Meet Ashley: Future Certified Veterinary Practice Manager
January 10, 2020
Ashley is the hospital manager at Basin Run Animal Hospital.
I grew up in Rising Sun and now live in North East, Maryland. This June, I’ll be celebrating my 15-year anniversary with Basin Run. I’ve worked here since I was in high school and decided to stay, even after I earned my nursing degree from Cecil College in 2010.
When I first started, I worked in the kennel. From there, I became a receptionist and then a technician before eventually becoming a hospital manager. When I first got this job, I didn’t know I’d fall in love with it. At the time, I just needed to work and I knew the owner’s daughter because we did 4-H together. They gave me an opportunity and, needless to say, it worked out.
What I like most about this field is that every day is different and you never know what you’re going to get. I love building relationships with clients and watching their pets grow up over the years. I know most clients and their pets by name. I’m also passionate about providing care to pets living with cancer because it’s something I went through with my own pet. That experience lets me empathize with clients going through the same thing and helps me better guide them through the treatment process.
When it comes to working for VetCor, in particular, I think my favorite thing about it is being able to take advantage of the opportunities they provide us with to better ourselves, such as wellness initiatives. Their culture is completely different to what many people might think when they hear the words “corporate veterinary medicine” and it’s something I always drive home when talking to other people in this field.
Outside of work, I like to go horseback riding and make scrapbooks. I’m lucky to have married my high school sweetheart, Alan, and we love taking our two kids, Matthew and Addison, to community events and spending time at our family house at Deep Creek Lake. Our pit bull, Axle, loves to go swimming there. We actually have to put him in a life vest so we can catch him with a boat hook when it’s time to leave because he’d literally swim forever if he could.
In the future, I’d like to get my Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification. I toy with the idea of becoming a registered veterinary technician (RVT) but the verdict is still out on whether I’ll do that or not. You’ll just have to check in with me down the road.
