Dr. Amanda Steffen is making it count

Ever since she was a little girl, Amanda knew she wanted to be a veterinarian.

Now, with the title “Dr.” in front of her name, that dream has become a reality!

For this University of Tennessee graduate, being one of some 47,000 veterinarians in the United States is more than just a job – it is a calling. But unlike the thousands of other vet med professionals out there, Dr. Amanda Steffen has a very special (some might even say unique) interest…senior pets and aging care.

Grey muzzles? Adorable white fur?

Sign her up!

When it comes to older pets, Dr. Steffen loves educating owners about aging changes and how we can help our pets transition into seniors with grace, comfort, and happiness. Building upon her background in emergency medicine, general practice, and non-profit veterinary medicine, tackling older pet issues was the perfect next step.   

Vet Candy is delighted to have had the opportunity to interview Dr. Amanda Steffen. Today, she shares her vision for senior animal care, discusses some of the problems facing modern vet med, and also explains why scheduling vacations is an absolute must.   

Introducing, the wonderful Dr. Amanda Steffen!

Enjoying the Paw-some Golden Years

“Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.”

How true this saying is.

While kittens and puppies are cute as buttons, there is a magic about senior pets. Older companion animals give us profound and endless love throughout their relatively short lives, and as a result, it is our duty as their humans to take the very best care of them right up until the end.

Dr. Amanda Steffen agrees.

“My mission in life for my veterinary medicine career is to help pets enjoy their senior golden years,” she says. “My hope is to offer a multi-modal approach to senior pet care such as pain control, joint support, nutrition, proper exercise routines, appropriate care of chronic diseases and making the golden years enjoyable for pets and owners.”

These are commendable goals.

To get there, Dr. Steffen is taking advanced courses to specialize in acupuncture therapy for pets. She hopes to offer integrative medicine with Chinese Medicine where Western medicine has reached its limits. In 2023, she also plans to open a mobile veterinary acupuncture business in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

How exciting!

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What to do When Work-Life Balance Hangs by a Thread

Like many fellow veterinarians, Dr. Amanda Steffen is lucky. She enjoys her job.

Nevertheless, it can be stressful. While there are dozens of pros to working in this field, there are also several serious cons. For example, a lack of work-life balance. The American Veterinary Medical Association itself writes, “Achieving work-life balance is one of the most important ways to achieve both career and personal satisfaction.”

Is finding balance easy? Heck no. 

According to Amanda Steffen, this is one of the worst problems facing the veterinary field today.

“I believe one of the biggest problems is the lack of a work-life balance,” she reveals. “It is common to sign a contract with a new job with only 10 days of PTO in a full calendar year. This same job often includes half the weekends in the year and 50+ hour work weeks. Vets are some of the most compassionate humans and it is difficult for us to stand up for ourselves and say no.”

From staying late to skipping lunch and providing round-the-clock care, veterinarians are no strangers to work-life imbalance.

That’s why taking breaks is crucial.

Vacations are necessary to recharge. Mentally and physically, time off is a way to disconnect from being “on” 24/7 and remember there is more to life than work, work, work! For Amanda, that means traveling to beautiful places like Hawaii, Ireland, the Dominican Republic, and Utah.

“I believe that everyone should take a long vacation once in their life,” Dr. Steffan advises. “A sabbatical would be even better! Every year, I take 2-3 weeks off work. My husband and I travel somewhere new. You should enjoy your job, but it should not be your entire life.”

For Dr. Amanda Steffen, it is precisely this balance that helps her to be such a fabulous veterinarian!