"Someone's going to find out I don't really know what I'm doing."
If you've thought that in the prep room, after a good outcome, or while someone thanked you, you're having what we call an imposter moment. And in vetmed, they are everywhere.
What it is (and isn't)
The imposter phenomenon was first described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978. It's the persistent feeling that your success is down to luck or timing, and that sooner or later you'll be found out. It often shows up in capable, high-achieving people. Which is a lot of the people we meet.
We call them imposter moments rather than something you "have", because that's what they are: thoughts and feelings that come and go. They aren't a diagnosis, and they aren't the truth about you.
They also don't come from nowhere. Training that rewards perfection, a culture where mistakes feel shameful, comparison with colleagues who seem to know everything. These pressures shape how we see ourselves. That's worth remembering when the inner voice gets loud.
The five imposter archetypes
Dr Valerie Young describes five patterns people often recognise. We use them as archetypes, not labels, a way to notice the pressure underneath rather than another box to put yourself in.
- The Perfectionist: anything less than flawless feels like failure.
- The Expert: you need to know everything before you feel qualified.
- The Natural Genius: if it doesn't come easily, you assume you're not good at it.
- The Soloist: asking for help feels like proof you can't cope.
- The Superhuman: you push harder and harder to prove you belong.
Most people recognise themselves in more than one. A question we often ask: where did that pressure first come from? School, family, training, a particular rotation? It usually has a story.
What actually helps
Say it out loud. Imposter feelings thrive in silence. Telling a trusted colleague "I felt like a fraud in there" often shrinks it instantly, especially when they say "me too".
Collect evidence. Keep a note of things that went well and kind feedback you received. Your brain is wired to remember the bad stuff more easily. Help it out.
Separate feeling from fact. "I feel like I don't know enough" is a feeling. "I worked that case up methodically and asked for a second opinion" is a fact.
Let confidence come second. Confidence usually comes after you do the thing, not before. Waiting to feel ready can mean waiting forever.
If speaking up is where your imposter moments bite hardest, our free recorded webinars Confident Conversations and How to Say No are a lovely place to start.
If you'd like to go deeper
Imposter to Authentic is our 4-hour recorded workshop, with a workbook and a toolkit you build for yourself. It goes into the archetypes, where they come from and what to do when they show up. 4 hours of CPD, from £65 + VAT, with pay-what-you-can pricing so cost isn't a barrier. If you'd rather start smaller, Confidence is Queen is 2 hours, from £25 + VAT.
