I like that I can participate in nearly every other type of specialty and general practice, I get to participate in a large number of the cases that come through the hospital; it keeps my cases varied and my day interesting. I really enjoy that I can provide a vital service directly to all of my colleagues and improve their patient care, whether that is a procedure or help guide their diagnostic plans. I'm able to provide services that they would not be able to provide their clients otherwise, like ultrasounds, special contrast procedures, or rapid CT interpretations and CT guided biopsies.

Mentoring and teaching has been integral to my career and has enriched it from day one. I was a tutor during veterinary school, I mentored and supervised interns at my first job after internship, and we constantly had students, interns, and other residents in the radiology department during residency. I have also been the intern director and have had numerous student externs rotate with me since starting my career as a radiologist. Mentorship brings me immense satisfaction. Every time a student begins to "get it" and starts to see the images in a new way or an intern gets into their chosen residency, it brings me joy. I remember the mentor who pushed me to be more, and it completely sent my career on a new, incredible trajectory. I feel that I have an incredible privilege to potentially do the same for some of my students.

I feel truly confident in my skills and training when I can educate a colleague or student on a radiology related topic in such a way that impacts the case in a meaningful way. As for a single pivotal experience, during my second year of residency, I was on-call received an overnight phone call from an intern concerned about a cat that was hiding more. They had abdominal radiographs and I was able to diagnose that the cat was in congestive heart failure on the edge of the radiograph. That was one of the first times that I felt that I might actually be able to do this.

Favourite: Colleague collaboration

Least: Bad case histories

Misconception: Provides definitive diagnoses

• I wanted to be a radiologist since day one of veterinary school.

• I only applied to one rotating internship.

• I practiced ER for one year prior to acceptance into my residency.

A good computer screen in a dark room.

Work-life balance is the ability to have separately fulfilling lives both at home and at work and not be entirely defined by my job. To me, it means that I can be proud of my work as a radiologist and a mentor but that I am also a proud husband, father, and friend and have time to enjoy the benefits of living in Southern California.

During residency, I had a case of a terrier that I had diagnosed with a hepatic abscess deep in the middle of a lobe in the dorsal liver, and the surgeons had trouble finding it during the laparotomy. I then scrubbed into surgery and performed intraoperative ultrasound to find the abscess for them (again). I have since done intraoperative ultrasound several times but that was the first!

Passing my certifying board examination on the first attempt in the throes of the pandemic.