Five practical ways to reduce physical and mental strain, and stay in the profession longer.
Veterinary medicine can take a toll on the body and mind, especially during long, physically demanding clinic days. In this episode of The Resilient Vet: Mind and Body Strategies for Success, hosts Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, and Jennifer Edwards, DVM, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, outline the 5 levers of durability—5 practical upgrades veterinary professionals can begin incorporating into their daily routines. Drawing on Shaw’s concept of “Vetspan,” the conversation covers clinic-ready strategies aimed at supporting longer, more sustainable veterinary careers—from protecting the spine during long hours on the floor to fueling the body to avoid midshift energy crashes and resetting the nervous system between appointments.
Edwards: Welcome to The Resilient Vet podcast, where we help vets and their teams build lasting, fulfilling careers through sustainable mind-body strategies. Hi, I'm Dr Jennifer Edwards—veterinarian, former practice owner, and now leadership and energy coach and speaker. With [more than] 25 years in this profession, I understand how hard it can be to deal with all of the things we have to deal with every single day. Through the lens of conscious leadership, I love to help veterinary professionals and leaders bring intentional, mindful possibility to their lives so they can create and live exactly how they want to. My cohost, Aaron Shaw, is here with me today.
Shaw: Hi there. My name is Aaron Shaw. I am an occupational therapist, health and wellness coach, and founder of Project VetSpan and the VetSpan Collective. I am married to a veterinarian, so I've seen firsthand the physical and emotional challenges and demands of veterinary medicine. If anything, I would say that I love talking about durability—durability in vet medicine.
Edwards: Aaron, I hear you talk a lot about durability. In fact, I've heard you mention "5 levers of durability." So, if a vet pro wants to feel better in the next 30 days, where should they even start?
Shaw: Great question. Thank you for the setup. I would say the good news is that you don't need a major life overhaul to really feel more physically and emotionally resilient and durable in vet medicine. I'm going to give you 5—let's call them "little upgrades." Each one of these upgrades I label as a lever or a pillar.
I'm going to hit these in fairly rapid fire. The term I want to give everybody is “vetspan.” We know lifespan is how long we live; vetspan is how long we have a thriving career. These levers help us expand our vetspan.
Transcript has been lightly edited for improved clarity.