Dr. Aleks Canseco is an exotic and small animal general practice veterinarian, a Fear Free certified relief vet, and a student mentor teaching Exotic Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine in Sydney. She switched to full time relief practice in July 2022 after an associate role stopped working for her, and answered a few questions about how she built a career around it. This profile first ran on Relief Rover, the relief-vet community platform that joined Hound in 2023.
In Her Own Words
What's your niche, and do you work ER, GP, or shelter medicine?
"Exotic and small animal GP. I also teach Exotic Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and take on the occasional ER relief and high volume, high quality spay and neuter clinic shifts."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What inspired you to become a veterinarian?
"I have always wanted to be a veterinarian. I was that kid who dragged all the stray dogs home and tried to help any injured bird I found. My mom is a physician and my father a dentist, so I have been exposed to the medical world since birth. As a child, I begged my parents for a dog, and my dream came true when I was about five. I was soon devastated, as my puppy was intentionally hit by a car and died. I was helpless. A fire of fury ignited inside me. I wanted to change the way people treat animals, to be an advocate for animal welfare and wellness, and to have the ability to alleviate their pain and suffering."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
You've made the switch to relief practice. Why?
"I officially switched to full time relief practice in July 2022. I had contemplated trying relief before but was nervous about it. There is a feeling of security with a permanent associate position, a regular schedule, and a familiar routine. I found myself in an associate position that just wasn't working out. I jumped right into relief work, and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. The switch was also made in an effort to regain my personal time, to work fewer days, spend more time with my son and husband, take longer vacations to visit family in Australia, and pursue some of my other passions in life. I couldn't do that as an associate. Relief work has provided me with all of that and more."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
How does relief practice support the veterinary profession as a whole?
"Relief practice allows veterinarians to take more time off, to spend it with family and friends, and to pursue their other passions, in turn keeping their work and home life in balance. With the high suicide rate in veterinary medicine, this room to breathe is hugely important for our collective mental well-being. Relief veterinarians also help keep a practice running while it looks for a permanent on-staff veterinarian."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
Outside of veterinary medicine, what other work have you done?
"My very first job was making pink cotton candy and popcorn in a factory that sold to video store giants. I supported myself while getting my first degree, in Interior Architecture, working at Burger King. I didn't get into veterinary school in Sydney straight out of high school, so I focused on my second love, art and design, and practiced interior architecture in Australia and San Diego for about seven years. After adopting my husky and managing his many medical issues, the drive to return to school for veterinary medicine was strong. I applied to vet school the next day and got in. I'm also working on writing and illustrating a children's book series to educate kids on veterinary topics."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What roles have you had within the veterinary profession?
"As a teenager, I volunteered at animal shelters and with animal rights advocacy groups. Through vet school, I volunteered for a wildlife rescue service saving and rehabilitating birds and marsupials, and I worked as a veterinary assistant at a small animal and exotics clinic in Sydney. After graduation I completed a one year small animal, exotic, GP, and ER internship. On top of relief work, I'm a Sydney University DVM final year student mentor and veterinary intern educator in exotic animal emergency and critical care medicine."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What's your most memorable relief job?
"One of the most rewarding shifts I've had was with a local rescue group helping homeless veterans with their pets."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What are your favorite things about being a relief vet?
"The flexibility. The variety. The people I've met and look forward to meeting. Finishing work on time without staying late for endless callbacks. And of course, having more time at home with my family."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
Have you picked up any unique practice tips along the way?
"I've become much more efficient at finishing my records before the end of a shift. I keep templates, exam notes, surgical procedures, differential diagnoses, discharge instructions, in Google Docs that I can copy, paste, and modify. I also keep a list of hospitals where I've done relief work, with the main contact's information, technicians' names, and practice software, since it's hard to keep track of them all otherwise. I use Rocketbook notepads for continuing education notes, scanned to Google Drive, along with a VIN membership and an exotic animal formulary I keep in my car."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What are your least favorite things about being a relief vet?
"The business side isn't my strength. I don't enjoy the extra hassle of taxes and tracking expenses and mileage. I'm lucky to have a husband who's good at that, and we have a CPA and an S-corp set up with a lawyer's help to make sure we're doing everything correctly. Being an exotic animal vet doing relief work is also challenging, since not many hospitals see exotics, and I miss seeing my regular clients and patients."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What advice would you give new relief vets?
"If you've been thinking about it, pick up a couple of shifts and test it out. Don't get discouraged if you have one bad experience. Most hospitals are wonderful, and right now there are endless hospitals looking for relief coverage."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What do you look for in a practice before covering shifts there?
"Proximity. I try not to travel beyond a certain distance, and I check appointment lengths, I prefer 30 to 45 minute slots. Beyond that, I rely on my own experience: I look for a high standard of medicine and openness to Fear Free techniques, and I'll try most practices at least once."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What do you bring with you on the job?
"I'm pathologically prepared. As a Fear Free vet working in hospitals that aren't always Fear Free themselves, I bring my own practice toolbox: treats, Feliway spray, non-slip mats, my stethoscope, calipers, and a pen light."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What states are you licensed in?
"Just California. I don't have plans to get licensed elsewhere right now, though I wish there was a national veterinary license so relief vets could pick up interstate shifts more easily."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
Aside from English, what languages do you speak?
"English is my third language. My family and I escaped Poland's communist regime when I was six years old. We lived at a Red Cross refugee camp in Italy, where I started school and became fluent in Italian. Once I began learning English, I forgot most of my Italian, though I remember some words. We were accepted by Australia as political refugees in 1988. I'm fluent in Polish and know basic Spanish, since my in-laws are Mexican and don't speak English."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
What are your hobbies outside of work?
"Spending time with my husband and four year old son, and looking forward to resuming international travel. I also enjoy painting, animal and human portraiture, clay sculpting, photography, and amateur edible gardening."
Dr. Aleks Canseco
Anything else you'd like to share?
"I'm hoping to become certified in acupuncture and herbal medicine soon. Relief work gives me the flexibility to explore opportunities like that, and the possibilities feel endless."
Dr. Aleks Canseco