Go the Distance – Surviving Match Day

Long ago, in the faraway land of California, there was a girl who thought she knew exactly what her future looked like. She had always wanted to own her own small animal practice in southern California. She was going to move home right after vet school and get started on her plan. And then, somehow in the middle of fourth year of vet school, she found herself applying through the match for an internship (the “why” is another story for another time). 

I wasn’t really stressed on match day. I had only applied to two programs. I knew I didn’t have the grades to match to the university I had applied to, and had resigned myself to a one-way, 10 mile, 45 minute commute in SoCal traffic. I was (luckily) on a vacation block, and slept in on match day – I was taking my mind off my future by going to Disneyland (no joke). My family was more anxious for match results than I was, and when I opened the website, my future was turned upside down. I had matched in Canada.

“I had always dreamed, of a far-off place, where a great warm welcome would be waiting for me.” Actually, I wanted a colder welcome, someplace with some seasons, snow, and lots of hockey. People called me crazy – what place did a California girl have moving to Canada? It was a valid question, but I knew that I was ready to go the distance (3,563 miles to be exact) and if I had to, could live anywhere for a year “to find where I belonged.”

Match day can be stressful. The anticipation, the elation (or disappointment), the scrambling, the endless questions of “where did you match?” can leave even the strongest hero questioning their decisions. It can take a feat of Herculean strength to survive the teaching hospital on match day. 

But when faced with the unknown of finding where I belonged in vet med, I learned some universal lessons along the way that will hopefully help all of you come match day and beyond.

1. You are resilient. The internship or residency might be everything you wanted, but it might not be. One year seems like a long time at the beginning, but looking back, it will fly by like you’re looking down from Pegasus’ back.

2. You grow up (as a person and as a vet). When you show up to your first day on the job, you think you know a lot, but really, you’re a zero. It was hard not knowing what to do when my car was broken into, when my car froze to the pavement, or when a patient was rushed into the hospital in critical condition after being hit by a car (I had a lot of car-related troubles). You learn how to adapt and grow in knowledge and skills to be the animal hero you were meant to be.

3. You learn to rely on people. Some of the best friends you’ll ever make are in your internship. They’ll bring you food at all hours of the day, help bounce ideas off each other when a case is particularly difficult, and be a shoulder to cry on. It’s reciprocal, if you’re a good person, people will be good to you.

4. You cope with exhaustion. You’ll never be more tired than you are during your internship (except during some residencies). Value your sleep, but don’t forget to live life and have fun sometimes too.

5. No matter what your choice, be confident in knowing you made the right choice. Whether doing an internship, residency, or getting a job, you will learn valuable information, and you will be a good vet.

I’m not even two years into my career, and if you had asked me two years ago, I never would have dreamed I’d be where I’m at now. Unlike Hercules, I didn’t become strong and athletic overnight (the internship weight gain is real, unfortunately). But I am truly “on my way, I can go the distance. I don’t care how far, somehow I’ll be strong,” For me, match day was less stressful than what came after match day – the planning, packing, and moving internationally. But whether moving thousands of miles or just a mile up the road, match day symbolizes taking a step towards your future. 

Finding where you belong in this profession, and in life, can take you unexpected places and find you doing unexpected things. And that’s the beauty of all of this – there’s no right answer. Your path and your classmate’s path and my path will be different. Don’t let match day stress you out, because “every mile will be worth [your] while” and somehow you’ll find where you belong. 

When You Wish Upon a Star – My Journey to “becoming” a Disney Princess

As a girl (and let’s be honest, as an adult), I wanted to be a Disney princess. Like any good 90’s child, I grew up on Disney movies, Disney channel, and (as an Anaheim native) going to Disneyland as often as possible. 

To give you a little context, I was never the prettiest girl in the school, nor the most popular. I was a tomboy who never wanted to wear the fancy dresses, and would rather spend my recess reading books than playing handball.  And yet, something about being a princess enthralled me – the dresses, the large house, the handsome prince were all nice, but the ability to make a difference in the world was perhaps what I gravitated to the most. 

I identified most with Belle – she was smart, stood up for what she believed in, and loved a good book. Though yellow was never my favorite color (I’d much rather wear the Beast’s blue jacket), I wanted to be that strong woman who could make a difference and people looked up to. 

Two things happened recently that made me realize I might actually be closer to my childhood dreams than I realized.

1. It should come as no surprise to you if you’ve made it this far, that I love all things Disney. So much so, in fact, that in the clinic, it’s not uncommon for me to be humming a Disney song under my breath. A few days ago, I may have been “building a snowman” a little too loudly (if you catch my drift – ha), and one of my colleagues gave me a new nickname – Disney Plus. It stuck.

2. While visiting family over Thanksgiving, my 5 year old cousin told me she wanted to be just like me when she grew up; she wanted to help animals. She wanted to be a “Federal Alien” (I’d like to be one of those too, actually), which is her way of saying veterinarian. Another friend of mine has a daughter who also says she wants to be just like me when she grows up. These little girls look up to me and think that what I’m doing is the coolest thing in the world (or the galaxy if I’m truly an alien). 

And that’s when it hit me, I might not have the fancy ball gown or a “tale as old as time” (I’m still working on my theme song), but in the eyes of these young girls, I am already a Disney princess – the person they look up to and want to be like. I am a person who, at least in their minds, is making a difference in the world. In fact, I’m sure every veterinarian knows a child, middle schooler, teenager, vet student, that sees what we’re doing and wants to be just like us. 

“But in the eyes of these young girls, I am already a Disney princess – the person they look up to and want to be like.”

My passion has always been helping people achieve their dreams. I have always been a big believer that Walt Disney said it best, “If you can dream it, you can do it” and maintained that philosophy as I advised and mentored pre-veterinary students get into and graduate from vet school for over 10 years. I lost that vision of helping others achieve their dreams while I was on my own journey to do something exciting, so I could have a story to tell, without realizing the story had been close to home this entire time. Every day, what I do (and what all veterinarians do) inspires and motivates people. My cousin and some really cool aliens helped me realize that. 

It took me a long time to figure out what my story, my brand, my uniqueness was in veterinary medicine, but thanks to these seemingly small occurrences, “there may be something there that wasn’t there before,” sharing my love of Disney, making difficult topics more relatable with stories we all know and love, and adding a bit of humor along the way. 

I’m still finding my own way in this profession, but the young girls I talk to don’t know that. They see the princess – the hero – who saves animals and conquers the world one day at a time. I want to invite you to “be my guest” as I share this journey in veterinary medicine with a touch of Disney magic to light the way.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Disney. All views expressed on this site are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity of which I am affiliated.