Many of you will be reading this with 2024 having already been ushered in, the busy rush of the holidays behind us, and with New Year’s resolutions in place.  This is a common time of year for reflection, and as I write this letter, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the health of our community.  This is an area I feel deserves more thoughtful consideration and will be an important area of focus for my coming year as President.

Well-being in the veterinary profession has been a topic receiving a lot of attention these past few years, and it continues to be a critically important topic for our community both locally and nationally.  The pandemic exacerbated certain trends and while some stressors have eased, we are still faced with an environment where there is increased demand due to a growing pet population, clients expecting more from us, ever-present staffing shortages, and compassion fatigue taking a significant emotional toll.  An additional variable that directly impacts our membership is the high cost of living in the Southern California. I’ve spoken with veterinary friends and colleagues, and I know these struggles are top of mind and many of you are dealing with them every day.

While those obstacles may seem daunting, my lens on it is one of hope and optimism.  There are many components that make up well-being with mental health, physical health, and social connections being key areas, and we each have different individual needs to prioritize and work on within these areas.  I recently listened to a podcast on the Science of Recharging on Weekends and Vacations hosted by Adam Grant which had me reflecting on how I manage my time off and activities related to my well-being.  A sobering included statistic was that the recovery benefits of a vacation have worn off as quickly as two weeks afterwards.  The podcast discussed activities that help us recover from the stressors in our lives can often be categorized into relaxation activities (reading a book, meditation, watching TV) and more active experiences (playing a sport or other physical activity, cooking, learning a new hobby) – each individual may need more of one than the other depending on our personalities and also what we are experiencing on the work front.

As I look forward to the year ahead, I can’t wait to hear stories from membership on what you are doing to recharge and recover both mentally and physically, stories that you may be open to sharing with your fellow members.  In the coming months, be on the lookout for SCVMA education events with a wellbeing focus as well as social events to help foster connections and meet new people.   I am a firm believer that veterinary medicine is an incredibly rewarding career, and as a group, we care so much for the animals we help and treat.  We need to ensure we are also taking care of ourselves as part of the journey.

Adam Gerstein, VMD

SCVMA President