05/28/2026
We are so fortunate to have Susan Hamin on our team. 💙
Susan provides incredible support to both our team members and clients, helping bring people together through compassion, understanding, and shared experiences. She supports our veterinary professionals through the many emotional challenges that come with working in veterinary medicine, including grief, burnout, compassion fatigue, and the day-to-day emotional weight of caring for critically ill patients.
Susan also helps guide pet parents through loss and healing by facilitating our Pet Loss Support Group, creating a safe and supportive space for families navigating one of the most difficult parts of loving a pet.
Susan said it perfectly:
“Veterinary teams are extraordinarily passionate, dedicated, and skilled. They absorb urgency, trauma, loss, and joy — often in the same shift. They push themselves beyond their limits because they care deeply about what they do. And they carry so much.”
We are deeply grateful for Susan’s compassion, advocacy, and unwavering support for both our team and the families we serve.
From the desk of Susan Hamin, a licensed mental health counselor embedded within two of our SpecER hospitals, Ocean State Veterinary Specialists and Bay State Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Services
"I don't wait for people to come to me — I wander. I move through the hospital to witness the teams in their work, get a sense of the energy, let people know I am there, and learn about the medicine. That presence matters, and it's how trust gets built, one conversation at a time.
What I offer grows directly from what staff share with me. Their experiences and needs shape everything — it's a collaboration, and it constantly inspires me.
I meet with staff, interns, and managers individually and in groups to create space for the things that don't always get talked about — compassion fatigue/burnout, moral distress, self-compassion, communication, navigating misunderstandings and conflict, interpersonal issues, and personal and professional stressors. I help teams regulate under pressure, understand one another better, and build stronger working relationships. I also run a pet loss support group and support clients through anticipatory grief and loss.
Veterinary teams are extraordinarily passionate, dedicated, and skilled. They absorb urgency, trauma, loss, and joy — often in the same shift. They push themselves beyond their limits because they care deeply about what they do. And they carry so much. It's what makes mental health support a necessity.
I am honored to be the person who gets to say — you don't have to carry it alone.
I love them. I love the animals. I love this work. And I am grateful every day to be part of their world." ~Susan Hamin
As Mental Health Awareness month wraps up, here at UVC we know that continuing to prioritize our teams' well-being through consistent support is what leads to sustainable, fulfilling careers.
