Dr. Xuân Mai Võ practices relief medicine out of Seattle after a career that has included work as a rodeo vet, a gross anatomy professor, a Michigan emergency responder, and an archaeological dig's faunal remains specialist. She traces her path back to childhood: her mother is a physician and her father a biomedical engineer, and watching The Black Stallion as a kid sealed her early determination to become a horse vet. These days relief work gives her the flexibility to chase a genuinely outdoor life, from backcountry skiing to mountain bike trail maintenance around the Cascades. This profile first ran on Relief Rover, the relief-vet community platform that joined Hound in 2023.
In Her Own Words
What inspired you to become a veterinarian?
"Horses, and my passion for science. My mom is an MD and my dad a biomedical engineer, so my toys growing up were stuffed animals and medical equipment I'd snag from my parents' offices. I watched The Black Stallion as a child, and that triggered my passion for horses. I was determined to become a horse vet, since my parents told me we'd never be able to afford a horse of my own. I figured I'd just take care of other people's."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What roles have you had within the veterinary profession, and outside of it?
"I've been a research assistant in equine sports medicine, with a respiratory focus, and a large animal medical, surgical, and NICU tech. I externed in equine practices in England, France, and at the Swiss National Stud. As an equine vet, I've worked as an ambulatory vet, a racetrack official, and a rodeo vet. I was a clinical professor of gross anatomy at a vet school for ten years, and a PR and content consultant for an oncology department. For companion animals, where most of my experience lies, I've worked in ER, shelter, and GP practice. I was part of the emergency response team for the state of Michigan. I'm an acupuncturist and a pain practitioner. Outside of the industry, the most notable job I've had, thanks to my background, was as a faunal remains specialist for an archaeological dig in Israel."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What made you switch to relief practice?
"I wanted a healthy work-life balance. It's interesting how so many people think work is life, when in fact there's a distinction between the two."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What are your favorite things about being a relief vet?
"Professionally, I love the feeling of getting to know new people, the fun challenge of being a refreshing source for clients, and sharing the knowledge I've gained from other clinics. Having that malleable mentality to function as a relief vet makes me a more confident, transparent doctor, more capable of managing the unknown and the unexpected. Personally, I do it for the flexibility of picking my time off to pursue the things that are most important to my happiness."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What are your least favorite things about being a relief vet?
"My schedule is not flexible once it's set, and there's the financial cost of being self employed and covering all of my own expenses. There's no revenue if I physically can't work, plus the taxes, and balancing saying yes or no to contracts to keep the revenue coming without burning out."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
How do you feel that relief practice supports the veterinary profession as a whole?
"The benefits of relief doctors are multifold. We can continue the revenue stream for a clinic when a vet is out of the office. We bring new ideas, since we've seen both awesome and terrible things, so we're good sources of knowledge, tips, and tricks for medical and practice solutions. We bring our own expertise to clinics that may not offer a certain service, such as feline friendly techniques, acupuncture, and pain management in my case. I think we're also very diplomatic and good at thinking outside the box. We're dedicated to doing a good job, because making a clinic thrive, working well with the staff, and bonding with clients helps sustain our own business. We're usually well rested and refreshed, because we've had to learn to set good boundaries to stay physically and mentally healthy."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What supplies or equipment do you bring with you on the job?
"My stethoscope, computer, brain, and my sense of humor. And acupuncture needles if needed."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What do you look for in a practice when deciding to cover shifts for them?
"Quality medicine, clear and professional communication, and respect and appreciation for team members as well as for customers."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
Have you picked up any unique practice tips while being a relief vet?
"So many, I couldn't possibly list them all. My favorite practice tip, which I've had since 2003, is handling all cats without scruffing. Having a scribe during my exam helps flow and efficiency, reminds me of the things I said during an exam, and being able to send owners home with notes from the appointment helps with compliance and makes what we do a bit less confusing. The most important tip, which I see used over and over at successful practices, relates to the culture of a practice: setting limits and appropriate expectations through transparent, positive, and direct communication within staff and for clients. We work in a field where we offer services to fill the demand of maintaining an animal's health and quality of life. Both the need for those services and the dedication veterinary professionals have for helping animals and their owners are infinite, and that is exhausting. Setting expectations and limits helps both pet owners and staff navigate a situation to maximize positive outcomes for the patient, the owner, and the clinic. The most successful clinics, with the happiest staff and most dedicated clients, are the ones that follow this philosophy and value the role the clinic plays in their local community."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What is your most memorable relief job?
"There are so many memorable moments, touching, funny, and even disastrous ones. Admittedly, the most memorable relief job was coming into a brand new clinic and helping them grow from a one doctor to a three doctor clinic in two years, by providing my knowledge and skills as a doctor, technician, pain management warrior, organization geek, and most importantly, as a friend. We had no exam tables, so we worked on the floor and on couches in the exam rooms, with washable covers. We did all the phlebotomies and minor procedures in the room, so owners could see how we did things, which made them more appreciative of the difficulty of our jobs, as well as more amenable to multiple visits if that was less stressful for the pet."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What advice would you give new relief vets, or someone thinking about becoming one?
"Set your policies and limits, and value yourself. Use your community for advice. Understand there are pros and cons, and decide for yourself what sacrifices you're willing to make or not make in your practice. You define your business and the services you offer. Be flexible, but don't be a pushover. There's a symbiosis between clinics and relief vets, neither should abuse the other, and everyone should be happy with the existence of the other."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
How has the global pandemic affected your relief practice?
"Personally, I was unemployed for almost a month when all my practices dropped relief services. As stressful as the unpredictability was, I appreciated the time at home to evaluate and learn about the situation. My close family and friends are in the public health sector, so I was soaking up information from them, and thankful to be locked down at home. Once clinics figured out how to function in a pandemic and secured payroll for their permanent staff, I quickly got scooped up again, but I've limited my work days, partly because I'm very strict about staying safe and healthy, and partly because I have a bit more YOLO than usual. I want to make sure I take the time to do the things I really love and need: spending quality time with the important people in my life, reaching out to family and friends across the world I won't get to visit for a long time, and helping maintain trails for my local mountain bike association, since they're not allowed to hold volunteer work parties. The pandemic has made self care more of a priority, and I'm standing up for myself a lot more than I did before, now that the stakes are so high."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ
What are your hobbies and passions outside of work?
"Everything that has to do with the outdoors, but most notably hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, backcountry skiing, and international travel, often combining the two, like going home to Switzerland to hike in the Alps and see my family. My favorite way to spend free time is volunteering with the avalanche education program with the Seattle Mountaineers, and doing trail maintenance for the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance."
Dr. Xuân Mai Võ