PVMA | 2019

Power of Ten Program: Be a part of something BIG!

Personal and Professional Development Program

Power of 10 Class of 2019

Dr. Ariel Grubb, Facilitator
Washington State University CVM, 2013

There is a sad sense of disenchantment among young veterinarians. For many of us, the career is not turning out to be what we expected, we are less engaged, feel less satisfied and less hopeful than we were when preparing to do this work. We can accept the realities and trudge on, or we can get involved and use our voice to transform our field. The PVMA Power of 10 Program is a platform for our voices and can allow us to make change on a very local level. The program provides much needed community, exposes its participants to innovative ideas and allows for skill development, reflection and insight. At the very least it supports the lives and careers of young veterinarians and at its most it could be a vehicle for a revolution in the Portland Veterinary community! I deeply appreciated being part of the inaugural P-10 class and am honored to be able to come back this year as a facilitator. I look forward to meeting you all and hearing your perspectives and vision for our wonderful profession.

Dr. Marissa Rothenbaum, Facilitator
UC Davis CVM, 2011

In all honesty, I struggled in veterinary school. A type-B extrovert living in a type-A introvert’s world. I never felt like the “average” veterinary student, having pursued marine biology, not veterinary medicine, from age 8-23. Beyond my unique past, I felt too sensitive, too deeply affected by the way students were treated by faculty and residents, and unsure of what to do other than put my head down and miserably forge on. I thought it was just me, but then I graduated and started to hear about the suicide rate in our field, read about prominent, seemingly successful veterinary figures taking their own lives, heard some of my best friends talk about how soon they could leave the profession if they just paid off their student loans. Slowly, I realized how everyone was affected by our training, the stresses of practice, the disillusionment of reality as a veterinarian, it wasn’t just me. Our profession suffers from deep-seated, systemic issues that may take decades to change, but it is our obligation is to support each other, now. Building community, creating spaces to speak openly about challenges and emotions, respecting our peers in the career decisions they make, and generally being kind to one another. I initially saw the P10 program as an incredible opportunity to forge connections in the local veterinary community, to which I’m relatively new. And after completing the program, I have the new connections I expected, but what I didn’t anticipate is the potential in our synergy moving forward, as we build a P10 alumni group and begin accepting applications for the next class of P10. I am so excited to see what this group can do as we work together!