The First Lesson I Ever Learned as a Veterinarian
When I graduated from Michigan State and started my first real job as a veterinarian, I thought my main job was to talk ā to explain, to instruct, to diagnose, to guide. I learned very quickly that my real job was to listen.
The first lesson I ever learned as a veterinarian is that not everyone who walks through my door is looking for an answer right away. Most people just want to know that Iām in this with them. That I care. That Iām listening.
The Golden Retriever Who Taught Me to Listen
In my first week of practice, I saw a client with an older Golden Retriever named Daisy. Daisy had a lump, and her owner was scared. I was young, eager, and armed with every textbook answer possible.
I started explaining everything ā diagnostics, surgery options, possible outcomes ā and I was halfway through my detailed plan when I realized she wasnāt hearing a word I said. She was crying.
So I stopped talking.
I sat down on the floor next to Daisy, put my hand on her head, and said, āTell me about her.ā
That moment changed me. Because what that woman needed in that moment wasnāt a diagnosis ā it was someone to understand her fear, not fix it. Sometimes the most healing thing we can offer isnāt an answer. Itās presence.
The Client Whose Life Was Saved by a Conversation
Years later, another reminder found me. A long-time client came in for his dogās routine check-up. When I asked how he was doing, he mentioned he hadnāt been feeling well ā said heād had a cough for a while.
Something in the way he said it made me pause. I told him, āYou should really get that checked out ā sooner rather than later.ā
A few weeks later, he came back with his wife. She told me, with tears in her eyes, that he had gone to the emergency room after he left my office and was found to be having a heart attack. She said, āYou saved his life.ā
It was humbling. Because in that moment, I wasnāt being a doctor ā I was just being a person who listened.
The Bigger Lesson ā For All of Us
Over the years, Iāve learned that this lesson applies far beyond exam rooms and stethoscopes. Listening ā truly listening ā changes everything.
It reminds people theyāre not alone. It softens fear. It builds trust.
Whether itās a client with a sick pet, a coworker having a rough day, or a friend who just needs someone to hear them out ā most of the time, people donāt need us to fix everything. They need us to show up, pay attention, and care enough to listen.
Itās a lesson I try to carry into every part of my life ā because the truth is, the same compassion that saves animals can also save people.
Touching lives doesnāt always come from protocols or medical expertise. Sometimes it comes from something much simpler, and much harder ā stopping long enough to really see the person in front of you.
And I think thatās something we could all practice a little more of.
The hardest part of my job isnāt medicine ā itās remembering that Iām human first, veterinarian second. But itās also what makes this work worth doing. Because every now and then, a moment of listening turns into a moment that changes someoneās life ā or maybe even saves it.
ā Dr. Jason Harrison, DVM
Tawas Animal Hospital
