08/22/2026
I have been in this industry for about 16 years now (~11 years as a vet), and I still love my job, fortunately.
It’s not easy being a veterinarian, especially in a small town though.
In the short period of time that I’ve been practicing, I’ve seen wayy too many of colleagues leave (veterinarians and staff) because of client disrespect and burnout, further contributing to the veterinary shortage.
In any medical field (human or vet), appointments can get behind due to patient sickness or emergencies, causing others less urgent to wait.
Sometimes, even when informed, some individuals get very mad and then blast us on the internet after making a scene in the lobby, not realizing we are already working very long hours away from our families and trying very hard to support them, along with our employees.
Some people (definitely not all) expect to be seen same day without any sort of wait time when they come in, not considering what may be going on behind closed doors. Sometimes, it’s involving a person saying goodbye for the last time to their best friend, us doing CPR on a dog that’s crashing, or giving emergency meds to a pet that is fading.
There are times (definitely try to restrict those), I have to refer out to another veterinarian, not because I don’t care, but because I do care. If a pet is very sick, I realize every minute counts and I care more about that pet being cared by someone more so than having another number.
While I was on maternity leave, I was very blessed to stay open (thanks to very supporting relief doctors), so I tried hard to remain respectful by not piling on too much work on them.
In the vet world, I like to think of other vets as a team. I have fortunately been very well respected by nearby clinics such as County Line, Wyatt, China Grove, Sayers, and Deason’s.
Every single case that comes through the door affects my staff and I stay cognizant of that. I have been at practices where doctors are forced to see as many people as possible, causing severe burnout. That burnout then leads to staff to being here long hours, increasing the likelihood for mistakes and staff turnover.
As a business owner, I try very hard to take care of my staff’s mental health, even being very careful about who I hire or integrate into the team.
I have found it is very hard to give quality care when you’re rushing or having that added stress from a client that is mad for having to wait.
I try to do quality over quantity, and I try very very hard to be very transparent with every client about money (since it adds up, especially with the rising cost of medical care), and the wait times, if there are any. If there is an emergency or very sick case, informing an appointment may take a little longer since we can’t always let go of a pet.
I am a mother to six (two under 2 years old and a bonus mama to 4) and I’m currently working 50 hours a week (plus the time I work on charts outside of work). I literally worked up until the day I gave birth. After doing an emergency surgery, I called my husband because I was in labor. When we got to the hospital, it turns out my placenta prematurely separated, causing me to have an emergency C-section. I came into work feeling off, but I didn’t want to cancel anyone because I care that much.
A whole lot of my time is spent away from my family, but I knew that’d likely be a necessary sacrifice. When I get home every night, it’s typically a short window spent with them before they go to sleep. Currently, I am awake a lot during the middle of the night taking care of my 4-month old too. I also spend time working on charts while pumping and then my whole day starts again.
If I piled on too much, I’d spend even more time away from my family and I definitely don’t want my kids growing up resenting me. I also don’t want my staff to dread coming to work.
Life is also way too short. I have lost way too many loved ones in my 38 years, including veterinary colleagues that committed su***de over rude clients or over-expectant individuals.
I value my family, my clients, and my staff (along with their families). You’ll find that I really get to know my clients, their pets, and their families. People are often surprised with what I do remember, but that’s because I don’t do fast food medicine. I think about every case on an empathic level.
I know quite a bit because of my different experiences, but I still don’t know everything, but I am always honest about that too. Every day is a learning and growing process.
If I don’t know something, I try my best to find out an answer and will even consult with a more experienced colleague or specialist to get someone an answer.
I can’t guarantee that you’ll be seen on time, but I can definitely guarantee that you will get quality care with a lot of TLC and loves on your pet.
I also will never do services without discussing prices because I respect individual budgets. As a doctor, I have to legally offer everything, but I will always talk to everyone about plans A, B, and C if something such as diagnostics are not in one’s budget. I rather allocate a budget towards treatment versus spending all towards diagnostics, especially if I don’t think the diagnostics will change the treatment plan too much.
Thank you so much to everyone that has supported my small business and have been incredibly kind. You are one of the many reasons that I keep on doing what I do.
-Dr Sczepanik
