What inspired you to pursue a career in veterinary medicine? How did your path evolve — and what experiences or challenges shaped who you are today?
Full disclosure: I was dating a fourth-year veterinary student. I was a fourth-grade teacher. But I had always loved animals and had a classroom full of pets. His stories about what he did each day made me realize that veterinary medicine was something I wanted to do. I enrolled in the evening program at Harcum College and never looked back.
How did my path evolve? When I entered the profession, virtually all veterinary technicians had associate's degrees. No one had a master's degree in education except me. I don't think there were any CVTs who were program directors. I was still teaching fourth grade and working evenings, weekends, and summers in the Emergency Service at PennVet. Shortly thereafter, I was asked if I would be interested in teaching as an adjunct in the Harcum Program, so I took on a third job. I picked up one class, then two, then three. In 2003, I gave birth to my son Michael. I retired from public education after 15 years and took a full-time position as Assistant Program Director for the Harcum College Veterinary Nursing Program (which was still called Veterinary Technology back then). I continued to work part-time at PennVet. In 2012, I left clinical practice and became the Program Director at Harcum.
What led you to focus on education, leadership, or mentorship within the profession?
I chose to focus on education, leadership, and mentorship because I have been in this for a while now and cannot "unsee" the areas where we need to do better. We have a workforce shortage. We can address that by making sure that veterinary nurses are compensated, respected, and utilized commensurate with the value they bring. We remain a white-normative profession. We can address that by providing early exposure (think pipeline programs), financial support, and equitable opportunity to veterinary and veterinary nursing students from underrepresented populations. We have a fractured infrastructure with different credentialing/licensing requirements and scopes of practice across the states. Standardization would move us in a positive direction and provide the entire profession with more stability. Finally, we need the profession to recognize that credentialed nurses/technicians and veterinary assistants are not interchangeable and should play distinct (but both important) roles within the hospital. In short, we have a lot of work to do, and I am here for it.
What motivated you to become a Fellow of Veterinary Technician Education (FVTE)? How has being part of the FVTE community allowed you to make a difference?
The FVTE community provides an opportunity to be part of a community of scholar-practitioners. We have reached a point in this profession where educators are studying systems to improve how we provide education. We are beginning to keep pace with the rapid development of our practice. Additionally, we now have licensed technicians with the education and skill set to conduct rigorous research in the field. I want to be part of those discussions, network with those people, and contribute to the growing body of research.
What does this recognition mean to you, personally and professionally?
Well, of course, it is an honor to be included amongst the members of FVTE. But beyond that, it embodies my commitment to being a lifelong learner. It is the example I want to set for my students, alumni, and faculty.
What part of your work brings you the most joy or fulfillment? Is there a project, initiative, or teaching moment you're especially proud of?
When one has the same job for 25 years, one needs to find ways to keep it fresh and stay passionate about the work. I have found that through expanding my job description well beyond the one I was handed on my first day. The things that have been most rewarding for me have been creating scholarship opportunities for students through partnerships with veterinary practices, building a pipeline program for underrepresented students by working with TRIO UpwardBound, and developing the powerful network of Harcum alumni who continue to support our current students and the program every day. I have also found great satisfaction serving my state and national associations, particularly in legislative matters. Most recently, as I work toward completing a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership, I have discovered a passion for research and the role of the scholar-practitioner. But the best part is that even 25 years later, my very first passion, working with my students every day, is just as rewarding and fun as it was then. I just really, genuinely like them, and they make me really proud.
What advice would you give to others in the veterinary field — especially those just starting out?
I think my best advice is to "continue your education." There are so many really smart, talented, dedicated people in this field, and they are doing some amazing things. But it has also been my experience that veterinary medicine remains a field in which degrees are respected. If your goal is to lead within the profession, get that next degree, certification, or credential, and use that education to change things for the better. Try to leave everywhere you go a little better than you found it.
What do you believe the veterinary community needs more of (or less of) right now?
Probably optimism, more optimism. Lots of times, things that look like problems turn out to be the pathway to meaningful positive change if you just adjust your view ever so slightly. As I tell my kids: "Once in a while, you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
If you could share one message with the profession, what would it be?
My hope for the veterinary profession is that we can one day come together, both within the field of veterinary nursing and across all areas of veterinary medicine, to move forward in ways that value all members of our community, support clients from all cultural backgrounds, and support patients from all socioeconomic backgrounds. I wish us all lots of those days in which we say to ourselves, "Today went great, now how can we do it even better tomorrow?"