New grads don’t quit veterinary medicine because they “can’t handle it.” They quit because the mentorship they were promised never actually shows up. They need a real mentorship plan before the first bad case hits.

In this episode of Irreplaceable Truths, Dr. Gershon Alaluf sits down with Dr. Moriah McCauley, DVM, host of the podcast So You’re a Vet… Now What?, for a practical conversation about mentorship, confidence, and what new grads actually need to survive their first years in practice.

They unpack what real mentorship actually looks like, what clinics often mislabel as mentorship, and why early-career vets can spiral into anxiety even in supportive environments.

Dr. McCauley shares how she handles mistakes, builds psychological safety, avoids coddling, and helps mentees grow real confidence. The conversation also covers new-grad fears around lawsuits, documentation pressure, why mentorship agreements matter more than signing bonuses, and how she’s using AI tools in practice to reduce after-hours charting and strengthen clinical decision-making.

🎧 What you’ll hear explored:

— What mentorship is supposed to look like in the first 3 to 6 months

— Why new grads spiral even when they have support around them

— The difference between worry that helps and worry that harms

— How mentors can build confidence without taking over

— How to handle mistakes while protecting learning and trust

— Why fear of being sued is rising in new grads

— Why mentorship agreements beat signing bonuses every time

— What vet schools still miss when training doctors

— How AI is changing workflow and medical records in real clinics

— Why urgent care can sharpen skills fast

🐾 Who this episode is for:

— New grad veterinarians trying to find their footing

— Mentors and medical directors building healthier training culture

— Vet students who want realistic expectations before graduation

— Practice owners who want to retain doctors long term

— Anyone navigating anxiety, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism in vet med

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 When worry helps and when it harms

02:08 Dr. McCauley’s path from New York to Edinburgh to Virginia

06:46 What mentorship should actually mean in a job

19:32 Anticipatory anxiety before work even in a strong hospital

23:13 The fastest way to break rumination and isolation

25:32 A missed murmur and the real lesson about communication

35:40 How to structure mentorship expectations in writing

40:20 How much leash a mentor should give without risking the patient

50:01 Why new grads fear lawsuits more than ever

54:57 Mentorship agreement vs signing bonus

1:03:14 The AI tools she is using right now and what they fix

📚 Resources Mentioned:

— Dr. Moriah McCauley on Instagram: @dr.moriah.mccauley

— "So You’re a Vet… Now What?" Podcast available on all major platforms

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms

📸 Follow: @Pacific.Lens.Studios

📥 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

Ep. 61

#VetMed #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #NewGradVet #VetSchool #VetBurnout #ImposterSyndrome #VetLeadership #VeterinaryAnxiety #VetAI #IrreplaceableTruths

Veterinary medicine rarely breaks all at once. Its pressure builds quietly.

In this episode of Irreplaceable Truths, Dr. Gershon Alaluf meets again with Dr. Andrew Findlaytor, DVM, founder of Vetsie Pet Care, for an honest conversation about clinic culture, relief work, sustainability, and why meaningful change in vet med feels so hard to achieve.

Drawing from real relief-shift experiences, they explore toxic versus healthy environments, perfectionism, leadership gaps, and why so many veterinarians feel stuck between loving the work and resenting the system.

The discussion then turns to artificial intelligence, not as hype or replacement, but as a tool that exposes deeper fears around control, trust, and professional identity. Candid and grounded, this episode focuses less on easy answers and more on asking better questions.

🎧 What you’ll hear explored:

— Why clinic culture can make or break a shift

— How relief work reveals both dysfunction and opportunity

— The difference between authority and influence in veterinary leadership

— Why veterinarians struggle with innovation despite being problem-solvers

— Why vets fear AI and what it threatens if misused

— How AI can support clinical judgment without replacing it

— What professional sustainability actually looks like in vet med

🐾 Who this episode is for:

— Veterinarians at any stage of practice

— Relief vets or those considering relief work

— Early-career clinicians navigating burnout and perfectionism

— Practice owners and medical directors focused on culture

— Vet professionals curious but cautious about AI

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 Relief shifts, toxic culture, and emotional fatigue

05:40 Why vets leave without fully leaving the profession

11:27 Relief work as exposure, not escape

18:47 Authority versus influence in clinic leadership

24:58 Why innovation feels threatening in vet med

30:11 Why vets fear AI and what is actually at stake

36:44 AI as clinical support rather than replacement

42:36 Business myths about veterinarians

49:55 What sustainability really means long term

📚 Resources Mentioned:

— Vetsie Pet Care: vetsiepetcare.com

— Dr. Andrew Findlaytor on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andrewfindlaytor

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms

📸 Follow: @Pacific.Lens.Studios

📥 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

Ep. 60

#VetMed #VeterinaryMedicine #ReliefVet #ClinicCulture #VetLeadership #VetAI #IrreplaceableTruths

Veterinary medicine has a way of revealing its hardest questions slowly.

In this episode of Irreplaceable Truths, Dr. Gershon Alaluf sits down with Dr. Andrew Findlaytor, DVM, founder of Vetsie Pet Care, for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from personal experience into the deeper tensions shaping the profession today.

What begins as a discussion about vet school training and early clinical readiness gradually expands into much bigger territory: how veterinarians are taught to think, how fear of being wrong gets reinforced, and how concepts like “gold standard” medicine collide with real-world client finances. Along the way, they unpack the NAVLE, perfectionism, spectrum of care, communication gaps, and the economic pressures quietly reshaping both private practice and corporate models.

Thoughtful, candid, and often uncomfortable, this conversation reflects the complexity of practicing medicine in a system that’s still figuring out what it wants to be.

What you’ll hear explored:

– How veterinary training shapes decision-making long after graduation – Why fear of failure and perfectionism persist in vet med – Where “gold standard” medicine helps and where it breaks down – How spectrum and incremental care show up in real clinics – The financial realities influencing access to care for clients

Who this episode is for:

– Veterinarians at any stage of practice – Early-career vets navigating confidence and clinical judgment – Practice owners and leaders thinking about sustainability – Vet students questioning how school translates to real life – Anyone wrestling with the tension between ideal medicine and practical care

Timestamps:

00:00 – Are vet schools training real clinicians or protecting pass rates?

07:06 – The “dark truth” of vet med: it’s a people business

10:42 – Where hospitals fail: not meeting clients where they are

12:23 – “Gold standard” is being weaponized—what changes next

17:03 – NAVLE: outdated memorization vs modern case-based thinking

23:43 – Obscure test trivia vs applicable clinical competence

27:16 – Why pre-vet clinic work can outperform school for readiness

36:09 – The real invoice problem: what diagnostics cost now

46:49 – Private practice margins, corporate pricing, and vet med as a luxury item

Stay Connected:

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Resources Mentioned:

– Vetsie Pet Care (founded by Dr. Andrew Findlaytor): vetsiepetcare.com

– NAVLE / NBVME: icva.net

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

Follow us: @Pacific.Lens.Studios

Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

Ep. 59

#VetMed #VeterinaryMedicine #NAVLE #SpectrumOfCare #IncrementalCare #PrivatePractice #VetSchool #IrreplaceableTruths