The secret to happiness in veterinary medicine? Don't be afraid of change

Veterinary professionals often grapple with the decision to pursue a specialty. The experience of Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD exemplifies how embracing change and following one’s genuine interests can lead to both personal fulfillment and clinical excellence.

Transcript

Julia Miller, DVM, DACVD: My name is Julia Miller. I am a board‐certified veterinary dermatologist. When I was in veterinary school, I was actually on an equine track, so I ended up completing a large-animal internship. I then stayed in mixed-animal general practice for about 4 years before returning to Cornell to complete my dermatology residency. The path to my residency was a little askew, but I loved every step. After finishing my dermatology residency at Cornell, I stayed on the faculty there for a few years, then realized that I was very interested in private practice life—I still wanted to “do,” not just teach.

For the last three years, I’ve been in private practice at Animal Dermatology Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky. What I love about private practice is that it gives me the opportunity to lecture at Fetch conferences and other meetings. It also allows me to continue educating through continuing‐education programs for veterinarians, because I’m passionate about spreading the dermatology “love” and getting everyone to enjoy their dermatology cases a little more. Dermatology is a cult, and I love it—I will gladly be one of its leaders if I’m allowed to be.

The goal of my keynote speech is to talk about my journey into dermatology, because it isn’t a linear, easy path. I was kind of all over the place, and it took me some time to decide that specialization was what I wanted to do with my life. I hope to inspire others who haven’t taken the traditional route—perhaps those in private practice who have fallen in love with a specialty, even if it’s not dermatology. That’s okay—I’ll allow you to like cardiology or neurology too—but I hope I can serve as an inspiration for people who haven’t followed the vet school→internship→residency path straight through. There are still options to return to specialization and find what you truly love about veterinary medicine so that you can continue to thrive and remain passionate about what we do as veterinarians.

Toward the end of the keynote, I’ll also share some of my favorite dermatology tips, and there may or may not be a catchy tune I’ll sing with fun veterinary lyrics. I’m hoping people leave with a bit of dermatology knowledge and a tune in their head that helps them remember how to better work up their dermatology cases.

Finding dermatology was a slow burn for me. I did large-animal work, then mixed-animal general practice, and I found myself really enjoying my small-animal cases in mixed practice—much to my surprise. At first, I thought I was a “horse girl”: give me every goat in the country. But I didn’t expect to like dogs and cats as much as I did. Over time, I realized I simply liked being a small-animal general practitioner, period. I then found myself gravitating toward dermatology cases.

My dad is a dermatologist, and I tried very hard not to follow that path—I did not want to be the apple that fell from that tree. But it took me a while to realize dermatology was in my blood. When I was working at a low-cost spay-neuter clinic, I discovered that I also loved surgery and even considered specializing in surgery. However, my hands couldn’t tolerate that career—I have occlusive hand dermatitis—so I wasn’t able to continue in surgery. At that point, I was talking to my dad on the phone and said, “What am I going to do? I can’t continue this.” He reminded me how much I loved dermatology and suggested I try for a dermatology residency. That conversation was a light-bulb moment. I asked, “Do you really think I could do that?” and he said, “Julia, do it. You’ve experienced it, you know it’s what you love doing—why not try and see if you love it?” That was a turning point that sent me back onto my specialization path.

I’d like to say people should not be afraid of change and should follow what makes them happy, even though it’s not easy. I’ve moved jobs—Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia—before returning to Cornell. For me, the change of moving and switching jobs brings anxiety; it’s comfortable to stay where you are. But change can lead you to your endpoint and help you find what truly brings you joy in veterinary medicine. Had I been too anxious or unwilling to make those changes, I never would have ended up where I am today. So follow your heart, believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to make the changes you need to find your happiness in veterinary medicine.