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Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors in order to achieve milestones and dreams in one’s life. Motivation is not usually an ocean of abundance but more like a seasonal stream that will fill up and flow in the favourable conditions, while sometimes it may dry up or even freeze over. Getting motivated is easy enough for many of us. We can watch one TED talk by an inspirational doctor, or be super inspired by a sudden New Year's Resolution to do better which makes us want to hit the books. Everyone is a fan of the infamous work high, when for that one day, you’re ready to complete all your work and additionally take over the world. The hard part is staying motivated, through the cycle of success and failure that is life. Getting trapped in that never-ending spiral of procrastination feels like a one-way trip, when in fact with the right help and tools, you can get back on track and stay on track. But what happens when you do go off track?As to-be vets, we experience things like burn out, loss of motivation and compassion fatigue more often than in the average profession. Compassion fatigue is related to the burden felt from caring for suffering people and animals. It is the emotional residue and strain of being exposed to those with trauma. Burnout on the other hand is the physical and emotional exhaustion we feel when we don’t have control over things that are causing stress and frustration. A dvm360 survey in 2015 asked, “What is your biggest stress on the job ?” Only 1% of veterinarians answered euthanasia and only 5% mentioned critical patients. The largest groups answered time management issues (23%) and difficult clients (21%). To phrase it with less numbers and statistics, we know that demotivation from a certain job or task, stems from the unhappiness and stress that comes with doing that job or task. Everyone has heard of “Do what you love and love what you do.” Most of us try our best to adhere to it when making important decisions about our career and our relationships. But research shows that when our brain- the voice of reason- and our heart- the voice of passion, do not speak in unison, we tend to lose sight of our goal and why we wanted to achieve it. So when we get wrapped up in the problems that come with the territory, the desire to fight through them no longer burns inside. There are two basic ways to drive ourselves onward: Intrinsic motivation is the act of doing something without any obvious external rewards. You do it solely because it is enjoyable and interesting to you. This is the ideal type of drive because there is usually very little for you to turn away from doing something you love. Extrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by external rewards such as money, fame, grades, and praise. While this inherently sounds like a bad idea, because not every task you do will always be rewarded, it’s a good way to get yourself to do an aspect of the job that you dislike. Both extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation spur human behavior. Understanding how each type of motivation works and when it is likely to be useful should help you get back to the work you've been avoiding. Finding MotivationSo chances are, you’ve been in a situation where you’ve had second thoughts about what you’re doing. “I can’t do this anymore” or “Why am I even here?” It's as simple as taking a break. Use this time to evaluate the work that you’ve done so far and to estimate what you need to accomplish your goal. This is to help you take a step back and re-prioritize, while looking at it from a different perspective; seeing at it as a big picture should remind you why you wanted to achieve this in the first place. Losing your motivation is common. Very common and not just among vets and aspiring vet students. After all, anyone reading this came here looking for a solution. It is our goal to help and we’re not about to lose sight of it. Regaining your motivation and getting back on track should be just as common. But how can you keep pushing on, even when you don’t feel like it? Check out our next article for some answers and on how to regain your motivation for this next year and get going! For more on the topics mentioned in this article and to check out where we got our information from, visit:
Regaining Motivation In Medical School- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6006981/ Factors associated with motivation in medical education: a path analysis- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6006981/ Burnout in veterinary medicine: Let’s talk action- https://vetidealist.com/burnout-veterinary-medicine/#:~:text=The%20recent%20Merck%20Animal%20Health,topped%20the%20list%20of%20problems. Burnout and health promotion in veterinary medicine- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3711171/ 1/2: Need Motivation? The 3C-Check for Success & Happiness- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9a-xrPjFqQ&feature=youtu.be
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What is SCoCA?The Standing Committee on Career Attributes (SCoCA) aims to complement veterinary education with opportunities to improve career attributes, aiming a successful future career in veterinary medicine for all veterinary students around the world. Archives
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