In this engaging and laugh-out-loud (but deeply meaningful) episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with her friend and beloved Ready Vet Go mentor Jeff Klemens, DVM to talk mentorship, relief practice, real-world “cowboy medicine,” and what it actually takes to build a sustainable career in veterinary medicine. 🩺✨

Jeff shares how a sixth-grade classroom visit with a lovebird sparked his path into vet med, what it was like not getting into vet school the first time, and how early mentorship shaped him long before he even had words for it. They also dive into learning medicine without perfect tools, building a full-time relief career from scratch (before apps existed), and why honesty with clients is non-negotiable when mistakes happen. 🤝🎲🍺

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• How mentorship can shape you before you even realize it 🤝
• Not getting into vet school the first time—and why it’s normal 📨
• Practicing without “perfect” tools (and still doing good medicine) 🔧🩺
• Why “give bowel a chance” is a real clinical philosophy 🌀
• Relief practice: freedom, burnout protection, and building your own schedule 🗓️
• A memorable mistake story (ITP misdiagnosis → pneumonia) and how to own it 😬🐱
• Why client communication determines whether mistakes become disasters 🗣️💛
• The importance of hobbies, joy, and life outside vet med 🎲🍺🐉

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Jeff Clemen 01:10 – Sixth grade spark: the lovebird that changed everything 🐦

03:40 – Kennel kid to clinic assistant: mentorship before he knew it 🤝

06:40 – Not getting into vet school the first time 📨

09:40 – What he did differently before reapplying

12:30 – Vet school realities: species overload + “city mouse” perspective 🐾

16:10 – Dentistry ambitions + doing extractions without the right tools 🦷

21:30 – “Cowboy medicine”: learning to treat without perfect conditions 🔧

25:30 – Give bowel a chance: the golf ball dachshund story 🌀

30:10 – Becoming a Ready Vet Go mentor + helping rural new grads

34:10 – Life outside vet med: board games, craft beer, and Gen Con 🎲🍺

40:20 – Why full-time relief: burnout, nights, and sustainability 🗓️

45:10 – Building Reliable Relief Services before apps existed ✉️

52:10 – Mistake story: sticky platelets, ITP diagnosis, and pneumonia 😬🐱

56:40 – The hard part: owning the mistake and talking to the client 🗣️

59:10 – Wrap-up + why mentors love Ready Vet Go 💛

👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one mistake that taught you more than any success?

Season 1 • Episode 22

✅ If this helped, subscribe and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_

📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #ReliefVet #NewGradVet #VetLife #ClientCommunication #VeterinaryMistakes

In this engaging and eye-opening episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Dr. Adam Gassel, DVM, DACVS—a board-certified veterinary surgeon—to talk mentorship, surgical training, and what it really takes to build confidence in practice (especially when mistakes happen). 🩺💪

Adam shares how he went from pre-med at UCI to taking a “gap year” as a vet tech in Sherman Oaks, falling in love with veterinary medicine, and eventually training through Purdue, internship, and a surgery residency at the University of Tennessee. Along the way, he breaks down how mentorship actually works in the real world—how taking initiative attracts great mentors, why internship structure matters, and how to create training environments where interns learn to be doctors (not just coverage). 🤝🏥

This conversation is packed with real-world perspective on specialty culture, building strong internship programs, empowering new grads to do more surgery safely, and the communication skills that protect client trust when something goes wrong. 🗣️✨

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• Why surgery wasn’t the original plan—and how mentorship shaped the path 🤝
• The training roadmap: vet school → internship → residency → specialty practice 🎓
• What mentors look for (initiative, preparation, follow-through) ✅
• How to build an internship program that actually trains doctors 🏥
• Why confidence comes after you do the thing (not before) 💪
• When referral makes sense—and when GPs can absolutely do the surgery 🩺
• Corporate ownership + transparency in specialty medicine 🧩
• A powerful “walk of shame” mistake story—and how honest communication saves trust 😬🗣️

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Adam Gassel (board-certified veterinary surgeon)

01:10 – UCI pre-med → vet tech “gap year” → falling in love with vet med

03:10 – Pierce College + first clinic job in Sherman Oaks

04:45 – Purdue vet school → back to Southern California

06:00 – Rotating internship + specialty internship (Animal Specialty Group)

07:20 – Choosing surgery: how mentorship guided the decision

09:00 – Taking initiative: reading cases, writing up reports, earning opportunities ✅

10:30 – Spouse support + kids during residency (real life during training) 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

12:10 – First job as a surgeon: still needing mentorship after residency 🤝

13:40 – Culture without ego: learning both ways in specialty practice

15:10 – Internship programs: what was broken and how he rebuilt it 🏥

17:10 – Letting interns be doctors (not just coverage) + why it pays off

19:10 – New grads + surgery fear: how reps build confidence 💪

21:00 – Corporate ownership + transparency in vet med 🧩

22:30 – Mistake story: misplaced screw + the “walk of shame” 😬

24:40 – Preventing board complaints: ownership, documentation, and communication 🗣️

👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one procedure you wish you got more reps on before you were alone in practice? 💛

Season 1 Ep 21

✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_

📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #VeterinarySurgery #DACVS #VetInternship #NewGradVet #ClientCommunication #VetResidency #EarlyCareerVet

In this engaging and heartfelt episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Dr. Ally Williams, DVM to talk mentorship, early-career confidence, and what it really looks like to start veterinary practice while becoming a new mom. 👩‍⚕️👶🩺

Ally shares her non-linear path into veterinary medicine—from growing up with livestock, living in a girls’ home, and nearly choosing a different career, to Ross Vet Prep, transferring schools, and navigating vet school with a newborn. Along the way, she opens up about how mentorship, collaboration, and honest communication shaped her confidence as a brand-new veterinarian. 🤝✨

This conversation is packed with real-world perspective on choosing the right first job, building trust with clients when complications happen, leaning into discomfort (in practice and on social media), and why being valued as a person—not just a producer—is essential for a sustainable veterinary career. 💛

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• A non-traditional path into vet med—and why it still leads to success 🛤️
• The impact of early mentorship (and chosen mentors) 🤝
• Ross Vet Prep: what it is and who it’s for 🎓
• Vet school with a newborn: support, flexibility, and resilience 👶
• What to look for in a first job (culture, teamwork, real mentorship) 🏥
• A real dental complication—and how communication preserved client trust 🦷🗣️
• Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness 📞
• Social media, vulnerability, and leaning into discomfort 📱
• Small daily habits that support confidence and longevity 💪

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Ally Williams

01:20 – Early inspiration: dogs, livestock, and a life-changing mentor

04:10 – Living in a girls’ home + finding support through vet med

06:40 – Switching majors, academic struggles, and taking time off

09:15 – Ross Vet Prep: what it is and why it mattered

12:40 – Vet school + pregnancy + becoming a new mom 👶

16:10 – Faculty support and bringing a baby to class

19:00 – Career goals shifting after graduation

21:30 – Finding the right first job: culture over production

24:45 – Dental complication as a new grad (and calling for help) 🦷 2

9:20 – Client communication, honesty, and building trust 🗣️

33:30 – Social media, discomfort, and inspiring others 📱

38:10 – Surgery confidence, small wins, and daily habits that matter

41:45 – Final reflections + encouragement for new grads

👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one small habit or support that’s helped you feel more confident in practice? 💛

Season 1 · Episode 20

✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_

📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #NewGradVet #VetMentorship #VetMom #WorkLifeBalance #ClientCommunication #EarlyCareerVet #WomenInVetMed

In this engaging and eye-opening episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Dr. Chelsea Fishenfeld—an ambulatory equine veterinarian in California—to talk mentorship, emergency medicine in the field, and what it really takes to survive (and thrive) in modern equine practice.

Chelsea shares what drew her to horses at age four, why she chose an intensive mentorship/internship after graduating from WesternU (Class of 2022), and how equine medicine is facing a sustainability crossroads—especially when vets are expected to do dentistry all day and colics all night.

This conversation is packed with real-world perspective on internships, teamwork across large groups, building confidence in high-stakes scenarios, and the communication skills that can make or break client trust.

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• Why many equine vets benefit from doing an internship (especially for emergencies)
• What’s broken in the equine emergency model—and what could fix it
• How mentorship and collaboration keep practitioners (and horses) safer
• How to teach clients in real time so they understand the value of care
• A “mistake/complication” story that highlights why communication is everything
• How to coach students out of freeze mode and into confidence
• What grit really means in equine medicine (and why attrition is high)

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Meet Dr. Chelsea Fishenfeld (equine ambulatory in CA)

01:10 – “Horse vet since age 4”: barns, riding, tech life, and the long road to DVM

03:05 – WesternU 2022 grad: why she chose an intensive mentorship/internship

05:05 – Inside the equine hospital model: specialists at your fingertips

07:10 – Equine emergency reality: why the current system isn’t sustainable

10:05 – The fix: shifts, haul-in emergencies, and collaborative coverage

12:05 – Finding mentors: choosing people, not “assigned” relationships

14:10 – Teaching and leadership: students, pre-vets, and full-circle moments

17:10 – Should you go equine? The honest talk: lifestyle, safety, grit, and burnout

20:10 – Client education in real time: narrating colics, tubes, and “showing the value”

23:10 – Mistakes/complications: when teeth fracture—and how communication saves trust

26:10 – Where communication is learned: mentors, life experience, and repetition

28:30 – Mentorship in action: letting students do the thing (and why it matters)

31:20 – “Freeze mode” is real: building reps, confidence, and capability

👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one skill you wish you got more reps on before you were alone in practice?

Season 1 Ep 19

✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_

📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #EquineVet #EquineMedicine #VetMentorship #VetInternship #NewGradVet #ClientCommunication #AmbulatoryVet #LargeAnimalVet

In this energizing and real episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Dr. Jake Rastas—a new grad veterinarian, rotating intern at the University of Georgia, and ultra marathon runner—for a conversation about mentorship, confidence, and mental resilience in early-career veterinary medicine.

From Division I football to vet school to internship life, Jake shares how mentors shaped his path, how to stay competitive without becoming toxic, and why you don’t need confidence before doing something hard—confidence often comes after you do it. If you’re a vet student, new grad, or intern trying to build your skills while managing pressure, this one will hit home.

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• Mentorship that actually changes your career (and the “pay it forward” culture of vet med)
• How to build confidence after the hard thing—not before
• Ultra marathon mindset: “This is what hard feels like”
• Healthy competition without rooting for others to fail
• Time management during internship + intense training schedules
• Learning procedures for the first time: readiness, reality, and resources

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Dani + Jake (new grad, UGA rotating intern, ultra runner)

01:30 – Jake’s path: D1 football → vet school → internship

04:10 – Mentors who changed everything (and why “pay it forward” matters)

07:05 – Competitive drive without becoming toxic

10:20 – “This is what hard feels like”: ultra running as mental training

13:40 – Confidence isn’t the prerequisite—action is

16:05 – Internship time management + training while exhausted

19:10 – First-time procedures: resources, prep, and staying safe

22:30 – Handling pressure, feedback, and the learning curve

25:40 – What Jake wants new grads to hear right now

👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one hard thing you’re leaning into right now in vet school, internship, or practice?

Season 1 Ep18

✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_

📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #NewGradVet #VetInternship #VetStudent #UltraMarathonRunner #Confidence #MentalResilience

In this inspiring and practical episode of ReadyVetGo, Dr. Dani Rabwin sits down with Noah Gershoni (he/him), a final-year veterinary student at the University of Arizona, to talk mentorship, networking with authenticity, and how to get the most out of clinical rotations—especially in a distributive model program.

Noah shares his non-traditional path to vet school (community college prereqs, years working in ER), how meaningful connections opened doors like Venom Week, and why collaboration beats competition in veterinary medicine. They also dig into the realities of rotating through different clinics and states, the hidden challenge of housing logistics, and how to learn from every mentor and team—without coming off combative.

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• How to network without being transactional (and actually maintain connections)
• Community college to vet school: confidence, resilience, and belonging
• Why UA’s culture (no grades + group-based learning) builds collaboration
• Distributive clinical year: real-world medicine, pros/cons, and logistics
• Why general practice can do more than people think (and why it matters for access)
• Mentorship on short rotations: how to ask questions well and respect time
• Two must-use rotation tips: “keep the technicians happy” + find value in everything

🎬 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro + pronouns: Noah (he/him) + Dani (she/her)

01:44 – How they met: conference lunch line + service dog networking

03:00 – ReadyVetGo networking night: “bring as many as you can” (20 students show up)

04:39 – Networking that isn’t transactional: curiosity, real connection, follow-through

06:35 – Non-traditional path: community college prereqs (no “traditional college” route)

09:33 – Working in ER for 5 years: learning fast, growing responsibility

10:42 – Falling for surgery: mixed animal + OR confidence

11:35 – Why University of Arizona: Venom Week + meeting faculty through networking

13:41 – Personal statement: vulnerability, first-gen story, resilience, family pride

16:43 – UA culture: no GPAs/grades + group-based learning = collaboration over competition

21:29 – Clinical year (distributive model): rotating clinics/states + real-world medicine

22:18 – The tough part: housing/logistics + advocating for classmates

25:23 – General practice “can do it”: accessibility, internal medicine in GP, specialization trend

28:15 – Mentorship nuance: asking questions vs respecting time (the “dance”)

30:07 – Evidence-based vs “old school”: how to ask “why” without being combative

32:53 – Tip #1: keep technicians happy (donuts + teach-back + teamwork)

34:23 – Tip #2: find value in everything (even “how not to do it”) + don’t take it personally

👇 QUESTION FOR YOU: What’s one mentoring tip you wish you learned earlier in vet school or practice?

Season 1 Ep 18

✅ If this helped, like, subscribe, and share with a vet student or new grad who needs it today.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow: @readyvetgo_

📧 Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#ReadyVetGo #VeterinaryMedicine #VetMentorship #VetStudent #ClinicalRotations #Networking #NewGradVet #GeneralPractice #VetSchool #DistributiveModel

Can vets and vet techs boost outcomes through true co-mentorship? How do you enter an established team with confidence—not ego?

Host Dr. Dani Rabwin is joined by the Vet Tech Nerd Party crew—Mallory (RVT), Julia (RVT), and Jen (RVT)—for a lively collaboration on two-way mentorship, clinic culture, communication, and staying in love with vet med (with a side of gallows humor and beef-jerky straws).

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Two-way mentorship: how vets and RVTs upskill each other and speed case flow
• Day-one trust builders: narrate-the-exam, show X-rays in-room, let clients listen with your stethoscope
• How to enter an established culture: confidence vs. arrogance when you’re the new doc
• Burnout buffers: debriefs after hard cases, “wins boxes,” and knowing your love language at work
• Teaching the next wave: externships, realistic expectations, celebrating first sticks (not shaming misses)
• Mistakes happen: owning negative explores and math slips—and how leadership should respond
• Species/setting pivots: HQHVSN, ECC, marine mammal, equine—what transfers and what doesn’t
• Tech-to-tech mentorship: why “Ready Tech Go?” matters, too

Who this is for

• RVTs/technicians and assistants
• Early-career veterinarians and interns
• Veterinary students and externs
• Practice owners, medical directors, and managers
• Shelter medicine and HQHVSN teams
• Equine/mixed practitioners exploring sustainability

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & collab — Vet Tech Nerd Party × Ready Vet Go (Mallory, Julia, Jen)

03:10 Vet–tech partnership: why two-way mentorship beats hierarchy

07:20 Scripts & trust: narrate-the-exam, show the images, let them listen

11:05 Entering existing teams: confidence, not ego (respect RVT expertise)

15:40 Burnout is real: debriefs, wins boxes, and love languages at work

21:10 Mistakes we lived through: dose decimals, negative explores, honest resets

28:30 Teaching moments: first jug sticks + safe learning spaces 33:55 Species pivots: ECC → marine mammals → equine (mobile realities & safety)

41:20 Culture over credentials: joy, humor, and excited educators

49:05 What’s next: Ready Vet Go + the case for Ready Tech Go

Resources mentioned

• Externship & new-grad mentorship checklists
• Client-communication scripts (narrate-the-exam, recommender/decider)
• Debrief template + “wins box” how-to

Ready Vet Go — because mentorship matters, and vets shouldn’t have to go it alone.

Follow: @readyvetgo_

Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#vettech #mentorship #VetMed #ReadyVetGo

How do you turn years on the clinic floor into confidence in the OR—and in the exam room? Can problem-based learning and shelter spay/neuter rotations build better communicators?

Host Dr. Dani Rabwin is joined by Amber Elalem (WesternU CVM, 3rd-year vet student) for a candid conversation on PBL, supportive surgical teaching, communication under pressure, debt mindset, social media responsibility, and the mentorship new grads actually need.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Clinic-to-classroom: how kennel tech → practice manager shaped Amber’s vet-school path
• PBL at WesternU: better recall, faster clinical reasoning, learning through real cases
• Shelter spay/neuter rotations: a preceptor model that reduces fear and builds skill
• Communication wins: reflective listening, narrating care, and euthanasia empathy
• Shared decision-making vs “gold standard”: aligning what’s best for pet and client
• Debt reality (~$350k): negotiating first jobs and weighing specialty tradeoffs
• Social media with a license at stake: boundaries, disclaimers, privacy, safety
• Mentorship that works: “cheerleading + bumpers,” not hand-holding
• How to be a proactive mentee: set goals, share feedback preferences, ask for cases

Who this is for

• Veterinary students and pre-vets (especially PBL-curious)
• Early-career veterinarians & interns
• Practice owners/medical directors building real mentorship
• Shelter med & HQHVSN teams
• Anyone refining client communication under stress

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro — kennel tech → PM → WesternU 3rd-year 02:45 Why WesternU & how PBL works (and sticks)

06:58 Shelter spay/neuter rotation + fear-reducing teaching 10:35 Confidence in surgery: “cheerleader with check-ins,” not hovering

13:22 Rotations ahead + communication gains

16:40 Social media: documenting the journey with responsibility

20:18 Debt mindset (~$350k): medicine first, negotiating, specialty/urgent-care paths

24:05 Shared decisions: best for pet + client (not just “gold standard”)

27:30 Language that helps: reflective listening, narrate-the-exam, euthanasia empathy

31:12 Online risks & boundaries: disclaimers, privacy, safety

34:40 Mentorship that works: confidence, bumpers, timely feedback

38:05 Be a proactive mentee: goals, feedback cadence, case mix

41:10 What’s next: behavior interest vs ER/urgent care—and keeping the joy

Resources mentioned

• New-grad mentorship “bumpers” checklist (goals, feedback prefs, case targets)
• Debrief template for tough cases

Ready Vet Go — because mentorship matters, and vets shouldn’t have to go it alone.

Follow: @readyvetgo_

Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#vetstudent #PBL #spayneuter #mentorship #communication #ReadyVetGo