#locumadventures

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Locum Adventures:  Self-employment – Faint of heart need not apply!

Self-employment is not for the faint of heart.  There are no guarantees, cash flow management is a real reality and one’s brain often wants guarantees with one’s cash flow considerations (fair point, brain, fair point).  Sometimes, I wonder why anyone would choose self-employment.  I was musing on this during my walk today and made myself laugh ironically thinking about how great self-employment is.  I love the journey it holds; easy it is not.

One of the truly great things for me, about self-employment is how it has both taught me, and allowed me, to flex and be adaptable to make both my life and career work in a way that’s right for me.  This path is ever evolving, as am I, and as I navigate through the professional experiences I’m having, I can try on new endeavours, as many as I like and have energy for.  Many motivations exist for why self-employment is the right fit for me right now; it is also true that a great motivator to try those new endeavours, and expand the range of my services, are contained within musings on cash flow management, that small, pesky reality of adult life.

I have written in previous blogs how important it is for me to be at home during the garden season, while continuing to support my peers and industry from a geographically remote location.  As a recap, I’ve added contract tele-triage work to my life in addition to local volunteer work in the veterinary space, which have both served me well in turn during 2022 and 2023 during my off-locum season.

Now I’m going to try another addition to my repertoire of self-employment, working with the Felix and Fido at-home nursing platform to deliver RVT care directly to the homes of pet owners and their pets within the Whitehorse area.  I don’t know precisely how to do that, yet.  I’m grateful for the excellent support I’ve been receiving from the Felix and Fido platform and am cheerfully anticipating the learning curve.  As I turn the calendar to May today, I realize I will learn soon as I’m set to deliver services next week to any clientele interested and in need of RVT at-home services. I look forward to working within my community, offering my professional services, and supporting the local vet clinics with their clientele’s needs, as appropriate.

As I grow professionally, it is blatantly obvious to me that connection with pet owners and supporting the human-animal bond is increasingly important to me.  I relish the opportunity to grow the time I can spend on those connections and see where that focus takes me.  To you, self-employment, I owe gratitude and thanks, for providing space to me to do so; you’re frequently challenging, yet so often rewarding.

I continue to locum and support vet teams with in-clinic services, as well as tele-triage, volunteering, writing and speaking; adding at-home RVT nursing is one of multiple ways I get to flex, grow, learn and continue keeping my brain happy in regards to that very real concern…cash-flow management.

As I write this on May 1, 2024, I am bombarded with evidence of the season of change and transitions that is spring.  Migration is in full swing here in the Yukon, the swans are flying over my cabin, gulls have returned as have juncos, robins and thrushes to name but a few; early season butterflies flit and I am thinking ahead to bees and wasps; the mule deer have changed their winter daily route through my yard and I won’t see them with such prevalence again until this coming winter.  When I think of my own capacity for change, watching the natural world provides a lot of perspective and inspiration.  Change requires energy and transitions frequently bridge us to the unknown; there’s always a chance we’ll fail and fall, but there’s a greater than equal chance we’ll rise to the challenge, soar and thrive.  And so even when I have moments of feeling energetically tired organizing coming changes, I know they are a fleeting concern, because I am always fascinated and thrilled with possibility and seeing it come to fruition – I will keep what I find post-transition, or I shall discard, either way the act of trying a change is success, every time.  Thank you, natural world around me, for reminding me. 

Book me for Whitehorse area at-home RVT nursing with my unique booking code (how cool is that?!) Julie @ Felix and Fido at-home nursing

For locum RVT needs, check out the contact page at JulieKerrRVT.com.

Crocuses, small, against the backdrop of the Greater World. Very inspiring, Nature, thanks for the perspective! 😂

Start at The Beginning

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New endeavours - conference speaking

New endeavours have the power to be simultaneously rewarding and terrifying.  As I looked out at the audience who were waiting for me to speak, my brain screamed “WHY?  Why must we do new things!?!”

My brain, contemplating the wisdom of enthusiasm...

Rewind:  what a year this has been for me!  One of my 2023 goals was to speak at conference and it was a goal that has challenged me in many different ways, for reasons I was not always really clear on.  It scared me to think about standing in front of a group of peers, speaking about my experiences and perceived expertise. 

I know what I like to listen to in a speaker; my expectations for myself were high.  And making slideshows!  I have never done that!  Aaah.  So scary!  Initially, this was a 2022 dream and I will openly admit that fear of failing held me back.

I am many things and stubborn is one of them, I will be jolly gosh-darned if I allow fear to make my choices; I tried again.  Believe it or not, learning that I could use my own photos (and those shared with me for this purpose) to generate memes opened a doorway to success. 

Simba, my favourite meme model. Such a handsome boy!

Not only did I get my message(s) captured via slideshow, I learned how to pitch my talks to target audiences as well.  Two of my pitches were rejected and so I also learned to handle this with grace.

Guess what?  In 2023, I hit my targeted goal of speaking at conference with not one but THREE speaking engagements, all of them amazing platforms to share knowledge with my veterinary colleagues who may be curious about what it takes to set out to locum as an RVT.  What a blast!  I am so proud of me. 

One of my top core values is to share knowledge and I am so honoured to have had the opportunity to do so at the Spring BCVTA conference in Kamloops, the Fall SAVT conference in Saskatoon, and one live webinar with ABVTA this summer.  Wow!  Thank you so much for having me.

Despite the terror I described in the first paragraph, looking back over this year and those experiences, I loved them so much.  They were worth the hard work, the learning curves and exploring my doubts to make my goals happen.  Seeing the bright curiosity, engaging with attendees for interactive Q&As by myself or on a panel and simply offering my knowledge to those who are interested, fills my cup. I have found so much community amongst speakers and attendees alike, with knowledge and expertise being shared with me in return. 

Sharing the stage with fellow B.C. locum RVTs for the locum Q&A panel.

Speaking and sharing have been such a pleasure, (yes my brain, this is why), and I am looking forward to more of both in my future. 

Acronyms De-mystified:

BCVTA – British Columbia Veterinary Technologists Association

SAVT – Saskatchewan Association of Veterinary Technologists

ABVTA – Alberta Veterinary Technologist Association

#locumadventures #locumRVT #RVT

Start at The Beginning

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Locum Adventures: Conference Speaking!

I had so much fun at the BCVTA 2023 Spring Conference in April. Thank you to the British Columbia Veterinary Technologists Association for giving me the opportunity to speak on the logistics of locum RVT-ing. Thank you to everyone who attended and who asked such great questions both during my sessions and the Q&A session with the panel of locum RVTs including Kim Holbrow, Rose Gentles and Jen Paterson.

Start at The Beginning

#bcvtaconference23 #locumadventures #locumRVT #RVT #proudlyRVT

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Locum Adventures: Thriving in a preferred environment

I placed an IV today, in an old, sick cat. It’s hard to explain to anyone outside the industry perhaps, on why that is so bone deep, soul satisfying, but it is, and I suspect if you’re in veterinary medicine, you know what I’m saying.

Two weeks after starting my first locum as an RVT, I reflect that the shift to satisfaction was immediate upon stepping back in to clinical medicine. Despite my gap from the industry for mental health healing (Locum Adventures: The Beginning), my skills have come back with competence and confidence. I am relieved. I am ecstatic.

Julie and the travelling tomato - thriving in a preferred environment.

Overcoming the three-year gap to have a first day, first week back in clinical medicine is behind me. I’m looking forward: to the skills that are refreshing like the muscle memory they are, celebrating those that are easy strengths, working on building those that are less strong, and to the new skills I’m going to learn as is inevitable, clinic to clinic as I locum.

Locuming, with its travel and the necessity of walking in to new clinics hitting the ground running, isn’t going to be for everyone. It is suiting me to a tee. What I will say, in recognition of mental health in veterinary medicine, is that no matter what anyone’s story or experience is, there are options for future successes available. The skills we have gained as veterinary professionals are there for us to nurture, even if we have to pause awhile. If we so choose, they’ll be there, ready to support us when we step back in to a clinical setting. I am thriving. I am happy. The long hard road has been worth it, to be here now.

What is the right step for each of us? That’s hard to say. Only we know that, only we can explore that for ourselves. Here’s the thing though – there is hope for us all. First, I took care of me: it is a simple truth that I can take care of no one and nothing if I don’t first take care of me. My mental health required a huge change; I thought my career was over in a profession I love. I went on a journey far from clinical medicine. It was an interesting journey, but I didn’t thrive. Next, I returned to helping others, but in a healthier manner for me, having set new boundaries and expectations to ensure I thrive.

It pleases me immensely to share my story with my peers; from sorrow and stress to thriving. It is possible and definitely probable when we first take care of ourselves. I am now thriving in my preferred environment, proof of the possibility I considered over three years ago – to support this industry with locum RVT services.

Watching the tide come in as I scan for marine wildlife. My first locum is on the ocean, and I'm enjoying it utterly on my downtime.

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Locum Adventures: living Locum Life to its fullest

Thank You!

To all my clients and colleagues of Spring and Summer 2021.

For all the experiences we shared, both inside and outside the clinics!

Start at The Beginning

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Locum Adventures: Transitions Lead to Fulfillment

What does it take to truly appreciate the challenges inherent in making transitions? For me, finishing two months of contracts and leaving the ocean behind to travel to interior British Columbia is doing it. Arriving at the beginning of an extreme heat event with temperatures soaring above +45C (113F) for multiple days is really underscoring the extent of the challenge. Like so many of the challenges I’m facing as I learn to locum – I don’t know exactly how to deal with this.

It is interesting to me that while many things should translate over smoothly: for example, placing an IV catheter is the same no matter what clinic you are in, yet every time I newly arrive at a location, I have a few moments to struggle through until success is regained. (As a side note, it really does make a difference what IV tape is available). A few transitions in and I am recognizing this pattern: that even if I was successfully doing task A at clinic A only days before, that when I do task A at clinic B, I may not be immediately successful. It seems that the stresses linked to a new job – where are the supplies, what tools are standard here, combined with my own initial self-consciousness with new teams, build to create a mountain of stressors, impacting my performance in the short-term. Ironically, the only person judging me on my perceived shortage of skills is me: during transitions, I am my own worst enemy. Happily, now that I’ve recognized the pattern, I can put my energy in to shortening my transition time and moving past the roadblocks I am determined to put in my own way.

Why then, would I put myself through this cycle of perpetual new job? Transitions are hard, scary and challenging; travel is tiring. To locum is to put myself out there, to meet new people, learn new systems, equipment, protocols, culture and expectations. Why would I do this and go through this repeatedly? Here’s the answer: I make a difference. In fact, I am making a significant difference. Vet clinics will still do all the things that need to get done, whether I am there or not, but when I am present, people get lunches, go home on time more often, and smiles abound in response to my energy. Also, client wait times are reduced and patients get treatments sooner.

Left to Right: Providing charcoal treatment to a poisoned patient. Post surgical monitoring of a kitten.

Professionally, I get deep satisfaction in providing those things. My level of professional fulfillment is currently phenomenal. When I considered locuming as a career pivot, I considered my needs – I need to get back in to clinical practice, I need to maintain hard-earned boundaries, I need to provide support...I didn’t stop to consider locuming from angles other than my own, nor did I consider the benefits to others, which have been profound. Wow. It’s wow. Routinely, I am stopped throughout my day by colleagues, at every clinic I assist, who say “I’m so glad you’re here”. “Thanks for being here.” “Thanks for being cheerful all day on such a crazy day.” “Thanks for the simple pick me up note or statement you gave me.” “My holiday was great!” “I feel impacted by the conversations you and I have had.” The list goes on.

Coming to clinics to locum, working hard with the teams and sharing my journey is just my path and I am simply one person – but it’s having a larger impact and starting conversations that I hope will continue after I leave each clinic. That is powerful. That provides meaningful professional fulfillment to me. I am proud of my accomplishments and the support I am providing to my colleagues in this industry. From vet assistants to CSR’s to RVTs and DVMs, the conversations have been similar, meaningful and significant. I didn’t specifically think about the impact that sharing my story, journey and choices would have. Doing so creates a safe space for others to share their own journey and choices and the impact of THAT will become exponential. The best way to effect change is to be the change you seek. It’s pretty clear to me that I am doing just that.

In the face of all that, what’s a little awkward period of transition? What is important is that I show up, be present, work hard, express empathy and model the behaviour and culture in which I want to be involved. I will keep doing this, sharing my journey and being open to hearing of others’ journeys, as I go.

I know that as much as I may feel that I’m fumbling as I transition between clinics, the fact is, I definitely do not fumble when it matters, and it truly makes a difference to the teams, the clients and the patients when I am in clinic, filling shifts and providing relief as a locum RVT. And frankly, my connection to my patients is worth more than I can possibly ever express with words. I may not know exactly how to obtain all the professional goals I plan to achieve, but it is exciting to know this simple truth: I don’t need to know exactly how to do it all. I just need to show up and face the challenges as they come – every single day.

Top to Bottom: The surgical team debriefs after a successful surgery on the kitten. Two weeks later, the kitten and I reconnect during one of her veterinary checkups.

Start at The Beginning

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Locum Adventures: The Beginning

2.5 minute read

As I tuck my blooming tomato in to my car to begin the 2600+ km drive south in early April 2021, I admit there’s a moment that I think “How did I get here?”

I’ve just begun self-employment with my locum business, Julie Kerr RVT. I’m leaving a wintery Yukon for six months to drive to fill locum shifts on my first contract. However, it’s not been a straightforward transition for me to decide or to implement this career path.

This journey began in 2016. Early that year, I experienced what I can now say was the initial at-work trigger which led to the burnout that eventually caused me to have to step away from clinical medicine in 2018, after a tumultuous decline in the two intervening years.

Veterinary medicine is hard, as we all know – it’s fatiguing physically, mentally and emotionally while at the same time, it’s so rewarding. I thought I was stronger than what I experienced. I didn’t think I was so susceptible to burnout or compassion fatigue – how could I be when I am passionate about animal care and receive as much energy from the animals I care for as I give out to them?

The truth is, we are all susceptible to burnout. The great news is that we are all resilient as well.

My journey has woven through isolating despair, choosing unconventional opportunities, finding my feet, grounding, healing, and diversifying my skillset. I’ve had such interesting experiences since 2018, because I chose to consider stepping away from clinical medicine an opportunity, rather than limiting myself by focusing on what I thought I wasn’t doing anymore.

Like everyone everywhere, that journey took a hard twist when the COVID-19 pandemic took control of 2020. My drive south, and my return to clinical medicine, has been delayed by 12 months, but now it’s time, after full COVID vaccination, to get back to my passion for providing high quality RVT services.

Now, after healing from the burnout I experienced, I’m ready to step back in to my role as RVT, and to offer locum services to clinics and teams, providing options for staffing support within this industry.

My journey has led me to this moment: I’m incredibly pleased to be stepping back in to clinical medicine and to return to working with individual animals (and their humans!) to help them feel safe, calm and comfortable in the clinic setting, and to also offer staffing support to the clinic teams I will meet as I locum.

To hear the full story, I’ll be speaking of my journey through burnout and compassion fatigue to starting my locum RVT business, at the BCVTA Virtual Spring Conference Meet the RVT session on Sunday April 18 at 8 am PDT. I’ll definitely make it the 2600+ kms – the tomato? We’ll see.

There can be overlap in the terms burnout and compassion fatigue. This blog article is not intended to differentiate between the two terms. For more information, links are included below.

https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/recognizing-the-signs-of-burnout-and-compassion-fatigue

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/wellbeing/work-and-compassion-fatigue

https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/articles/burnout-in-veterinary-nursing/

https://www.practicelife.com/en/latest/how-to-spot-and-treat-team-burnout-from-covid-19/

Continue the journey with me:

Blog #2: Locum Adventures: Driving through pandemic restrictions - whose idea was this?!

Blog #3 Locum Adventures: Thriving in a preferred environment.

Blog #4 Locum Adventures: A tapestry of travel

Blog #5 Locum Adventures: Transitions Lead to Fulfillment

Blog #6 Locum Adventures: living Locum Life to its fullest

Blog #7 Locum Adventures: Downtime Reflections

Blog #8 Locum Adventures: My first magazine publication!

Blog #9 Locum Adventures: Stretching the Comfort Zone - Lessons for my Ego

Blog #10 Locum Adventures: More than a Veterinary Professional

Blog #11 Locum Adventures: Podcast!

Blog #12 Locum Adventures: A Tale of Two Cats

Blog #13 Locum Adventures: Nunavut with Veterinarians Without Borders' Northern Animal Health Initiative

Blog #14 Locum Adventures: Conference Speaking!

Blog #15 Locum Adventures: Volunteering at home in the Yukon

Blog #16 Locum Adventures: Self-employment – Faint of heart need not apply!

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Locum Adventures: A tapestry of travel

Life. It’s not the easy path that’s the most interesting. I am reminding myself of that a lot these days, as a newly self-employed business owner. You know, like whose bright idea was it to take the “interesting” path?

New cities, new teams, new clinic operating systems, policies, environments….the list goes on. Fast turnaround times between clinics means little time to myself. It’s hard. I mean, there must be data available on how many people are on the roads during a Victoria morning commute; I hypothesize it is the entire population of the Yukon surrounding me. Intimidating! Challenging! Scary!

The rewards though. The rewards make the interesting path so worth it.

In just 7 weeks, I’ve met incredible people with shared values, explored amazing natural landscapes, shared time with wonderful animals and experienced species new-to-me for the first time! Rich rewards that are worth every single moment of perceived challenges; those are just a snippet of the personal rewards, nevermind the professional.

Life is a tapestry woven with our experiences. I can’t seem to find a dull colour in it anywhere – and that’s just how I like it.

One of my first locum roommates, Emma (the dog) teaches me to play pig.

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Locum Adventures: Driving through pandemic restrictions - whose idea was this?!

1 minute read

“You’re driving further south into BC. Now?” “You’re leaving Yukon in the summer?!” “You’ll be facing much stricter restrictions that far south!”

These are comments I’m hearing as I drive through B.C. Valid concerns brought to my attention, so far with kindness, as I travel during a COVID circuit breaker in the province. 2600 kms provides a lot of time to muse on my decisions (especially when I get caught behind a logging truck on the windy roads of Interior BC).

First things first: The tomato continues to thrive, despite the hardships of travel. After leaving behind winter, two days of driving have brought butterflies and bumblebees. I’m struggling to adapt to such sudden changes, but if I had to assess a plant’s mood, I’d say the tomato seems perky in the +24C sunshine.

Well tomato? Are you comfortable with a convenient life right now? No, me either!

It is neither convenient nor comfortable to leave my home in the most glorious season of the North, to drive in to the belly of a pandemic, and a third wave crashing on our shores. Veterinary medicine is listed as essential services and as an RVT I am an essential worker. Nevertheless, I’ve paused to assess, to ensure I am as safe as I can be, while not unduly endangering others: layering vaccines with continuing to adhere to public health orders.

Having experienced burnout, having it drastically alter my life, I’d like to do what I can to help prevent it in anyone else. While it’s not that simple and burnout is a complex syndrome with multiple risk factors, it’s what I’ve got to offer.

Convenient? Comfortable? No. Important? Yes.

I’ll be speaking of my journey through burnout to driving south, deeper in to this pandemic, to offer my services as a locum RVT, at the BCVTA Virtual Spring Conference Meet the RVT session on Sunday April 18 at 8:00 am PDT.

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Locum Adventures: Podcast!

Start at The Beginning

#locumadventures #locumRVT #RVT

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Locum Adventures: My first magazine publication!

My very first article has been published in dvm360! I’m extremely pleased - check it out!

#rvt #locumadventures #locumrvt

Start at The Beginning