Grit & Resilience: The Long Road No One Talks About

In this episode of Behind the Stethoscope, Dr. Elizabeth Brann dives into the reality of grit and resilience in veterinary medicine—and why this career requires more than just passion.

From the long road of getting into vet school, to the challenges of surviving vet school, to the emotional weight of being a new graduate, this episode explores what it truly takes to not only make it into this field… but stay in it.

Inspired by insights from Angela Lee Duckworth and her talk Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance TED Talk, this episode breaks down why grit—passion and perseverance for long-term goals—matters more than talent.

Whether you're:

• A pre-vet on the long road to acceptance
• A vet student trying to push through
• A new grad navigating real-life responsibility
• Or someone outside of vet med facing your own challenges

This episode is your reminder that success isn’t about who starts the strongest—it’s about who keeps going.

-New episodes every Wednesday
-Follow along: @dr.elizabeth.brann

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi everyone and welcome back to Behind the Sethoscope. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Brand. I'm just a new ER grad veterinarian, just trying to figure everything out like the rest of us. Thank you guys so much for again the continued support. I know I kind of always say it. And if you're new here, welcome. We are absolutely happy to have you. I was asked really really recently of like how I come up with episodes and what I want to talk about, etc. This podcast, if you're new here, is just about me talking about my experiences and my thoughts on things that are going on within the vet med community. Kind of my take on being a new grad, have just gone through vet school and then now transitioning out into emergency medicine, have been doing it for a couple of years now, and then my take on all the other things. My answer to how I decide what I want to talk about is one, what people ask me to talk about, but then two of what I feel like is relevant in my life and what I'm going through currently, but then also what's relevant within the veterinary community. So this past week, I saw like a lot of really tough cases. When you have a ton of run of like hard cases, sometimes you question, should I even be doing this profession or how long can I last in this profession? And I think emergency medicine, a lot of people question that. So when I reflected on this week and what I went through this week, something that like has kind of come up is grit in resilience. Grit is something and resilience is another thing. And we will get into it in this episode. So stick around. Okay, so let's talk about grit and what grit is first. So when I talk about grit, I want to talk about a YouTube TED talk that came out 12 years ago. I was doing like a school project in high school, and grit and resilience was a topic. And so I found this YouTube video. It's by Angela Lee Duckworth, and I'm gonna quote some of that here to talk about to kind of kick off to what grit is. Okay. So in her TED talk, she said, grit is passion, perseverance for long-term goal. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day in and day out, not just for a week, not just for a month, but for years to come. And it's working really hard to make sure that future becomes a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint. When you're 15 and 16 and you hear that, you're like, whoa, like it kind of hits you. And it still hits me to this day when I go, whoa, what does that mean in my life? How is that relevant in my life? I want to be gritty. I think everybody does. And when I think about this career and the longevity to get to the point that I'm at, let alone the longevity it takes for this career. And again, a lot of people can relate to that. And a lot of people within professional school can really relate to that of medical school, dental school, law school, stuff like that. I think a lot of people can relate. But in vet med, in this career in particular, a lot of people can relate. For example, I have four years of undergrad, and then I did four years of vet school, and then just to make it to the point of saying, I made it to my career. That takes a lot of perseverance. That is a lot of studying, a lot of experience, a lot of experience within the clinic, a lot of grit and resilience. Again, knowing this future is a marathon and not a sprint. When I'm 15 and I hear this and I knew I wanted to be a vet, I think that changed my mindset of this is a marathon, this is perseverance, this is doing everything that I need to do to get to this moment. And so when I think about grit and being gritty in the time that I'm in right now, of saying, hey, there are really long days, but I love this career. That case was really hard, but I love this profession. Sitting in that and saying, What am I gonna do about it? How am I going to be better? How what are like, yes, that case was really hard, or these days are really hard, or that week was really freaking tough. And I had a lot of really tough cases, but then going, okay, but then what? And something that Angela had mentioned was like, how do you become grittier? As a like a pre-vet student, as a student that's in medical school, as someone who wants to be grittier, how do I become grittier? And I don't think we know a lot about grit, but something that has really stuck in my mind from 15 to now is a growth mindset. And that sounds really annoying. And I know a lot of people get really annoyed when they hear people talk about growth mindset and like growth mindset. And I feel like that's like a very trending word these days, but a growth mindset is like not having a fixed mindset, is saying this is not how it's always gonna be, and just but growing and expanding and learning from each experience and how to be better the next time of hey, that case is really hard, or maybe I lost that case, maybe I could have been better, but how do I be better the next time? Or maybe my communications with that owner wasn't great. How do I be better the next time? And having a growth mindset in that helps with resilience and grit and knowing that it's not always gonna be like this. But let's talk about the road it takes to get here. Like I mentioned, I had four years of vet school, or I had four years of undergrad. I had four years of vet school. I had applications. I had to take the GRE back in the day. I had to take the GRE. Pre-vet students don't have to take that these days. But the GRE, I had to do well in school. I had to get experiences and leadership opportunities and application processes and potentially may or may not get into vet school the first time. Then I get into vet school, and you have four years of grind. It is such a grind. And then to potentially get to the career that I want. And so, within that long road, like that's almost a decade of really hard work for a goal for the future, for working really hard to make sure that future is a reality. And so I think remembering that when you're going through a tough time, or remembering that what is my goal at the end of the day? My goal is to become a dentist or orthodontist or orthopedic surgeon. But remembering that goal each day when those days get hard. During this longevity, your goal at the end of the day is becoming a vet. I want to become a vet. I want to become a vet. What are you going to do during that time to be gritty and be resilient in that goal? And so putting your head down, working really hard to get there. It does not mean burnout. It does not mean work 70 hours a week plus you're going to have school on top, plus you're doing leadership, plus you're doing X, Y, and Z. That is not what I'm saying. But it's having a future goal in mind and doing what you can to get there. And it's when someone tells you no, my financial advisor, when I was an undergrad, said I wasn't going to get into vet school. So when someone tells you no, being resilient and being gritty enough to say, I'm still going to make it happen because that's my goal and working really hard to make sure that future becomes a reality. And then we finally get into vet school. We finally get through that undergrad process, being a pre-vet student and applications and all of that stuff. Now you're in vet school and you're like, finally, I made it. I got in. This is the best thing ever. And it is that feeling of getting into vet school, I will never forget. I literally we'll get into that later in the episode, but I will never forget me getting into vet school. But you think, okay, finally I made it in. I'm gonna become a vet, which you absolutely are. But I think the reality of like how hard vet school actually is and the mental exhaustion, exhaustion, the emotional exhaustion, the physical exhaustion of, hey, you're taking 23 hours worth of classes, you have two tests a week, you're trying to have a social life on top of it, you're trying to have experience and externships and connecting with your friends from back home and connecting with your family. Oh, by the way, you have this, and oh, by the way, you have this. Not to mention that school is probably the first time that you're ever gonna fail. A lot of students do really well through our whole lives, right? We're really smart students and we study really hard and we've gotten the hang of the school thing. Oh, I'm making really good grades in undergrad. And I was not one of those people, but I made really good grades in undergrad and I'm doing really well here and I'm doing really well here. And it's truly not until you hit vet school where you're like, you failed for the first time. And like, how are you gonna respond to that? How are you gonna respond to wow? I got a C or I got an F or I got a B for the first time in my life. And some people are like, that's crazy. Who hasn't gotten a B before? But I know some people in my vet school class who have never gotten a B until vet school. And that was a lot for them. And like, how are you gonna respond? And so again, what is your resilience? What is your grit look like when you're faced with challenges? The biggest question when you're looking at where you are and where you want to be, and who you are now as a person and who you want to be later in life, saying a lot of people, I think it's motivation. And I've actually found, and I used to think that too, and even throughout bed school, I thought it was the same thing. But when I think about grit and resilience and that stuff, it's less about motivation. We're not gonna have motivation every day. You think, oh, I'm motivated to do this, I'm motivated to get good grades, I'm motivated to study for this exam. But I think it's actually what happens when you're not motivated, then what do you do? I don't really want to go to work today. There are some days that I don't want to go to work, right? I think we can all relate to that. But saying, What am I gonna do when I'm not motivated? And I think that's the point. I think that's resilience. So I know I mentioned this YouTube. I'll put a link into this podcast, but I think everyone should go listen to that TED Talk. It's six minutes long, it's like a clip on YouTube, Angela Lee Duckworth. And I think that she does a really good job of defining like what grit is, how you get grit. One, we don't really know, but then two, the learning purposes of grit. And the point when I'm 15 and I don't know if I can do this, I want to do this, I don't know how to do this. And I think what kind of stood out to me the most, and yes, I quoted some of her stuff, growth mindset is definitely like a really big thing for me, but the grittier kids do better over the talented ones. So a little bit about me and my background. I have a learning disability, I have dyslexia, and I'm pretty dyslexic. And it the people who have worked with me prior know how dyslexic I am. And when you're 15, you have dyslexia, you think that you're dumber than some of the kids, and you don't think that you can make it because how can I study all of that time and do really well and get really good grades when I'm not as smart as the other kids? And maybe not as smart is not the right word, but when you're 15, you definitely think that. And so when you hear the grittier kids do better than the talented ones, it makes you think that, oh, you can do this. And I never changed my mind of wanting to become a vet. Like I knew at the end of the day that's what I was gonna do. And so I was gritty. I was grittier than the talented ones, the smarter ones that the ones that didn't have to study as well. And I think some people can relate to that of wow, my friends don't really have to study a lot, but I do. I have to study double time the amount that they do to get the information, to read the passage, to read the textbooks, to read the lecture slides. Again, that's for me being dyslexic, but I think a lot of people can relate to that in a lot of different ways is I have to work twice as hard to do just as well or bare minimum than the other kids. And that was really hard for me to like grasp, but saying I might not be the most talented, I might not be the most gifted, but I'm gonna do this because I said I was gonna do this. I'm gonna do this because I want to do this, and this is my goal. And that spans across a lot of different facets and a lot of different moments in life of I want this reality and I'm gonna make it reality, whether that's buying a house, whether that's getting a new job, whether that's changing career paths within veterinary medicine or not. But anyway, I don't think I could talk about grit without bringing this YouTube clip up, just for the sole fact of played a really big part in my life when I was 15. I think it helped me become to the place where I'm at, or at least start having a mindset of I could do this, even if I'm not the most talented, I could still do this. And again, I don't think I could talk about this topic without bringing her into the mix. And I think everyone should go check it out. Again, I'll put a link into this podcast description and just check it out. Again, six minutes, nothing super crazy. But then we move on. So we went through undergrad, we went through vet school, and then now here we are. We graduated. And I think a lot of people are about to experience this in the next coming weeks. And that is finally graduating. You made it, you did everything you set out to be, and it is truly the most surreal feeling you will ever feel in your life. And I can remember walking across that stage, but that's when the real grit starts. Yes, you have a goal for your entire life. I've but wanting to become a vet since I was eight. And I had that goal and I had that goal, and I had that goal. And that was something that I was looking forward to. I made that future reality. But what happens when you reality your when your dreams become a reality? Then what? And I know that sounds amazing. Oh my gosh, you made your dreams a reality. That is amazing, and it is, but I'm 26 and my lifelong goal is now fulfilled. Then what? And that sounds really, I don't know, daunting is the right word, or sad is the right word, or I don't know. I know that kind of how that sounds, but it's really true. And I don't think that's actually talked about enough of saying, hey, I'm a new cat. Oh my gosh, I'm a veterinarian, this is what I've always wanted to do. And wow, this is life is so amazing. And it absolutely is, and it is incredible. Then what? What happens when that dust settles? It's like getting married. Oh my gosh, I'm married. This is always what I've wanted, etc., etc. You're married, then what? That dust settles, and then what? And that's when the real grit begins and the resilience starts. And again, circling back to having tough days in the ER. I had a really tough case last night. I had a really tough case the day before. And continuing to show up for these owners, and I was actually talking to people about this in my life, but I had a really tough case yesterday, and it ended up not going my way. The dog didn't do well, it was not a great case, and it was not a great scenario, and the owners were really great. But then what? What are you gonna do about it? Like, how are you going to respond to that? I had eight more hours left in my shift. Do you just crumble and cry in a corner? And no, you have to continue to show up for each and every patient. And it's hard, it's not easy. It's saying that case really stunk. That was a really sad case. But then saying, Okay, I have I think I saw eight more things, nine more things that day, and saying, How am I gonna show up for this owner? How am I gonna show up for this pet? And having just pure resilience of saying, I'm gonna win the next case. Hopefully, you can't, you're not God, you can't control that, but I'm gonna show up for this case, and I'm gonna show up the next day, and then I'm gonna show up the next day, and I'm gonna show up the next week. And again, to quote is sticking with your future day in and day out, not just for a week, not just for a month, but for years. Again, sticking with my future. I've always wanted to become an ER vet. And so I think that's sticking with it, not just for this week. Hey, I'm gonna show up this week or I'm gonna show up tomorrow and I'm gonna show up the next day, not just for a month, but for years to come. And I think being gritty enough, I've learned early in my life, but becoming gritty enough to show up day in and day out for weeks, for months, and for years. And I challenge you, wherever you're at in your life, to become just a little bit grittier. I just want to say that when I say be grittier, and I challenge you to be grittier, but this is what grit is not. Grit is not proving it to somebody else. I'm gonna do this because I'm gonna prove that person wrong. It's showing up for yourself consistently, it's not staying with somebody or somewhere that's hurting you. It's not ignoring your mental health, it's not continuing to burn yourself out just because I said I was gonna do it. There's a difference between staying committed and staying stuck. Resilience is knowing when to pivot. Okay, and then with all of that being said, I like really want to take this time to shout out some people who have made it, like who did it. There are two assistants that I've worked with for some time now, and they have made it. They are pre-vet students and they have made it to vet school. And so, one in particular, I've found out like she found out on shift right in front of me that she got in to the vet school that she wanted to get into. And I have a video of it. I may or may not share it, but just the pure joy of watching her figure out that her dreams are gonna come true is a feeling that you will never forget. Again, I like I said earlier, I will never forget the time that I got into vet school. So the story about me getting into vet school, I was on a flight to Minnesota to interview for their vet school, and I got the email. Literally, they when they say, please put your phone into airplane mode. And I was literally went on my phone to turn my phone into airplane mode, and that email came through of I got into K-State vet school, and it was my first acceptance into vet school, and I lost it. So not only did my dreams finally come true, I am now stuck on a plane for three hours, and I can tell no soul. And this was before plane had Wi-Fi all the time, and this plane didn't have Wi-Fi, and so I couldn't text anybody, I couldn't call anybody. Again, we were literally about to take off, and I start bawling crying. So I was on the window. Again, I know exactly where I was. Like I was on the window, there was an open seat, and then a lady sitting on the aisle seat, and I am just bawling. I'm 21 years old or 22 years old, and I just start losing my mind, crying uncontrollably. I was like, I did it. I'm literally gonna tear up just thinking about it. And I was like, I did it. Everything that I wanted to do, I did it, and nothing after that really mattered. Yes, I ended up going to K-State, but I think it freed me to saying it doesn't matter if I do well on this Minnesota of interview process because I got into vet school. I am going to be a vet at some point, whether that is at Minnesota, whether that is at all of these different places I applied to or at Kansas State, I am going to be a vet. I did end up getting into Minnesota, but I think that having that freeing feeling of I got into vet school actually helped me with that interview. So she got in and again, it was right next to the doctor's island, and she got in and she cried. And me and my colleague were both like, we remember this moment like it was yesterday. That is a feeling that you don't forget. And so I want to shout out her. I want to shout out the other assistant who got into so many vet schools, and she is a freaking rock star, and she ended up choosing the school that was best for her. So I just want to shout them out like a gold kind of moment for them, but then also bringing me back to that feeling that you feel like you lose sometimes, and then you see someone else in that moment, and you're like, Yeah, this is just wild. This is just insane. So, kind of with all of that being said, I just kind of wanted to shout out them. Okay, so this is a whole long, drawn-out kind of episode to say if you're listening to this and you're in the middle of a long road, whether you're trying to get into vet school, trying to start a new career, or just trying to figure out life, I want you to know this. You don't have to have everything figured out. You don't need to be confident every day. You just need to keep going because it's not about who starts off the strongest. It's not about who's more talented, it's about who shows up every day. And you are still here working every day. So you are already way more gritty. Than you think. I want to thank you guys showing up for this episode. If you guys want me to talk about anything, drop a comment, send a DM. I'm happy to talk about whatever topic you guys want me to talk about. But thank you guys so much for showing up for this episode. Okay, and just the disclaimer: this content shared behind this Tethoscope is for informational and educational purposes only. This podcast does not provide a patient client veterinary relationship. Any cases discussed are very generalized and anonymous. Pet owners should always consult their veterinarian for any medical advice. Opinions expressed are my own and does not represent any employer or organization. Thank you guys.