Thankful Thursday: The New Year's Edition

January 21, 2021

We asked our practice teams to shout out an amazing coworker, employee, or work friend as part of our new Thankful Thursday segment and boy, did they deliver.

Enjoy January's tributes of love and encouragement below: 

Jennifer Brock of Stone Mountain Animal Hospital, Stone Mountain, GA, wants to recognize Jamie Long, animal caretaker: "Jamie is relatively new to our practice, but has show much desire to learn, is a team player and always willing to help where needed. Lots of growth in the short three months she has been with us!"

Nicole Desrosiers of Lincoln Animal Hospital, Lincoln, RI, wants to recognize Krista Iacono, hospital manager: "I worked for Krista as a technician. I expressed interest in becoming a manager myself. She took me under her wing, taught me how to do the job, and pushed for me to become the manager of a sister hospital. I have been the manager of my own hospital now for 2 years, Krista has become a colleague to me now, however she will always be a mentor in helping me grow. I am very thankful for her continued guidance."

Kathy Daly of Laurelton Veterinary Hospital, Brick, NJ , wants to recognize Jennifer Cwiklinski, receptionist: "Jennifer goes above and beyond for all the clients, she does all their rebates for them, does all the welcome and thank you cards. We had a client , their pet passed away and they couldn't get into pick up the ashes during a holiday, Jennifer promised to take the pet home to her house, and she did. The client was so appreciative. She comes in early, will stay late if needed, and always has the best interest in the pets, their parents and her co workers. She is my go to person for everything. I would be lost without her."

Sean Sornsin of the VetCor home office support team, wants to recognize Cassie Linley and Tina Fye, regional managers: "These two dynamic leaders did an outstanding job of bringing Dayforce Review/Training to the company in December. They listened and took lots of notes and suggestions on how to improve the Dayforce platform for the leaders and are working to make it better for all of VetCor. A tremendous job helping us better an important part of our company for 2021and making sure all our awesome HMs had a change to learn and review Dayforce. Kudos and much appreciation."

Angela O'Donnell of Middlebranch Veterinary, Carmel, NY, wants to recognize Mary Ehrenberg, hospital manager: "Mary is the backbone for Middlebranch and takes wonderful care of the Middlebranch Family. We could not do it without her! "

Amy Obusek of Pleasant Hills Pet Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, wants to recognize Joleen Mihalic, DVM, Chief of Staff: "Dr. Mihalic sets the example for being a Chief of Staff. She endured so many challenges in 2020, but never gave up on her team and encourages all staff to be their best self. She is always willing to rearrange her schedule to see patients, she covers extra shifts and is always warm and welcoming to staff for any questions or concerns. She continues to be a wonderful leader, and we are forever grateful her service (she has worked at the hospital for 23 years!)."

Chad Harris, DVM, Chief of Staff at North Austin Animal Hospital, Austin, TX, wants to recognize Amber Hansen, CapEx and Vendor Program Manager: "Amber does SO MUCH for us that goes above and beyond her call of duty. She is such an amazing asset to our company and just an A+ human!"

Dawn Trimble of Silver Spring Animal Wellness Center, Glendale, WI , wants to recognize Shelley Patterson Somerville, lead tech: "She goes above and beyond for our clients/patients/team!!!Tuesday our phones went down and I watched from my upstairs office as she went out to a car to discuss care for a patient with the pet parents. She carried herself with such grace and TLC amidst another stumbling block we had that day. Grateful to have her on my team!"

Nancy Itri from Camden Pet Hospital, San Jose, CA, wants to recognize Laila Lord, receptionist : "We had to close our clinic this week because of a COVID exposure. I called Laila on Sunday, to ask if she would come into work with me that day to help get appointments for Monday rescheduled. Laila has come into the office everyday with me, including Sunday, so that we could get appointments rescheduled for the week, answer phone calls, get prescriptions and food to the clients. In what has been the busiest of times for us she was more than willing to go above and beyond and to sit right beside me as we fielded the questions and requests for the clients that have entrusted us with the care of their pets. If it wasn’t for Laila’s hard work and dedication I would have never been able to get through this week. She is truly an asset to our clinic. BRAVO Laila on a job well done."

Amanda Marchesseault of Elk Creek Animal Hospital, Mt. Washington, KY, wants to recognize Shelby Maros, vet tech: "Shelby is one of a kind! She’s dependable, takes on any task, and always goes above and beyond when caring for our clients and patients."

Jennifer Taylor of Shelton Veterinary Clinic, Bunnell, FL, wants to recognize Victoria Adams: "Vicky has a natural calming nature with the animals. She’s a multi tasker super tech that has incredible laboratory skills, surgical skills plus a upbeat personality. She really has gone above and beyond for the practice after we lost a lot of staff to vets leaving and COVID. She has trained new staff and made them great assistants with her precise knowledge. She keeps the flow going and always greets everyone in the morning with a Good Morning smile. Anything that is asked of her she will accommodate and will do a top notch job. We are very lucky to have a team player like Victoria. She definitely deserves to be recognized for her dedication and love for this profession. Shelton Vet Bunnell is very blessed to have her as a dedicated team member."

Kimberly Fegan of Big Creek Pet Hospital, Cleveland, OH, wants to recognize Marge Solar and Chrissy Gilbride: "For being there when I am having a moment and for answering all of my questions. They are the best!"

Krista Iacono of West Shore Animal Clinic, West Shore, RI, wants to recognize Alexis Stoll, assistant hospital manager: "Engaged employee. Has become a great assistant. Someone I can count on to get stuff done."

Krista Iacono of Pet Shield Veterinary Hospital, North Branford, CT, wants to recognize Stephanie Teofilo: "Has stepped up to place in a Hospital with no on site HM. Eager to learn new skills, very reliable."

Krista Iacono of Riverside Animal Hospital, Riverside, RI, wants to recognize Nicole Silva, client care specialist: "Taking on more responsibility, goes above and beyond, serious team player!"

Sue Fallon of Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital, Quakertown, PA, wants to recognize her entire PVAH team: "2020 has been a surreal experience affecting every aspect of our lives; physically, emotionally and financially. We all have/had to "grin and bear it" to survive the daily "life" anxieties along with overwhelming caseloads simply caused by protocol changes, increased safety needs and decreased availability. This all being enveloped by misperceptions from clients and misplaced hostilities towards us. So Huge shout out to my entire PVAH Family for continuing to weather the Covid Storm; I am so Proud and Thankful to be "shipwrecked" with individuals who know how to lift each other up when needed, think out of the box when necessary and make things "fun" when we can!!!"

Susan Paulic, DVM, at Austinburg Veterinary Clinic, Austinburg, OH, wants to recognize Becky Salinger, DVM: "Becky is an amazing doctor and leader. She works tirelessly to provide for her patients. She has been a wonderful partner and friend for the past 12 years. I am forever thankful to have her at my side (albeit virtually as we are split into teams at the moment) during these challenging times!"

Amy Segal of Family Veterinary Services, Montague, NJ, wants to recognize Kim Castro, vet tech: "Kim has worked more than full time this past year while we had multiple staff members out for extended periods of time. All the while, she has continued to learn new tasks and request additional responsibilities, which she handles with aplomb. She also always puts the hospital/patient's interest above all else and we rely on her a great deal. We are so lucky to have her!"

Elizabeth Cox of Animal Hospital of the Rockaways, Rockaway Park, NY, wants to recognize Nisha Seedarnee, receptionist: "For always going above and beyond for the hospital. Always lending a helping hand and for being such an amazing and caring friend to her fellow employees. We are super thankful for her!"

Elizabeth Dewhirst of Tara Animal Hospital, Colleyville, TX, wants to recognize Dr. Susan Read: "Even though she is COS, she is always wiling to step up and help with any task that needs doing. Weather that be answering a ringing phone, or cleaning up a stinky mess. She is an irreplaceable piece to our Tara Animal Hospital Family puzzle."

Sherri Krauss of Franklin County Animal Hospital, Rocky Mount, VA, wants to recognize Dr. Elizabeth Knick, DVM: "Dr. Elizabeth Knick has really gone above and beyond the last few weeks. Whether staying after her shift to see sick patients, doing emergency surgeries without complaint, or working as the lone DVM when others were out, she has maintained an easy going attitude. This pleasant demeanor has had a trickle down effect of calming the team during a peak in COVID cases in our area. I am very thankful to have her as a part of our DVM team!"

Kim Wilson of Dunham Animal Hospital, Winter Haven, FL, wants to recognize Amber Jusrice-Dail: "Amber has successfully completed her CVT college credits and is now studying for her state exam."

Amanda Lindvay of Russell Veterinary Hospital, Russell, PA, wants to recognize the entire team at the Russell Veterinary Hospital: "These guys are going above and beyond in the wind and the rain and the snow and the freezing cold temperatures to help our hospital stay safe and to help our community stay safe as well while still seeing those 4 legged fur babies! This staff is truly amazing and absolutely rocks! "

Dr. Holly Woltz of Veterinary Services of Aiken, Aiken, SC, wants to recognize the Veterinary Services of Aiken team: "I cannot single out anyone person right now. This is my first "Thankful Tuesday" shout out so I'm including my entire staff because each and everyone of them are fantastic...and dragging right now. We're all in the same boat. No need to point out the stress of COVID, running around with our hair on fire. Debbie, Lisa, Jess, Stephanie, Felicia, Lynn, Emily, Katlyn, Alex, Ashley, Katie, Ally, Tanner, Ashton, Ashley, Cassidi, Victoria, Kami. You'll notice I didn't include the doctors - of course, they're great too. BUT, ya'll are our bricks and mortar of keeping us going. Love your energy and smiles. I am grateful for you ALL."

Sarah (Sally) Schaefer from Countryside Animal Hospital, Staatsburg, NY, wants to recognize Les Henry, vet assistant: "Les has gone above and beyond learning and taking on more responsibilities. He has also put in extra effort cleaning and disinfecting the hospital as we prepare to re-open after out Covid 19 outbreak."

Dana Myers of Doctors Park Veterinary Clinic, Canfield, OH, wants to recognize Shelby Daniszewski, registered vet tech: "Shelby deals with our busy schedule with a smile on her face. Even when we are short staffed and fully booked/double booked with appointments, she pushes through without showing any frustration. We appreciate her and her kind/ caring attitude that she instills in others."

Brie Richardson of North East Animal Hospital, North East, PA, wants to recognize Donna Pohl: "Only being with us for 2 months and NO veterinary background outside of having her own pup (Thea), she has taken on the responsibility of the front desk and ROCKED IT every bit of the way. We have had SO many compliments about how sweet and patient she is on the phones. Despite the craziness of covid & being curbside, you would never know that she was a newbie. We're so thankful to came to join our team at the time she did. <3"

Karen Frank of High Plains Veterinary Hospital, Colorado Springs, CO, wants to recognize, Allyson Mihalko: "Allyson has taken on many of the Hospital Manager duties while I was out recovering from surgery. She kept High Plains on track and I can't thank her enough!"