At first glance, the Ready, Vet, Go Veterinary Mentorship program might look deceptively simple— practical lessons, a user-friendly structure, and a strong focus on community support.
But that approachable feel can be misleading.
Ready, Vet, Go isn’t just a collection of anecdotes or a response to challenges I faced early in my clinical career. It’s grounded in evidence-based learning theory, established mentorship models, and thoughtful curriculum design.
In this post, I’ll walk through some of the key research, frameworks, and influences that shaped the program and how they come together to support meaningful, lasting professional growth.
Success starts with self-direction
Traditional mentorship programs often focus on preparing the mentor to lead and expect the mentee to follow. But that structure can place too much responsibility on the mentor and not enough on the learner.
As I began thinking about how to design this program, I knew I wanted to flip that script. I wanted mentees to own their development—and the confidence that comes from it—right from the start.
I found the tools to support that vision in the work of Dr. Douglas Freeman and colleagues at Western University College of Veterinary Medicine. In Developing Mentee Skills: A Curriculum Guide, they outline a self-directed learning model built specifically for mentees. Using mentee skills like gap analysis, structured goal setting, and guided self-reflection, mentees learn to take charge of their growth—developing not only clinical skills, but also confidence, motivation, and a level of self-awareness that serves them throughout their careers.
This work informed our mentee training skills module, the first and perhaps most pivotal lesson in the program.
Built on what works
Much of the Ready, Vet, Go program’s structure is rooted in research-based mentorship practices—particularly those outlined in the Mentorship in STEM chapter of The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM and Dr. Lois Zachary’s books on mentorship. These sources provided the foundational understanding to build a program that’s both learner-centered and results-driven, blending practical, user-friendly tools with proven educational theory.
These resources helped shape not only the mentee’s journey through the curriculum but also the values that prevail throughout our content: autonomy, self-reflection, growth, and trust.
Optimized and equitable for all
It was important to me that the program be accessible to everyone. No matter their learning style, I wanted mentees to feel like the content was approachable and relevant, that they were valued members of their mentee packs and the RVG community, and to attain the same positive outcomes.
And I knew all of this hinged on a skillfully designed curriculum.
Enter Ready, Vet, Go Curriculum Developer, and the ace up my sleeve, Krista Bailey. Krista’s extensive expertise in curriculum development, online teaching, and pedagogy—with an emphasis on equitable teaching practices—helped shape my learning objectives and content ideas into a robust, effective, accessible, and powerful educational experience. Krista’s dedication to and depth of knowledge on creating a fair, accessible, and psychologically safe learning environment is evidenced by her many accomplishments, including countless certifications and completion of the blendVET DEIB Certified Achiever program.
If you’ve ever explored the learning modules, used one of our resources, or watched a mini course and felt like it was designed just for you, you can thank Krista!
Learning and evolving
These are just a few glimpses into the depth of research and reflection that Ready, Vet, Go is built on.
I’m not an academic by title—I’m a veterinarian. But I know how to collaborate, gather information, evaluate it critically, build systems that are both practical and evidence-based, and partner with like-minded professionals who can bring the vision to life. Since the first unexpected iterations of my mentorship program, I’ve spent years listening, reading, testing ideas, and refining the content with input from those who understand what it takes to support real growth.
This program wasn’t built solely on personal experiences, but also on mentorship theory, learning science, and real-world insight—carefully combined and shaped into something that’s engaging, applicable, and deeply resonant for the learner.
This is our foundation, but we’re far from finished. Like learning itself, this work is ongoing. There’s no final version, just continuous evolution. One mentee at a time.
In a future post, I’ll share more of the content that helped build Ready, Vet, Go!
Ready, Vet, Go Veterinary Mentorship is an innovative online program and community that helps new and early career veterinarians build confidence, gain independence, and experience greater joy. Visit our FAQs page to learn more about what we offer or get in touch with our team.