In spite of our best intentions, an attempt to be funny or inject humor into any given situation can backfire on us.  Whether it's among family, friends or co-workers, words said in jest can still sting, be hurtful, or even be perceived as offensive.  So, why am I writing about being humorous?!? Well, because day to day - regardless of one's profession, education status, or employment - we all may use humor as a means of “breaking the ice,” putting someone else at ease, or for helping to bring relief to stress and tension in a difficult moment of time. In their workplace a leader, supervisor, or teacher may draw on humor in an effort to promote a positive, upbeat environment, collegiality, and camaraderie among co-workers and peers.I recently came across an interesting research article that examined the effect of an instructor’s use of humor - in the college science classroom setting - on their students and students’ perceptions.  The basis for this study was centered around the commonly held belief that humor positively impacts engagement and learning in the classroom - however, according to the authors, no formal study had examined this in the context of college science courses “which are often perceived as difficult and competitive” or “stressful.” The authors also remind us that though many students may find their instructor’s to be “funny,” other students may not, and could potentially perceive their humor as offensive.  This publication reported on college science students': 1. Level of appreciation of an instructor’s use of humor in the classroom. 2. Level of attention and sense of belonging when instructor’s used humor, and the effect of gender on what was or was not found to be funny or offensive.3. Joke subject matter found to funny, unfunny, or offensive. Although most of the findings are expected and understood, I do believe that information revealed from this study of college science students can serve to remind us of the potentially negative effects of humor when used among those we work or play with or supervise. So what did they find?  Well, as most of us would expect, the vast majority of students (over 98%) appreciated an instructor’s use of humor in the classroom and indicated it positively impacted the atmosphere, their experience in the classroom, and their relationship with the instructor. Nearly ¼ of the students also indicated that an instructor’s use of humor in the classroom enhanced their attention, learning, and retention of the material. That's all really good. But what if their instructors were not so funny and jokes fall flat? Well, when students perceived their instructor's humor to be “unfunny,” there were no adverse impacts on their attention, learning, or sense of belonging in the classroom. They simply didn’t find their instructors or jokes to be funny. When “unfunny” was also perceived as “offensive” however, there were several negative impacts on students including their sense of belonging among others in the classroom and on their sense of the instructor’s relatability. As one might expect, the study did find an effect of gender in what was or was not perceived as offensive. So what subject matter for jokes is universally funny? The top 3 subjects that were deemed funny and seemingly “safe” among the majority of students - irrespective of gender and age - were jokes about science, college, and television. Others included food puns, animals, and sports.   Subject matter that was considered potentially “offensive” included jokes about social identity (including: disability, religion or faith, gender, ethnicity or race, sexual identity, and sexual orientation). Females were more likely to find jokes about social identity offensive compared to males. Other potentially offensive subjects included jokes about body weight, genitalia, old people, divorce, sex, politics, farts or poop. The researchers concluded that the majority of students appreciated use of humor by their instructors in college science classrooms, and that humor construed as offensive serves to alienate students in their sense of belonging and their instructor’s relatability. Furthermore, there are significant gender differences in what is generally perceived as offensive. Our world is an ever evolving “melting pot,” and social identities may or may not be apparent or visible to us. If we’re to take anything away from this information it’s to remember that if we’re going to use humor in our interactions we should stick to universally accepted jokes that perhaps relate to cute animals, television, food, and sports (or perhaps related to our chosen profession among peers). As if you haven’t heard it before, we’d all be wise to keep jokes about politics, sex, gender, age, religion, and sexual identity and orientation to ourselves. At a minimum they should be kept out of the workplace.

Which of the following are among your greatest assets? Your vehicle or means of transportation Your house or dwelling Your health Your most precious and valued possession(s) Your income that helps you pay your bills &/or your future earning ability   Do you have insurance to protect against adverse circumstances that could affect Your vehicle or means of transportation? Your home or the contents of your dwelling? Your health? Your most prized possession(s)? Your income?   If you're not skimming and actually read #5 above you may be saying ... What ... insurance to protect my income? I'm guessing that - at a minimum - virtually everyone has health, homeowner's or renter's, and auto insurance. Gotta have it. If you get sick or injured, health care costs could wipe you out. What could it cost to repair or replace your car, home, or personal belongings damaged due to an adverse event or catastrophy? Without insurance how would you fare? After all, "life happens!"  Those who have a spouse, children, or other dependents also commonly buy life insurance as a means of providing for them in their absence. Health is surely one of our greatest assets. "Without your health you have nothing." We've already established the importance of health insurance, but what if your health status took a toll on your ability to do the work you do? The work that provides you with the standard of living you have achieved and enables you to take care of your debt obligations? Health care professionals generally invest a lot of time and money in their education. Doctors or veterinarians that go on to specialize in a discipline or develop a specific skill that elevates their day to day practice duties often achieve a higher income based on their ability to perform those specific tasks. Doctor or not - anyone who has a distinct skill or craft that enables them to earn an income because of that skill - should they become unable to do that work, their income is likely to suffer. Incomes for most grow over time - this is particularly true for professionals. Salaries for new grads are generally less than for those a few years out of veterinary school. As a person's income grows, there is often a change in their standard of living and lifestyle. More money in often means more money to spend ... whether it's on a bigger house, nicer car, play things, vacations, etc.  "Life happens." It happened to me and it could happen to you, too. It took "life happening" for me to realize just how unaware I had been in my early 30's when I had thought "that could never happen to me." Well "it" did and it derailed my career as a practicing ophthalmologist.      I am grateful for many things in my life, one of which is for listening to a colleague early on in my career who came from the insurance world. I was certainly unaware, and maybe even a bit cocky, but I listened and heeded advice from a couple of insurance experts (even though I truly believed it to be overkill). Disability insurance is not a sexy subject. Trust me. However, you need to know about it, and even if you think you have it through your employer, there's a lot more to know. I look forward to presenting on this topic at the upcoming AVMA Convention and have also shared key considerations for colleagues in a recent VetVine video. An investment of 23 minutes of your time could be life altering.    

Mercy - thanks for sharing. I know there's a frequent turnover of employees in some practices (and for some positions), and then there are some long-term faithfuls (gems) in others. You should be proud of all that you've accomplished and for having grown and shown interest to grow. It's hard to find people who share that kind of passion and desire to improve on their knowledge or skills and what they can offer to their employer. It's sad when someone's mindset takes a turn like what you described, and it's true, it's not until you're on "the other side" of it all that you can look back and see how miserable a situation was making you feel.  It's hard, too, because as you've alluded to ... you don't want to "burn bridges" and you never know what the future holds ... and the world of veterinary medicine is very small. I'm glad you were able to move on with grace and hope you find a better work environment and an employer who embraces your enthusiasm to excel. Best of luck!

VetVine recently announced a partnership with Purdue University to bring awareness to a very important educational program that promotes embracing of diversity and demonstrating inclusivity (of both employees and clients) in the veterinary practice setting. I enrolled in the program to get a sense - first-hand - of the "Practicing Veterinarian and Veterinary Technician Certificate Program for Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine." Before I could delve into the actual training modules themselves, I had to complete an individual "Intercultural Development Inventory Assessment." They present a series of statements and the participant is asked to indicate the degree to which they agree or disagree with those statements. I found a number of their questions or statements rather interesting and at times found myself pondering ... "How do I really feel about this?" I was surprised (and humbled) because I live in one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet ... New York City! I had to take pause to consider and reflect. In introductory remarks to my first learning module the program materials indicated that veterinary medicine - in the United States - has the distinction of being the least diverse of all health professions. They referenced a 2013 article published in The Atlantic that listed veterinary medicine as "the Number One Whitest Job in America," and that 96.5% of veterinary healthcare professionals are White. Also referenced was a 2011 report from the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium. In that report they stated that veterinarians should have "an understanding of the manner in which culture and belief systems impact delivery of veterinary medical care while recognizing and appropriately addressing biases in themselves, in others, and in the process of veterinary care delivery." As I contemplated on these words I had a flashback and started to recall a dog that I had cared for roughly 20 years earlier. It's a true story, but I'm altering the names of all involved.  I was working on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan at the time. A black man (Mr. Zeke) came in from Brooklyn to see me with his large Doberman Pinscher (Shabu) - a very sweet dog that was nearly blind. I can't recall for certain but the dog was 9 or 10 years of age. She was also a diabetic. She had developed cataracts in association with her diabetes mellitus. I vividly recall Mr. Zeke. He was an older man - late 60's at best - and appeared of very modest means. He was rather quiet and really only spoke when prompted so as to answer my questions about Shabu. His dog didn't look particularly well-cared for - not on the surface. I think she had some kind of chain or rope that served as her neck collar, and the most striking thing about her was that she was very dirty. Her coat was greasy and grimy. Come to find out that Shabu was a fixture in the auto repair shop and garage that was Mr. Zeke's workplace. I remember that when I helped my assistant to lift the dog onto the exam table, my white lab coat became soiled by the grease and grime. Mr. Zeke had been referred to me in hopes of helping to restore the dog's vision through cataract surgery. I remember that I had a feeling (cognitive bias) ... even before I examined the dog ... about whether this was even going to be a consideration for this dog. Given all that I had in front of me to see and smell (Shabu smelled like car grease), I figured that this type of commitment and the out-of-pocket expense of several thousands of dollars for cataract surgery was an improbable option. Nonetheless I proceeded that day as I did with any other client and patient. Shabu had a detailed exam and I gave the full "cataract spiel" to Mr. Zeke ... from "the soup to the nuts." To my surprise, Mr. Zeke wanted to proceed with whatever was needed to get started. He wanted for his dog to see. Long story short ... Shabu wound up having bilateral cataract surgery and her vision was restored. Mr. Zeke did everything asked of him. He followed medicating instructions, came in for every recheck, and subsequently brought in his other dog that developed an eye problem. Mr. Zeke spent several thousands of dollars on the care of his dogs' eye problems alone. He was so very appreciative that Shabu's vision had been restored and that we'd helped with his other dog's problem. He periodically visited his place of origin in the Virgin Islands and would bring me gifts from his trips home. Right before one Christmas holiday (in 2000) he came in for a recheck and was bearing a gift. In making small talk about the holidays I asked what his plans were. He said he had none. I sensed a loneliness and a sadness. I was to be co-hosting a holiday dinner party with a friend of mine that coming Christmas day and later called her to see if she'd be okay with me extending an invitation to Mr. Zeke to join for dinner. My friend was on board. I called Mr. Zeke and he gratefully accepted the invitation. Christmas day arrived. When I opened the door to welcome Mr. Zeke into my home I was stunned to see what was before me. I'd never seen him in this light or this way. He was impeccably "dressed to the nines" and came bearing more gifts of thanks and appreciation. Never in a million years could I have imagined any of this taking place that very first day I met Mr. Zeke and Shabu. One thing I know for certain ... had I approached this man and his dog with any less consideration and respect than one who "looked like they could pay" for my services, I would not have had any story to tell.  I wound up taking care of Shabu's eyes for several years but cannot recall what ultimately happened to her. I don't know what came of Mr. Zeke either.   

There are so many sad ironies in this. Most of us come into this work with a love for and desire to heal or protect animals, an intellect and connection to science, and an understanding / acceptance of the commitment required of any health care provider. For so long this profession has struggled to achieve respect and appreciation for the work that we do. So many op-eds or commentaries have been published over the years about the struggles related to student debt and low income of veterinarians (as compared to MDs or dentists, etc). The struggles we have with pet owners who spend BILLIONS each year on pet products but argue about bills related to their pet's health care. Veterinarians that have to be competitive in markets where pet owners price shop to find the best deal / cheapest fee for any service or even a SURGERY that requires anesthesia!!!!  It's not surprising that most do not endorse this profession and those struggles. It seems to me that veterinary schools have done little over the years to help future veterinarians deal with these issues.  I also think that corporate veterinary entities have failed MISERABLY in ensuring the wellbeing of their employees and the future of our profession. Whereas corporately owned veterinary care entities have grown in number in recent years (as well as expanded due to mergers and acquisitions), we only keep hearing more and more about stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, and SUICIDES in our profession. Corporations have generally benefited animal health care by promoting best practices and establishing quality / standards of care in their member hospitals. From my viewpoint, however - and based on various experiences - they've demonstrated little care or concern for the wellbeing of those providing that care for the animals.  What are they doing to promote the future of our profession and the longevity of people working in it?  Sponsoring an internship or residency training program is not one and the same.