#VetStudentAdvice | Veterinary School & Beyond Pawlicy Advisor

This week, Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, shares why her experience working with a variety of animal species, from emergency medicine to zoo medicine, helped her become a better doctor. Dr. Chatfield also talks about her work with the Department of Homeland Security,  what a veterinarian's role is in biosecurity at a national level, and her role as a veterinarian in public policy.

Debbie Boone, BS, CCS, CVPM has worked for the veterinary profession for more than 30 years and is Fear Free SM Certified. After earning her degree in animal science from North Carolina State University, she quickly moved into hospital administration- and now has experience in managing small animal, mixed animal, specialty, and emergency practices. Debbie is an expert in team communication, positive practice culture, and developing monthly paid wellness plans for veterinary practices. Her consulting business helps practices develop extraordinary team communication and business skills to enhance patient care and improve practice value. 

The AVMA, WVC, NAVC, AAHA, Patterson Veterinary Supply, and more, all consistently seek Debbie out for her skills as a trainer and speaker. She has been published in numerous veterinary publications and currently serves as a member of the VetPartners Board of Directors, the Fear Free Advisory Board, and was part of the AAHA LINC committee which selects the AAHA Board of Directors. She is currently launching a new vodcast called The Bend which invites guests to share their stories of triumph over adversity.

Cindy Trice, DVM, is a relief veterinarian with over 16 years of small animal practice experience across general practice, emergency, and shelter clinics. Dr. Cindy Trice finds great satisfaction helping other vets take those much-deserved breaks. In 2018, Cindy founded Relief Rover, (reliefrover.com), a platform connecting relief vets to jobs, each other, resources, and service providers who can help them grow their businesses. 

1. What is a relief veterinarian, and what are the main differences between being a stationary GP at one practice versus a relief vet?

2. What was your journey as a relief veterinarian and how that led you to create Relief Rover?

3. What are the pros and cons of being a relief vet at different stages of your career?

4. How should vet students go about preparing for life a relief vet in their clinical rotations and how should they best pursue becoming a relief vet early on in their careers?

Joanne Intile, DVM, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Oncology at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine and a veterinary journalist who's written for PetMD. She loves helping future vet professionals and wants you to know that being a vet does take people skills:


Why you need to like people (0:36)
Collaborating as a veterinarian (2:15)
What you say to pet owners matters (5:02)
What you can do to be more likable (7:16)
Is public speaking relevant? (10:01)
Ways to recharge and prevent burnout (13:21)
Coping with imposter syndrome (18:50)
Getting comfortable being uncomfortable (20:31)

*Hosted by Pawlicy Advisor.

William Hodges, DVM, has focused on emergency medicine since 2014 and now runs his own locum business for veterinary hospitals across the U.S. and shares excellent advice on how sales technique plays a part in being a better veterinarian:  


Why you need to embrace sales to be an effective veterinarian (00:49)
Student debt and the conversation around money (7:50)
Tactics to increase treatment acceptance rates (13:28)

*Hosted by Pawlicy Advisor.

Ricky Walther, a 4th-year veterinary student at UC Davis and the immediate past president of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA), recently landed a position with a practice in California. Here's his advice on how to stand out and keep moving forward amid COVID-19:  


Getting the most out of virtual clinic hours (00:48)
Important topics to get context on (3:49)
How do we practice hands-on skills at home? (5:05)
COVID-19 and the effect on the veterinary job market (6:52)
Creative ways to work with a future employer or discuss employment (10:33)
Learning virtually, and virtual appointments (14:45)
Discussing pet insurance (21:35)
Asking employers about current COVID-19 best practices (23:29)
The future of extracurriculars in a digital world (30:15)
Final thoughts from a 4th-year vet student (36:39)

*Hosted by Pawlicy Advisor.