Introversion in a service industry

A lot (possibly the majority?) of people who become veterinarians are introverts, myself included. There was a great message board discussion on VIN the other day that got me thinking. How do we reconcile our introversion with a clinical job where we are dealing with dozens upon dozens of people every day?

For me, I’m always just the tiniest bit nervous when I am driving to work. I almost have to put my game face on every day. You know, the happy, smiling, patient teacher (because let’s face it – we’re teaching people why they should spend their money on a test or treatment, how their pet got messed up in the first place, better caretaking techniques ...) who is full of energy.

The truth is, until I actually get in the room with the client I’m nervous. Every. Single. Time. Once I’m in there and we’re discussing their pet, it’s fine.

All of this forced interaction with others makes me exhausted at the end of the day. I often sit in front of the TV with a blank stare – I don’t even really want dinner. I’ve had to start working out before work and on weekends. Socializing? Ugh – unless it’s with people that I already know pretty well.

What I’ve found out is that I need time alone to recharge after being around so many people. Once I have that “zombie time,” as I call it, I can get up and do it all over again.