The Best Veterinarians I Know Aren’t the Smartest

One of my favorite parts of being a relief veterinarian is that I get to work with so many incredible veterinary professionals.

I’ve worked with some amazing veterinarians who are downright superhuman in so many different ways. Some are amazing diagnosticians. Some have the magic touch with surgery. But something I’ve always found surprising is that the very best veterinarians – the ones I dream about becoming when I “grow up” – aren’t always the most academically gifted.

That’s not to say that they’re not smart; all veterinarians are smart. But being able to quote specific studies or memorize text books does not automatically make an excellent veterinarian: after a certain level of intelligence, other skills become more important in clinical practice. Here’s why.

Emotional Intelligence over Book Smarts

A lot of people brag about their IQ, but what about EQ? EQ is emotional intelligence, and people with high EQ have the ability to recognize and manage emotions in themselves and others. Empathy, motivation, self-regulation, self-awareness, and other social skills all fall under the category of “EQ.”

A universal experience for members of the vetmed community is hearing a teen or young person say, “I want to be a veterinarian so I can work with animals because I don’t like people.” When I hear those words, I cringe: because no animal drives itself into the veterinary hospital and brings its own Visa card.

Being good with people (or at least understanding how to deal with them!) is a critical skill for most veterinarians. And although there are parts of our profession that aren’t directly client facing (such as pathologists or research veterinarians), GP veterinarians are most successful when they have high EQ or are at least willing to put the work in to improve.

Personally, I would rather work alongside a veterinarian with strong emotional intelligence and average grades than a veterinarian who graduated at the top of their class but struggles to connect with clients, coworkers, and staff. In this profession, we deal with other people who are often having a stressful time; and in ER or specialty? They might be having one of the worst days of their lives. Navigating social interactions and difficult situations takes a certain skill, and it is one that the best veterinarians have and continue to cultivate.

Humility and Willingness to Learn

The good news is that emotional intelligence isn’t fixed. Like any other skill, communication, empathy, and self-awareness can be developed with practice and intentional effort.

Which leads to another trait I see in exceptional veterinarians: they’re teachable.

This is especially important because the veterinary medical landscape is constantly changing, and even “cutting edge” science can be out of date in a few years. Veterinarians and veterinary professionals are constantly learning and improving: that’s why they call it “practicing” medicine.

If you’re not willing to be humble, accept that you don’t know everything, and learn something new: you’re not only failing yourself, but you’ll probably fail your patients and clients, too.

Have you ever tried to teach somebody who wasn’t willing to listen or hear what you had to say? My Dad is a pistol range instructor, and he says he runs into this all of the time with grown men who have “been shooting all their life.” They are so interested in showing off what they know, that they can’t put aside their own opinion of themselves for a few seconds to learn from an expert. The result? Unsurprisingly, they never improve, and although they usually aren’t “bad shots,” they never achieve mastery.

Don’t be like the cocky marksmen! As veterinary professionals, we should strive for continual improvement and mastery. It is important that we stay humble enough to realize that we don’t know everything, and maintain an attitude that is open to and willing to learn.

Teamwork Over Ego

Close your eyes for a second, and think about the best job you’ve ever had in a veterinary clinic. What was the leader there like? Did they hog the spotlight? How did they treat the technicians, CSRs, associates, and clients? How did they make the people around them feel?

Veterinary leaders know the importance of teamwork, and this is obvious to everyone around them. They don’t take all the credit; they acknowledge the hard work their team puts in and are thankful and appreciative. The best medical director I’ve ever worked with could be found cleaning kennels, answering phones, and placing his own rooms when the staff got behind. I never once heard him say, “that’s not my job,” and he earned the respect of his team by being humble and so willing to help when needed.

Veterinary medicine is not an individual sport; it requires staff members at all levels to pitch in from the front desk to the RVTs and kennel staff.

Not only is teamwork within a specific veterinary hospital important, but vet med works better when general practitioners, ER veterinarians, and specialists work collaboratively as a team. Successful veterinarians understand their role and know how to work with each other inside of their individual hospital and with other veterinarians. They understand that our professions and patients benefit when we collaborate with each other instead of competing.

Conclusion

Veterinary school teaches us medicine. Experience teaches us medicine. Continuing education teaches us medicine.

But the qualities that often separate good veterinarians from truly exceptional ones have less to do with intellect and more to do with character.

The veterinarians I admire most aren’t just knowledgeable, but also empathetic, humble, teachable, and committed to helping the people around them succeed.

Those are the veterinarians I still hope to be like when I grow up (whenever that will be!).

I’d love to hear from you!

What do you think makes a great veterinarian? How can veterinarians improve at these skills? Comment on this post or join the conversation on Instagram or in The Relief Room.