Ep 149: “What’s the Difference Between Emergency Medicine and General Practice?” with Dr. Rachel Courville

For this week's episode of That Vet Life Show, Dr. Rachel Courville joins Dr. Moriah. Dr. Rachel began working as an Emergency Veterinarian at MedVet, a pet healthcare facility in Illinois Chicago, in 2020 after receiving her veterinary medicine degree from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.Dr. Rachel switched to general practice and joined Mission Veterinary Partners in 2021 after working as an emergency veterinarian for a year. In addition to being a talented vet, Rachel has a large social media following, using her platform for good to help vets and pet parents through her interesting and insightful social media posts and videos.In this episode, Dr. Rachel Courville discusses her experience switching from emergency medicine to general practice, emphasizing the importance of mentorship in the process.As the show progresses, she talks about the reasons for her job change and the difficulties that came with it.Listen in as Dr. Rachel Courville and Dr. Moriah discuss their own experiences to provide useful insights for young vets going through the same transition.Outline[01:13] Dr. Moriah begins the episode with a short introduction of Dr. Rachel Courville. [02:14] Dr. Rachel discusses her reasons for opting for emergency medicine after graduation whilst also exposing some false notions people have about general practice.[07:05] How the practice styles differ between emergency medicine and general practice.[10:14] Dr. Moriah explains why she decided on pursuing a career as a small animal veterinarian despite initially considering becoming a specialist in equine medicine.[12:10] Dr. Rachel and Dr. Moriah discuss the mentorship and relationship-building aspects of general practice and emergency medicine, emphasizing how the need for mentorship changes as one moves from one practice to another.[15:45] A short ad break - join Thrive[16:53] In the second segment of the podcast, Dr. Moriah and Dr. Rachel discuss the value of mentorship for both professional and personal growth.[21:14] How getting support from friends and family can help you get through the psychological and emotional challenges associated with changes.[24:14] Dr. Rachel Courville goes into more detail about what led her to go from Emergency Medicine to General Practice.[25:50] The value of networking and how it could aid in opening up new doors for young veterinary students.[29:24] Moriah and Rachel offer valuable advice to young vet students who are planning to make a change in their profession. [33:35] Dr. Rachels discusses her motivations for helping and mentoring young veterinary students and her inspiration behind BellaVet.[37:45] Dr. Mo wraps the episode with a subtle request to share the episode.To listen to the extended version of this episode, join our Thrive community for free.