I think the best resource is within you. There is no one that knows your capability and limitations better than yourself. I think the only advice I have in relation to that is listen to the voice inside that inspires you, because we can also be our worst enemy and talk ourselves out of following our dreams because it is hard. Despite how hard it is, how long it takes, if it is your dream, you should follow.  

Is there a story or experience that stands out in your mind that reaffirmed your decision to work in specialty veterinary medicine?
I think for me this is more like an everyday reaffirmation. Every day when I help one animal, when I am able to buy a few months more for a pet to live with the owners, when I get those thank you cards after a patient has died because, despite the grief, the owners are thankful for the work I did to help them… that’s what reaffirms me that I was right to go through the process of specializing and be able to help sick patients (in a specialty in which there are not a lot of us) as much as I can.  

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"I am happy with my career choices, I am happy that I make sure to take care of myself, my health, and my mental health so I can be more complete for my patients and clients."

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What do you consider one of your career successes? How did you achieve it?

I think my biggest career success was to achieve Board-certification. I didn’t pass my first attempt at the specialty boards, which was a moment of a lot of doubt towards myself. I had gone through a lot of difficulties in my personal life and that was an even bigger heavy weight on me. I felt I failed my residency, my career, my supervisors, my colleagues. I felt a failure. With a lot of work on myself, in my confidence, opening up about the fact, talking about it, and normalizing it, helped me to see things clearer. On the second attempt, I was nervous, but I used the “failure feeling” to give me more strength to study. I worked on my mental health and the way I was seeing myself and the failure. This helped me to be more calm and less anxious during the exam, which helped me to pass (YAY!). 

What do you consider a challenge you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?

Depression. When I started my internship, I had just moved countries, I left my family and friends behind, I faced my first Canadian winter (it is no joke!) and I was working about 80-100 hours per week with the challenge of the different culture, different language. I had severe depression. A lot changed in my personal life and after starting my residency, the challenges only increased as COVID hit and the challenges of that on its own was gigantic. Only time, therapy, "happy pills" for a while (that’s what I call antidepressants), finding hobbies that allowed me to have a “me time” even during the busy residency schedule, and a lot of support from my friends and supervisors helped me to overcome. I found a passion and hobby that still keeps my mental health in check and helped me to do something outside of the veterinary setting and to decompress from the stressful work and times I was living in. I currently continue to work on myself and my mental health, making sure I get time to do things I am passionate about outside of work. It is always a work in progress that only allow us to be better for our patients and clients at the end of the day.

What is something unique about your career, or career path?

I think every story is unique. But maybe for me, first, having experienced veterinary medicine in Brazil allowed me to be more flexible and to learn to do things on my own and to not depend on anyone to get things done. Having help is great, but being independent and flexible at your job opens your perspective. Second, I think we high-achievers have a very similar mindset on what and where we want to be in our careers at a certain point. What might be also unique in mine is that I gave up on trying to be the high-achiever I was telling myself I was when I faced depression, and had to choose me over my career. I know a lot of people that, to date, are unhappy, or “happy” but burned out because they think they must live up to certain expectation they put on themselves. Well, I let that go, and I am much happier with where I am in my life now. I am happy with my career choices, I am happy that I make sure to take care of myself, my health, and my mental health so I can be more complete for my patients and clients. 

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Read Dr. Pires' Career Spotlight on the ACVIM Career Center >>