Animal Cancer Care Clinic (ACCC) Founder and President Stephanie Correa, DACVIM, Board-Certified in Medical Oncology, delivered a lecture on April 25, 2025 to the members of the University of Florida (UF) Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA), an association formed with the mission to “ keep the passion of every veterinarian, technician, practice manager, and veterinary assistant fully focused on their patients.” Today, the national organization has nearly 40 chapters at veterinary colleges across the country.

Dr Correa’s talk, Worried about your Work-Life Balance? Practice these Four Skills Now for a Happier, Healthier Veterinary Career, provided attendees with practical tips for handling their careers in veterinary medicine. Throughout the talk, she wove in her own experiences over two decades growing her cancer specialty practice into one of the nation’s largest, with eight Florida locations.

She outlined four recommended skills: “See it to make it happen,” which explains the power of visioning to “see” and create the life you want in the future; “Good Enough-Move Forward,” which involves understanding that a “good enough” solution often leads to a better outcome than waiting for a perfect opportunity that may never come; “Ask for Help,” to see that practice is a strength not a weakness and the value of being curious versus fearful; and “Embracing the Flow,” of life rather than trying to create an impossible balance and seeing all the parts of our life as additive versus being at odds with each other.

According to Dr. Correa, veterinarians are taught the medical side of the profession but often lack critical life skills that allow them to thrive as well-rounded individuals. “I’m thrilled to be able to share my own life lessons to help our future veterinarians learn how to integrate their whole lives into their work to become great doctors and healthy people,” said Dr. Correa. “I look forward to being a guest speaker again soon.”

Briana Drabik, a UF DVM Candidate Class of 2027 and treasurer of VBMA, worked as a radiation oncology nurse in ACCC’s headquarters clinic in Fort Lauderdale and attended Dr. Correa’s talk. “Dr. Correa challenged us to rethink the work-life balance mindset,” she said. “She showed us that work and life can fuel each other when you create the right environment. Her presentation left us feeling inspired and motivated to build careers that reflect these values in the future!”

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