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What is the emotional impact being a vet has on people ?

#don'twanttocryeverytimeadoggetshurt #veterinarian #verterinary
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Thank you comment icon I think it has to do with the relationship of the vet and the animal!!! Justyn
Thank you comment icon you might get emotionally attached to the pets. Allie
Thank you comment icon very good question kat jelissa
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Amy’s Answer

The most emotionally draining and difficult part of being a veterinarian for me has to do with the very unpleasant but very real task of charging and collecting fees for services. Unlike in the medical world where everything is billed by another department, sometimes in another state, vets must present the most medically appropriate and standard-of-care treatment plans, and then the price tag, and then deal with clients' reactions to cost, particularly when the best medicine is financially untenable. Veterinarians must constantly strive to be unbiased in our treatment recommendations but at the same time be sensitive to our clients' financial means and avoid making them feel guilty or judged. Clients are already in an emotionally vulnerable position when their pets are sick. Witnessing pet owners have to make painful choices based on financial limitations has no reward. Worst of all are when these clients lash out at the veterinarian, sometimes on social media, for being heartless or "only caring about money", etc. We know that our cost of goods, facilities, and education is the same as for a medical practice however our fees are only a fraction of what medical facilities and labs charge insurance companies yet these fees are felt directly by our pet owning clients who usually do not have pet insurance and often seen as exorbitant, especially by grieving clients or clients with sick pets. The ability to offer empathy, impartiality, compassion, and sound medicine all at once while maintaining personal boundaries, resilience, and self-care are the most important skills a veterinarian needs to have a rewarding career and rise above compassion fatigue, depression, and suicide.

Amy recommends the following next steps:

I found this book helpful: "The Unspoken Life" by Kimberly Pope-Robinson, on the subject of compassion fatigue and the well-being of veterinarians
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Miguel’s Answer

People request your help/expertise/advise all the time, for routine wellness visits and during sick and emergency situations for their pets.
We have been taught in vet school, that "you cannot save them all", but we strive to prove it wrong. It's always wonderful to see a sick pet become healthy again and leave the hospital with their happy owners. Imagine the opposite. It's an emotional rollercoaster alright. Strive to do your best all the time, and you'll have more happy endings than not.
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