If you’re a new grad veterinarian, you’ve definitely heard that “mentorship is everything” in your first year out. In this video, I break down what that actually means—because not all mentorship looks the same, and you shouldn’t accept a clinic saying “we offer mentorship” without digging deeper. I walk you through the 7 mentorship styles you might experience as you transition from vet student to new grad, with real-world examples from my own experience. Trust me when I say mentorship can truly make or break your first year in practice. I cover hands-on/instructional mentorship (my personal favorite for building confidence fast), supportive/emotional mentorship (honestly just as valuable as clinical teaching), coaching mentorship (great for some people, but not my favorite when I’m stressed), developmental mentorship (big picture, 5–10 year growth), peer mentorship (my other favorite—hello vet school group chats), situational mentorship (mentorship gold, and the jackpot if you can find it), and collaborative/team-based mentorship (learning from multiple vets so you’re not “bugging” one person 24/7). My biggest takeaway: know what you need right now, ask clinics direct questions about how they mentor, and advocate for yourself if the support you’re getting doesn’t match what you need to grow.