First job as an RVT: Central Veterinary Services (Winnipeg, Manitoba) – Mixed animal practice with a large animal surgical suite in house
Favourite OAVT Conference memory: I look forward to catching up with old classmates, colleagues, professors, and friends every year at the conference! While we made the best of it during the pandemic with a virtual format, this past 2023 conference was a welcome event! Returning to in-person activities, catching up, and learning with fellow RVTs was amazing!
Best career advice someone gave you: Don’t burn bridges. Simple yet critical advice when it comes to career growth and success. It is easy to forget how small veterinary medicine is! It gets even smaller as you narrow down and focus on specific industry areas. Throughout my career, I have been constantly reminded of this fact.
I try to remember this as I move on to new opportunities and ensure I do so respectfully and tactfully. Conflict is part of life, but it does not have to be negative and inflammatory. We can grow professionally and personally through challenges and difficult times.
Goals for the RVT profession: My goal for the profession is to have a defined scope of practice, including title protection, thereby allowing RVTs to advocate for and drive their careers forward with clarity and purpose, with a supportive legislative and regulatory framework. Under a co-accountability model with DVMs, we can work collaboratively and independently within the veterinary team to improve access to care and patient outcomes.
My goal is that RVTs are recognized and respected as the highly educated and knowledgeable individuals that they are, with superior critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills.
We are in the infancy of what we can do with our credentials. Where will you go?