How They Got Here: Cassie Linley, Hospital Manager at Abilene Veterinary Clinic
November 9, 2017
Cassie is the hospital manager at Abilene Veterinary Clinic.
I was born in Odessa, Texas and moved to Abilene, Texas before I was two. I remember when I was a child, I would bring home anything that moved. I tried to help stray and injured animals and nurse babies back to health. My mom always had a yard full of animals while I was growing up. I would bring home dogs, cats, birds, and even snakes. I almost gave my mom a heart attack – she is terrified of snakes!
Needless to say, I always knew I wanted to work with animals. During my senior year in high school, I joined an intern class, and my teacher met with Dr. Ellis about employment at Abilene Veterinary Clinic. I went in the next day for an interview and was hired on the spot.
My entire career has been at Abilene Vet! I started in 1999 as a part-time Kennel Attendant doing the end of the day clean up. I took every opportunity to expand my knowledge and become more helpful. I moved up to Hospital Technician shortly after starting, and learned how to medicate animals and monitor animals recovering from anesthesia. I loved my hospital patients and treated them as if they were my own.
Then I cross-trained for Surgery Technician where I learned about anesthesia, dentals, x-rays, and surgical preps. I stayed in surgery from many years and was eventually promoted to Lead Technician. I helped to train my co-workers and oversaw surgery, hospital and boarding. I was promoted to Hospital Manager in 2005, and I now oversee a wonderful hospital that truly cares about the best interest of each pet and client. I work with an incredible group of dedicated staff!
Our clinic joined VetCor in March of 2016. I think it is normal to feel nervous about a transition from private practice to corporation, but I quickly learned that I now have a new family to support us and help our practice grow. VetCor worked hard to make the transition seamless and easy. They wanted to know what will help us and make our day-to-day operations easier.
We received more computer work stations and an endless amount of support from marketing to accounting to recruiting and more. VetCor didn’t come in and fire everyone or try to change how we did things, as you might expect (or fear) from a sale. In fact, they are actually pretty hands-off when it comes to medicine and the way we run our practice. They encourage us to do what we feel is right, and keep our own community-based culture and identity. For a practice that has been a staple in the Abilene, TX area since 1978, that is a really important to us!
I have learned so much since my start over 18 years ago, and even more since our acquisition, and I am excited about the future. Our practice has also become involved in VetCor’s workplace wellbeing program and I help train staff outside of work at the gym. Not only is VetCor focused on the health of patients and clients, but they also care deeply about the wellbeing of staff members and provide support and resources to achieve personal goals.
As a "lifer" at Abilene Veterinary Clinic, I’m truly happy to also be a part of the "VetCor family!" I now have new opportunities that I did not have before we joined forces, and I look forward to getting the chance to grow even more.
