Laura Schwartz, DVM
Profession:
Veterinarian
BU Major & Graduation Year:
Biology with Specialization in Ecology/Conservation Biology, 2010
Preferred Pronouns:
she/her
Hometown:
Santa Cruz, CA
Where do you work, do you have a specialization, and do you work with a specific population?
I work in my hometown, Santa Cruz, CA as well as relief shifts at several emergency clinics through the Bay Area. I have chosen not to specialize, but enjoy both general practice and emergency work. I started my career doing mixed animal work (large and small animals), but am now working only with dogs and cats.
Can you share your journey about how you became a veterinarian? Have you always known you wanted to be a veterinarian? Is there a specific moment/experience that solidified your career choice?
I was actually afraid of dogs as a child. This changed as I had more exposure to my family and friends’ pets. I was not a kid who knew veterinary medicine was my calling, as many of my veterinary school classmates did. I considered veterinary medicine through high school, but was intimidated by the competitiveness of the process. It was still in the back of my mind at BU, and I peripherally joined the pre-vet community, while working my way through pre vet classes. I thought at the time I would like to pursue an academic route focused on environmental science and conservation. Struggling to decide, my path was solidified when I considered what my day-to-day would look like in academia versus in the veterinary medical field. I knew I would be happiest in a career that involved me thinking on my feet, staying physically active, and did not rely on a self-structured work schedule or grant-writing. I knew I would play to my strengths in a career that focuses on communication, teamwork, and puzzle solving. The bonus, of course, is being around animals, which will always be one of my favorite things!
What does a typical day look like for you? Who do you work with most closely or collaborate with frequently? What does your work-life balance look like?
I currently split time between a general practice and emergency clinic. At the general practice, my day starts with assessing labs that had been sent out the day prior, calling owners to relay results, or answering questions. I then start appointments, field questions from reception, squeeze in urgent cases, and attempt to complete records on each case and communication performed. I work closely with veterinary technicians, who are the nurses of the veterinary field. They are crucial to getting most of the appointments tasks done (vaccines, nail trims, prescription fills, etc).
Once a week I have a surgery day, which includes routine surgeries like spays, neuters, mass removals, and dentistry. Here, too, my vet techs are vital, as they run anesthesia, prep, medicate, place IV catheters, clean and recover patients, and more.
At the emergency clinic, my day starts by rounding with the prior shift’s doctor, transferring in-hospital cases into my care. I assess each pet in hospital, ensure they have a plan and then start receiving (seeing new cases). The new cases may come in sporadically or all at once, changing the pace of the day dramatically. I often have minor procedures to perform toward the end of my ER shift. Sometimes a critical patient comes in, which requires me to drop everything and focus solely on this case, making decisions for my nursing team to help stabilize a pet. Regardless, my day ends with record-keeping, which often carries over into my time at home or the next day.
Generally speaking, the majority of my time is spent talking with clients and on the computer writing records, something that I will admit, was a surprise when I started practice. Time with patients, often just the physical exam (unless a procedure is indicated), is a quick portion of that appointment. Much more time is dedicated to discussing with the owner, interpreting information (labs, xrays, etc), explaining, planning, then keeping the records of all we did and discussed.
What are some challenges in your profession that you did not expect while you were in undergrad/veterinary school?
There have been many challenges in my career that I have grappled with. To start, time management. There is often more to do than time to do it. I am constantly getting interrupted to answer questions, which is challenging if you are distractible. Like many people in the veterinary profession, I am something of a perfectionist. I am also a bit of a talker. I feel best when I know I’ve explained a problem thoroughly and cleared up any confusions for a client. This has been a challenge for me, as getting through appointments, or seeing all of the ER walk ins requires you to manage you’re time effectively. Additionally, at least 90% of my day is spent talking or typing, as opposed to physically working on the animals. I think it is easy to be in denial about this reality even through veterinary school. As a veterinarian, you spend way more time with the computer records system than with the animals themselves.
Another challenge is managing owner expectations. Veterinary medicine requires owners to make financial decisions about how much to do for their pet. This is a stressor and a challenge for the veterinarian. Straddling best medicine and judicious use of funds is a hairy place to be, as we are often hedging our bets on what diagnostics and treatments are most likely to be fruitful or helpful. This guidance lands on the veterinarian, and best medicine can often require an expensive and frustrating diagnostic maze. We get feedback that we are “money hungry”, when in reality, finding the problem is not always as simple as it sounds. Owner’s unrealistic expectations about the cost of good care, can be a large burden for the veterinary profession and has been an important factor in veterinary burn-out.
Lastly, burn-out, compassion fatigue, and sadly, high suicide rates, have been a sobering surprise and challenge. Veterinarians are faced with long work hours, high debt-to-income ratios, and harsh feedback and unrealistic expectations from clients. These issues have driven large portion of veterinary professionals to depression, apathy and burn-out. A recent study found that female veterinarians were 2.4 times as likely as the general U.S. population to commit suicide and that the rate for male veterinary technicians was five times higher. We are working as an industry to combat some of these issues, but I do feel it is important for the public to know about as well.
How has COVID affected you and others in your profession?
Interestingly, veterinary medicine has become highly impacted and extremely busy during the pandemic. Many people have acquired pets over the last year and are spending more time with their pets while at home. All of this has markedly increased demand for veterinary care. At the same time, there is a national shortage of veterinary professionals and especially skilled support staff, compounding the increased demand. We have been utilizing “curb-side care”, meaning the owner stays outside while we bring the pet inside for assessment and treatment. This has made us less efficient in many ways, while dehumanizing care and making owners even more on-edge. Because the general practice clinics are more impacted than ever, the emergency clinics have been experiencing unprecedented wait times and often having to “shut the doors” and turf to other clinics. Every clinic I know is looking to hire both veterinarians and staff.
Receptionists and technicians have been taking the brunt of owner frustrations with wait times and inability to get appointments. Unfortunately, we are seeing burn-out increase and people leaving the profession. It’s a domino effect.
Given all the new pet adoptions and purchases, I am acutely concerned that many people will not realize the cost of care for their new pet, or will need to go physically back to work. This is likely to leave pets in the shelters, neglected, unsocialized, and without appropriate care. This, again, is a domino effect.
Can you share a memorable story or patient interaction during your time in veterinary school or in your profession?
One of my favorite memories was going on a routine farm call while working in Texas after graduation. It was early in the morning, I had been woken up while on-call, to come help with a cow giving birth and having difficulty (this is called dystocia). When myself and my intern (another young woman) arrived at the farm, the owner was clearly skeptical of the situation — two young women coming out to help his cow. We followed him to the middle of his pasture where the cow had been down, was tired, and needed help. The owner was convinced the calf was dead, as the cow had been in labor all night. We were able to quickly and smoothly pull the calf, which was alive and looked healthy. To my surprise, the owner admitted that he was unsure if we young ladies could get the job done, but we had convinced him that women are a welcome addition in farm animal medicine. The cherry on top was the stunning sunrise as we drove away through the picturesque hills of his pasture, cows grazing beside us.
What are some specific things you remember doing to prepare for applying to veterinary school?
Getting into any professional school is a process. You must show academic competence as well as commitment to the field. Many schools require quotas of hours working in the veterinary industry to show understanding of the industry. All veterinary schools are extremely competitive with low acceptance rates, as there are only about 30 schools in the US.
After graduating from BU, I took a job as a veterinary assistant at a local small animal clinic. I also explored other areas of animal care with wildlife, doing a lot of rescue and rehabilitation work with marine mammals. Many of the veterinary schools have different requirements for classes, so I also took some additional classes at my local college. I was lucky enough to be able to live at home with my parents, as much of my wildlife work was volunteer. I became acutely aware of my privilege, continuing to be dependent on my parents while I took classes and acquired veterinary hours. For me it would have been cost-prohibitive to get enough veterinary industry experience without familial support during that time. Many of my classmates had a similar experience.
Is there a specific organization/establishment you would like to shout out?
I would give a huge shout out to the BU Women’s Soccer program, which was my family during my time at BU. While being a student-athlete did not have anything to do with veterinary medicine, it was instrumental in shaping me as a successful student, employee, and now leader within a work setting.
What are your hobbies/What do you like to do for fun?
I still love to play soccer recreationally! I stay generally active — running, hiking, playing beach volleyball, and cross-training. I also love my social time with friends and family here in sunny CA.
Are there any tips/advice you would like to share with our pre-health students?
While grades and test scores matter getting you into school, your success in a health profession tends to focus on personal relationships, communication, and attitude. Long term, these are the skills that make you feel like a good coworker and leader, which in my experience has been what’s made my day-to-day feel rewarding and fun.