Meet Kim: A Familiar Face at Big Creek Since 2002
December 10, 2019
Kim is the hospital manager at Big Creek Pet Hospital.
I grew up in Bay Village, Ohio, but Middleburg Heights has been my home for the last 15 years. I attended Tri-County North High School and graduated with my associate’s degree shortly after. Two years ago, I went back to school to earn my Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification.
I’ve been working at Big Creek Pet Hospital since 2002. The year before that, Dr. Fegan approached me about a part-time receptionist opportunity which is how I got my start. It wasn’t long before I switched over to full-time and, within just a few years, I became the front desk manager. When we partnered with VetCor earlier this year, I stepped into the hospital manager role. This job is challenging but rewarding. I’m one of the lucky few who can say they truly love what they do.
When Big Creek transitioned from private practice to being part of a veterinary group, I was nervous. However, VetCor has made the transition as painless as possible. They’ve been quick to find solutions to our issues and, when the solutions presented don’t provide the results we anticipate, they continue problem solving until everyone is satisfied. It’s clear that VetCor cares about, and believes in, their practices and the people who work at them, which is something I really appreciate.
There are a lot of good things you could say about working in this field but, personally, my favorite part is advocating for pets in the local community. I love educating clients about issues that could potentially affect their four-legged family members as well as being able to give voices to animals that can’t speak for themselves. Every day, I try to do my best and give the rest to God.
For me, the most challenging part of this field is finding balance. And that’s something that applies across the board. When you work at an animal hospital, you need to figure out how to balance work and home, paperwork and spending time with your team, and working to your full potential and not getting burned out. Balance is also required when making recommendations for your patients based on their specific needs. Each week, I try to find new ways to work with all these factors to maintain a positive environment for my patients, clients, and team.
My husband and I have two cats, Stormy and Psycho, a Rottweiler named Ezekiel (Zeke), and a mutt named Eleanor, who we call Ellie for short. Ellie is the newest member of our family and, when we first brought her home, I loved watching Zeke try to figure out what she was all about. She's since become the leader of the two. These days, they love racing around the yard together and Ellie, in particular, enjoys stealing toys from Zeke's mouth.
I keep busy, so spare time is somewhat of a foreign concept to me but, when I do have a moment to myself, I enjoy volunteering at our local food pantry and hanging out with my family on the back porch, just talking and listening to music.
