It’s that age old question: “Why did you want to be a farm vet?” I thought after years in practice people would stop asking, but apparently not. They expect the normal answers of, “I wanted to work with animals”, but seem thrown by “I’m inherently nosy”. We’re all familiar with the old adage that curiosity killed the cat, but maybe the cat just wants to explore.
Surely being curious is a superpower? It gives you the drive to ask questions and investigate more of the world around you, and keeps days interesting. As vets, we have a commitment to ongoing learning, but what about those everyday conversations? I often learn more from discussing the minutiae of silage-making at a TB test than reading articles – a masterclass from someone whose livelihood relies on making decent forage.
And the freedom that farm vetting gives you allows constant curiosity. You go to the best and worst places on the farm, and see the business as a whole, both those parts on show at an open day and the soggy ditches by the slurry pit. You have permission to dig around in the decision-making processes, see the opportunities from a different perspective and go through change with the people. But how do we maintain that curiosity throughout our career?
Different stages have different answers and, currently, novelty is my answer. In November 2021, I started locuming and doing a Nuffield scholarship, which, like farm vetting, gives you the ability to visit farms and businesses all over the world, and really dig deep into their hows, whats and whys.
Sure, we all have our own specialist topics (an unhealthy interest in sheep endoparasites is mine), but it’s more than just a subject: it’s the permission to question. It encourages you to think outside the box and investigate businesses far from your selected topic, to see how they overcome challenges and explore alternative ways to overcome your own.
From crocodile farming on the banks of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe to agritech in South Otago, New Zealand, and everything in between, all businesses have their own nuanced challenges, but they also have the same solution: people’s attitudes.
A consensus was that if the people were interested, curious, stimulated and appreciated, the business had the capacity and flexibility of minds to overcome whatever challenges were thrown at it. Who doesn’t want to be part of a vibrant and adaptable business?
What did the Zimbabwean bush dairy and blueberry farm have in common? They encouraged their managers to think outside the box, investigate new alternatives and draw on other people’s ideas.
In other words, be curious.
Working in and visiting new countries and unusual businesses is an obvious source of novelty, but it’s not for everyone. So, how else can curiosity be brought into a career?
Think back to when you were the most curious. My bet is it was in your first few years of practice, when you’d just started your first job and were eager to learn as much as possible, to be on the rota and do calls without backup.
Or was it a few years into the job, when you had all the basics down and found your niche within the practice? You were the go-to for goats or camelids, or really into parlour testing or Dairy Comp.
Whenever and whatever it was, there will have been a time when you were incessantly curious about something. We all know the stats about people leaving the veterinary profession. It’s for a number of reasons, but I believe lack of curiosity must also be a driver. Why would you want to do a job if you’re not interested in it?
So, how do we reinvigorate our interest? Firstly, what are your interests? Does herd fertility float your boat? Or are you more into individual medicine? What in your normal working day makes you want to hide in the lab and what makes you excited to get going? If it’s not the call subject, is it specific types of people? Find those interests and follow them.
Curiosity is about going outside of your comfort zone, asking questions and bringing new ideas to the surface. Where could your next question lead you? It may seem like a risk at first, but becomes liberating the more you practise.
As vets, we are used to being seen as the ones with all the answers. I would encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and try being the one with the questions. It’s led me to dairy farms on nearly every continent within the space of a year and meeting a whole group of other curious people from all over agriculture.
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