Pulse - January 2023 - 4

PULSE PERSPECTIVE MEGANNOWELL@GMAIL.COM
My Two Things
T
here are two things that I have always known about myself: that I wanted to be a veterinarian and
I wanted to be a mom. I feel very lucky to be able to be both.
I work in small animal general practice and
truly cannot imagine doing anything else.
I
seemed to be born with a deep love of animals
that only grew stronger with age. In fact, I knew
I wanted to be a veterinarian despite not having
any pets growing up. (Although I suspect having
younger twin brothers provided at least as
much mischief in the house as any dog could
have.) I am also mama to a two and a half year
old little boy and a six month old baby girl. I am
fortunate to have learned from the world's best
mom; she made raising four kids look easy and
has endless love and warmth to give. The grace
with which she raised my siblings and I is something
I aspire to. Now, as I navigate life raising
my own little ones, I am learning just how allconsuming
parenthood is and how difficult it
can be to find time for much else.
I was initially reluctant to take on the position
of SCVMA President. Before kids, I
would have had little hesitancy in accepting
the role. However, it feels like my to-do list is
endless these days. Between work and home,
some days I feel pulled in so many directions
that the thought of making one more decision
is exhausting. While considering the position,
I questioned if I had the bandwidth to take on
one more thing. Could I do right by the association
and its members knowing how busy I am
in this season of my life? Would I feel guilty
taking time away from my children? Can my
husband handle the bedtime routines by himself
when I'm at meetings? I struggled with answers
to these questions and more.
I thought
through the recent past presidents hoping to
think of someone with a similar situation to
tell me how easily it could all be done!
Since you're reading this, it should come as
no surprise that I decided to go for it. Did I
find a way to add more hours to the day? Unfortunately,
no. Am I certain my husband can
handle a few nights of solo parenting? Also,
no. But I am grateful for the opportunity to
be a servant leader and willing to give it my
best. And while being President of the SCVMA
far from qualifies as " self-care, " I do think
it is important for my family and myself that I
carve out time for me. As a new mom, there are
4
times that my sense of self has become muddled
and I look forward to having something to
do that does not involve my kiddos.
I also hope to show my kids that it is important
to keep growing personally and professionally.
When I joined the SCVMA as a new
graduate, I did so because I thought that it was
something you just did. Becoming involved
with the Board was never on my radar and now
I look forward to representing the nation's largest
regional veterinary medical association. Assuming
I make it through the year unscathed,
it is my wish that others will feel encouraged to
explore organized veterinary medicine earlier in
their careers. I can't guarantee it will be easy, but
it will be worth it. I hope I can be the one to tell
other moms with a DVM that it can be done!
Megan Nowl
SCVMA President
JANUARY 2023
PULSE

Pulse - January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pulse - January 2023