This week’s Uncharted Member Spotlight features the unstoppable Dr. Katie Berlin! She has brought her passions for veterinary medicine and physical fitness/mental wellness together to create her own unique path through her career. We are so proud to have her as part of our Uncharted Veterinary Community! Here's what we learned about her in our recent interview for this week's Uncharted Member Spotlight!
For anyone who doesn’t know you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m an associate vet at a small animal general practice in York, PA. I’m also a runner, a writer, a podcast addict (and now a podcaster myself), and a certified personal trainer
What were you looking for when you joined Uncharted?
I wasn’t even sure. I’m a proud Founding Member – but I still don’t know why I went to that first conference. All I know is that because of Uncharted, this world of amazing people and opportunities and incredible friends for life just opened up, and I never looked back.
What is your current work related goal?
That depends what “work” you’re talking about! For my “real job,” I’m currently enrolled in the IVAS acupuncture certification course and I’m loving it. It’s making me see practice in a whole new way, 10 years after graduation, and I love the marriage of poetry and medicine. It’s magical.
As for my other “work,” I’m taking on some copywriting jobs in vet med and I absolutely love doing that – writing has always been a home for me. Carrie Jurney and I started a podcast called Veterinary Super Friends and I’m having a blast hanging out with her. And I’m hoping to make my website, The Vet Reset, into another podcast before long, as well as offering online training, coaching, and community there in the future.
What are your 2 favorite groups in the Uncharted Workplace community and why?
You know I have to say the Anchor Gang! Like any group it goes through busy and quiet times, but I love that people are looking to encourage each other to move more, take care of themselves, and not feel guilty about it. But I especially love the General group. It reminds me of the O.G. Uncharted Facebook Community where so many of us found something we didn’t even know we were missing.
Tell us a story of how another Uncharted Member has helped you.
There are absolutely TOO MANY! There have been a few times where I was feeling kind of lost. Burning out, or unsure of how to forge ahead when the path was poorly defined. I can’t even name all the people who have reached out at those times without being asked – but special thanks big time to Jamie Holms, Saye Clement, Tanya ten Broeke, Mike Falconer, Mark Nunez, Phil Zeltzman, Lisa Milan, Maggie Brown-Bury, Tracy Sands, Tosha Zimmerman, Gary and Julie Beall – and so many others who have just been there with a hand held out right when I needed it. I really can’t see life without my UVC people and hope I can be there for them too if they ever need it.
What is your favorite hobby and how did you discover it? Would you recommend it to others?
Everyone will expect me to say running. But I seriously have a million hobbies. I can’t pick one. I discover them by saying one day, “I think I’d like to try _____,” and then doing it. I recommend them all. ☺
What is your end-of-workday guilty pleasure?
I like to binge watch gritty dramas on Netflix while playing Sudoku on my phone and eating chocolate chip ice cream out of a coffee mug. #sorrynotsorry
Have you ever worked outside of the veterinary field? What was it like?
I was an art history major! My first “career” lasted two years – I worked in an art museum and knew pretty quickly it wasn’t going to be a lifetime commitment. I worked with some fantastic people and still love museums! The path just didn’t challenge me in the ways I wanted and needed for the long haul. I sometimes miss working in a place where I could wear cute clothes, get out on time every day, and never smell like poo, though.
What is one thing you believe all veterinary professionals can do right now to make Vet Med even better?
Start documenting the good in every day! Take silly selfies at work, write thank you notes to favorite clients, get patient photos and video (with permission, of course) and use them on your clinic’s social media, and share them with all your friends. Not just to show the world all the great parts of our job but to see it through their eyes and remind yourself how lucky we actually are to be able to do this.
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