Daylight Savings Time. I am betting that like me you have mixed feelings about this controversial anachronism. When we ‘Spring Forward’ in March, I admit I get a bit excited. I have already sensed the increased light in each day now and the subtle buds forming on deciduous trees and the increased chorus of Spring Peepers (tiny and very brave frogs!) further bolsters my sense that the season of renewal is even closer. For me this year, it feels more than ever that this coming through a dreary, gray winter towards a time of possibility parallels what I am sensing from our global veterinary community as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on our lives.
Hope. Connection. Growth. We all need these elements in our lives. Per the World Health Organization: “Being a part of a community can have a positive effect on mental health and emotional well-being. Community involvement provides a sense of belonging and social connectedness. It can also offer extra meaning and purpose to our everyday life.” It has been evident thus far that we are finding these energy-infusing spaces in our in-person veterinary conference events. VMX in Orlando had close to 29,000 attendees and WVC in Las Vegas had over 25,000! In many conversations with colleagues and friends that attended these events, they experienced big and positive emotions upon being reunited with ‘our tribe.’ The excitement of being in and amongst fellow veterinary brethren in a space of learning, laughing, and rejoicing at coming back together after years of being apart was exhausting and exhilarating. We are such a goofy, emotional, and intellectually curious community. The experience of being together in person is where we are reminded of who we are, of why we love our veterinary profession, and of our capacity to have a great time being together while we learn and grow.
Humans are meant to be in community. Like everything in nature, we are stronger when we are interconnected and have the opportunity to infuse nutrients of knowledge, perspective, and compassion more directly. We have been through so much over the last three years in our respective veterinary spaces and in our personal lives. There have been, and are, many complex challenges for us as a global industry to courageously lean into and be boldly innovative. To build the necessary sustainable practices and to create the cultural shifts that fortify our individual and professional well-being, we need the energy and realistic optimism that comes from being in collaborative, dynamic spaces of learning and dialogue.
As we head into the Spring of 2023 and perhaps gently into ‘what’s next’ for our veterinary profession, I encourage each of us to experience an in-person veterinary event of some type this year. Virtual events will continue to be wonderful ways of connecting and of providing avenues for professional development. It is vital for our professional well-being and resiliency that we use all the possible avenues to support our connection to our veterinary community. Your voice, wisdom, and unique perspective matter and are needed to foster the creativity, innovation, and forward-moving energy required for the veterinary profession evolution at hand.
I hope to see you out there this year and in the future that we are building…together.
Resources and Great Reads:
Top 10 Veterinary Conferences of 2023 (written March 2023)
Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference, Sept. 22-24, 2023
Poornima Luthra: The Art of Active Allyship: 7 Behaviors to Empower You to Push the Pendulum Towards Inclusion at Work
Dr. David Agus: The Book of Animal Secrets: Nature’s Lessons for a Long and Happy Life
By Dr. Sonja Olson. Dr. Olson is a veterinary health and wellness educator and the author of Creating Wellbeing and Building Resilience in the Veterinary Profession. Along with Dr. Danielle Alleman, she serves as co-chair of the WSVMA Wellbeing Committee. They write a blog, The Well, on the WSVMA Community [LINK] where they share wellbeing tips, articles, videos, and resources. Sign up to receive updates whenever there’s a new post.