We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ANA LUISA CORREA GARZA a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
ANA LUISA, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
Very often I find myself in the complex dilemma between raising my voice to defend my opinion and being humble enough to accept that I still have things to learn. During the process of finding a middle point I have fallen into the error of doubting myself. As a woman I´m proud of being the head vet of an equine breeding program, but that won´t change the fact that somedays I feel questioned about my work. Sometimes it seems I need double or triple the effort to prove that I´m capable and I deserve the job.
“The Bear”, a comedy-drama television series created by Christopher Storer, is for me an exceptional representation of the frustration I dealt with some days at work and I highly recommend it.
I continue to set myself up for success by being an active learner. Also I keep reminding myself of my worth.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have a DVM degree and since June 2019, when I graduated from college, I I´ve been working with horses at hospitals and reproduction centers. I remember the exact moment when I decided to focus only in theriogenology, which is define by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: “a branch of veterinary medicine concerned with veterinary obstetrics and with the diseases and physiology of animal reproductive systems”.
My work consist in breeding stallions and mares with the support of biotechnological reproductive technics, such as semen collection and artificial insemination. The main purpose of my work is to increase pregnancy and birth rates.
Mares´ gestation can lasts from 320 to 380 days on average, we are talking about eleven months where I get to follow up each pregnancy with ultrasound exams from the moment the embryo is 10 days old until the new born is foaled out.
Watching the results of my work grow month by month thru a monitor is very exciting to me, but having the opportunity to see and sometimes even help the foals to be born after eleven long months, is indescribable. My work with the foals doesn´t end there, I get to watch them grow day by day and the bond I create with each one of them is the part that makes me beyond content.
This work has taught me to be patient and resilient in so many ways. Every breeding and foaling season is different from the previous one, and they always come with new challenges and new teachings.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
RESILIENCE is a skill veterinarians need to live with 365 days a year. In college no one taught me to let go the things that are not under my control. One of the hardest part of being a doctor, I would say, is being able to recognize the limit of what we, as humans, can control. Despite of our best efforts, nature is the one that has the last word. In the beginning dealing with the overthinking was a real challange. My own self – criticism became my worst enemy, keeping me up at night and filling me up with a great sense of guilt. I was very hard on myself thinking that I was to blame when things didn´t turn up as expected at work. I used to fail to remember that there are many factors that beyond my control that can impact the outcomes of our work.
Veterinarians are more likely to experience seriuous psychological distress, depression, anxiety, compassion fatigue, sucidal ideation compared with the general US population.
“We can learn from anyone” is one of the mantras I repeat to myself and others as much as I need to. I think it humbles us to keep quiet and listen to others, regardless of their job position, age, etc.
It also makes you humble to admit, accept and embrace that you don’t know everything and that you can always learn something new. With this in mind I´ve been able to know my own limits and it makes it much easier to ask colleagues and mentors for help, or advice. Because in the end what is important in this job is not your ego, it is the animal welfare.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The ranch I work for wanted for the first time a quarter horse breeding program, which was implemented by me in 2022. One of last year´s challenges was finding myself as the only veterinarian in charge of the whole breeding season for the first time. Days of being an intern and assisting other doctors were over and I had to step up and assume new responsibilities while still learning from books, articles, colleagues and mentors giving me advice thru phone calls.
Since day one it was very difficult to come up to the ranch with innovative ideas and methods and to have them accepted by the staff. This situation continues to be a challenge for me to this day, it’s not easy to be taken seriously as a young woman in an environment ruled by older men.
This year I feel like I took a step forward on my professional career, I had the opportunity to expand my leadership skills by having an intern under my guidance. Finding the perfect balance between being a boss, a teacher and a friend, is an enormous challenge. Personal experiences with different types of bosses, some of who were great and others who show me what I didn´t want to repeat, are what shaped me into the boss I intent to be.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mvz.aluisacorrea/?next=%2F
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-luisa-correa-garza-700a06182/
Image Credits
PHOTOGRAPHER: MANUEL LAMARQUE
