Mentorship in veterinary medicine is often treated as something informal. A student rides along, watches a few cases, asks a few questions and moves on.
In reality, those early experiences shape how new veterinarians think, work and handle pressure. The difference between a student who leaves confident and one who leaves overwhelmed often comes down to how intentional that mentorship was.
These mentorships can be just as beneficial for the mentor veterinarian. Dr. Erika Nagorske, bovine veterinarian with Four Star Veterinary Service, regularly takes on mentees as a mutually beneficial scenario.
“It’s like the refresher of the medicine and the science, because they ask so many good questions. And that’s what I want it to be. I want it to be very open and fluid,” Nagorske says.
Good mentorship does not require a complete overhaul of the day. It requires a shift in mindset. When a student is with you, the goal is no longer efficiency, but education.
1. Prepare for the Day to Take Longer
The simplest adjustment is also the most important: expect the day to slow down.
“Just mentally prepare yourself. Things are going to take longer. And that’s okay,” Nagorske says.
Explaining decisions, answering questions and creating space for hands-on learning all take time. Trying to maintain a full-speed schedule while mentoring often leads to frustration for both the veterinarian and the student.
Planning ahead can help. That might mean building extra time into certain calls or accepting that the day will not run as tightly as usual. When that expectation is set early, the experience improves for everyone involved.
2. Let Them do the Work
Observation alone is not enough to prepare students for practice. They need the opportunity to participate.
“Even if it’s just letting them close one layer of an incision. That’s not going to ruin your day, but it’s going to make their day really, really good,” Nagorske says.
Hands-on experience builds confidence in a way that observation cannot. Even small tasks can help students feel engaged and capable, rather than passive.
Those opportunities also make the transition into practice less abrupt. When students have already performed parts of a procedure or worked through a case, they are better prepared for the moment when they are the one making decisions.
“The next time they see it, they might be the doctor. So let them do it, let them ask all the questions and walk them through everything,” Nagorske encourages.
3. Create a Safe Space to Fail
One of the most valuable things a mentor can provide is a controlled environment where mistakes are allowed.
“You need a safe place to fail, because the last thing you want is your failure to totally ruin you,” Nagorske says.
Students often come into clinical settings with high expectations of themselves. When something goes wrong, it can feel disproportionately significant. A strong mentor helps reframe those moments.
That does not mean ignoring risk. Patient safety comes first. It does mean allowing students to work through situations when appropriate, stepping in when necessary and using those moments as teaching opportunities rather than failures.
4. Take Care of the Basics
Mentorship is not only about medicine. It is also about recognizing the student is navigating a new, and often uncomfortable, environment.
“That sounds so silly, but I remember many situations where I was like, ‘I think I might pee my pants, and I feel so bad asking to stop,’” Nagorske says.
Students are often hesitant to speak up about basic needs. They do not want to interrupt the flow of the day or create inconvenience. That hesitation can turn what should be a positive experience into a stressful one.
Taking a moment to check in about food, breaks and expectations for the day creates a more supportive environment and allows the student to focus on learning.
5. Take Photos of Them
Some of the most impactful parts of mentorship are also the easiest to overlook.
“They love it. I’m always just like their personal paparazzi, taking pictures while they’re doing stuff,” Nagorske says.
With permission from both the student and the producer, capturing those moments can be meaningful. It gives students something tangible to take away from the experience and reinforces that they were an active participant, not just an observer.
6. Be Intentional About the Experience
Not every veterinarian enjoys teaching, and that is worth acknowledging. Mentorship takes time, patience and effort.
When a student is present, the experience should be purposeful. That does not mean every moment needs to be structured, but it does mean making an effort to include them, challenge them and support them.
Mentorship does not need to be perfect to be effective, but in a profession where the transition into practice can be difficult, intentional mentorship can make a lasting difference.
