For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to work with animals. This intro to my story probably sounds familiar - we all got into this field because we love animals and medicine (and because humans are gross!). This led to me doing a lot of research about how to become a veterinarian - what the schooling looked like, and the types of jobs I could get. It wasn’t until high school that I realized I was interested in the wrong career.
I landed my first veterinary job working as a technician assistant at my family’s primary care vet. After spending two weeks shadowing the head CVT, I knew I wanted to be a veterinary technician quite simply because I wanted to be involved in patient care.
Patient care and nursing care is at the very heart of what veterinary technicians do. I wanted to be the one assessing and monitoring patients during their hospitalization stay. I wanted to be the patient’s advocate by communicating concerns to the veterinarian. I wanted to provide patient treatments, such as diagnostic testing, fluid administration, medication calculation and administration, oxygen therapy, physical therapy, anesthesia, and advanced monitoring procedures. I wanted to be the one treating each patient like a pet by minimizing stress/anxiety and ensuring their overall comfort.
During my veterinary technology schooling, I found my passion for emergency and critical care after completing an internship. I fell in love with the advanced level of specialty care, the patient case variety the meant no day was the same, the adrenaline rush, and the overwhelming experience of literally saving an animal’s life.
I've been able to advance my career by becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care, and in doing so, many other opportunities have become available. I obtained a teaching job at the #1 Veterinary Technology/Nursing program in the country (Purdue University), I am a sought after national and international conference speaker, I've been published in national and international veterinary technician/nurse journals, and I've become recognized as a national veterinary technician leader by serving on the NAVTA Executive Board and on the task force for the Veterinary Nurse Initiative.
It has been so rewarding to share my love and passion with others...I’m 15 years in and can’t imagine doing anything else.

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