Email: Marilyn.millman.dvm@gmail.com
Forty years ago this month (September 2024) I moved to Phoenix with my daughter Emily, then three years old. I had attended Arizona State University on the way to vet school, and thought it would be good to return to Arizona. I worked in three small animal practices during the first ten years in Arizona, and then bought the third practice- Animal Clinic Del Rancho- which I owned and operated for the next twenty years. We were a two to three doctor practice, and evolved along with small animal medicine. I remember wondering why I would need ultrasound and dental x-ray, then wondering how I ever practiced without them. I sold the practice in 2014, and moved about an hour away from the practice location. I went into a practice near my new home with my cat, who needed care but would have hated the one hour drive to my former practice. I went in as a client and came out employed😂. I worked at Daisy Mountain off and on for five years, and enjoyed it once I learned the practice software! I retired again in 2019, and I think this time it’s for good.
I live in Scottsdale, Arizona. Emily grew up here and attended the interior design program in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University. She has moved to Chicago, which is design “mecca”. She is currently doing homes, but has also worked on commercial projects. She is married and has a two year old son named Graham, who is obsessed with trucks 😊. I went to China in 1997 with a group of veterinarians and assorted friends and family members. We visited two vet schools and the panda breeding center. It was amazing to compare our vet schools with theirs- not to mention the scenery, food and culture. I would love to see the changes that have occurred since then.
I have been sorry to learn of so many cases of despair, including suicide, among veterinarians. I have served on the Wellness committee of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, and continue to work on strategies to support students and veterinarians. I wonder if our profession attracts people who have experienced trauma and found comfort in relationships with animals, and thus may be particularly vulnerable to the many stresses of practice (mistakes, financial, critical clients, etc). I would like to hear thoughts on this subject and will post in the Chat area also.
