High Performance Vet Pro Radio High Performance Vet Pro

This episode is the audio of a webinar Ryan and Jen delivered. We discuss sleep, work-life choices, movement, hydration and a myriad of other well-being topics.

Work (or school) and life are never a balance, but a series of choices. You have a choice on how to prioritize the minimal time we have. Do you make those choices with yourself in mind?

Dr. Steve Wills is lifelong Kentuckian. He attended the University of Kentucky for undergrad and Auburn University for his Veterinary training, where he graduated from in 1983.

Dr. Wills serves on the AVMA House of Delegates and is a Past President of the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association. He started his leadership journey on his local constituent organization; he describes that when the call for a volunteer presented itself he simply raised his hand and said yes. Getting involved in organized medicine reinvigorated Dr. Wills’ passion for our profession. He believes that being able to interface with colleagues from different areas of practice has been a great part of organized medicine.

Steve and his wife Teresa are both veterinarians who started a practice (from the ground up) together in 1992. Owning a business was a goal of their marriage and has worked well for them. The Wills Animal Hospital is located at 3030 New Hartford Road in Owensboro, KY. Their practice is now 7 doctors strong, with 2 focused on equine medicine and the remainder working in the small animal arena. Steve focuses on equine work and says one secret to his marriage success has been not working in the exact same area of practice each day. He credits some of their success to not being new graduates when they started the practice.

Dr. Wills credits his wife with helping him through the challenges of life. He says “I married the right woman for me”. The normal bumps and bruises of opening a practice were there, but Dr. Wills feels these are minimal compared to the recent graduates of today with major debt loads and a more saturated market.

Steve is in the car a lot. His practice covers about a 60 mile radius and reminds us that is not necessarily profitable to spend that much time on the road. When he gets out of the car, he needs to be efficient and effective, while not irritating clients in the process. Dr. Wills defines High Performance as being productive, efficient, effective and self-motivated.

Steve says the next couple of years include balance between work and other interests. He and Teresa like to hike and backpack; they spend weeks at a time away from the office and reconnecting with nature. He reminds us that balance is key … “you can't just work”. You have to be happy in your work and the rest falls into place. Steve saw his dad as an example of enjoying your work. He would get up for work at IBM and be whistling while shaving and preparing for a day of work.

Dr. Wills has had many interesting cases over the years, but is most struck by how our thoughts can manifest into reality. More than once he has though “I haven’t heard from client ___ in a while” and sure enough they call within a few days. Those clients remind Steve to quit thinking about them!!

Dr. Wills has an intriguing suggesting for a podcast interviewee and we will hope to procure Mr. Buffet for an interview.

Steve encourages us all to take calculated risks; avail yourself to the opportunities that present themselves. Embrace life as it happens, follow your instincts. If you are a new graduate and don’t think you are in the right job, don’t be afraid to change to something else.

Check out the Wills Animal Hospital at www.willsanimal.com

Being a veterinarian is more than simply taking care of animals. Learn how to develop your career into more than just a series of jobs.

Dr. Brittany Koether is originally from Connecticut. She attended undergraduate school at the University of Connecticut, went to Oklahoma State Veterinary School (2015 graduate), and now is an associate veterinarian at EQuiVET Medicine in Ohio. Her interview took place at her home in Ohio with her German Shepherd puppy Kahlua bouncing around the screen and tugging at Brittany’s sleeve the entire time.

Dr. Koether always wanted to be a vet; she grew up with police dogs in the house and started working in a small animal practice as a teenager. While at the University of Connecticut she had her first formal introduction to large animals while working in the livestock barn. She wound up heading to California to ride with equine veterinarian Dr. Joe Dowd, who Brittany describes as a strong mentor, and fell in love with the athleticism of horses. She had the opportunity to hotwalk horses for Bob Baffert, including being “dragged around” by Mr. Charlie, while others looked on. She educated herself on horse breeds and various horse disciplines. Dr. Koether really took the time to absorb all the horse knowledge she could, from the vets, the trainers, and of course the horses themselves.

Dr. Koether described getting into Vet School as a task in itself; she had good recommendations, good experience, and not the best GPA. When she was accepted into Oklahoma State she had no idea where Oklahoma even was on the map! Arriving initially as a fast talking new englander, leaving as a seasoned veterinarian with a slightly slower pace of speaking. Getting through classes in vet school was also a challenge, but she really relied on the extracurricular activities in leadership and organized medicine throughout school.

Knowing she wanted to go into the equine world, she geared her school toward internships, wound up at an internship in North Carolina and then went directly into practice. Her current role as an ambulatory veterinarian in Ohio was also something unpredictable, as she applied for the job on a whim, but then completely fell in love with the practice and most importantly her team.

We talked about challenges and Dr. Koether had a big challenge during her last year of school and starting her internship. She did not initially pass the NAVLE (the veterinary licensing exam) so she was a doctor, but unable to get licensed right off the bat. Brittany says starting a competitive internship after not succeeding on NAVLE completely consumed her mind. In addition to the stress of sleepless nights, the intern life of always being on call, and learning so much new information, Brittany has the added demand of needing to study for NAVLE. She overcame this emotional hurdle by surrounding herself with positive people, friends and mentors; and she did something for HERSELF nearly every day - starting with a quick workout. She passed the NAVLE and finished her internship year, even after her intern-mate left the internship within a couple of months.

Brittany says: "It's better to have a team around you", with respect to getting through tough times. She also relies on asking those around her what they would do and talking it out.

The near future for Dr. Koether includes staying at EQuiVET Medicine in Ohio and developing more as an associate. She hopes Dr. McFadden and her team continue to grow together; she loves having that team to rely on. Down the road, Brittany sees herself in a practice ownership position. She is also involved in a telemedicine company, Televet, focused on improving the client-patient relationship.

When asked to define High Performance, Dr. Koether thinks of athletics; your mindset is primary, actual performance is secondary to that. It all begins and ends in what you think about and how you approach a challenge.