I just wrote this as a comment on a post in a FB group and I wanted to share it as it’s important for new & recent grads and vets lacking confidence:
Confidence is related to competence.
Competence is related to your knowledge, skills and abilities. You learn the knowledge, apply that knowledge to build your skills and repeatedly work on those skills to become experienced & build your ability.
What I want you to do is sit down and accurately (please don’t underestimate yourself as is commonly done) assess your skills.
There are levels of competence. A very rough guide
– Can’t do it/never done it
– I have done/need more skill and experience
– Done it many times/experienced
– Highly experienced
Start with the basics & the common surgeries. Desexings, simple lumps and common dentals.
Then medicine – vaccinations, common ear, skin, lameness, etc. You will probably find you are experienced in these areas.
Then move to the more challenging surgery/medicine, but not the GDV’s yet. Just the next level stuff. You will find you may have never done it or need more skill and experience.
And that is ok! You are only how many years out?
Don’t look at your skills and experience and think ‘I can’t do that, I’m hopeless’. This kills your confidence. It’s a negative mindset and to succeed you need to flip this mindset.
Stop focussing on what you can’t do and focus on what you can do.
Look at what you can confidently do and use that as a base of ‘I can do this’.
Every time you do something that is just that bit more challenging for you and you complete it, celebrate it as a win. Don’t critique yourself or say it was crap. Look for what you did well and celebrate it. Stack that success onto what you can do. (It’s ok to look at what I would do this next time and learn from it but if you beat yourself up about what you didn’t do well, it defeats that whole exercise)
You will have this stack of successes, which increases your confidence.
Confidence and competence are a loop – they build on the other. What you are aiming for is to increase your self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is knowing that I can do this, that I’ve got this. It’s a feeling of confidence in yours skills.
Don’t compare yourself to others! Everyone has a different journey and it makes you feel less than as we always measure ourselves up short to the others. Ignore FB. It’s a person’s highlight reel!
Now, look at where you need to specifically want to build and knowledge, skills and experience/abilities.
Obviously you can’t do it all at once (please don’t).
What is the next skill that will lead to other skills. If you aren’t sure, ask a mentor or a colleague..
What do you want to build over the next 12 months? Is it knowledge, skills or ability/experience?
Choose your next job or CPD accordingly.
Eg If you want to build more skills in ophthalmology, take CPD in this area. If are looking to change practices and want to gain experience in this area, choose a practice that has someone quite experienced, who you can learn from.
When you are more experienced, you may have to recognise what you are good at and what your strengths are and let some things go. For me, ortho. I don’t get it, will never be good at and I have no interest in it. Best leave that to the experts. Yes, with time and experience I could build a competency in it but it will never be a strength for me.
The key is recognising what you don’t want to do (have no interest at all) and what you are scared of.
Don’t avoid what you are scared of. You need to build your skills. This is where you need mentoring and support. Ask for it.
(I’m still nervous about big, fat bitch speys!! Need moral support and a good nurse to keep me calm for those ones.)
18 months ago, I left a job I’d been in for 6 years. I loved my clients, my colleagues, the nurses and that job but I was too comfortable, I wasn’t growing and learning + I wanted to expose myself to more highly experienced vets. Even though I was 17 years out, you still have to grow and learn. So I moved. It was tough leaving and it was the right decision. Learning & growing 
👍
Natasha
