One Vet's Reinvention Story: From Romania to Dream Realization

About the guest on Vet Life Reimagined:
Dr. Levente Degi is a veterinarian originally trained in Romania where he was a practice owner. Inspired by a t.v. show from America, he decided to move his family, life, and career to North America to enhance the quality of care of his patients. He later started his own practice as a solo doctor building it from the ground up. A couple of years ago, he sold that practice and is now preparing to sit for the AVBP (feline) board exam. He also started a new way for veterinarians to gain continuing education in beautiful European locations. He believes that practical content in an intimate setting for conversation and half-day free exploration is the new way for veterinary CE.

In this episode, you will learn about
- Success tips for leading  a veterinary practice
- the challenge of admitting when you've hit burnout
- the possibilities of achieving a dream veterinary career

Resources:
Episode on YouTube
Learn about Levente's CE trips to Europe with EU Veterinary CE

Transcript

Megan Sprinkle: [00:00:00] I'm excited to share the journey of a veterinarian who was trained in Romania and was one of the first generations of veterinarians to seriously practice companion animal medicine in that country. And thanks to the inspiration of a TV show, Dr. Levente moved his family, including three cats, over 5, 000 miles all the way to Calgary, Canada.

This was just the start for this foreign trained veterinarian before he could actually practice as a veterinarian in North America. And achieve his dreams. You'll learn how he ended up succeeding as a solo doctor practice owner in the United States. He also talks about the hardest part of having to sell the practice he built from the ground up and his exciting new adventures today, which you may want to be a part of.

I will say that the audio quality of this episode is not quite my standard. So I do apologize, but Levente has a fascinating story worth listening to, and he gives some great insights into being a veterinarian that I think you will appreciate. So let's get to the conversation.

 Welcome to vet life reimagined. I'm very excited to have you on the podcast [00:01:00] and you have a little unique beginning as well, because story kind of starts in Romania and a lot of us don't know much about growing up in Romania. So that'll be exciting as well. But of course, the first question I ask everyone is when did you know that you wanted to get into veterinary medicine?

So when did you know for yourself? 

Levente Degi: Yes, I'm from Romania and, I'm from Transylvania. It's a pretty famous place. So probably if they don't know about Romania, I'm pretty sure that everybody knows about Transylvania.

so getting to your question, you know, when I was a kid, I, , spent my vacation with my grandparents, in the countryside in a pretty idyllic location, and I was surrounded by all kinds of, animals, Family dogs and cats and sheeps and poultry, you know, chicken and anything there, so I kind of was exposed to that in that way.

I also witnessed, the circle of life for those animals and [00:02:00] being pretty sad when I didn't see one of them the next day. And I remember one time having one of our family dog passed away. And I was kind of crying as a kid for days and days. you get better, but it was really kind of traumatizing being as a kid.

and that was, you know, my childhood. So when I kind of went to a little bit later on, I, go to high school. I really like biology and I really like everything about it. it just was one of the things that, you know, Oh, this is something might be for me to do for the rest of my life. forwards probably the last two years, probably the last year of high school, when we kind of needed to decide, okay, which path I'm going to take, I choose veterinary medicine because I really need I really like the idea of interaction with animals, and I really like the idea of being more in an active profession, because being a biologist at the time in Romania meant, okay, you are going to be most [00:03:00] likely in a research environment, or you are going to be in academia, and this is something I was not really keen on at the time.

So I said, okay, you know, it's really close to biology. I'm going to do veterinary medicine. And that's when I decided, okay, this is something I'm going to give a shot and I'm going to try. 

Megan Sprinkle: Very interesting. And so. A couple of questions. One, do you mind sharing a little bit about what vet school is like in Romania?

Because depending on the country, you know, the curriculum can be a little bit different. And then also when you were thinking about going into vet school, did you have an idea of what that might look like for you? Like what animals you might work with? And did that change as you were going through vet school?

Levente Degi: This is a really good question. Yeah, things are looking very different in Romania. I finished the high school in 1999. and I applied to get into the veterinary college in 90. So at the time, [00:04:00] you had to pass an exam actually to get into the college.

The way how you get into the college, it was very different compared to what's happening in the U. S. or Canada or even what's happening in Romania these days. At the time, there were 20 candidates for one spot to get into the college. So it was very, very competitive.

So I was really happy that I managed to get in. And one of the things probably it's important to remember at the time, the education in veterinary medicine in Romania was mainly focused on. Farm and large animals and component of the small animals was pretty small at the time because that was the culture and that was the environment and also we have to remember the political context of Romania 90s, you know, the Berlin Wall came down in November 89.

Things in Romania changed a month later in December. So I finished the high school in a free country and I got into the college, you know, [00:05:00] the first year after things changed completely. So, like, with every change, political transition, there are really different changes that are coming to the society, some of them good, some of them not as good, so I was in, in the college, it's a six year program.

And in the first 2 years, you are kind of mainly focusing on preclinical studies and, you know, like, biochemistry, biophysics, anatomy, physiology, even. computer science there was no internet yet, but we kind of were exposed to, computer science at the time and, you know, for years, obviously, focusing on the clinical. aspect of our profession. But as I said, probably 75 percent of it were focused on farm and large animals, and it's a really tiny percent of, on small animals. you know, I got my degree in 96. I didn't know at the time exactly what I was going to do.

At the time of finishing the college, you have to go into the army [00:06:00] duties. So I went to the army for six months and coming back, things kind of really changed in the society for the last probably six, seven years, starting from 1996, 97, the West and the American culture has arrived in Romania.

So what it meant actually, there was more, exposure to what's going to happening, in the West. And there was a really turning point for me in my career that kind of came to Romania at that time. there was a show called Emergency Vets on Animal Planet. And when that came on, I was basically glued to the TV every time when I saw the show, And I remember the doctors from there, you know, Kevin Fischer and his colleagues doing things there. And so, And I said, Oh, this is something I really want to do. This is my profession, and this is something I want to do for life. So that was really, you know, the first kind of turning point for me, seeing the show, because that honestly [00:07:00] changed my career in this profession.

The other things I kind of would like to mention, that in Romania, I was part of the first generation of veterinarians that practiced small animal medicine. So more and more clinics opened up at the time, And I was, you know, co owner with two other partners of a clinic until 2005 when we actually decided to move to Canada with my wife and three cats, Things changed a lot in the society at different levels. they got to the point, they got the care they need, and they were taken care of, but at the individual level, we realized that there might be decades until some of the changes we hoped for will come, so we decided to, okay, we are going to try, crossing the pond, go to a different country, and basically start from zero.

Megan Sprinkle: So you were not the first person to mention emergency vets. So that show really did have an impact on a lot of people, which [00:08:00] I'm glad to hear. And I can imagine it being very exciting to be part of that, initial wave of really changing a type of medicine, you know, helping this new world.

Yeah. At the time, you know, category of, of animals really getting serious about their healthcare and watching these cultural changes come about. And then also, now you're, you're talking about moving to a whole nother culture in 2005. And, um, With that, I think I'm sure you had to take a break cause that's a lot to move over.

I'm sure there's a lot of things that come with that and, and you said you brought your family and three cats as well. So that was a lot to move. Poor cats. They're not good about change in general. 

Levente Degi: The did extremely well, you know, and one of the things I realized with cats, I really love cats. They do really well when they are with the ones they love.

And even now I'm traveling with [00:09:00] cats and they have no issues whatsoever. So, they did really well. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying to people to do that, but you know, it's, it's not complicated sometimes as it might sound. 

Megan Sprinkle: maybe you can do some series on travel long distance with your cats, because I think, talk about cultural shifts.

We are going through a time when traveling with our pets is getting more and more common. In fact, I just came back from a conference and there's one cat in particular that he's very well known that he travels with his human everywhere he goes. Her name is Bug. And apparently Bug has inspired other veterinarians to travel with their cats.

So I'm hearing more and more people are doing that. 

Levente Degi: Exciting. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. It's possible. Exactly. 

Megan Sprinkle: And maybe in some aspects actually easier than dogs, because. I always wonder, you know, is my dog going to sit in the hotel room and bark or, you know, something like [00:10:00] that. And cats, you know, they may meow, but 

Levente Degi: no. They're pretty quiet for sure. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. So, you know, once you got to Canada, what was your experience? Because again, you're talking about there's cultural changes, political changes, really looking at how we can better medically support cats and dogs.

What was your experience? And especially personally, kind of probably a lot of career thoughts and changes as well. 

Levente Degi: You know, it was very exciting for us to be there and just start a new life for sure. You know, it was a little bit, you know, in 24 hours, you just fly from Romania and you, get to downtown Calgary.

That's the city where we arrived in 2005. You know, I have seen lots of, big buildings and skyrises and everything in movies. But until then, I had no idea how they looked like in real life. And I was living on a, I think if I remember correctly, on the 27th floor of those buildings.

So [00:11:00] it was really crazy and pretty exciting at the time, for sure. So, But we really wanted to do something different with our lives and we really wanted to succeed and we took it as a challenge and really embraced everything that we, came across there for sure. And for me, it was really important, I saw the show, the Emergency Vets.

So, okay. I really want to be that vet, you know, I work at that level because that was really important for me. So in other words, I really wanted to get better at my job and move up, in terms of the care you provide for patients. And I was really excited about the opportunities, but as you know, being a foreign-trained vet, you cannot just walk into the clinic the next day and say, okay, I would like to apply for the job.

Because it's not going to happen, so you really want to schedule your time and make sure that you go through the certification process. I have to get my NAVLE and my CPE, the Clinical Proficiency Examination. [00:12:00] Of course, you need to do your, English language requirements.

to be there. So that was the first step. But the question is, what do you do between, getting there and you will be able to actually practice veterinary medicine? So that's a really big question for most of us that we are foreign trained vets and what do we do?

Because there's going to be some years for most of us until you are going to practice what you like and what you love. So, for me, it was, okay, I'm not going to do pizza delivery for sure. So I really want to go somewhere and work in a clinic. So I had the opportunity under lock to meet some really wonderful people at the time in the city.

And they helped me to get my first job in the industry. And that was tech assistant at one of the local 24-hour emergency hospitals. And for me it was, wow, it was crazy just to walk into that place in, you know, after a few weeks after I left Romania because it was everything so different for [00:13:00] me.

and I really loved the idea of being there. And also it was really good for me because I was working nights, so from 10 o'clock in the evening up to 8 o'clock in the morning, seven days on, seven days off. So it was pretty tough to do at the beginning, the seven days in a row, but I really liked the idea that I had, okay, I have one week off, so I really can focus on what I'm doing, you know, get my English exam done and get myself prepared for the, NAVLE and for the CPE.

So I really like the schedule this way because it gave me, you know, that uninterrupted one week when I was able to focus on, okay, this is what I'm going to do. And that's important for me to do. And it was really, I don't know, I really liked my time in the hospital, honestly, working nights. And, you know, I have even now I cherish most of the moments there, you know, just sometimes, , walking the dogs outside minutes, 40 degrees, or cleaning the cages or seeing, [00:14:00] you know, beautiful, beautiful sunrises, most beautiful as one I ever seen in my life.

So those are the memories that are with me. and, you know, obviously getting myself ready for the next step. and one of the nice things about practicing Calgary in the province of Alberta at the time was okay, if you get through enough in the first step, then you can practice as a veterinarian under supervision.

So that was for me a goal to achieve, so I kind of managed to do that after, I think, one and a half years, something like that. So, I got into the practice and I was working like a veterinarian. and that was great because somehow my dream came true. and one year later, probably two and a half years after we arrived in Canada, I did my CPE and that was down in the States, in Las Vegas.

so I got fully licensed, two and a half years. And I was really proud that, okay, I'm really there where I wanted to be. I really want to mention that, I am one of those foreign trained vets that, they come to this great [00:15:00] countries like Canada and the U. S. every year, and I I know what they feel, I feel their pain, I know their challenges, and I know it takes a lot of time, but I think that one of the most important things for them would be Stay focused because I'm really, really sure that your dream will come true one day, but it's important to stay focused and have patience.

Megan Sprinkle: Very well said. I think we can all learn that sometimes. I think our veterinary training in general is a very long training. And so I think we're often faced with this challenge of patience to get to where we finally want to go. and you were doing this after you'd already done a lot of training.

So good for you on being able to stick with it. And, um, It can even take longer than that. I, I have heard. So, that is great that you are so persistent and it does sound like you had great opportunities to not only have time to work on those credentialing, but you were also getting experience and, and probably [00:16:00] at least had your hand in some of what you were, that, the taste of what you were looking for.

So that's good as well. 

Levente Degi: something helped me a lot later on, years when I. became, a practice owner, because it's very important to get the feel of it, from, the level of the tech assistant and receptionist and going out to the doctor. Very few people working in our industry have that feel and they know really what's happening.

And they really, really helped me to see, okay, how the ecosystem feels, how they would like to do their job, what job satisfaction means to them and all those kinds of questions. I did the job and I knew, okay, this is really important for that. And when I was later on business owner, I really wanted to make sure that, okay, they get that because it's important to be happy with the job you have and where you are.

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, it definitely helps that you're able to relate to multiple people in the practice. And like you just said, [00:17:00] you, you did work your way to becoming owner again of a hospital in Canada. So, what was your journey up to that point? Because that took a few years to get to that point. So what were you kind of finding and what attracted you to becoming an owner again? 

Levente Degi: So we stayed in Calgary for four years, we are really grateful for all the opportunities the city gave us at the time, but on the other hand, we could not get used to the snow. And so we kind of decided, okay, we want to get something like this.

So we, what we did, we moved from Calgary to a really beautiful place , on the other side of the country, in British Columbia and Victoria. That's a really beautiful city on Vancouver Island. Yeah. So that was in 2009, and funny, at the time I applied for a job and I was working as an associate at one of the important clinics in the city.

And funnily enough, when I came to Canada, I said, Oh, I'm not going to be owner, [00:18:00] I just something doesn't really interest me anymore. And after working in the clinic for one and a half or two years, something like that, I decided, no, I really like to take the ownership role seriously again and see where it takes us.

And I'm really happy I did that. I'm grateful for the opportunity that I had at the time to make it happen.

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. So when you became owner, what were some things that you found really exciting about having that responsibility? And then what were maybe some of your biggest challenges that you found as well?

Levente Degi: It was really exciting to start something from scratch, first of all. So, we built a clinic in downtown Victoria, and it was, you know, something redesigned from scratch, and redesigned the way how we wanted. and the challenge was, okay, we have zero patients, so we need to start from, zero, and see just slowly, slowly kind of build it up.

So that was a real challenge. But one of the things we knew at [00:19:00] the time, we need a great team with good people, and create a culture of respect and create the culture of, you know, where people can improve themselves and where people support each other. So that was really, really important for us from the beginning.

and for me at the time as a solo practitioner, One of the things that really was important to surround myself with people who I can, like specialists, have a radiologist, have an internal medicine specialist, clinical pathologist that I can talk to.

So I really wanted to have a team online so I can consult with them. Because being a solo owner, it's, it's a really lonely place. And sometimes that somebody is going to tell you, and it's important to connect and have that team around you because that's how you grow. And it's really important to have a really good team that's kind of surrounding you because the better the team, the better the care that you provide to your patients.

Megan Sprinkle: [00:20:00] Yes, and that was the word that was coming to my mind as well as Lonely. When you're a solo practitioner you have all this responsibility, but you may not feel like you have that opportunity to bounce things off of them, to get support. So, people who kind of know what you're going through, I think they talk about leadership being lonely.

It's lonely at the top, something like that. And so it is important to have a good, strong team within the practice that supports you, but also to find. A support team outside of the practice as well. I think so. You can continue to grow. I know that you're a person who loves to constantly learn and continue to grow yourself to be able to provide such quality care to your patients.

So all of those things are, I think, really, really important. And I'm glad that you're talking about that. So, you also talked about your love for cats. And it's obvious that that has been a thing for a long time, And I think [00:21:00] that's something you're continuing to look into.

So when did you decide to maybe focus a little bit more on cats?

Levente Degi: That was probably, I wouldn't say really recently. It's kind of all one of the dreams of mine to do that. but when I was an owner. I tried a few times and, you know, I just couldn't manage to do that. , growing the practice, being there, and doing things, I just did not manage to have time to pursue one of the things I really wanted to do.

So, kind of focusing on feline medicine kind of came in after we sold the practice I took a career break and I really wanted to, okay, what I'm going to do with my profession, for the next 20 years or 25 because I really want to be in this profession as long as I can.

So, one of the things came into my mind: what if I'm going to start and get the ABVP certification in feline [00:22:00] practice? And I said, yeah, that sounds like a great idea. It would be a challenge that I really love. So, I managed to connect with a wonderful mentor.

And she helped me through the process with submitting my credentials. That was last year and 10 days ago I got pretty great news because my credentials were accepted. So now it's study time because I really want to pass the board exam in November this year.

So that's kind of the challenge for me at the moment, but it took a lot of time. But I'm really happy that I'm here, and I'm really grateful for being able to do it. 

Megan Sprinkle: It is never too late to pursue interests and new things. So I'm glad that that is something that you also agree with and are finding out.

I do want to go back ‘cause you talked about selling your practice and I think this is a common question and thought right now because one, there's more interest in selling and buying practices, I think, but I think this could really help people. Do you [00:23:00] mind thinking back and explaining what your thoughts were in deciding to sell your practice?

Levente Degi: To get to the point where you say, “okay, I'm going to sell,” in my situation and just kind of talking to or listening to podcasts, there were people out there with the kind of similar experience. Somehow you start the practice from scratch with zero patients. You grow it. You are pretty enthusiastic, and you've been for years and years and years.

And one of the things that is going to happen at some point, we are going to work way more than you're supposed to work. I remember kind of putting in 60 to 80 hours a week, into the clinic. And I remember, doing fires, doing client communication, and reports, going location, hotel rooms, going camping.

So one of those things that I don't recommend to anybody to do that, but at the time, you know. I felt, okay, this is something I need to do and I need to make sure that these things are done. [00:24:00] But I didn't realize I have 24 hours a day, like everybody else. So, I was trying to push all the time.

Oh, I can do this. I can do that. So, I was really trying to do that. So that's one of the things you are going to run into. and the other thing kind of happened, you know, probably towards the last few years of the ownership, some kind of dark clouds kind of started to gather on the horizon in terms of it was extremely hard. The shortage of vets. The shortage of techs.

And it's really such a big impact in the clinic and how, you know, my decision. Because I remember, putting out an ad for a vet and getting one resume in one year. So, that was one of the things. This is hard. It's going to be extremely, extremely challenging, right?

But in the meantime, you know, you have to go there, you have to be present, you have to do the job, and you grow the clinic, and try not to let people down, you know, your staff, your clients, your patients, your family, you have to do all these things, right? [00:25:00] But at some point, you get there: “Oh, okay.”

I realized I'm kind of burned out. And it was some of the things that was really hard for me to say at the time. Honestly, it's one of the things that I wasn't able to face it. I'm not sure why. But now, I can say, and I think it's important to say, hopefully other people are not going to make the same mistakes.

If they can learn something from it, hopefully, don't do these things, because sometimes this is where you might get it. I used to go to the clinic in the mornings, probably two hours before opening, because the reason I was quiet at the place, so I was doing, you know, lots of administration, and all the kind of other things.

And I remember one of the mornings there, I sat in the car for half an hour. I was just not able to get out and walk into the clinic. And I said, “Oh, this is not good”. And that was from the point where it made me think a little bit about [00:26:00] this. But still, “OK, put it under the rug. It's okay, don't let people down and just kind of carry on”. So, I did that for some time, until the pandemic came, COVID. And that was one of the things that made us as a family and the individual level ask some really serious questions. What we are going to do? Who we are? What's important for us? And having pretty long discussions with my wife.

We kind of decided to kind of do that, and okay, we know what we don't want to do, I don't want to work 60, 80 hours a week. That's pretty much gone. I'm not really sure if I want to be in clinical practice anymore, so that's one of the things kind of really I knew at the time. We had no idea what's going to be next.

And talking about in the clinic and selling the clinic, probably one of the hardest things I might I did in my life was telling my staff: [00:27:00] “we are going to sell the clinic”.

Levente Degi: And it was I could not imagine that it's going to be that hard, honestly, never ever. And even the last few months being at the clinic is kind of a really emotional rollercoaster because, you know, you're breaking the news to the clients, you're saying goodbye to them, and I was really overwhelmed by their support and their understanding.

Sometimes, you know, we don't pay attention to these things because probably we might not have the time, but you know, there are people out there that really do appreciate the work we do and you should never forget that. 

Megan Sprinkle: Wow. Thank you for sharing all that. Cause I, I think a lot of people have felt similarly and it's always good to know that you're not alone.

And I don't think a lot of people talk about the, the part of having to tell these individuals who you've worked with, who have stuck with you and all those long hours and [00:28:00] starting your practice that you're making this decision. it's a huge decision. And I don't think we always give enough time and appreciation for that part of it, of having to bring everybody along in this decision.

And so, I also want to acknowledge that that's a big leap of faith to not fully understand what's coming next. I think that scares a lot of us, not knowing the next step. I think that's why some of us kind of panic when we get to the end of vet school and we're like, Oh no, I'm starting to run out of the very concrete knowledge of what comes next.

And so, I think that's also really huge as well. You know, I, I think so far from what I know of you, good things are coming of it. Like you said, you're able to have that time to really focus on an area of medicine that you hadn't been able to spend a lot of time on. And then at the same time, you [00:29:00] Became a different type of entrepreneur.

You started a slightly different type of business, which is also very exciting. And I think it can incorporate a lot of what we've talked about, about, you know, the things that are important to us and being able to combine all of them. So you have started a continuing education experience business, and I'm really excited about it because I personally love to travel and this is focused in Europe.

So do you mind sharing a little bit about the journey to. The idea of starting this, what's kind of gone into it. And when you said you sat, you're sitting for your board exam in November, I was like, uh, you have a couple, you have a trip in October and November, so good luck studying with all of that. But yeah.

So what, what's the story with that? 

Levente Degi: Once we sold the clinic and we said, okay, we are going to take a break, we decided, okay, we are going traveling. We are going to be traveling to Europe. Yeah, that's kind of toward the end of the pandemic, everything was, pretty safe you [00:30:00] could do those things.

And you go to Europe, you kind of reconnect with your roots and, see what's kind of coming and just kind of, not having any kind of expectations. And I know it's really hard, personally, I really like the challenge that the change brings to us, provides us. I really like to push boundaries professionally and with my personal life most of the time, but it's not easy.

It's pretty complicated, for me. And it might be pretty hard on the people surrounding you sometimes, you know, might be not easy on your partner, probably on your kids, but it's a pretty challenging thing to do for sure. So. Been traveling and after a few years, you know, there are two things kind of started to crystallize in my mind and, you know, talking to my wife about these things and one of them would be board certification in feline medicine and the other one, you know, if you're going to organize some CE seminars in Europe, but do it a little bit differently.

And especially bringing a new [00:31:00] concept to Europe. So, we started talking about it, you know, let's try it and kind of give it a try. and one of the things we, I had in mind at the time, being as a veterinarian and especially in general practice, you have a really structured and really strict schedule.

Most people that had no idea about this, I knew when I start my schedule at eight o'clock in the morning. Most of the days, I knew what I was doing until six o'clock. sometimes, you know, squeezing me in to see an emergency or finishing your dental procedure in lunchtime. But you knew all the things, what's kind of happening.

So there was a pace to it, and sometimes pretty fast. Because, you know, it's comforting to know , what you are going to do all day long. But on the other hand, the pressure to be on time Can be really, really stressful, and people have expectation.

Oh, we're five minutes late, so you really need to be and try to do your best to, you know, meet people expectation, [00:32:00] this way. and this is something similar. I felt when I was going to kind of larger conference, especially in the US or even in Europe, You go to the big place, Oh, I want to see that, I want to see that.

And you find yourself, running from one room to another one, trying to catch the lecture that you really want to hear and see, right? And sometimes, oh, this is really similar to what I'm doing in the practice, you know, it's the same kind of pace, you don't have the chance to, you know, push the brakes, relax, see where you are, and enjoy the whole moment.

And I said, oh, okay, so you would like to do something where, We create an environment where, okay, you can come, you push the brakes, you can relax, you can look around, and you can work at the same time. Because we offer you pretty, you know, unique, European, locations where, you know, lots of things to do.

There's culture, there's nature, there's, family entertainment. We have half days lectures. So, you teach in the morning, or in the afternoon, during the seminar. [00:33:00] But for the rest of the day, you can do basically whatever you want, you know, you can just create memories for yourself with your family or friends or, connect with yourself because Sometimes that's the only thing we want but don't get the opportunity to do it.

So that's something you can definitely do. So, yeah, we started working on these ideas. And so, okay, we are focusing on Europe. kind of bias to that. and see, okay, where we are going to start for the things. And, you know, Spain came out pretty first on list because I really like that country, and I really feel that's a great country to visit and enjoy and kind of learn at the same time, and that's where we start with the two locations this fall, one of them is on Mallorca Island and the other one is on Costa Blanca in the southern part of Spain, a really beautiful location.

they're really different in many, many ways. There are some of them extremely luxurious. Some like in Mallorca, it really [00:34:00] tucked away. And the location, Costa Blanca it's it's totally different. It's in the middle of the nature It's just gives you a totally different feel, but in the same time, you're not really far away from anything that you want to do, go to the beach, go to the theme park, do everything you want to have a really nice wine tasting or whatever, you know, fits your schedule.

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, I have looked at the pictures. They both look absolutely gorgeous and I have traveled quite a bit over Europe, including to Romania, but I have not gone to Spain, believe it or not. So it looks absolutely beautiful. And I do, I do like that aspect of it. I think you're right. I think it's very, very And not just in veterinary medicine, although I think it's, it's very strong in veterinary medicine.

We feel like we have to be on this tight schedule, jumping from thing to thing. And it is nice to be able to, we can say we're, we're here for CE. We're here for a good purpose. At the same [00:35:00] time, we can enjoy things like this. And, Interesting enough, one of the last questions I end the podcast with is what's something on your bucket list?

And almost always, I mean, I cannot actually think of a one that does not include travel as one of those things. So we can actually pull in these big bucket list things that we've talked about. And Give us ourselves permission. I hate that we have to do that, but give ourselves permission to be able to do those things and by, coupling it with continuing education, which we have to do anyway, and so I really appreciate these ideas, this kind of break from the traditional, 50 minute, you know, you have 10 minutes to go to the bathroom, get your coffee and get to the next one.

And so I'm really excited by these new ideas around how we can really Approach continuing education and you still have that opportunity to meet with colleagues, which I also think is really important at CE events. But again, yeah, have that space for yourself to, [00:36:00] to, to think, enjoy nature or the other things that really excite you, whether it's wine tasting.

So. I'm super excited for you. I think this is a really neat opportunity for the profession and your first trips, like, we talked about are coming up in these really beautiful locations. And the other thing too, I think sometimes these big conferences can be really distracting, because there's so many opportunities as a education nerd too, who's like, I just want to hear everything.

It's also nice to really focus on. What do I really want to focus on my education this year or something like that? And your events are very, they're specific, right? They have certain topics that you're really going to focus on. And I think that can also be really helpful for people too. So you're not distracted by this other cool talk that's going on.

You're very intentional about your goals and what you want to learn. So you can focus on that as well. Was that also something you were thinking about when you were [00:37:00] designing these? 

Levente Degi: Absolutely. We wanted to design something kind of small group, interactive, intimate setting where you feel relaxed, you know, and you can have a question, you can have a conversation with the speaker, after that you can just have a talk with your colleagues if you want.

And one of the nice things about this, you know, we are going to have, attendees form from. UK from Belgium, from different other European countries, from Canada, from the U. S. So it's a really, really kind of multicultural melting pot for the profession. And something that I'm really, really excited about is because at the end of the day, this profession, we are just a big family, especially these days.

With all the information out there, it's available to everybody, you know. We feel so close to each other, you know. We start talking to each other and we know, okay, what the other person is talking about. It's not like in the 90s when, I was going to, you know, internet cafes to find the literature in English, about [00:38:00] Veterinary medicine and it was okay.

It was a little bit different these days. You know, it's just kind of out there It's much easier for us to connect and just be part of the big family that we are as veterinarians 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, I mean, it brings back something else that we talked about, right? Is finding that community of support that is outside of the clinic, because I think you're right.

The things that we probably remember the most about conferences, it's probably not a particular talk. It's probably the The interaction with the other people that were there. And in fact, I have heard on multiple occasions that the things people remember was a conversation they had on a bus that was taking them from the hotel to the conference center, you know, with a colleague.

So, really being able to have that relaxed space of building relationships and connections. Those are the things that are really going to hit. And again, if you're focused around certain topics, even more so, I think you'll benefit not just personally by building those [00:39:00] relationships, but I think it'll help retain the information because you are, it's more than listening to a lecture.

You're having these small group conversations and probably talking about each other's experiences with it as well. So again, back to that, bringing in all these aspects of things that I think really revise us or revive us as well, because I'm sure other people have felt it. I just got back from a conference so I can talk about this.

You, you come back from a conference and you're just exhausted. You're lucky if you remember anything that you learned, but you know, it's more of like, okay, now I need a vacation after this conference because you're so exhausted. But if you can be in this more relaxed place where you're, you're still learning, you're still connecting, but it is more relaxing.

And it is, has that, calming aspect and that you can come back still refreshed and be able to implement the things that you have just learned. 

Levente Degi: And one of the other things I really would like to mention is the fact that usually we have two different [00:40:00] topics or might be the case for one single topic for the, for the seminar, for the lectures.

and that's really helpful because, you don't have too many distractions like we mentioned. And the other thing would be they are kind of really packed with practical tips because for me it was all the time really important when I walk into those lectures as a, as a clinician. I really want to get something out from this that I can apply next day in my practice, so I can be a better doctor.

I can provide a better care for my patients. That was really, really important for me. we really wanted to focus on this aspect. Okay. It's interactive, it's small group, focusing on one or two topics, but you are going to get lots of practical tips that you can take home implement in your practice.

And even if you take home one or two, I'm really sure you are going to make a huge impact on, you know, your patient's life. 

Megan Sprinkle: I agree. I think it's good to hear like the new research, but I'm sure [00:41:00] other people have gotten to the end of the research and it's like, well, that was interesting, but what do I do about it now?

How does this apply to me? And so, especially as a student. a specialist. We're often like, okay, well that was an interesting paper, but that doesn't change anything about what I'm going to do. so that's very good that you are focused so much on the practicality of being able to leave this and actually make a difference back in your practice the next day.

Well, we are running out of time. So, but before we have our final few questions, is there anything else that's on your mind or thoughts that you would like to offer to the veterinary profession? 

Levente Degi: I really want to offer the opportunity to take a vacation and have a really nice CV for sure. That's something I really want to do for them.

and help take the opportunity to get your career, a little bit higher up and meet really wonderful people, just have a good time with your family. and the other thing probably would be for me to give to a [00:42:00] profession to finish my feline war certification.

And I really want to use that knowledge for the benefits of pets. I do not know at the moment how is that going to work out. You know, sometimes I, I really want to go back to the clinical practice or not, I don't know at the moment. But there are different other ways that I can definitely use that knowledge and, give back to the profession.

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah, that's what Vet Life Reimagined is all about, right? Uh, all the different opportunities that we have to take our interests and our skills and take that out into the world in a lot of different ways. So, thank you so much for embracing that philosophy as well and sharing that with us. So, I'd like to end with a final few questions.

So, the first question is, I'll, I'll pull in that one I just talked about. is there anything on your bucket list that you would like to do? . 

Levente Degi: passing my test. I think that's the first and most important thing for me. . 

Megan Sprinkle: Yes. Understand when [00:43:00] that is like the main thing that is occupying your brain. Let me just get past this test. So definitely understand that feeling for sure. And is there anything that maybe like a skill or an interest that maybe not a lot of people know about that you have?

Levente Degi: Yeah, probably. I like to bake sourdough bread. I like to make pizza when I can. And I'm really proud, you know, a few weeks ago, I mastered to make a sourdough pizza. So, , based on sourdough, that's something I was told that's pretty challenging to do, but it came out really nice. I am happy to feed my sourdough that's six years old. That's really the kind of passion of mine and it's totally different, this biology science, but it's kind of different from the veterinary medicine.

So I really like to do those things. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. And very practical because it's very tasty and it feeds 

Levente Degi: you too. Absolutely. For sure. 

Megan Sprinkle: Love it. And finally, what is something you are very grateful for? [00:44:00] 

Levente Degi: I'm grateful for all the people in my life who helped me to be what I am today. And I really want to mention my parents, especially my mom and my wife.

And, , my friends and all the people that came into my life along the way and, they helped me to be the person I am today, for sure. and also, I'm really grateful To this profession, to veterinary medicine, because it gave me almost everything I have today. So I'm really grateful to be part of this.

Megan Sprinkle: I hope you enjoyed this fascinating veterinary story. We can make an impact in so many places. Check out the show notes for lots of resources. Please make sure you are subscribed on your podcast app, subscribe on the YouTube channel and follow me on LinkedIn, where I hang out the most. You can contact me on LinkedIn, on the website at vetlifereimagined.

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And I hope to see you next time on that life reimagined.