Testimonials
You’re not alone! Wrestling with the relentless stress of veterinary medicine is a shared experience in our industry. Here’s how other vets learned to manage it using The Power of Pacing® technique.
As a new graduate starting in a busy 24-hour practice, I had all of the apprehensive feelings, including very real imposter syndrome.
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Looking back on these lessons, it was the first time not only in my career, but in life in general, that anyone had suggested that these reactions of anxiety/nervousness/etc. were actually normal human reactions - not a personality defect that needed to be corrected.
I’ve taken the techniques I developed under the guidance of Dr. Rogatz with me through my career, motherhood, personal relationships, and personal hardships.
I have been told that I “handle stress well” both personal and professionally. Before embarking on this path, I would have never believed that this would have been a compliment I would receive. Some of the most life-changing and valuable applications of this information have happened outside of my professional career.
With Dr. R’s direction, I was able to develop techniques unique to me and to work to make them second nature. The technique used to clear my mind and maintain focus became a habit. Once you have the tools and the understanding, the techniques are timeless and last a lifetime.
—Recent Graduate Veterinarian
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I felt little. I felt defeated. And most of all, I felt like a failure. Little did I know that these feelings were all completely normal for a new grad coming fresh out of school.
Once I realized this, then the issue of not knowing the answer became less important, and my drive to embrace the process of slowing down my racing thoughts gave me traction to access my knowledge in a more productive manner.
Once I understood The Power of Pacing, not knowing the diagnosis right away became comfortable and allowed me to be a better, more thoughtful doctor
This process empowered me and gave me confidence. I was able to practice this method, and with time, utilize it both professionally and personally. This method is something that can be used across all aspects of life when things seem to speed up and the emotions and adrenalin take over.
Once I mastered this technique, I found that my patience with all things in my life grew dramatically.
Going into my first overnight shift, I was about 4 months into practicing this process. Driving into the parking lot at the start of my shift, there was nothing I could do in order to slow down my intense nerves. Then, halfway into my first night, with an ER full of patients, the night was smooth sailing. I was able to click right into this process when it mattered most and handled the room with more confidence and experience than I thought I had.
I left that next morning feeling as though I had grown exponentially and really had something to hold onto going forward. This process truly shaped the doctor I am today, and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn this method from Dr. R at such a critical stage of my life.
I was trying to cope with the massive feeling of inadequacy and ineptitude I felt as a new graduate.
—Early Career Veterinarian
When I met Dr. Rogatz, fresh out of a brutal 1-year internship, I had learned a lot, but he made me the veterinarian I am today.
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How I felt in those moments would range from just being in a bad mood, to feeling my body temperature rise until I reached a fuzzy, out-of-body-like state. Then, I’d usually say something out loud that I would regret, which only made me feel worse. There is a lot I regret about how I made others feel.
I remember Dr. Ragatz telling me why he started this program. He wanted us to learn how to control emotions in response to stress earlier in our careers than he did. It is an everyday mental exercise, just like running and weight lifting. It takes a daily routine to self-check yourself. “How am I feeling today? What can I do to improve?”
I left the field as an associate to open my own veterinary hospital. And I was afraid, afraid I’d still be miserable. But I learned to love being a veterinarian again. I am now the happiest I’ve been in my career.
Since learning The Power of Pacing, I find myself listening more to my inner self before I react and also listening to how others are handling their stress. I now observe my own hospital staff and can see how each one handles stress differently, some well while others look like me 15 years ago. I can see how their explosive words affect their co-workers.
The Power of Pacing is a program the veterinary community needs in the midst of a mental health crisis. With our personalities and the level of stress our profession throws at us daily, we need to learn how to center ourselves and to catch ourselves before we react. In doing this, we will be more successful in our professional and personal lives while improving our mental health.
—Recent Graduate Veterinarian
At the time of starting this program, I was dealing with a lot of stress at work while also having a young child.
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With the help of this program, I was able to identify key events that were causing me stress and work through why they were stressful. I think this is the key difference with this program versus other programs that deal with coping with stress. Identifying the why behind the stress I was feeling was key in moving past it.
Since working through this program, I have consistently gotten feedback from others at work and even clients about my calm and thoughtful approach to different matters. I also received a promotion that has certainly come with many challenges, but I have been able to navigate the many challenges this job has posed without giving up because of this program.
I have also received feedback from my daughter’s teachers of how well she handles her emotions. Even though she obviously was not doing the program, I think she has learned from my reactions as to how to control her own emotions. This is probably the most rewarding aspect of this program to me.
—Second Year Veterinary School Graduate
Reach your
full potential
in veterinary
medicine through
The Power of Pacing.®
Veterinary school doesn’t prepare you for the relentless, exhausting pace of working in a clinic. We teach you a simple, repeatable technique for responding to stress so you can reclaim confidence and joy in your work.
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