033: How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome & Own Your Talent w/ Dr. Cherie Buisson
You’re probably already aware that your mindset determines a lot of what you experience in life, including your career in vet med. But how you create and nurture that positive mindset? So many of us struggle with issues like impostor syndrome, guilt, general negativity and so much more that affect our relationships, careers, and lives, and today, Dr. Cherie Buisson walks us through how to break out of a mental rut and craft an attitude that will pay dividends in all aspects of your life.
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Show Notes:
At the recent AVMA Convention in Denver, Colorado I’ve have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful new people, including Dr. Buisson. Dr. Buisson is a certified hospice and palliative care veterinarian, participates in Helping Hands Pet Hospice and founder of A Happy Vet. After deciding that private practice wasn’t for her, she practiced as the medical director for a shelter before finding her true passion in hospice and palliative care, and has never been happier.
Students looking for advice on overcoming imposter syndrome, practitioners needing to get over feeling guilty and anyone generally interested in how to find comfort in the hospice stage of a patient's life will find great comfort in Dr. Buissons motivational attitude. She shares tips on how to make yourself resilient, having a more positive perspective on your day, and why you should be scared and do it anyways.
Have you experienced a little moment that led to big changes in your life or career? Let us know your life-changing moments in the comments below!
In This Episode
- Why private practice doesn’t suit everyone and what the alternatives are
- Being your own boss in veterinary medicine
- How to get over your imposter syndrome and stop making excuses for your success
- The importance of teaching and understanding resilience
- Using pain control to bring your patients happiness
Quotes
“I spent all my time trying to fit into a place where I didn't belong. And thank goodness I finally figured out what I am supposed to be doing, but it was a long road. So A Happy Vet is kind of dedicated to hoping that someone else won't waste 8 years of their life trying to do something that doesn't suit them, and realizing that there are all kinds of things you can do in vet med.” (3:57)
“It's all of us, we all feel like ‘maybe I just snuck in under the radar’ and it just cracks me up because we think we are not smart enough to get into vet school and deserve this career, but we think we were smart enough to fool everybody.” (16:43)
“I would cut open a patient and go, ‘I can cut something and sew it back up and it usually doesn't die’. Every now and then it strikes me, and it still does today, 18 years later, that this is such an amazing profession.” (23:33)
“If you had $100 and you lost $2 would you spend $98 to get the $2 back? And that's what we do. Every single day we waste 98% of the good stuff that happens, harping on the 2% that was lousy. And that's what we tend to remember and I say we chew on it till our teeth hurt, and we don't think of the good stuff.” (25:58)
“Its part of the trap of hospice care and palliative medicine is you get them feeling better and then you forget that you haven't fixed them, you are just making them feel better. And so then when they do die, you have to get used to the fact that they are supposed to die. But that was really hard for me when I had such dramatic improvement and then to lose them felt like a failure. And so I had a hard time adjusting to that, so again that's what I teach, ‘this is what I am struggling with, how about you?’” (44:34)
“Because we are perfectionists we tend to turn down things that we don’t know that were are good at. And those are the things we should be pursuing. You know we should be pursuing things we might fail at because they could turn out to be the best thing you ever did.” (48:11)
Links
Follow A Happy Vet on Facebook | Instagram
Helping Hands Pet Hospice Website
Follow Helping Hands on Facebook | Instagram
Dr. Buisson UF CVM Grad Breakfast Speech
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