You Are Exactly Where You Need to Be (Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It)

If you’ve been feeling behind, stuck, or questioning if you’re on the right path—this episode is for you.

In this episode of Behind the Stethoscope, we’re talking about the pressure to “get it right” and the reality that there is no perfect timeline—especially in veterinary medicine and life.

Whether you’re:

-A pre-vet student trying to choose the “right” vet school

-A soon-to-be graduate starting your first job

-A vet student navigating the stress of the NAVLE (or retaking it)

-Or just someone in a season of life that doesn’t look how you planned

This is your reminder that you are not behind—and you are exactly where you need to be.

We talk about:
-Making big decisions without having all the answers
-Why your first job doesn’t have to be your forever job
-Failing the NAVLE and finding your way forward
-Letting go of comparison and timelines
-Trusting that even the hard seasons have a purpose

This episode is part reality check, part encouragement, and part big sister advice for anyone who needs it.

If this episode resonates with you, share it with someone who might need this reminder too.

Follow along:
Instagram & TikTok: @dr.elizabeth.brann
YouTube: @behindthestethoscope-dvm

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi, friends, and welcome back to Behind the Sethscope. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Brand. I am just a new ER grad veterinarian, just trying to figure everything out like the rest of us. I want to thank you guys for showing up for this episode. This episode has actually come up quite a bit in my life recently. And I feel like it's always a really good reminder in times of struggle and times of good to know that you are exactly where you need to be. I know sometimes that's really annoying to hear. I get it. Like when people tell me that, sometimes I'm like, okay, no, but like this is happening, or I'm really stressed about this decision or whatever. Or I'm not where I want to be. Totally understandable. But you are exactly where you need to be. On this episode, we are going to talk about the different aspects of where you're at and the different aspects of your life. And I am going to show you you are exactly where you need to be. So let's get into it. Okay, so let's get into it. So first I want to talk about the pressure of feeling like you need to get it right. We all have decisions right in front of us. Some small decisions, like everyday life decisions, some a lot bigger decisions. And that feeling like I have to get this decision right, or everything's gonna fall apart. So, more in particular, I'm talking about talk, more in particular, I'm talking to my pre-vet students. For y'all that don't know, some of you guys may know, some of you guys may not know. The decision on deciding what vet school you want to go to is up April 15th. So, to my pre-vet students, I've actually had a lot of talks still with a lot of pre-vet students about this of what vet school should I go to? I got into X, Y, and Z vet school, and I'm really like struggling with deciding what vet school I need to go to. One, that is amazing. That is a wonderful problem to have. Two, I was in your exact same shoes. I decided to go to Kansas State for a lot of different reasons, but you are gonna make the decision that is best for yourself. I understand there's tuition, there's location, there's, are you gonna make friends? Is it gonna get us the best externships? Is it gonna give me the job that I want later down the road? Is it gonna do all of these things that I want in a vet school or that I want over the next four years? And that's a super big commitment. No one is saying it's not. The next four years of your life is gonna be spent there. That's a lot of pressure. And I'm not saying it's not, but you are gonna end up exactly where you need it to be. I remember being in those shoes of making a decision between three or four different vet schools and saying, I don't know which one to choose. I'm scared I'm gonna make the wrong decision. What if I'm not happy? What if I don't get what I want? All of this stuff. All of the vet schools are great. I truly don't think there's a bad decision out there. I've met people across the country who have gone to all of the different vet schools, and everyone has had nothing but great things to say about it. I understand the pressure, but you are gonna make the decision, and that decision is gonna be exactly where you need to be. Like wherever you decide to go, you are gonna end up exactly where you need to be. Trust your gut, you are gonna be fine. And so I just I've had a lot of pre-vet students come and ask me about why I chose K-State and what decisions to go into it, and what should she think about, and all the things. And there's so many different things, there's so many different aspects, there's so many, so much in play. Your significant other, your tuition, your location away from your family, your location away from your significant other, your friends, the climate, there again, so many different things. Everyone prioritizes different things. And I think making that decision what's best for you or what's best for your family, or whatever the case is, again, that's what you need to do. But knowing that decision, whatever decision you make, you are gonna be exactly where you need to be. I know that's hard to hear and that's frustrating to hear, but I promise, like it is gonna work out, it is gonna be okay. You are gonna be exactly where you need to be. And to those pre-vet students who didn't get into vet school, I've actually talked to you guys quite a bit too. You are exactly where you need to be. I know it's hard. I know your dream is to get into vet school. I understand, and it stinks. I I can't imagine how that feels, but you are on the path that you need to be. Very frustrating because it's not where you want to be and not on the path that you want to be. Not to saying that you can't get there, but that path is exactly where you need to be. So keep that in mind. Put your head down, work hard, chase your dreams. I'm all for it. But be in the shoes that you're in right now and know that you're exactly where you need to be. Working out a clinic, making friends. Maybe you're not working at a clinic, maybe you decided to change career paths, like everything works out just exactly how it's supposed to. So that is to my pre-vet students, to my vet students, to the fourth years that are just about to graduate. You are stressed about getting a job, you're stressed about mentorship, you're stressed about getting going on your own, you're stressed about all of these things. Again, I was there, I not too long ago, and I understand that stress is so real. Enjoy the shoes that you're in right now. The last two months of my vet school was the best two months of my life. We had so much fun. We took it all in, we soak it all in, we hung out, we made the best of our time that was left in vet school. So, my advice to you guys soak it in. Be in the shoes that you're in currently. Yes, the job is stressful. Yes, the job hunt is stressful. And but no, again, wherever you end up, you are exactly where you need to be. And again, maybe it doesn't end up okay. What's the worst that can happen like in a job? Oh, I don't didn't get the mentorship that I wanted. Yeah, that sticks. I don't like my job. Yeah, that stinks. Or maybe I need to change career paths within veterinary medicine. I'm in emergency and I want to go to general practitioner, or I want to go to specialty, or I want to do this, or whatever the case is. Just know, like wherever you end up with a job right now, and even if you change, that experience that you get at that job will help you no matter where you go. And on the vet students that wanted to match and didn't match, or maybe you matched and you didn't get the school you wanted, that's okay. Again, maybe not the path where you want to be, but the path that you need to be. I didn't go into specialty. I have been at the same job since I graduated. So I can't speak on that side of things, but I know for a hundred percent fact I've met people who have switched to specialty, switched to emergency to general practice and back and forth and whole nine yards, even within the two years that I've been out. The experience that they have gained from said experience, even if it was a bad one, moving into that new job, maybe appreciating what the new job has. Maybe it's a great work environment. You appreciate it more because the last one wasn't so great. Or you appreciate like you learned valuable lessons from the first job and moving to the second job. So moral of the story is the vet students. I know it's stressful to decide like where you want to live and what you want to do in the job and mentorship and pay and loans and everything like that. That is all stressful. I'm not discounting how stressful that is. But no, whatever job you decide to do, you are gonna be okay. To the vet students who did not pass their Navy the first time, you've probably already retaken it the second time and waiting for results for the second time. No, you were exactly where you need to be. I'm gonna keep saying it over and over again because I feel like the more I say it, the more it might sink in. But like you are exactly where you need to be. Even if you don't pass it again, that is okay. That's why you get multiple tries. You are learning every single time you take that exam. And let's say you pass it, that is amazing. Oh my gosh, why didn't I just pass it the first time? Whatever. That is okay. You are exactly where you need to be. And just because you failed your navily, does not mean you're not capable, does not mean you're not smart enough, doesn't mean you're less worthy to be a veterinarian. Once you pass that navily, no one is ever gonna know. If your head high, you are doing great, you are exactly where you need to be. Okay, and so to the people that are not in veterinary medicine, everyone is at different chapters in their lives, whether you are 18, 22, 32, 40, everyone is in different aspects of their lives. But I think it's very funny because I work with people in all facets. I have people that are younger than me, I have people that are older than me, and everything like that. And it's so funny because I feel like everybody is still going through the same thing. It was funny. I was talking to a coworker yesterday, and she was like talking about something that I'm like, yeah, I'm going through that. And then the person that was younger than me, like five years younger than me, was like, oh, I'm going through that. Like I feel that. And it's so funny because everyone feels like, oh, I'm in a different chapter of my life than said person, and then said person. And that may be true. I'm not saying it's not true, but I'm saying I think we go through universal problems throughout the whole facet in our lives. Like, for example, in middle school, you have the catty bratty girls and you feel like an outskirt, or maybe you we're a popular girl, and you feel like on the outskirts, and then high school, and then you say, Okay, we're out of middle school, we're out of high school, we get into college, and you figure out those same people are also in college, also or in the real world, or whatever the case is, and you like think that, oh, we're 40, we should be out of this by now. Like, you figure out they're still there, and you still deal with the same problems from when you were 13 or 15 or 16 to when you're 40. I'm just using that as an example, but I think that we all go through something very similar. Whether you're in veterinary medicine or you're not, again, I think the path of where I want to be to where I'm going can be really hard. I personally have dealt with so much turmoil in this past year, almost two years at this point, to say, where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to do? And letting go. And I have found as like a full circle moment that I'm exactly where I need to be, trusting my gut, knowing with what my gut tells me, but then figuring out, like at the end of the day, like I'm exactly where I need to be. There have been so many times in the past couple of years I have questioned, am I gonna be happy? Is this gonna work out? Is everything gonna be okay? Or is like all of these things? And maybe hindsight, it's like 2020, and I turn around and I look and I'm like, I am exactly where I need to be. And the people out there that maybe is struggling, or maybe doesn't know what career path they want to go into, or maybe the job didn't work out like you wanted it, or the relationship didn't work out like you wanted, or your boyfriend slash girlfriend, you're broke up with you, or you're getting a divorce, or whatever the case is, like you are exactly where you need to be, and everything is gonna work out. I say that with full confidence, knowing that in all kind of the turmoil of my past couple of years, like I'm turning around and looking like that is exactly what that needed to happen in my life. I've learned so many lessons. I have grown so much closer to my friends. Everything has worked out exactly the way it needed to. So it is hard in the moment, I get it, but sometimes we just need a reminder. The shoes that you are wearing currently, figuratively and literally, you are exactly where you need to be. So, with all of that being said, I think there's a couple things. One, I think it's easy to compare yourself. I think it's easy to feel behind. Oh, that person has this, and they're my age, or they're younger, or this person has this, or this person has this. It is normal to feel behind. But the lessons that you're learning on the path that you're in is gonna be invaluable. And maybe it's a different path than somebody else. Maybe you want to be on that path, but you are exactly where you need to be. The season that you're in has a purpose. Sometimes it's an uncomfortable season. Sometimes you don't know why you're in that season. Every season has a purpose, even the uncomfortable ones, honestly, especially the uncomfortable ones. That is where you grow, that is where you learn, that is what you figure out what you want. If everything is easy for your entire life, how are you supposed to know what you don't want? So I challenge you to lean into the shoes that you're in. You are exactly where you need to be during that season. If this too shall pass, whether it's a good season or a bad season, but enjoy the season that you're in. Enjoy the season that you're in. Enjoy the big ones, enjoy the graduations. Yes, the small things can eat at you, and it and they will. I'm not saying they won't, but enjoy the big ones. Enjoy the promotions, enjoy all of that stuff because you deserve it. But those quiet ones, those quiet seasons where things may not be happening, the small daily things, you are exactly where you need to be, and you are gonna grow exactly the way you need to grow. And then lastly, trust the path that you're in. I wholeheartedly believe that God has a plan for all of us. Follow that, trust that, lean into that. You are exactly where you need to be. Okay, so with all of that being said, we'll jump into our segments. A segment of questions that I get asked by vet students or colleagues. I think, again, going on the same path that we're talking about. Me and my one of my coworkers were talking in the question. She is thinking about moving to a different city. She doesn't know anybody, etc. And so she talked to me about that the fact that I just recently moved. And she said, like, how did you do it? What is your thought process? So I think this is a great universal question. And whether you're looking to move or not move, I think the question of when do I jump? I'm scared to jump. I don't know what to do. What's my next step? How do you do that? I'm going to lean into a quote of mine, one of my favorite quotes. And this is a baseball reference. So if you guys are not baseball people, hopefully you guys still get what I'm getting at. Is you can't steal second with your foot on first. And that's like word for word what I told her. You can't steal second with your foot on first. You can't jump and leave if you're gonna have one foot behind you, and you just have to go for it. And the decision to move was very hard. I very recently moved. It was a hard decision, it was hard goodbyes. But I know I'm exactly where I need to be. And I told her, like, go through the pros and cons. Go through this and go through that. And what is best for your family? And I know that was best for me to jump and move. Again, it was a tough move, still is a little tough these days, but I think I am better for it. Challenging yourself to do something nude, to do something out of the ordinary. I think, again, that is where you grow. Not to say just up and move, it's so easy. I'm using like move as like an example, but I'm saying like any big decision in your life, obviously think it through. Obviously, pros and cons and what's best for me, what's best for what I want, et cetera, et cetera. But I think at some point you need to jump. You need to steal second. If not, you're gonna keep your foot on first base for the rest of your life. That's where you grow. That's where you get challenged. And I honestly really reflected with me because we had a pretty long conversation about it. I've reflected on that and why what really did the nitty-gritty of what did get go into the decision of making me want to move and reflecting on that and then sharing that here. Because I feel a lot of people sometimes get really scared to make really big decisions, and as you should, as I did too, but thinking it through, but then going at some point, you gotta steal second. You can't keep your foot on first base. How are you gonna win if you never get to home plate? And jumping and going for it, I think is my best advice if you truly have thought it through. So, case of the week. I've seen so many cases over the past, I guess, week or so. I've been working like crazy. And I think the one that I want to talk about in particular, and I think it's more of a generalized pet parent like advisory. I think it should be. So Easter was this past Sunday. The amount of chocolate toxicities that we have had, that we've gotten calls from, that we've had, etc. I had one yesterday. She came in for eating quite a bit of chocolate, a pretty toxic dose. And so just again, generalized talking about chocolate toxicities, chocolate in general, milk chocolate being the least toxic to cocoa powder being the most toxic. Based on the weight of the dog, based on the size of the dog, we get into a certain amount. There's different levels of toxicities within chocolate toxicities. So if your dog does get into chocolate, my best advice is to call a vet or go into a vet. Some, most of the time, I would say chocolate toxicities, it is no big deal. My dog is an 80-pound dog. If she got into a couple of Hershey kisses, she will just be just fine, might have some stomach upset. But smaller dogs who get into larger amounts, obviously, we get concerned for different things. So my best advice is to call your vet, go into general practice, see if this is a chocolate concern. See if there's a concern for chocolate toxicity. Yesterday I had one who came in and got into quite a bit of chocolate, threw up at home multiple times, then I induced vomiting when we got there and threw up, I would say about maybe two full potty pads. Yay, big, full of chocolatey water, foil, and everything. So she got into quite a good amount and she had a little chocolate Easter bunny. So I thought that was cute. But her heart rate was very high. So we were very concerned for that next level of toxicity of like cardio toxicity and cardioarrhythmias. Heart toxicity is what cardio is. But anyway, so we were able to hospalize her, able to monitor her. She did great. But I think again, the theme of chocolate toxicities, vets over this, I guess, past couple of days have probably seen quite a bit of them. And so those are always some fun ones to know. Some dogs do not regret anything that they did. Some dogs do regret it. Overall, very entertaining. But I just want to put that advisory out there about chocolate toxicity. Sometimes I feel like people are like, oh my gosh, my dog ate one Hershey kisses and they're gonna die. Some people are like, oh my gosh, my dog got into 50 pounds of chocolate and it's okay, it's no big deal. So there is a meat in the middle in those scenarios. So my advice, my best advice is call your vet. My best advice is try to keep chocolate away from dogs. I feel like everybody knows that. Just something that I've been seeing pretty often. If this episode resonated with you or someone that you feel like this might resonate with, share it with them, share it with your family. This has been coming up quite a bit in my life and just something I feel like I want to talk about. So thank you guys again, and I will see you guys next week on Behind the Stethoscope. Thanks again, guys. Okay, I just have to put a disclaimer in here. This content shared behind the stethoscope is for educational and informational purposes only. This podcast does not provide medical advice, establish a veterinary client patient relationship. Any cases that I discuss throughout this episode are generalized and anonymous. Pet owners should always consult their veterinarian for medical decisions regarding their pet. And opinions expressed are my own and does not represent my employer or organization. Thank you guys so much.