know your thoughts!

17/02/2022

"When you ASSUME you make an ASS of U and ME."

This is an incredibly valuable line to remember in life. 99% of the time, gathering more information is better. Learing WHY clients are making the decisions they are making will help you understand their motives and communicate with them. It will help you understand where they are coming from.

HOWEVER... getting to know people takes energy, time, emotional head space, and mental fortitude... espeically when sometimes you dig deeper and find out... oh, you really are just an 'as***le'.

So... in my new blog on dealing with S**TTY CLIENTS... I suggest you DO ASSUME.

Assume that your client is going through hell... skip the energy and time it takes to dig deeper, skip the compassion fatigue you feel when you actually find out their story... and just jump to the end result where you feel bad for them, and give them space... this will change how you treat them, which means it will change how THEY TREAT YOU... which is what I care about.

When I was about 5 months pregnant, I had a client with a cat with end-stage cancer, that was grieving about having to euthanize because the pleural effusion had filled up again. They were lovely, but 'overly emotional' in a time and place where I didn't have the energy to soak up that emotion. They then told me they just had to make the decision to take their baby off life-support, and this cat was their comfort at home. I still tear up writing this, almost a year later. They needed my compassion and empathy... but sometimes you can't always take that emotional energy- because that is compassion fatigue.

You aren't a bad person for not wanting to hear (and thus feel) every sob story. I create myself a wall- I assume the clients that are being jerks are going through hell, and that gives me the ability to treat them with compassion without getting the fatigue part. It changes how I act, which changes how they treat me.

See more in my blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

16/02/2022

Imposter Syndrome Tip:

Write yourself a letter of recommendation with all the kindness, support and praise that you would a colleague you admire!

www.katiefordvet.com - This place to go for Imposter Syndrome.

New Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

14/02/2022

LOVE

Let's talk about love.

Loving your job in particular.

I want to make it very clear, that LOVING YOUR JOB doens't mean you SHOULDN'T BE PAID FOR IT!

Through consults and through KICK ASS VETS, I see so many amazing vets think that if they love their job, and love their patients, they cannot be paid appropriately because that somehow diminishes their love for their job.

Being compensated appropriately for your work in no way deminishes how much you care, how good you are, or how much you love your patients or clients!

Being compensated appropriately for your work only shows how much you care, and how much you LOVE YOURSELF, and value yourself enough to get what you deserve.

So, this Valentines day... I challenge you to LOVE YOURSELF... to show yourself care, compassion, and value.. and get paid what you deserve.

You are an amazing person, an amazing vet or vet nurse/tech, an amazing individual. LOVE YOURSELF for this!

Let me know if you need a little help getting what you deserve!

KICK ASS VETS Services: https://www.kickassvets.com/kick_ass_services.php

09/02/2022

NEW BLOG:

I'm not going to go much into detail into Imposter Syndrome because does this so well, and there is no need to re-invent the wheel. However, given it's such a huge aspect of our field, and I see it and touch base on it often enough in my consults, I wanted to touch on it and make sure I had a blog on this topic on the website.

As a professional, espeically as a female which most people in veterinary medicine are, chances are you will suffer from Imposter Syndrome more than once in your career.

Knowing the signs, addressing it for what it is, tackling it, and moving on, are all important aspects to not let this annoying, invasive bu**er take hold and paralyze you.

www.katiefordvet.com - This place to go for Imposter Syndrome.

New Blog: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/imposter.php

07/02/2022

LABELLING:

One of the easiest tools in our communication toolbox is LABELLING.

Think about how you would feel if you met someone, they liked you, and then as they got to know you more they decided they didn't like you anymore... that hurts doesn't it! It's why break-ups, even if you don't like the other person enough to stay, hurt. Our pride, our ego, our sense of self gets attacked.

It's human nature to want other people to think well of us... so use that to your advantage.

LABEL your client as PATIENT, UNDERSTANDING, CARING, KIND, KNOWLEDGABLE... whatever you need or want them to be in that moment. In doing so you impart to them that you feel they contain this nature, and if they act in a way that breaks it, they will lose your respect, your "like" of them. This is something that most humans don't want.

So, when you know someone has been waiting, don't say "Sorry for waiting" which implies that you did something wrong, instead say "Thank you so much for your patience."

This simple line will remove the majority of complaints that clients have about waiting, and will make them say to themselves, "yes, I was so patient, I'm such a good person and this was recognized."

This is one tool that I discuss in my blog regarding dealing with S**TTY CLIENTS, especially through this pandemic!

Blog Link: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

Let me know if this line works for you!

31/01/2022

Carrying on from my blog about dealing with S**TTY CLIENTS

Blog link: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

The basis: BE SELFISH!

How can you be selfish, and get treated in a better way?

The answer... you act in a way that gets you the outcome you want, but more importantly the outcome you NEED.

You don't have to solve all of life's problems today. You don't have to be the agent of change every day.

Sometimes, especially through this COVID pandemic, you might not have the mental fortitude (a new phrase that my husband and I use to convey when we just can't press through more stress!) to have that conversation today.

It's OK to do what you have to do, to get by, and to protect yourself.

This blog shows how you can change your mindset, to one of selfishness, and that leads to clients treating you better.

It focuses on helping you focus on your end goal.

It may come across as "client centric" in that they "get their way", or "get off easy".... but read the blog.. I don't give a S**T about those S**TTY CLIENTS... I care about YOU, about YOUR MENTAL HEALTH... I want you to be able to change something RIGHT NOW, that will make your day better. THAT is what this blog is about!

Let me know what you think about it!
https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

28/01/2022

"Turn the Other Cheek"... let's talk about this.

Should you allow yourself to be abused over and over? NO
Should you allow clients to treat you badly, and get away with it? NO

BUT... should you ALWAYS have to fight them? Should you always have to be the agent of change? NO... it's exhausting.

Through this pandemic, a lot of us are just fed up, fed up of dealing with S**TTY CLIENTS.

This blog discusses how you can change your mental approach, and it comes across a little bit like "turn the other cheek" but the importance is the underlying reasons, approach and desired outcome.

So, if you are one metaphorical cheek slap away from going full on lion attack.. check out my new blog on how to deal with s**tty clients: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

What are your thoughts on this approach to "turning the other cheek?"

24/01/2022

NEW BLOG!

One of the common issues that a lot of colleagues, friends and KICK ASS VETS Consult Clients have been having recently, is how to function and not completely break down, with all the extra stress, abuse, under-staffing, and work that COVID has created.

Let's be honest- clients have been S**TTY. They have been more demanding, more aggressive, less patient, less kind, less understanding, and they have been taking out all of their frustration with the pandemic on us!

Especially emergency clinics, where they don't need to maintain a relationship with us.

As you know, I am all about getting clients to realize they cannot treat us like s**t, that they have to be nice, and have I have a whole blog series on firing clients. Public education is important!

BUT... it's SLOW... too slow.

You, we, I, everyone... needs a solution TODAY that will make their work day not so crappy.

This new blog adresses how we can change our own internal mindset and dialogue, how we can change how we THINK about our clients... which will change how we treat our clients... which most important will change HOW OUR CLIENTS TREAT US!

Addressing emotions, labelling, and assuming the best in everyone, are the basis, but the blog goes into more detail!

This has worked for me in both work and personal life, and it's worked for many colleagues and friends and clients.

Let me know what you think about this strategy! Let me know i

Blog Link: https://www.kickassvets.com/blogs/s**tClients.php

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SEPTIC SHOCK FOR DUMMIES Live Webinar plus recording along with notes for everyone that registered (whether or not you can make it to the live event!) Who would benefit from this webinar?? ☑️EMERGENCY VETS ☑️GENERAL PRACTICE VETS ☑️EMERGENCY NURSES ☑️GENERAL PRACTICE NURSES ☑️NEW GRADS ☑️EXPERIENCED VETS AND NURSES ☑️MENTAL HEALTH This webinar goes through sepsis and Shock to help all team members recognise the signs early, help make a plan for early treatment, and helps with communication with clients about this condition. This will help you manage expectations, but also will help you to increase compliance by clients. For GP vets, this will help you catch these cases earlier and help you with convincing owners to be more aggressive with diagnostics, treatment or referral to a 24hr centre. This webinar will show you that you don’t need fancy equipment to diagnose and treat these! Lastly, this webinar is so important for the MENTAL HEALTH of all staff, because these are the cases that keep us up at night thinking “Did I do enough?”, “I should have done more.”, “I suck as a vet and should quit because that animal died and I don’t even know why” This webinar will help you learn what to look for, what to do, and will remove the decision paralysis we feel in these cases, making you feel more in control (as much as you can be), and will remove a huge part of the stress that f these cases! Early Bird Wnds Aug 11th, Code: SEPSISEARLYBIRD #kickassvets #vetlife #veterinarian #vetmedlife #vetmed #vetstudent #vetgirl #vetstudent #vetnewgrad #newgradvet #scrublife #vettech #vettechproblems #vetnurselife #vetnurse #vetnursestudent #veterinarymedicine #veterinarylife

HAVE YOU EVER FELT: “Maybe I’m not cut out for clinical practice “ “Maybe I’m the reason I don’t enjoy my job” “Should I find a Non clinical role?” Or do you job hop over and over?? Check out my post on the “Circle of Competence” - it’s the one with the baseball player and the rectangle of balls! Also check out www.kickassvets.com for blogs on determining your dream job! #kickassvets #vetlife #veterinarian #vetmedlife #vetmed #vetstudent #vetgirl #vetstudent #vetnewgrad #newgradvet #scrublife #vettech #vettechproblems #vetnurselife #vetnurse #vetnursestudent #veterinarymedicine #veterinarylife

Septic Shock for Dummies

https://septicshockfordummies.rsvpify.com/ Just a quick video to share WHY I wanted to do this webinar. Septic shock is difficult to recognize, and often leaves us feeling like we don't belong, or aren't good vets. My hopes are this webinar will not only help you improve the care you provide your patients, but improve your mental health with these cases that are so challenging! Buy tickets at: https://septicshockfordummies.rsvpify.com/

Why I Dropped Locum Shifts During COVID Despite $$ Loss

Why I Dropped Shifts Despite $$ Loss During COVID

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