Dr. Kat Reardon never strayed from her childhood dream of becoming a vet but the profession didn’t always return the love. After burnout and boundary battles, she found relief (literally) in flexible shifts, honest workplaces, and the unexpected superpower of saying no. In this candid interview, she shares how relief work helped her rebuild joy, restore agency, and feel deeply valued again. Her story is a reminder that you're not too much but rather you’re just in the wrong system.

Your Veterinary Journey:

1. What sparked your initial interest in veterinary medicine? Was there a specific moment, person, or experience that solidified your path? 

Like most of us, becoming a vet was something I just knew I had to do. After I graduated from vet school, my first grade teacher pulled my mom aside to tell her I was the only student in over 20 years who never changed the career path they declared on the first day of class. I’ve always known I wanted to be a veterinarian and it’s been the throughline in my life, even when the profession itself has shifted and changed around me. 

2. Describe your veterinary career path so far. What different roles have you held, and what lessons have you learned from each experience? 

I’ve been lucky to have a varied career in vetmed. I started out in wildlife and zoo animal care, working both as an undergraduate and later as a veterinary intern at Zoo Boise. That foundation in wild animal medicine continues to inform how I think about systems, behavior, and welfare. After my internship, I transitioned to private practice, focusing on feline medicine for several years. When I moved to Arizona in the early 2020s, I spent some time in urgent care before being invited to help evaluate a new AI tool, Scribblevet, that would help me get notes done automatically. That opportunity allowed me to shift into relief work, which now complements my role as their Lead Veterinarian. Each chapter has taught me something different, but most of all, it’s taught me how to value my own expertise and protect the energy I bring into the clinic. 

3. What area of veterinary medicine are you most passionate about, and why? 

Zoo and wild animal medicine will always have a place in my heart. In general practice, though, I’ve found a deep passion for behavior medicine and pain management. These are the areas where I see the biggest impact - not just on clinical outcomes, but on the relationship between the animal and their people. When we support those connections and relieve suffering, everything else in practice feels more meaningful. 

4. What made you decide to transition to relief work specifically? What were you hoping to gain or change? 

I wanted more agency: over my schedule, over my clinical decisions, over the emotional investment I was bringing into every job. I care deeply about the places I work, and I found that I was often pouring from an empty cup. Relief gave me a structure where mutual respect is baked in: I show up, I do excellent work, and I go home. I don’t have to struggle to enforce boundaries, I can just be present and professional, then step away when my shift ends. It’s been a game-changer for my mental and physical health. 

5. How has relief work shaped your perspective on the veterinary profession as a whole?

Relief work has helped me see more clearly how central veterinarians are within the ecosystem of vetmed. We function as part of a collaborative structure that depends heavily on our presence. Working relief just makes that reality harder to overlook, because you're stepping into spaces where your role becomes immediately visible and essential. It’s shown me that centering veterinarians’ needs isn’t just possible; it’s sustainable. I think relief work lets us reclaim some of our autonomy in a system that often forgets we’re human beings, not just providers of labor. That quiet shift in power - vet by vet - feels hopeful to me. 

6. Can you share a particularly memorable or impactful experience you've had while working as a relief vet? What made it stand out? 

When our small mutual aid group began encountering more veterinary needs in the community, I reached out to several practices where I had strong relationships with the managers and staff. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to collect expired or unused supplies and provide care to dozens of pets belonging to people facing serious hardship. What struck me most was the 

opportunity to be the one asking for help because usually, it’s the clinics asking something of me. It reminded me that relief work isn’t about isolation - it’s about expanding your professional village in ways you might not expect. 

7. What are the biggest rewards and challenges you've encountered in relief practice? 

Rewards: Relief work has given me the best of both worlds by allowing me to build ongoing relationships with staff and clients without sacrificing my autonomy. I get to show up, offer my best medicine, and leave with a clear head and full heart. It’s also deeply satisfying to be the vet who brings a fresh perspective to a stubborn case because sometimes all it takes is a new pair of eyes and a little time to think differently. But most of all, relief has given me the mental and financial space to actually enjoy my life. I can take a weekday off to hike or write or nap, and I’m not dragging the emotional weight of a workplace home with me. That kind of freedom is hard to overstate. 

Challenges: There’s a background hum of uncertainty that never fully goes away. Even with a packed schedule, there’s always that “what if?” about the future - no benefits, no built-in safety net. I also miss case continuity more than I expected. It’s tough to walk away from a patient you’ve bonded with, not knowing how things turned out. Also, explaining my job gets old fast. Most people don’t know what a relief vet is, so I’ve got a whole elevator pitch ready to go. (“Think substitute teacher… but with bloodwork and anal glands.”) 

8. What's one surprising thing you've learned or discovered about yourself through relief work? 

I hadn’t realized how in-demand I would be. I think I’d internalized a lot of messaging that I was difficult, replaceable, or somehow less valuable. Relief work helped untangle that narrative, and having a full calendar and a steady stream of requests in my inbox has been an unexpected balm for imposter syndrome.

9. What's your "go-to" piece of advice for veterinarians considering or just starting out in relief work? 

Just try it. You can always go back to traditional full-time work… though chances are, you won’t want to. 

10. What are your non-negotiables when choosing relief shifts or practices to work with? What makes a practice a good (or bad) fit for you? 

I value transparency. If a clinic is upfront about its limitations, we can absolutely work together. Perfection isn’t required, but honesty is. For example, if your surgical setup isn’t something I’m comfortable with, there’s no judgment, I’ll just decline surgical cases. If your client base needs 

more financial flexibility, I’m more than happy to build creative, compassionate plans. If the team is kind, safe, and communicative, I’ll feel at home. 

That said, if your clinic’s policy doesn’t allow me to use ScribbleVet to record appointments and get my notes done then we’re probably not a great match. 

11. What are three essential items you always bring with you on relief assignments, and why? 

Definitely my phone plus a charger! I use my phone to run ScribbleVet during appointments, so I can get clean, complete SOAPs done in minutes. It’s a huge part of how I protect my time and avoid staying late, which is one of the biggest reasons I chose relief work in the first place. 

The other essential for every shift is my parrot, Blue. She’s a 22-year-old Blue Fronted Amazon and my ride-or-die. She comes in a travel cage and sets up shop near the staff break area or office. She’s hilarious, chatty, and always a huge hit with clinic teams. Blue brings a little levity to high-stress environments, and I think she is often part of the reason I get asked back. 

12. You're more than just a veterinarian! Tell us about your other passions, interests, or ventures outside of veterinary medicine. 

I LOVE working with ScribbleVet. It’s genuinely changed the way I practice - not just because the product has made my life easier (though it has), but because the team is full of smart, kind, thoughtful weirdos who make me feel like I belong. It’s also given me a creative outlet as I’ve been doing some illustrating for Scribble, which ties back to my start in medical illustration during vet school. It’s been fun to flex that muscle again, and you can see my illustrations if you try out our dental chart! 

You can also find me on Wikipedia if you look at the article on Pole Dancing. I’ve been performing and teaching for almost two decades, and I credit it with keeping me sane and semi-functional. Right now I teach advanced classes for Pole Impact, a 501(c)(3) that uses therapeutic movement to support people affected by PTSD, including combat veterans. It’s powerful, joyful work, and it reminds me that healing doesn’t always have to look clinical.

13. How do you find balance between your veterinary work and your other interests? 

I think a lot of us in this field have realized recently that we might be neurodivergent, and whether you’ve got a formal diagnosis or not, it explains a lot about why “balance” can feel like such a loaded word. I don’t really do balance in the traditional sense. I’m one of those people who’s constantly busy, and trying to force myself into someone else’s idea of moderation has never gone well. So instead, I’ve focused on building a work life I don’t need to escape from: one that blurs the line between the personal and professional in a way that actually works for my brain and body. 

14. What are some of your long-term professional or personal goals? 

I want a world where our colleagues, clients, patients, and communities can experience equity: not just in a vague, feel-good way, but in a real, material way. I’ll keep chipping away at that however I can. 

If I win the lottery tomorrow, I’m starting an employee-owned, co-op veterinary clinic. (Or maybe I’ll disappear into the woods with my parrot and become a cryptid. TBD.) 

15. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the veterinary profession, what would it be? 

A few years ago, I would’ve asked for a genie to finish my charts for me. That seemed like a fantasy, and then ScribbleVet came along and made it real. So I guess my answer now is: I’d like us to dream bigger. There are still so many things in vet med that feel “just the way it is,” when in reality they’re just things we haven’t fixed yet.

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