There is a particular pause that follows a producer’s question when you do not immediately have the answer.
It might happen at the chute during processing, in the middle of a herd check or on the phone during a respiratory outbreak when performance is slipping and no one can afford guesswork. In that moment, the pressure is unmistakable: You are the veterinarian. You are supposed to know.
This was a common theme at the 2026 AABP Recent Grad conference. For early-career veterinarians especially, hesitation can feel like exposure — like proof you are not as prepared as everyone assumes.
But veterinary medicine, particularly production medicine, is built on probability, not certainty. Complex herd systems rarely offer immediate clarity. And sometimes, the most professional response is not a rapid explanation, but a measured one:
“I don’t know.”
Used thoughtfully, those words do not weaken authority. They strengthen it.
Uncertainty Is Not a Failure
Even experienced practitioners encounter cases that do not fit neatly into expectations. Diseases evolve. Presentations vary. Environmental and management factors intersect in ways that defy simple explanations.
In herd medicine, nutrition, environment, genetics, management and timing overlap constantly. The first explanation that comes to mind is not always the most complete one. The discipline lies in pausing long enough to gather more information before committing to a conclusion.
Admitting uncertainty in those moments is not incompetence. It is intellectual honesty.
Saying “I don’t know” does not signal that you lack expertise. It signals that you respect the complexity in front of you.
“You should never be afraid to say ‘I don’t know’, but you shouldn’t stop there,” says Dr. Riley Jones, beef chair for the conference.
The real truth is what you’re likely saying is: “I don’t know yet”.
And that ‘yet’ is very important. It communicates that, at present, you need more information — not that you are incapable. It implies investigation, follow through, and that the work is not finished.
You Do Not Practice Alone
Importantly, you don’t have to have the answer immediately accessible. You have access to a network of knowledge including:
- Practice partners
- Mentors
- Extension specialists
- Nutritionists
- Diagnostic laboratories
- Continuing education
- Colleagues across the country willing to take you call
“Collaborate with others,” says Dr. Tera Barnhardt, large animal veterinarian in Kansas and keynote speaker at the conference. “Collaborate across the country. Collaborate with people who work on a totally different species than you.”
Jones explains how reaching out for help shows her clients how much she cares.
“I love saying ‘Hey, I don’t know this, but I know a classmate or a professor who is an expert in this field. Can I contact them to get more information?’ A lot of clients really value that. They don’t expect you to always be an expert, but they really want to know that you’re trying,” she says.
A willingness to consult the right sources represents stewardship. Using the resources available to you shows you are responsible in your practice. A producer doesn’t need you to know everything instantly, they need to know you will pursue the right answer.
Why Uncertainty Builds Trust
There is a persistent fear admitting uncertainty erodes credibility. But misplaced certainty damages trust far faster than honest restraint.
Producers operate within uncertainty every day. Weather shifts. Feed quality varies. Markets fluctuate. They understand biology does not always follow a script.
When a veterinarian says, “I don’t know yet,” and follows it with a plan, it communicates several things:
- I respect the complexity of your operation.
- I am not guessing to protect my ego.
- I will gather more information.
- I will follow up.
Trust in bovine practice is not built on always being right. It is built on being reliable.
Producers remember whether you closed the loop. They remember whether you called back. They remember whether you were transparent about what you knew — and what you were still investigating.
In that context, “I don’t know yet” can be profoundly trust-building.
Early-Career Discomfort Is Not Disqualification
For early-career veterinarians, the internal pressure can be intense.
“You will not know everything. You will see things that you didn’t study. You will face scale and crisis that you weren’t prepared for,” Barnhardt says.
You may be advising producers who have managed cattle for decades. You may feel like every case is a test. The physiological response — racing heart, tight chest, narrowed thinking — can make uncertainty feel dangerous.
But discomfort is often the marker of growth.
Not knowing immediately does not mean you do not belong in that conversation. It means you are practicing in real conditions, where variables exceed textbooks.
The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty. It is to learn how to navigate it with integrity.
Adding “yet” reframes the moment for yourself as much as for the client. It reminds you that learning is active, ongoing and collaborative.
Authority, Reframed
Authority in modern bovine practice is not about omniscience. It is about judgment, process and follow-through.
- Judgment recognizes when information is incomplete.
- Process identifies the next steps.
- Follow-through closes the loop.
“I don’t know yet” holds all three.
It signals you will not offer an answer you do not believe in. It signals you will do the work. It signals you are accountable for the outcome of your advice.
Over time, that posture strengthens credibility more than reflexive certainty ever could.
You will not know everything. No one does. But you have training. You have experience. You have colleagues. You have resources.
That being said, using resources does not remove responsibility.
“At the end of the day, you can have all of these resources and do everything that you can to gather information, but it’s your decision,” Jones says.
The goal is not to outsource judgement, but to inform it.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say in the moment is not a diagnosis. It is a commitment.
“I don’t know yet. Let’s find out.”
