March 9, 2026

Listen in as we chat with VIN Foundation Vets4Vets® team lead Dr. Bree Montana as part of our Inhale, Exhale Series and this time were talking about preventing burnout and compassion fatigue

In this episode we have six major topics we’re addressing:

Identifying burnout and compassion fatigue
Understanding the cause
Task switching
How to handle feelings of losing the joy and fulfilment of vet med
The importance of team culture
How to get support

 
As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.  

GUEST BIO:

Dr. Bree Montana, DVM, CCFP
Bree Montana, DVM, CCFP, is a small animal practitioner and Founder of the Agate Bay Animal Hospital and Dog Gone Crazy boarding/training facilities in North Lake Tahoe California. Following the completion of a B.S. in Biology at the University of Cincinnati’s McMicken College, Dr. Montana graduated from the Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1992. A past member of the external advisory and admissions committees for UC Davis’ College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Montana also served as a working member of the VIN Foundation Board. In 2010, Dr. Montana helped to create the VIN Foundation’s innovative Vets4Vets® program, a confidential support group providing critical emotional care to veterinarians struggling with all forms of stress/addiction/mental health issues. The program is international and free for all veterinarians and veterinary students. Learning to balance the life of a rural solo practitioner, mom, wife, husky wrangler and aspiring dressage queen while coordinating the Vets4Vets® program has allowed Dr. Montana to become an expert at thinking outside of the box when advising veterinarians who feel stuck in their careers and personal lives. Dr. Montana enjoys lecturing on topics at the intersection of personal and professional life balance, including strategies for a healthy mentoring relationship, job seekers’ success techniques, effective communication in the workplace, as well as teaching the workplace ergonomics section of The Other Side of Veterinary Medicine: Healthy Clinicians Make Better Practitioners (a RACE approved course).

LINKS AND INFORMATION:
VIN Foundation Vets4Vets®: https://vinfoundation.org/v4v
VIN Foundation Veterinary Pulse Podcast Future’s So Bright Series: https://vinfoundation.org/category/futures-so-bright/
VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/
VIN Foundation GIVE page to support these programs & tools: https://vinfoundation.org/give
You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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