After I completed Veterinary School at Colorado State University in 1990, I did a 1-year accredited intern program at the Sacramento Animal Medical Group in Sacramento, CA with the idea that I would go on and do a residency in internal medicine. I discovered while I was doing my internship that I absolutely LOVED general practice and that I did NOT want to be a specialist.
I then spent the next 17 years of my career working in various small animal practices in several different cities (my husband's job moved us a few times) - Denver, CO; Tulsa, OK and finally, St. Louis, MO. I then began my dream job - my current job at the Animal Protective Association of Missouri (APA) - in February 2009 and I feel so lucky to have finally found my "true calling" as an associate veterinarian in a wellness clinic that is part of a not-for-profit, privately run animal shelter.
The veterinary clinic associated with the APA of MO is a wellness clinic that is open 7 days a week. Because we are part of the shelter, we are able to provide relatively low-cost services to people with pets that wouldn't be able to seek veterinary care otherwise. We are able to take care of most basic medical problems encountered with dogs and cats, but then refer if a case needs emergency or more specialized care.
The veterinarians at the APA also help to take care of the 300+ animals that are residents in the shelter on a daily basis. Our technical staff is key to doing most of the basic care for the shelter animals, but the vets do rounds every day to assess if there is a dog or a cat in the shelter that might need a bit of advice/care by the vet on duty.
REALLY making a difference in the quality of life of a pet that wouldn't otherwise get care because their owners can't afford a regular veterinary clinic. It is amazing how much I can do with some basic education to the owners of the pet and a bit of relatively inexpensive medications. I love educating owners and helping pet owners take the best care of their pet that they can. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of an animal welfare organization that is making such a huge impact on the greater St. Louis community.
II: What are some challenges you face in your position?
The flip side of the coin is that many of our clients are unable to spend the money to get more specialized care if their pet has a more serious medical/surgical condition. We do the best that we can do to offer palliative care, but when necessary, make end-of-life decisions when finances become an obstacle. On the shelter side, the biggest challenge is to always keep in mind that we are really practicing "herd health" and that we can't save EVERY individual animal.
II: Looking back, what do you know now that you wish you would have known as a Vet Student?
I wish I had thought about shelter medicine sooner in my career, but honestly, I probably wouldn't have been ready to do this kind of veterinary medicine until I had had all the years of experience that I had in private practice. Every experience that I had in all the years leading up to my job at the APA prepared me for where I am and what I am doing today.
II: What are some challenges/changes you see for the veterinary profession?
Biggest challenge is the student debt situation for graduating veterinary students. This has always been a problem, but has become an even greater problem in the last 10 years. I am so thankful that I graduated from vet school with very little debt back in 1990. If there is one piece of advice for a vet student right now - take out the SMALLEST number of loans possible to get your education.
II: What is your most memorable patient or moment in veterinary medicine?
There isn't one specific moment or specific patient that stands out for me...It is all the little moments spent with patients and owners over the last 26 years that make me proud of what I do. It is the grateful client that I bump into in the grocery store, reminding me of how much I helped "Fluffy" with his/her skin problem...it is the child that grows into a teenager and asks to "volunteer" in the clinic because they want to get experience so that they can be a veterinarian "just like me"...it is the card that I get in the mail a few months after euthanizing a beloved pet, thanking me for giving the person's pet the gift of a peaceful death...It is all the little moments that make us smile at the end of the day in spite of how exhausting the day might have been. How BLESSED I feel that I "live to work" rather than "work to live."
II: What are some of your hobbies outside of veterinary medicine?
Traveling the world and actually being actively involved in a charity (Africa Foundation) in South Africa that deals with animal conservation as well as helps with community development. My husband and I actually have a small business in South Africa, working with safari camps, as well as working with a group of women near Kruger National Park that are part of a craft center, creating hand-made gifts for tourists visiting the safari camps. All of our "spare" time is invested in helping to create sustainable businesses in 3rd world countries, using the model of "The Great Game of Business" - for those of you that understand and implement this business model, you know what I mean!!!
II: Do you have a dream species that you would like to work with?
Though I am not trained in any way shape or form to work on wildlife, I would LOVE to spend time with a wildlife vet that works in a game park anywhere in Africa...
II: Any other words of advice?
Discover what you are good at and capitalize on that. We can't all be good at everything and know everything about everything. I am NOT a good surgeon. I am NOT knowledgeable about pocket pets. I am a really good medicine person for dogs and cats and I'm really good at educating clients. I FOUND my niche and I love going to work because I am using the unique skills that I have to the maximum of my ability.
II: Anything else you’d like to share?
Follow your dreams. I decided I was going to be a veterinarian after reading All Creatures Great and Small when I was 10 years old. From that point on, I was focused on doing what I needed to do to make my dream of becoming a veterinarian a reality.
When I was 17, I had the incredible opportunity to be an AFS exchange student to Kenya. I fell in love with AFRICA. I knew at 17, that someday, I would do something in Africa. That was my dream. For many years my dream of "doing something" in Africa didn't really correlate with being a small animal veterinarian in America.
Through some rather unusual "twists" of fate as well as some very deliberate decisions as a family to think outside of the box, we are now working in South Africa and making a difference there, even though it is not directly related to my career as a veterinarian.
All of your experiences in life prepare you for the next step...whatever that "next step" may be. We are all a sum of our experiences and we can all achieve our dreams, if we are willing to work hard and concentrate on just doing the next step...
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