Is practice culture your biggest career risk—or your superpower? Are “lazy new grads” a myth masking broken systems?

Host Dr. Dani Rabwin is joined by Dr. G (Gershon Alaluf) for a candid, high-energy conversation on building psychologically safe teams, real mentorship, and simple habits that make clinics fun, resilient, and effective for early-career veterinarians.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why culture is the practice: daily behaviors beat policies every time
• Psychological safety: how to create space to speak up, debrief, and learn fast
• The fear → worry loop: stopping post-op rumination with structured debriefs
• Money clarity: production, basic P&L, and fair compensation conversations
• Mentorship that works: modeling mistakes, role clarity, and paid trainer roles
• Corporate vs. private: incentives, signing-bonus traps, and fit checks
• Soft skills that cost $0: communication, feedback, and “make it fun” rituals
• GP-led CE + realistic job previews: preparing grads for real-world medicine

Who this is for

• Early-career veterinarians and interns
• Veterinary students and VBMA leaders
• Practice owners, medical directors, and managers
• Corporate/regional leaders shaping new-grad programs
• RVTs/tech leads building training tracks

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro — why culture determines your landing as a new grad

03:12 “Culture is the practice”: behaviors, not binders

07:38 Money matters: production, P&L, and transparent goals

12:04 Psychological safety: speaking up without getting burned

16:41 Fear vs. worry: debriefs that prevent 2 a.m. spirals

21:05 Mentorship that sticks: modeling mistakes & paid trainer roles

26:22 Corporate vs. private: incentives, fit, signing-bonus cautions

31:48 The “lazy new grad” myth: expectations, reps, confidence

36:30 Phone-a-specialist: consult culture and referral relationships

41:07 Leadership styles: servant & transformational in the clinic

45:20 Action playbook: day-one moves to lift culture (anyone can do)

Resources mentioned

• Culture & debrief checklists (psychological safety prompts)
• New-grad mentorship outline (skills, soft skills, debrief cadence)
• GP-led CE initiatives + realistic job preview resources

Ready Vet Go — because mentorship matters, and vets shouldn’t have to go it alone.

Follow: @readyvetgo_

Contact: info@pacificlensstudios.com

#practiceculture #mentorship #psychologicalsafety #vetmed #ReadyVetGo