Pulse - February 2022 - 48

FROM THE SCVMA OFFICE JENNIFER HAWKINS, DVM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GREAT MISTAKES
" A
nyone who never made a mistake has never tried anything new. "
- Albert Einstein
Mr. Rothschiller was looking around the room for
whom he would ask his next question. His eyes fell on
me. " Jennifer...do animal cells have cell walls? " . " Um.
Yes? " , I guessed. " What shall we call her? " , he asked the
rest of the class. My friend (traitor!) piped up. " Juniper! " ,
she offered. And that was how I earned the name, " Juniper "
for the remainder of my 7th grade science class. I
quickly learned to better prepare for class!
When I was in veterinary school, I believed that if I just
studied hard enough and put in the work (starting with
the basic unit of life: THE CELL!), I'd emerge a veterinarian
and soon achieve the nirvana equivalent of knowing
all the things. That is exactly what I believed my mentors
to be: omniscient veterinary doctors. I was certain
that once I'd reached this pinnacle of knowledge that life
would naturally be easier. Knowledge would simply ooze
from my pores, and I would not have to cling to Plumb's
or phone a friend on so many of my cases.
As my career began and I gained confidence in applying
my knowledge in a clinical setting, I felt as if I was
well on my way to leveling up to Yoda Level Veterinarian.
But something wasn't right. One day I would be on
top of the world for diagnosing and treating a difficult
case. The next, I'd be explaining to a pet owner why
answers still evaded me on their pet's condition despite
a full workup. I quickly learned that, as soon as I knew
something, that something would change. The medications
would change, the treatment paradigm would shift,
or simply the patient didn't read the textbook and I'd
have to adopt a more creative approach. Indeed, to master
something, one must be continually learning.
Though the 7th grade cell mistake was minor, obviously
it is one that stuck with me and motivated me
to prepare better. Over the years, I've had many more
opportunities to make, and learn from, my mistakes.
That enterotomy patient that later dehisced. The ADR
dog with hyperkalemia-not kidney failure! And the
dog I diagnosed with AIHA that later was proven to have
malignant histiocytosis. All these presented opportunities
for me to learn and become a better doctor.
Have you ever noticed, as you listen to veterinary
experts lecture on their areas of expertise that these veterinary
virtuosos all do the same thing? They all share their
great mistakes. As it turns out, they are mere mortals too!
They share these difficult stories in hopes their audience
will learn from them and not make the same mistakes.
So, if even the best of the best make mistakes, why are
we so hard on ourselves when it happens to us? I suspect
it has something to do with the high expectations
we place on ourselves and the strong desire to help our
patients as much as humanly possible. But, if we simply
48
FEBRUARY 2022
PULSE
reframe the reality of our mistakes and learn to expect
them as a part of the growth process, we can better accept
our own vulnerability and stop punishing ourselves.
Self-awareness is one of the key branches of emotional
intelligence. Stepping back and taking an honest
assessment of the problem forces us to slow down,
recalibrate and modify the approach for the next time
we are presented with a similar circumstance. Was it a
mistake or did we do the best we could with the knowledge
we had at the time? Part of that honest assessment
is determining whether the best actions were taken
given the circumstances presented. It can be rough to be
reminded of our own humanity but harnessing the benefits
of our mistakes allows us to deepen our knowledge
and reveal new insights. Mistakes also allow us to inspire
others when we are brave enough to share them.
There's no better person to share your personal and
professional challenges with than with those that " get "
you. The SCVMA is proud to provide over 100 hours
of FREE CE each year to its members. But, the real
benefit to these CE meetings is the community that is
supported in each of these meetings. Continuing education
events, social events and SCVMA Gives Back events
provide a forum for like minded people to gather (sometimes
even in person) and learn from others. When you
share your great mistakes with others, they often reciprocate
with stories of their own. Whether it's a communication
error, a social gaff, or a diagnostic failure,

Pulse - February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pulse - February 2022

Pulse - February 2022
Chapter Meetings & Calendar
President’s Perspective
Pulsepoints
SCVMA Profile
COVER FEATURE STORY
Practical Pathology
Medical Leeway
UC Davis Update
Tools for Success
Industry Insights
The RVT
Quick Reference
Digital Photography for Veterinarians
Angel Fund
Resources
Disease Table
From the SCVMA Office
Pulse - February 2022 - Pulse - February 2022
Pulse - February 2022 - Cover2
Pulse - February 2022 - 1
Pulse - February 2022 - 2
Pulse - February 2022 - Chapter Meetings & Calendar
Pulse - February 2022 - President’s Perspective
Pulse - February 2022 - Pulsepoints
Pulse - February 2022 - 6
Pulse - February 2022 - 7
Pulse - February 2022 - 8
Pulse - February 2022 - SCVMA Profile
Pulse - February 2022 - COVER FEATURE STORY
Pulse - February 2022 - 11
Pulse - February 2022 - 12
Pulse - February 2022 - 13
Pulse - February 2022 - Practical Pathology
Pulse - February 2022 - Medical Leeway
Pulse - February 2022 - UC Davis Update
Pulse - February 2022 - Tools for Success
Pulse - February 2022 - Industry Insights
Pulse - February 2022 - The RVT
Pulse - February 2022 - Quick Reference
Pulse - February 2022 - Digital Photography for Veterinarians
Pulse - February 2022 - 22
Pulse - February 2022 - 23
Pulse - February 2022 - 24
Pulse - February 2022 - Angel Fund
Pulse - February 2022 - Resources
Pulse - February 2022 - Disease Table
Pulse - February 2022 - 28
Pulse - February 2022 - 29
Pulse - February 2022 - 30
Pulse - February 2022 - 31
Pulse - February 2022 - 32
Pulse - February 2022 - 33
Pulse - February 2022 - 34
Pulse - February 2022 - 35
Pulse - February 2022 - 36
Pulse - February 2022 - 37
Pulse - February 2022 - 38
Pulse - February 2022 - 39
Pulse - February 2022 - 40
Pulse - February 2022 - 41
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Pulse - February 2022 - 43
Pulse - February 2022 - 44
Pulse - February 2022 - 45
Pulse - February 2022 - 46
Pulse - February 2022 - 47
Pulse - February 2022 - From the SCVMA Office
Pulse - February 2022 - Cover3
Pulse - February 2022 - Cover4
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