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Veterinarian Escapes Death In The Worst Work Commute Ever

When preparing to move to Southern California, the notorious Los Angeles work commute was one the strongest apprehensions I had about my new lifestyle. Fortunately, I fashioned my professional responsibilities and social activities to occur within a reasonable distance from home. My goal was to not become one of “those people” for whom I felt great sympathy due to their long drives to and from work. The inconvenience and annoyance experienced during my relatively short drives to clients homes or veterinary facilities is clearly superseded by the terror an English veterinarian recently felt during her work commute (see compelling The Today Show video). She is very lucky to have emerged from her predicament physically unscathed (her post-traumatic mental state may not have been so fortunate). Veterinarians face dangers every day in handling animals that are less than cooperative for physical exam or treatment. In my eleven years of clinical practice, I have been bitten and scratched by both cats and dogs. Horses (but not my DELTA Rescue equine patient Honeybuns) have attempted to deal me a swift kick and have succeeded in crushing my body against a wall during my Penn Vet years. Yet, the impending danger faced during frequent drives to a veterinary work site certainly has more potential for serious injury than the bodily harm potentially caused by one of my patients. The majority if animals I handle are fairly cooperative, therefore the risk for trauma is typically low. Those patients that are uncooperative are made more passive through appropriately physical or chemical restraint. Seemingly, the work commute veterinarians, and all working professionals, face is likely the deadliest part of our jobs. I am grateful that the veterinary profession did not lose one of its’ hardworking members to her automobile incident. I still maintain the ongoing goal of minimizing my commute in hopes of reduce the potential that single accident could end both my professional and personal life. By commuting less, I aim to keep my body and mind fully functioning to provide healing knowledge and treatments to my animal patients. Thank you for reading my latest post. To have my next blog post sent to you via email, please press the "Don't Miss A Blog Post" button on the upper right corner of this page. Dr. Patrick Mahaney
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