Dr. Danielle Alleman, DVM

Were always being told that our wellbeing and mental health will be better if we “leave work at work”, but how do we actually make that happen?

The most helpful thing I’ve found?

Find something else to be excited about!

Whether it’s something little like blasting your favorite playlist on the way home from work, or deciding to try out a new recipe or restaurant at the end of the week…
Or planning a mini getaway for the weekend…
Or joining your local book club…
Or going to see live music or some other sort of event…
Or volunteering for a cause you care about…

It’s easiest to leave work at work when we have something ELSE besides work to be excited about.

What do you do to keep your mind off of work?

Have You Ever Made a Mistake?

Have You Ever Made a Mistake? Patient Safety is the science of handling medical errors and adverse events. Areas of discussion will include human fallibility and accepting the fact that mistakes happen. Discussions will also include why errors happen and how we should approach them (systems-based approach). Current Patient Safet...

What lights you up outside of veterinary medicine?

When I first graduated vet school, if someone asked me what my hobbies were, I’d have to spend a few minutes thinking long and hard about what I actually liked to do.

I had spent so long dedicated to this profession, I had no idea who I was outside of it.

Over the past 5 years, I’ve made it a priority to try new things and discover who I am outside of being a veterinarian.

I’ve discovered I like long distance running. I furthered my climbing knowledge and skills. I got back into skiing. I love live music, and exploring new places, and quiet time spent in the woods.

Those are the things that keep me grounded, and give me some excitement outside of my career.

What are those things for you?

Home - Mental Health Is Health

May 19th is Mental Health Action Day!

"We all have mental health. Our emotional health can range from thriving to struggling. No matter what you’re experiencing, there are ways to take action to support yourself and those around you."

Take a moment to take one small action to benefit your mental health today. Don't know where to start? Check out the link below for ideas and resources.
https://www.mentalhealthishealth.us/

Home - Mental Health Is Health We all get mad and annoyed sometimes. It’s natural. But when those emotions happen way too often, they can be distracting, stressful, and we need to manage them before things get worse.

⚠️ATTENTION 2022 DVM GRADS⚠️

Congrats on crossing the finish line to DVM this year!

I’ve been chatting with a handful of you about what makes you most nervous about the transition from student to doctor, and I’m excited to announce a new offering!

✨NEW GRAD NAVIGATOR✨

Starting at the end of June, I am opening up a program for 2022 graduates to meet virtually once a month for a total of 6 months. Groups will be aimed at providing support on the wellbeing side of the transition to the clinical world. 🎉🎉

🩺Sessions will be 1-hour in length, on a weeknight
🩺Multiple sessions will be open for people in different time zones
🩺There will be access to me and others in your groups in between calls during our 6 months together
🩺There will be themed topics discussed at the beginning of each monthly call, with the topic reflecting what each group requests to be most helpful
🩺Learn and grow from colleagues near and far, and have a solid support system while you get used to new doctor life!

Interested in learning more? Drop a series of emojis about how you feel about being a new doctor below (mine would have been 😵‍💫🎉🤢), and I’ll send you more info, or go ahead and DM me!

Share with any other 2022 grads in your life who might find this helpful. 🤍

www.avma.org

"Creating cultures of wellbeing is a team effort in which everyone at every level within the practice or organization has a role to play. Taking cultural change seriously, making the workplace an environment that supports development in the nine dimensions of wellbeing, and helping employees address issues with which they struggle are the real building blocks to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.
Included in this handout are 100 healthy tips that you can apply at the individual and organizational level to support a culture of wellbeing."

Take a moment to check out the 100 Healthy Tips to Support a Culture of Wellbeing Guide below!
https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/VetWellbeingSummit-100HealthyTips.pdf

www.avma.org

May is Mental Health Awareness month!

In an effort to , I thought I’d share some things about my own mental health journey:

🌼 I’ve experienced periods of anxiety and depression on and off since I was 16 years old

🌼 I had no idea what depression was the first time I experienced it — it was an incredibly isolating experience, and the first time I learned of the signs and symptoms was actually through a Google search (age 16)

🌼 I had no idea what panic attacks were until a very severe one landed me in the ER (age 24)

🌼 I have been on antidepressants multiple times, for various reasons throughout my life

🌼 I have been in therapy on and off for the last 15 years - I’ve used a therapist for everything from preventative wellbeing, to problem solving, to acute crisis management

🌼 I make a conscious choice to look after my mental health every single day, but some days are better than others

🌼 I am so passionate about veterinary mental health and wellbeing because I know the statistics that face our profession, and I want to be a part of the change

🌼 I strongly believe that we should talk about our mental health as casually as we talk about our physical health

🌼 I want people to know that I’m always here to lend a listening ear/be in your corner because I NEVER want someone to feel that their feelings, struggles, emotions, or mental health status is something they need to experience alone

Recognizing Warning Signs and How to Cope

"Most people believe that mental health conditions are rare and “happen to someone else." In fact, mental health conditions are common and widespread. An estimated 44 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year. Most families are not prepared to cope with learning their loved one has a mental illness. It can be physically and emotionally trying, and can make us feel vulnerable to the opinions and judgments of others. If you think you or someone you know may have a mental or emotional problem, it is important to remember there is hope and help."

Below is an article from Mental Health America about recognizing warning signs of poor mental health, and strategies for coping.
https://www.mhanational.org/recognizing-warning-signs-and-how-cope

Recognizing Warning Signs and How to Cope Most people believe that mental health conditions are rare and “happen to someone else." In fact, mental health conditions are common and widespread. An estimated 44 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year. Most families are not prepared to cope with learning the...

Five ways the veterinary team can help new grads succeed-dvm360

Do you have a new graduate joining your practice this summer?

Check out this article from a couple of years ago from Kate Boatright, VMD - these tips are timeless and can help us create an environment for our new grads to thrive!

https://www.dvm360.com/view/five-ways-the-veterinary-team-can-help-new-grads-succeed

Five ways the veterinary team can help new grads succeed-dvm360 With the class of 2020 completing their schooling—albeit in a nontraditional way—several thousand newly minted veterinarians are joining the workforce. The success of these young veterinarians depends on a supportive clinic environment. While many clinics have a plan for how the current veterina...

✨COMING SOON ✨

I have had this idea in my head for a long time, but am excited to finally put it out in the world!

Enter… The Versatile Veterinarian Podcast!

When I felt burnt out, lost, and not sure what direction to take my career next back in 2019, I remember racking my brain for ways I could possibly use my degree for something other than clinical practice. I didn’t come up with much.

I knew research, industry, government work, academia, etc. we’re possibilities, however none of those seemed like something I could see myself doing, and I felt stuck.

It wasn’t until I created this page that I saw a community of incredible veterinarians who were doing unique and creative things with their career, and it has opened my eyes to all the DVM degree has to offer!

These days, I am always coming up with new ideas for how to shape my career, and I feel so much freedom in knowing I have the choice to find something that works for me.

I wanted to start this podcast to highlight the stories of those who are doing unique things with their DVM, in hopes of inspiring and educating those who may be feeling like they don’t know what else is out there!

My hope is to get some of the first episodes recorded over the next few weeks, and officially launch in July. 👀

Know someone who you think their story should be featured? Tag them in the comments below!

Changemaking as Entrepreneurs

So many of my favorite people in one article!

Thank you to Kate Boatright, VMD for featuring some incredible female veterinary entrepreneurs I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past couple of years. I'm consistently inspired by the other women featured in this article, and I know we are changing the profession for the better!



https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/personal-professional-development/changemaking-as-entrepreneurs/?oly_enc_id=4913J6557689J8Y

Changemaking as Entrepreneurs Here are the stories of 5 entrepreneurs who took their passion for the veterinary profession and created businesses to deliver much-needed services in innovative ways.

Thankful for MentorVet for allowing me to share my story!

She had multiple episodes of burnout in her early career and even questioned her career choice.

We are so honored to share Dr. Alleman's story of how she overcame burnout and discovered a renewed love for veterinary medicine.

Dr. Danielle Alleman, DVM is a relief veterinarian, MentorVet Group Facilitator, and Founder of Empathos Vet, and her story is our second story in our campaign. By sharing these stories, we have the potential to provide hope to the veterinary profession at a time when we need it most.

Please help the profession by sharing this story far and wide so we can reach those who may need it most.

If you are in the veterinary profession and would like to share your story either publicly or anonymously, click the link below:
https://lnkd.in/gptWuXgN

Together, we are stronger with Stories of Hope.

Here's Dr. Alleman's story.

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I experienced burnout multiple times in my first 2-3 years of practice, but the most notable was a specific time in my life where the burnout got so severe, I seriously considered leaving the profession entirely.

I didn't like my job, I hated getting out of bed in the morning, and if I'm being honest, I probably wasn't all that fun of a person to work with.

I remember feeling heartbroken, because being a veterinarian was something that I have wanted since I was a small child, and all of a sudden, that no longer seemed true.

I reached out to friends and colleagues that had transitioned out of private practice. I talked to some of my mentors from veterinary school. My most important intervention was deciding to attend the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Wellbeing Summit that year, and that conference was the catalyst that propelled me into the wellbeing journey that I am on today.

Today, I am a radically different person than I was a few years ago. After going to that conference, I turned to personal development books and resources, and I learned a whole lot about myself, my habits, and things that I was doing that were not serving me in my work and in my life.

I remember the moment I learned more about boundaries, and this was life-changing for me!

After making some changes in my own life and realizing how positive those changes were for me when it came to my own career and how much more enjoyable work was, I was inspired to share what I learned with others.

Today, I can truly say I love my job, I love this profession, and I am so glad I had the courage to figure out what made me happy and how to take care of myself early on in my career, because I know I will be better for it in the long term.

I know what it's like to question if your "dream career" was the right choice, to be severely burnt out, and struggle with mental health.

If you feel any of those things, you are not alone.

Don't hesitate to reach out for support. There are so many people who would love to lend a listening ear and help however they can.

Today marks my first day as a fully self-employed person. (!!!)

When I thought about my veterinary career a few years back, never in a million years did I imagine working for myself with 2 LLCs to my name, and enjoying more flexibility, freedom, and autonomy than I ever thought possible

I’ll now have the opportunity to create my own clinical schedule, as well as continue to have time for other interests! I’m excited to have more time to say “yes” to things in the veterinary wellbeing space, make progress on more of the ideas I have for this platform, start a podcast (eep! coming soon…), and have time for family, friends, travel, and play.

So grateful to all of those who have followed along on this journey of mine. I am happy.

PS - to those of you who voted on my new relief biz logo, thank you!! I loved reading all of your comments and am thrilled with this design I ended up with 😍

I’ve worked 120 hours in the last two weeks. I’ve missed my workouts, had nights of minimal sleep, and have gotten wayyy behind on my to-do list.

I’ve also learned more in the last two weeks than I probably have in the last two years. I’ve stayed hours past my shift just to learn from someone more experienced than me, I’ve put tons of energy and research into my cases, and I’ve felt more fulfilled in my work than I have in a long time.

I now have a few weeks with a lighter schedule. I’ll get to spend more time outside. I’ll have the chance to go to the gym, and cook meals for myself. I have the chance to catch up on sleep. I have an upcoming trip to visit family and friends I haven’t seen in awhile.

For me, right now, this is balance. Work hard, rest hard. I love both. I feel more optimistic and excited about this profession than I ever have, even if it’s taken a little while to get to this point.

What does balance look like to you?

As we reach the end of veterinary reception week, how can we take our appreciation and admiration for our front staff and carry it forward?

Let me know if you have any other ideas in the comments! 🤍

Back in the middle of 2020, I was stressed about the state of the world and didn’t have much of a social life, so I threw ALL of my energy into work.

I started saying yes to EVERYTHING. Our caseload increased, and I was determined to keep up. I rarely got a lunch. I booked so many extra surgeries every week that two weeks in a row I had to call and apologize to owners that I ran out of time, and couldn’t do their pets procedure. Clients were upset. It wasn’t good.

Yet, I blamed everything around me. I acted like I didn’t have a choice but to be completely overwhelmed and miserable. I thought that if I could just try harder or be more efficient, that I could one day magically fit it all in.

That never happened.

One day as I was struggling through another crazy surgery day, a mentor finally said to me, “why are you doing this to yourself?”

Before that moment, I honestly had never thought of it that way before.

I was the one always saying yes.
I was the one booking an unrealistic schedule.
I was the one who was making myself miserable by putting everyone else’s needs above my own.
I was also the one exhausting all of my staff around me, too.

Sometimes, we need someone to call us out.
Because the truth is, we do have some control.
We can learn to say no.
We can learn to set boundaries.
We can learn to set realistic expectations for clients and ourselves.
And we can learn to work at a pace that’s sustainable, rather than running ourselves into the ground and needing time off due to severe burnout (which is what ended up happening to me).

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.
It’s about time we learn to practice in a way that’s sustainable, so we can keeping helping people and their pets over the long term!

“Trust me, I’m a dogtor.”

Today marks my last day of 5 working at three different hospitals! Two of them were new to me, and while I always have a bit of anxiety before I work at a new place, I honestly have had an awesome time working with all three of the teams!

I did my first daytime ER shift, had my first experience with an urgent care clinic, and got to see all kinds of fun cases.

I’m looking forward to some rest and relaxation over the next few days, but also excited and happy that I’ve found joy in flexibility, variety, and autonomy in my career.

I know relief vet life isn’t for everyone, but for me it’s an excellent balance of challenge, freedom, and excitement. To be honest, I didn’t know if I would ever feel like this career was sustainable, but right now, I feel like it can be. And that’s a HUGE win for me.

What do you want to know about being a relief vet?