Transforming practice culture: How individual wellbeing impacts the entire team

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, take a deep dive into workplace culture and the role it plays in personal wellbeing. They explore how the wellbeing of each individual contributes to the collective culture and how that culture can either support or hinder the whole team. Shaw and Edwards discuss burnout and belonging, talking about what culture really is, why it matters, and how veterinary professionals can cultivate environments where people and pets can thrive.

Partial transcript:

Edwards: Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Resilient Vet podcast. Today we’re going to be talking about culture—such an important topic for everybody in practice or any other workplace out there—and how individual wellbeing impacts the entire team. If you’ve ever thought about how amazing it would be to work at a place that you thought had great culture, or if you’ve worked at a place that maybe had some really good culture but deep down you just knew it could be better, then you definitely want to listen to this episode all the way to the end.

We all know that burnout is a huge issue in veterinary medicine, but I don’t know if you realized that on top of many factors, practice and workplace culture plays a huge role in impacting how quickly people reach that level that they refer to as “burnout.”

I’m Dr Jennifer Edwards, veterinarian-turned-leadership-and-energy-coach, and I am here today to help you learn more about culture on the Resilient Vet podcast. You can find me at my website, drjenniferedwards.com—that’s doctor spelled out with a “Dr.” And please feel free to download my free e-book on cultivating more happiness and joy in your life.

Shaw: And my name is Aaron Shaw. I am the cohost with Jennifer, and thank you for joining us. I’m an occupational therapist, healthspan expert, and founder of the VetSpan Collective, which is a free online community with resources for people like you and me who want to be more resilient in the vet space. And that is exactly what we’re going to talk about today.

I think culture is a great topic. Culture is something that can really support us. Or, if you’re not in a really good culture, it can weigh us down or slow us from achieving our true potential. I’m super excited to hear Jennifer’s perspective on this. This is her forte, and I think the best way to start this conversation is by defining: What is culture? What does that mean?

I think we know inherently. We’ve been in places that are the worst—sometimes toxic workplaces—and I think that’s probably referring to the culture, the vibe of more than just one individual. So, what is culture? What does that mean?

Transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and cohesion.