Dr. Kristin Welch wants you to know that you are never alone
DVM Stat’s founder and CEO, Dr. Kristin Welch, knows first-hand how difficult it can be dealing with a difficult emergency case on your own.
As a criticalist, Welch had also seen an opportunity for smaller practices to compete with big corporate specialty practices. That’s why she started DVM Stat Consulting, a collaborative group of specialists in the areas of cardiology, anesthesiology, radiology, internal medicine and emergency that provide remote teleconsultation services 24/7. The idea was to bring specialty medicine to practices when they needed it.
Welch, a Michigan State University graduate, completed an internship in medicine and surgery at University of Pennsylvania and later a residency in emergency and critical care at Tufts University.
We caught up with her to learn more about this amazing mom of three:
Kristin Welch
If I wasn’t a veterinarian:
If I wasn’t a veterinarian, I would be an international photojournalist and wildlife photographer combining my two passions – travel and nature.
Best career advice I ever received: The best career advice I ever received was to stay humble and learn from those around you with more experience, including the amazing technicians. During my early years of training, the phenomenal technicians at the universities where I trained taught me so much and supported me during some of my “firsts” in the middle of the night.
Three qualities that got me where I am today:
Compassion, vision, and perseverance.
The biggest problem facing veterinarians today:
I think mental health awareness is so extremely important. This job is stressful for a lot reasons and we, as a collective, need to look out for each other. Check in with your colleagues. If one of them seems like they are struggling or have become withdrawn or seemingly overly stressed, reach out. Offer support, listen, and just be there. One person can be the difference needed in someone’s life.
Easiest career decision I ever made:
My easiest career decision was to go into emergency and critical care. I walked into my emergency rotation on the first day of clinics at Michigan State (MSU ’05) and the first case I saw was a dog that had been hit by a car with a tension pneumothorax. I was hooked after seeing Criticalists that remain calm under pressure, quickly assimilate clinical data and really think on their feet. My two mentors really shaped the veterinarian that I became.
My mission in life is: Making specialty consultations affordable and available to all veterinarians, regardless of the location or size of practice and that’s why I founded DVM STAT. Collaborating with veterinarians when the mutual desire is to provide the best medical care to patients is so rewarding. I love what I do!
Advice for my younger self:
I would tell my younger self to slow down, breathe and enjoy small moments along the way. I have always been a go-go-go kind of person and taking more frequent small steps back has allowed me to reevaluate my priorities.
How I clear my head after a stressful day
For me, exercise is the best way for me to re-center myself and release the pent up stress from the day. I have always been a runner and in the last couple years became obsessed with high-intensity interval training (HIIT.) I always feel better after working out – even if it’s a day that I can only muster up enough energy for a long walk with my dog.
Change I would like to see in my industry and how we can get there:
I hope that veterinary schools, internship and residency training centers collectively become more supportive of woman (and men) who desire to start a family during training. It is all too common that pregnancy during a veterinary residency will derail training deadlines and therefore the start of one’s career. In human medicine, there is much more support for pregnant residents with many programs having written policies in place to protect a period of maternity leave, with some even expanding the language to paternity and family medical leave for adoption. I was my own advocate for years during my training (I had 1 child during residency and the 2nd 2 months after finishing) and have been a support for countless pregnant or hoping-to-be pregnant women in internship and residency who lacked support in their training programs. The desire to be a mother and the desire to be an amazing veterinarian are not mutually exclusive.
What adventure most changed my life?
Motherhood is my greatest adventure. I am constantly being challenged to try to be a better mother and role model. It isn’t always easy and some days are plain tough, but I can’t think of one thing that could supersede the joy I feel watching my 3 kids grow into independent, creative, self-confident, empathetic, unique individuals. Even I’m tripping over their Legos or folding the seemingly infinite clean laundry, I take a step back and realize how blessed I am to have this wonderful family.
Learn more about DVM Stat Consulting by clicking on the link below: