Practical Boundary Building for a Healthier Career
“I’m a Vet and a Human”
Because you love veterinary medicine, you’ve probably stayed late for an emergency, answered a midnight text about a limping Labrador, or carried home the emotional weight of a difficult euthanasia. These moments remind us why this work matters — and why it so easily spills into personal life.
A recent qualitative study of 20 palliative-care veterinarians in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland offers new insights on this “blurring” and how vets are trying to reclaim clearer lines between work and life. Here’s what the researchers found — and how you can apply it.
What the Study Revealed
Types of Boundary Conflicts
• Temporal: Feeling “on call” even during personal time.
• Physical: Working from home or answering texts outside the clinic.
• Psychological: Mentally stuck in “vet mode,” ruminating on cases or absorbing grief.
Coping Styles Observed
• Acceptance out of conviction: “I’m always on call — my patients need me.”
• Professional distancing: Using “Dr. Lastname” to maintain formality.
• Tech boundary-setting: Limiting client contact hours via ICT tools.
• Self-care mindset: Learning from past burnout and saying “never again.”
Gender and Role Strain
Most interviewees were self-employed women navigating full-time care at home and round-the-clock client needs.
Technology: Blessing and Curse
Smartphones allow client videos but also break into rest time with constant alerts.
Turning Findings into Action
Here are practical strategies aligned with the study's boundary domains. Try one from each category this week.
1. Guarding Your Time (Temporal Boundaries)
• Set ‘response hours’ via voicemail and auto-replies for phone and emails. This helps reduce guilt and clarifies your availability.
• Use a 5 minute warning alarm per appointment. This helps to keep your consults from bleeding into off-hours.
• For vacation time, arrange coverage and leave backup info in your voicemail. This enables real rest while leaving support in place.
2. Protecting Your Space (Physical Boundaries)
• Create work zones. Assign a specific spot at home for work (a chair, mug, or room). Leaving that space = clocking out.
• Change your clothes. Transition out of scrubs post-shift - even if you're headed to another appointment. This signals a mental switch.
• Use gentle scripts. For home visits, say, “I’ll be here about 40 minutes with Fluffy - let’s prioritize your top concerns.”
3. Preserving Your Headspace (Psychological Boundaries)
• Try a 2-minute debrief. After tough moments, jot down what went well, what was out of your control, and one gratitude item. Then, close the mental file.
• Practice micro-transitions. On the way home, play a song that marks your shift from clinician to human. Let your brain exhale.
• Connect regularly. Join a monthly peer debrief with trusted colleagues. Normalize stress. Celebrate resilience.
Digital Etiquette That Keeps You Human
• Use separate numbers. Free services like Google Voice help keep personal life separate.
• Set quiet hours. Enable “work mode” on your phone to mute notifications outside of work.
• Save templates. Have canned responses like: “Please call the clinic to schedule; I’ll review diagnostics during business hours.”
For Leaders & Practice Owners
• Model healthy boundaries.
• Normalize boundary talk.
• Support working parents.
For Students & New Grads
Boundary habits formed early tend to stick. Seek out mentors who model healthy limits. Practice phrases like: “I’m unavailable then, but I can see you at…”
Final Thoughts
Your compassion is your superpower - but even superpowers have limits. Boundaries aren’t walls that shut clients out; they’re scaffolding that keeps you upright.
Pick one small change from each boundary domain and try it this week. Notice how it shifts your stress, your relationships, and maybe even your joy in the work. Because you’re not just a vet. You’re also human. And that human side of you deserves room to breathe.
Lori D'Alessandro, an LCSW with a passion for mental health advocacy, shares insights and strategies to help veterinary professionals navigate the profession's challenges.
This post is educational and does not replace personal mental health advice.
Similar MentorVet articles:
Imposter Syndrome in Veterinary Medicine
Combating Veterinary Perfectionism: The Practice of Self-Compassion
Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Veterinary Professionals
Debriefing: A Tool for Promoting Veterinary Wellbeing
References
Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a day's work: Boundaries and micro role transitions. The Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472. https://doi.org/10.2307/259305
Clark, S. C. (2000). Work/Family border theory: A new theory of work/Family balance. Human Relations, 53(6), 747-770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726700536001
Dürnberger, C., & Springer, S. (2025, May 9). 'I'm not just a vet, I'm also a human.' A qualitative interview study on boundary management between work and private life among small animal veterinarians. PLOS. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0322938
Kossek, E. E., & Lautsch, B. A. (2012). Work–family boundary management styles in organizations. Organizational Psychology Review, 2(2), 152-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041386611436264
Nippert-Eng, C. E. (1996). Home and work: Negotiating boundaries through everyday life. University of Chicago Press.
Parry, N. (2018, January 25). Managing work-life boundaries. DVM 360. https://www.dvm360.com/view/managing-worklife-boundaries
