Interview Highlight: DEI in Vet Med

We are excited to introduce our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Highlight Series! In celebrating talented professionals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, abilities, career paths and identities- we hope to inspire students with similar experiences and underscore perspectives that are often underrepresented within vet med. In introducing conversations about the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of our features we hope to foster acceptance, tolerance and equity throughout our profession. 

I’m Dr. Summer Scheibel. After graduating from Cornell CVM this past August, I joined a practice where I see a variety of small animal, exotic, and wildlife patients, and I practice part time at a local zoo. I’ve loved animals since I can remember and have always had quite a menagerie of pets. It was when I adopted my parrot, Andrew, that I became inspired to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. After taking a few courses from the adoption agency and interacting with local avian veterinarians, I learned that it can be difficult to find good information about the complex care that companion parrots require. I wanted to make that information more accessible and provide care for birds and other exotic critters, especially in areas where there aren’t many vets that see such a variety of species. 

One thing that I didn’t truly appreciate until my clinical year was how physically demanding this job really is. I’ve struggled with my disabilities since my teens, but I was still able to keep up with my peers. Sometimes I felt pressure to minimize my need for accommodations because the systems in place made it difficult to receive them, so I pushed through my symptoms because I was tired of justifying my need for assistance. Unfortunately, in the middle of clinics I went from being outwardly able-bodied to doing physical exams from a wheelchair when my disability was at its worst. This also just happened to be a few weeks after having shoulder surgery to correct an injury caused by my disability which delayed my graduation a few months. 

During this time, I was not only struggling with my physical health, but I also felt like I had to work harder to get the same instruction and opportunities as my peers due to people’s preconceived notions about my abilities. This was further complicated by the fact that the hospital is not accessible to a practitioner in a wheelchair- I couldn’t go into the ICU because it was too congested, I could barely make it into exam rooms, and even getting to the bathroom was a challenge thanks to all the heavy doors. People were incredibly helpful, and I learned how to adapt; however, working and trying to learn in that environment was not sustainable. This took a huge toll on my confidence as a future clinician that I am still struggling to navigate. It’s difficult to find support from other people who can relate to my experiences as a physically disabled vet student, and there are few resources available to help people like me. I hope that as we talk more as a community, we gain a better understanding of how to support each other in this profession and make it more inclusive to everyone. Something as small as having a chair available in the surgical suite or providing more frequent breaks could go a long way.