Petra Agthe CertVDI DipECVDI MRCVS is an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging.
Please summarise your career journey
I graduated from Hannover, Germany, in 1997. After moving to the UK, I spent several years working in small animal general practice, developing a special interest in radiology and ultrasound and gaining the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging in 2005.
In 2006, I started a residency in Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Cambridge Veterinary School and became a Diplomate of the European College of Diagnostic Imaging in 2009.
I joined Linnaeus-owned Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in 2009, becoming the Head of Diagnostic Imaging in 2016. My main interests are MRI and CT, as well as errors and non-technical skills in radiology. Other activities include clinical research projects and publications, peer reviews for scientific journals, providing CPD and lectures nationally and internationally, as well as resident training.
Alongside my main job, I developed a strong interest in psychology and related neuroscience in general, and the science of performance and wellbeing in particular. In 2017, I ran a blog as a charity challenge, covering all aspects of wellbeing and living a ‘good life’. Motivated by the compelling scientific evidence, I then put theory into practice and received training in mindfulness, self-compassion, insight meditation and other mental skill practices.
I am a certified mindfulness practitioner and currently working on an ICF accredited coaching diploma.
This year, I have been speaking on topics such as mindfulness and wellbeing, and have run practical after-work mindfulness sessions together with a colleague. So far, these activities have been largely within Anderson Moores and Linnaeus, but there are bigger plans for the future!
In my free time, I enjoy my two rescue dogs, painting, reading and playing the piano, as well as connecting with my family and friends.
Describe your typical day from waking to sleeping
No two days are the same for me and there is not really a ‘typical’ day.
On work days, there is usually not much time beyond the job itself, my commute and ensuring basic essentials such as meals, although I generally try to fit in some exercise and at least a short mindfulness practice if at all possible.
Work usually includes a combination of reporting imaging studies, performing ultrasound-guided sampling procedures, as well as resident and intern supervision and teaching, management tasks and various formal and informal meetings, along with other activities.
The intensity of the job as a team leader in a highly dynamic, fast-paced and interactive referral hospital can prove challenging at times and I, therefore, have a four-day working week at Anderson Moores, allowing me to maintain a good work-life balance, with a day a week when I can get away from the pressures of work.
On my days off, I always schedule some ‘recovery’ time, whether that be painting, playing the piano, meeting a friend or just lying in the hammock and looking at the sky. I also always fit in a longer meditation practice on those days and do some work for my coaching course.
“I have learnt that with a supportive team, it is possible to grow on the job and become a successful leader even though the job and the leadership role may not feel ‘natural’ to you”
How would you describe yourself in a sentence?
A value-driven, open-minded lifelong learner and mind explorer. A highly-strung compulsive fretter, but equally courageous, committed and compassionate person who wants to make this world a slightly better place.
How would others describe you in a sentence?
Colleagues, friends and family describe me as a hard-working, energetic and ambitious perfectionist, and a ‘big picture thinker’ – always having a project on the go, as well as being creative, loyal, kind and supportive.
What has been your top success and what have you learned from this?
Externally, my top success is achieving the ECVDI diploma, because that is my highest qualification.
However, I actually feel a bigger success is leading a constantly growing imaging team for several years through a number of challenges, changes and transitions; and ensuring an excellent imaging service here at Anderson Moores.
This is a real achievement as the job is not particularly well suited to my personality: I am by nature quite introverted and socially shy, as well as a typical representative of the high achieving perfectionist, preferring a quiet, stable environment and being prepared and in control of events. But, of course, my working life is characterised very differently because it is such a busy and dynamic job.
What I have learnt from this is that with a supportive team, it is possible to grow on the job and become a successful leader even though the job and the leadership role may not feel ‘natural’ to you.
Being authentic and working things out from first principles, such as asking myself, ‘How would I like to be treated?’, have served me well, together with applying mindfulness and all the other mental skills that I have acquired.
What has been your biggest challenge, setback or failure and how have you overcome it? How did you grow or change as a result?
Last year was particularly tough, although not all of it was professionally. Covid-19 was clearly a major challenge. My dad died during the first lockdown and my family lives in Germany, so that was obviously incredibly tough. We also had significant transitions in our imaging team at Anderson Moores, which proved quite challenging. Additionally, I had two health scares and had to undergo major surgery, so it really was a whopper of a year!
I have overcome these challenges by really connecting with those who are close to me and by relying a lot on support from family and friends. I also had excellent support from Anderson Moores and the team, who really rallied around me.
That period made me realise just how resilient I had become by cultivating the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion over the years, as I had some mental tools to support myself through the madness, in addition to reaching out for other help.
The events made me fully realise that there are some things you cannot control and to take life as it comes. They also motivated me to become a mindfulness practitioner and coach so that I can help others in discovering their own inner skills.
“We do not have to feel confident in order to pursue our goals and lead a meaningful life”
What advice would you have given to your younger self, that you would now give to others wanting to follow your path?
Life means continuous change and struggle, but life also means connection and many beautiful moments. Living a ‘good’ life means staying open to all experiences and developing the skills to embrace it all – the struggles and the beauty.
Mindfulness and self-compassion are really helpful here, as they help finding the balance between work and life, between your own needs and those of others, between acceptance and committed action.
Also, real success is not achieving any particular goal or status. Real success is knowing who you are, staying true to your values and purposeful living even when experiencing setbacks.
I couldn’t have got where I am today without…
All the wonderful people in my life, particularly my partner Ralf!
What are your three top likes?
- Coffee
- Learning
- Nature
What are your three top dislikes?
- Unfairness
- Not having enough time to discover all the wonderful things in the world that are there to discover!
- Interruptions
What is the most helpful book you’ve read and why?
I have read so many helpful books so it’s very difficult to single one out!
However, The Confidence Gap: From Fear to Freedom by Russ Harris is very high in my personal Top 10, not only because it has been helpful for me personally, but also because it is very relevant to the veterinary profession in general. I have re-read the book recently when working on my coaching qualification, which catapulted me right outside my comfort zone!
The upshot of the book is that we do not have to feel confident in order to pursue our goals and lead a meaningful life. Daring to take charge and working towards what is important to us can be done without having to overcome our fears first. The feeling of confidence may (or may not) come later, but that is not the important thing. The important thing is to get a different relationship to our anxieties and fears, so they do not hold us back from achieving what we want to achieve in life.
The concepts, methods and suggested exercises in this book are evidence-based and yet the book is very practically written and sometimes quite funny. It is known to have helped professional athletes and other high-performing professionals.
Therefore, I think this book is a ‘must read’ for everybody who experiences performance-related anxiety, unhelpful levels of perfectionism or imposter syndrome, which all happen to be highly prevalent in our profession.
Many thanks to Petra for sharing her story to inspire veterinary women to aspire and grow into their full
career potential.
If you would like to share your story please get in touch at info@veterinarywoman.co.uk
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