From Pre-Med to Surgeon: Mentorship, Internships & Owning Mistakes with Adam Gassel, DVM, DACVS | Ready Vet Go

Finding Your Footing: Mentorship, Culture & Early-Career Vet Medicine with Quinn Bauer, DVM | Ready Vet Go

In this thoughtful, honest, and deeply relatable episode of Ready Vet Go, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with early-career veterinarian Quinn Bauer, DVM, to talk about the real transition from vet school to practice, what mentorship actually looks like on the ground, and how culture, autonomy, and community shape whether a new grad thrives—or burns out. 🩺✨ Quinn shares her unique path into veterinary medicine, starting with a rare high school pre-vet program, early hands-on exposure, and a vet school experience that blended gold-standard education with a growing curiosity for wildlife, exotics, and conservation. Together, they unpack the pressure of NAVLE, the loneliness of vet school, using social media to build real connection, and how choosing the right first job can make all the difference. 🤝🐾 📌 What You’ll Learn: How early hands-on exposure can clarify whether vet med is truly for you 🐾 Why culture matters more than perks when choosing your first job 🏥 Using recruiters strategically without losing autonomy 🗂️ What mentorship looks like when it supports and gives freedom 🤝 Transitioning from gold-standard vet school medicine to real-world GP 🔧 Learning spectrum of care without guilt or shame 💛 Advocating for better medicine (like dental radiographs) as a new grad 🦷 How being a pet owner builds empathy and trust with clients 🐶 Using social media to reduce isolation and build community 📱 🎬 Timestamps: 01:40 – Connecting through TikTok and building new-grad community 📱 04:30 – High school pre-vet program: knowing early if vet med is right for you 🐾 09:10 – Vet school at Midwestern: hands-on learning from day one 🏫 13:40 – Discovering wildlife, exotics, and conservation medicine 🦒 18:30 – South Africa and Phoenix Zoo experiences 🌍 24:10 – NAVLE reality: endurance, mindset, and self-care 🧠 30:20 – Job searching as a new grad: waiting, fear, and culture fit 🏥 35:30 – Using a recruiter intentionally (and why it helped) 📋 40:10 – What mentorship really means: support without control 🤝 4 5:40 – Bringing new medicine into an “old-school” clinic 🦷 51:20 – Spectrum of care: navigating real-world limitations with clients 💛 56:30 – Being a pet owner and practicing with empathy 🐕 01:01:40 – Social media as connection, not comparison 📱 01:06:30 – Wrap-up: confidence, culture, and finding your footing 👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What mattered most to you when choosing your first job—or what do you wish you had prioritized? Season 1 • Episode 23 ✅ If this episode resonated, share it with a vet student or new grad who’s navigating the leap from school to practice. 🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms 📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_ 📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com [info@pacificlensstudios.com] #ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #NewGradVet #VetSchoolReality #VetLife #SpectrumOfCare #VetCommunity

Relief Vet Freedom: Mentorship, Mistakes & Real-World Medicine with Jeff Klemens, DVM | Ready Vet Go

In this engaging and laugh-out-loud (but deeply meaningful) episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with her friend and beloved Ready Vet Go mentor Jeff Klemens, DVM to talk mentorship, relief practice, real-world “cowboy medicine,” and what it actually takes to build a sustainable career in veterinary medicine. 🩺✨ Jeff shares how a sixth-grade classroom visit with a lovebird sparked his path into vet med, what it was like not getting into vet school the first time, and how early mentorship shaped him long before he even had words for it. They also dive into learning medicine without perfect tools, building a full-time relief career from scratch (before apps existed), and why honesty with clients is non-negotiable when mistakes happen. 🤝🎲🍺 📌 What You’ll Learn: * How mentorship can shape you before you even realize it 🤝 * Not getting into vet school the first time—and why it’s normal 📨 * Practicing without “perfect” tools (and still doing good medicine) 🔧🩺 * Why “give bowel a chance” is a real clinical philosophy 🌀 * Relief practice: freedom, burnout protection, and building your own schedule 🗓️ * A memorable mistake story (ITP misdiagnosis → pneumonia) and how to own it 😬🐱 * Why client communication determines whether mistakes become disasters 🗣️💛 * The importance of hobbies, joy, and life outside vet med 🎲🍺🐉 🎬 Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Jeff Clemen 01:10 – Sixth grade spark: the lovebird that changed everything 🐦 03:40 – Kennel kid to clinic assistant: mentorship before he knew it 🤝 06:40 – Not getting into vet school the first time 📨 09:40 – What he did differently before reapplying 12:30 – Vet school realities: species overload + “city mouse” perspective 🐾 16:10 – Dentistry ambitions + doing extractions without the right tools 🦷 21:30 – “Cowboy medicine”: learning to treat without perfect conditions 🔧 25:30 – Give bowel a chance: the golf ball dachshund story 🌀 30:10 – Becoming a Ready Vet Go mentor + helping rural new grads 34:10 – Life outside vet med: board games, craft beer, and Gen Con 🎲🍺 40:20 – Why full-time relief: burnout, nights, and sustainability 🗓️ 45:10 – Building Reliable Relief Services before apps existed ✉️ 52:10 – Mistake story: sticky platelets, ITP diagnosis, and pneumonia 😬🐱 56:40 – The hard part: owning the mistake and talking to the client 🗣️ 59:10 – Wrap-up + why mentors love Ready Vet Go 💛 👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one mistake that taught you more than any success? Season 1 • Episode 22 ✅ If this helped, subscribe and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today. 🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms. 📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_ 📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com [info@pacificlensstudios.com] #ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #ReliefVet #NewGradVet #VetLife #ClientCommunication #VeterinaryMistakes

From Pre-Med to Surgeon: Mentorship, Internships & Owning Mistakes with Adam Gassel, DVM, DACVS | Ready Vet Go

In this engaging and eye-opening episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Dr. Adam Gassel, DVM, DACVS—a board-certified veterinary surgeon—to talk mentorship, surgical training, and what it really takes to build confidence in practice (especially when mistakes happen). 🩺💪 Adam shares how he went from pre-med at UCI to taking a “gap year” as a vet tech in Sherman Oaks, falling in love with veterinary medicine, and eventually training through Purdue, internship, and a surgery residency at the University of Tennessee. Along the way, he breaks down how mentorship actually works in the real world—how taking initiative attracts great mentors, why internship structure matters, and how to create training environments where interns learn to be doctors (not just coverage). 🤝🏥 This conversation is packed with real-world perspective on specialty culture, building strong internship programs, empowering new grads to do more surgery safely, and the communication skills that protect client trust when something goes wrong. 🗣️✨ 📌 What You’ll Learn: * Why surgery wasn’t the original plan—and how mentorship shaped the path 🤝 * The training roadmap: vet school → internship → residency → specialty practice 🎓 * What mentors look for (initiative, preparation, follow-through) ✅ * How to build an internship program that actually trains doctors 🏥 * Why confidence comes after you do the thing (not before) 💪 * When referral makes sense—and when GPs can absolutely do the surgery 🩺 * Corporate ownership + transparency in specialty medicine 🧩 * A powerful “walk of shame” mistake story—and how honest communication saves trust 😬🗣️ 🎬 Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Adam Gassel (board-certified veterinary surgeon) 01:10 – UCI pre-med → vet tech “gap year” → falling in love with vet med 03:10 – Pierce College + first clinic job in Sherman Oaks 04:45 – Purdue vet school → back to Southern California 06:00 – Rotating internship + specialty internship (Animal Specialty Group) 07:20 – Choosing surgery: how mentorship guided the decision 09:00 – Taking initiative: reading cases, writing up reports, earning opportunities ✅ 10:30 – Spouse support + kids during residency (real life during training) 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 12:10 – First job as a surgeon: still needing mentorship after residency 🤝 13:40 – Culture without ego: learning both ways in specialty practice 15:10 – Internship programs: what was broken and how he rebuilt it 🏥 17:10 – Letting interns be doctors (not just coverage) + why it pays off 19:10 – New grads + surgery fear: how reps build confidence 💪 21:00 – Corporate ownership + transparency in vet med 🧩 22:30 – Mistake story: misplaced screw + the “walk of shame” 😬 24:40 – Preventing board complaints: ownership, documentation, and communication 🗣️ 👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one procedure you wish you got more reps on before you were alone in practice? 💛 Season 1 Ep 21 ✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today. 🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms. 📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_ 📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com [info@pacificlensstudios.com] #ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #VeterinarySurgery #DACVS #VetInternship #NewGradVet #ClientCommunication #VetResidency #EarlyCareerVet

Two-Way Mentorship: Vets + RVTs Building Trust, Culture & Joy | Ready Vet Go

Can vets and vet techs boost outcomes through true co-mentorship? How do you enter an established team with confidence—not ego? Host Dr. Dani Rabwin is joined by the Vet Tech Nerd Party crew—Mallory (RVT), Julia (RVT), and Jen (RVT)—for a lively collaboration on two-way mentorship, clinic culture, communication, and staying in love with vet med (with a side of gallows humor and beef-jerky straws). In this episode, you’ll learn: * Two-way mentorship: how vets and RVTs upskill each other and speed case flow * Day-one trust builders: narrate-the-exam, show X-rays in-room, let clients listen with your stethoscope * How to enter an established culture: confidence vs. arrogance when you’re the new doc * Burnout buffers: debriefs after hard cases, “wins boxes,” and knowing your love language at work * Teaching the next wave: externships, realistic expectations, celebrating first sticks (not shaming misses) * Mistakes happen: owning negative explores and math slips—and how leadership should respond * Species/setting pivots: HQHVSN, ECC, marine mammal, equine—what transfers and what doesn’t * Tech-to-tech mentorship: why “Ready Tech Go?” matters, too Who this is for * RVTs/technicians and assistants * Early-career veterinarians and interns * Veterinary students and externs * Practice owners, medical directors, and managers * Shelter medicine and HQHVSN teams * Equine/mixed practitioners exploring sustainability Timestamps: 00:00 Intro & collab — Vet Tech Nerd Party × Ready Vet Go (Mallory, Julia, Jen) 03:10 Vet–tech partnership: why two-way mentorship beats hierarchy 07:20 Scripts & trust: narrate-the-exam, show the images, let them listen 11:05 Entering existing teams: confidence, not ego (respect RVT expertise) 15:40 Burnout is real: debriefs, wins boxes, and love languages at work 21:10 Mistakes we lived through: dose decimals, negative explores, honest resets 28:30 Teaching moments: first jug sticks + safe learning spaces 33:55 Species pivots: ECC → marine mammals → equine (mobile realities & safety) 41:20 Culture over credentials: joy, humor, and excited educators 49:05 What’s next: Ready Vet Go + the case for Ready Tech Go Resources mentioned * Externship & new-grad mentorship checklists * Client-communication scripts (narrate-the-exam, recommender/decider) * Debrief template + “wins box” how-to Ready Vet Go — because mentorship matters, and vets shouldn’t have to go it alone. Follow: @readyvetgo_ Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com [info@pacificlensstudios.com] #vettech #mentorship #VetMed #ReadyVetGo

From Vet School to New Grad Mom: Mentorship, Confidence & Work-Life Balance with Ally Williams, DVM | Ready Vet Go

In this engaging and heartfelt episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Dr. Ally Williams, DVM to talk mentorship, early-career confidence, and what it really looks like to start veterinary practice while becoming a new mom. 👩‍⚕️👶🩺 Ally shares her non-linear path into veterinary medicine—from growing up with livestock, living in a girls’ home, and nearly choosing a different career, to Ross Vet Prep, transferring schools, and navigating vet school with a newborn. Along the way, she opens up about how mentorship, collaboration, and honest communication shaped her confidence as a brand-new veterinarian. 🤝✨ This conversation is packed with real-world perspective on choosing the right first job, building trust with clients when complications happen, leaning into discomfort (in practice and on social media), and why being valued as a person—not just a producer—is essential for a sustainable veterinary career. 💛 📌 What You’ll Learn: * A non-traditional path into vet med—and why it still leads to success 🛤️ * The impact of early mentorship (and chosen mentors) 🤝 * Ross Vet Prep: what it is and who it’s for 🎓 * Vet school with a newborn: support, flexibility, and resilience 👶 * What to look for in a first job (culture, teamwork, real mentorship) 🏥 * A real dental complication—and how communication preserved client trust 🦷🗣️ * Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness 📞 * Social media, vulnerability, and leaning into discomfort 📱 * Small daily habits that support confidence and longevity 💪 🎬 Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Ally Williams 01:20 – Early inspiration: dogs, livestock, and a life-changing mentor 04:10 – Living in a girls’ home + finding support through vet med 06:40 – Switching majors, academic struggles, and taking time off 09:15 – Ross Vet Prep: what it is and why it mattered 12:40 – Vet school + pregnancy + becoming a new mom 👶 16:10 – Faculty support and bringing a baby to class 19:00 – Career goals shifting after graduation 21:30 – Finding the right first job: culture over production 24:45 – Dental complication as a new grad (and calling for help) 🦷 2 9:20 – Client communication, honesty, and building trust 🗣️ 33:30 – Social media, discomfort, and inspiring others 📱 38:10 – Surgery confidence, small wins, and daily habits that matter 41:45 – Final reflections + encouragement for new grads 👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one small habit or support that’s helped you feel more confident in practice? 💛 Season 1 · Episode 20 ✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today. 🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms. 📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_ 📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com [info@pacificlensstudios.com] #ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #NewGradVet #VetMentorship #VetMom #WorkLifeBalance #ClientCommunication #EarlyCareerVet #WomenInVetMed