Vetnuus | August 2025 23 Dr. Rena Carlson, AVMA president, responds: Q. Tell me about your job. A: I have been in clinical practice pretty much my whole career. I started at a practice in Pocatello, Idaho. I worked at that practice as a receptionist and came back as a veterinarian. Within a couple of years, I was able to buy in and was the owner for 25 years. I served in the AVMA House of Delegates for 10 years, then on the AVMA Board of Directors. I was fortunate enough to be elected as AVMA president for 2023-24. I also work with new graduates through National Veterinary Associates as a general practice mentor. Q. Have you always wanted to be a veterinarian? A: You know, I›m actually one of the minorities in our profession in that regard. I didn’t start thinking about going to veterinary school until I was in my third year of undergrad. I had a lot of influence as a child growing up on a farm—we had all kinds of animals. But it really wasn’t something I thought of as a career until later. I’ve had a few people tell me that I was “just a farm kid.” That there wasn’t a good chance I was going to get into veterinary school. So I said, “I’ll show you!” Q. Who has inspired you? Any specific women in the profession? A: I would point to the owners of the practice that I bought, Drs. Linda Merry and Jeff Anderson, who were very involved in organized veterinary medicine. Dr. Merry was president of the American Animal Hospital Association during my first year out of veterinary school. I look at the number of women who were presidents of the Idaho VMA who I was able to work with, and then getting involved with AVMA. I think there were 17 women at the time in the entire House of Delegates. And so again, I looked up to those women for help with leadership, how they got to be where they were, and how I could be more like them. Becoming a veterinarian, I didn’t think about being a woman. All of the veterinarians who I met as a kid growing up were all men. I had never met a woman veterinarian until I started working at Alpine Animal Hospital in Pocatello. I just thought, if there’s something I want to do, I’m going to do it. Many of my mentors in my early career were men. I had lots of colleagues and friends in the profession that really encouraged me and helped me along the way. Q. What does mentorship mean to you? A: I’m continuing to develop my skills as a mentor. I feel like there’s so much to mentorship. It’s helping transfer knowledge. It’s coaching, encouraging, and challenging mentees to do new things. There are so many layers, and there are also so many different kinds of mentors. Mentorship is a very complex component of our profession. The new graduates who I get to work with inspire me the most. They’re smart. They’re enthusiastic. They want to do the right thing. They want to develop as professionals and that makes me want to work harder as well. Q. What are your strengths and challenges at this time in your career? A: Well, as a mentor, I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is to just listen. The only way I can be the best help is to truly understand where someone else is coming from. I can come in with all my ideas and all my experience, but if I don’t meet someone where they’re at, I’m not going to be much help. >>>24 Women veterinarians discuss their mentors, inspiring the next generation By Coco Lederhouse, March 25, 2024 Veterinarians talk about their sources of support and sisterhood during Women's History Month https://www.avma.org/news/womenveterinarians-discuss-their-mentors-inspiringnext-generation In honor of Women’s History Month this March, AVMA News spoke to three women veterinarians from across the profession about the value of mentorship, how they overcame challenges and embraced their strengths, and what advice they would give to girls interested in veterinary medicine. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
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