Macon Z. Overcast

Dear Reader,

We all have a day job. Mine is as a veterinarian.

When I share this with folks, often they response with something along the lines of “I always wanted to be a veterinarian…”

“but I could never put a dog down - it would devastate me.”

“and I would have, but I didn’t want to go to school that long.”

“but I volunteered in a clinic and discovered I cats frightened me terribly.”

Or, my favorite:

“but I liked livestock best and realized I wanted to make money.”

The thing about veterinary medicine is that it’s both cool and a bubble. People love it. People love veterinarians. It unifies across social identities through the preservation of the human-animal bond — a relationship that transcends most cultural and political divides. Vets also love their job. At a party, you nearly always have an ice-breaker. Be it the C-section you performed on a horse, gibbon, or hamster; the manner by which a bull separates the squeeze shoot bars to propel you 15 feet backwards; or, a collection of insane stories about home remedies a client used to attempt to resolve an ear infection prior to calling to ask for your advice.

But, veterinary medicine is also a bubble. Misconceptions regarding the role of veterinarians abound in the public ethos. These misconceptions result not only from poor PR of our profession, but also due to the extent the profession has changed in recent years. As a result of these things, veterinarians often feel burnt out due to the demanding expectations of their stakeholders, who may not realize the toll this takes on the typical, value-driven, empathetic vet.

Through this bl0g, I aim to dissect the unifying and challenging dynamics of animal health and veterinary educational issues. If you are a pre-vet student seeking to learn more about the pro’s and con’s of the veterinary profession, this is the blog for you. If you are a veterinarian who seeks a community to discuss the challenges and opportunities vocation, this is the blog for you. And last, but [most certainly] not least, if you are someone outside the profession who is simply curious, this is the blog for you.

Click here for a deeper introduction to the central issues to the veterinary profession, veterinary public health, and representation within the health sciences.

(Truly) Yours,

Macon Overcast

DVM, MPH