Giving Thanks for Community
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love Thanksgiving because it is about coming together in community and giving thanks. It is about being grateful for hard work and getting through tough periods. It is about creating time to pause and enjoy food, friends and family.
Recently someone reminded me of how important it is to not only appreciate our families but also to give thanks to those who help work with us to build community.
What is Community?
As I started to think about communities I value, I realized that I didn’t have a ready definition. Many traditional definitions of community are around shared location. In this era of internet communication, physical location is not critical and definitions also use ideas of shared goals, shared values, or shared interests. However, I think the concept of community that resonated the most with me is from the Stanford Social Innovation Review :
“Community is both a feeling and a set of relationships among people. People form and maintain communities to meet common needs. Members of a community have a sense of trust, belonging, safety and caring for each other. They have an individual and collective sense that they can, as part of that community, influence their environments and each other. That treasured feeling of community comes from shared experiences and a sense of – not necessarily the actual experience of – shared history”
My Hospital Community
When I left my hospitals 15 months ago, I knew that what I would miss the most was being part of the amazing community we had created. Most people who know me realize that I considered the hospitals I co-founded as my other children. I had worked for 10+ years with many of the doctors, managers and staff. Even people who left are still considered, “ACCES Alumni.” Our community was centered around continuous improvement of quality and I knew I would miss co-creating excellence with this team of fun ,caring, dedicated people.
It takes a village or maybe several communities
Job changes are always challenging but bring new opportunities. During this year of transition, I have been grateful for my family and friends. I have also been very lucky to find veterinary community locally, nationally and even globally. While a single community can become dominant in our lives, most of us are part of many communities and derive support from them in different ways.
Today, I’d like to take a moment to specifically acknowledge some wonderful veterinarians who work hard to create community.
Great Veterinary Communities
First off, I want to thank Dr. Paul Pion of VIN. VIN is a bright spot of how to create and build community. VIN is truly “For Veterinarians By Veterinarians,” and a large number of us have a shared history with this unique organization. I have been a consultant for VIN since 2002. With more time this year, Paul and members of VIN have welcomed me into a larger role in teaching and as part of the board.
I love the way VIN creates a space for fierce conversations and continual learning. The VIN Foundation is taking important steps to support veterinary students, help new veterinarians tackle student debt, and to create networks that let veterinarians in practice support each other.
I also want to acknowledge Dr. Gary Stamp of VECCS. As ACVECC Vice President, I am part of the IVECCS planning group. Gary is one of the most welcoming people I have gotten to know over the past year. He made me immediately feel like I belonged.
IVECCS, the conference he has spearheaded, always feels like a family reunion. Again, the commitment to being a welcoming place of both practical and innovative education symbolizes the best of the veterinary field.
Kudos are due to Dr. Marie Holowaychuk and Dr. Sarah Musulin who have worked to help revitalize the Association of Veterinary Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (AVHTM). The conference meetings, newsletters, and re-energized listserve is creating a community that is both supportive and global. Kudos are also due to Marie for her amazing efforts on encouraging wellness for veterinarians.
More locally, I would like to thank the current members of the Women’s Veterinary Practice Alliance. This informal group is allowing current and future women veterinary practice owners in our area to have supportive and learning conversations. We welcome other current or future women practice owners in the Puget Sound area to join us. Email me at bdavidow@criticalcarevets.com
Pausing for thanks
Lastly, thank you to all of you who have read my blog. I appreciate the comments, feedback and the conversations about ownership, quality, community and sustainability.
This year, I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving as much as I do. I hope you are able to pause, enjoy your families, hug your friends, and find time to express gratitude to those who build community with you.