A female veterinary hospital manager shares her inspiring journey navigating leadership challenges, mental health struggles, gender-based obstacles, and the transformative power of mentorship in advancing her career while advocating for equitable opportunities in veterinary medicine.
Her Story
About Breanna
Breanna O'Keefe is a Veterinary Hospital Manager at Elmhurst Animal Care Center. She graduated from Bradley University with a degree in Biology. Early in her career, she pursued environmental conservation work with DuPage County in Illinois, focusing on cultivating endangered native plant species and participating in seed exchange initiatives. Although she was deeply committed to ecological preservation, the demanding physical conditions of fieldwork ultimately led her to reconsider her long-term career path. Her entry into veterinary medicine began unexpectedly when she joined Elmhurst Animal Care Center as a receptionist while seeking a more sustainable career direction. Quickly recognized for her natural leadership abilities, she progressed to assistant manager within six months and was promoted to hospital manager shortly thereafter—a role she has held for over a decade. In her current position, she oversees a team of approximately 50 staff members and manages core hospital operations including financial oversight, labor management, client relations, crisis response, and staff development. Throughout her leadership journey, Breanna has navigated significant personal and professional challenges, including major staffing transitions, the unexpected loss of key medical personnel, and the restructuring of hospital services. Despite these obstacles, she maintained operational stability and profitability while supporting team recovery and rebuilding efforts. She is currently preparing for her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) certification exam, reflecting her continued commitment to professional growth. Her leadership philosophy centers on balancing empathy with accountability, while also mentoring and empowering women in a predominantly female-driven veterinary field.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Breanna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I definitely attribute my success to the support of my family - my mom and dad, my brothers, and friends. Throughout my entire educational career, my teachers were hugely supportive. But in my professional setting, the support I've received from key women has been instrumental. When I became manager 11 years ago, there were basically four women who were absolutely critical to my development: the head doctor who hired me, my manager, my assistant manager who had 20 years of vet field experience and taught me so much even though she didn't want to be a manager herself, and our marketing manager. All of them were huge in giving me the tools I now use regularly. At the time, I thought I'd never need to know about marketing, but lo and behold, it's now a big part of my role. What I thought was just personal growth turned out to be necessary for professional growth as well. These women believed in me, supported me, and helped me build the skills and confidence to lead.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from the woman who offered me the management position - she was the business owner and head doctor at my clinic, and she's now past president of the AVMA and Chief Veterinary Officer at National Veterinary Associates. She's been my biggest cheerleader and has always told me that people can tell I lead with my heart and my head, and to never change that, never lose that. She emphasized that in the business world, and especially with corporations, sometimes the heart gets shoved out by the brain. But leading with both is who I am, and it's what defines my managerial style. That advice has stuck with me because it's really tough when I hear other managers talking or hear employees talk about their managers, and I can feel the lack of heart in what they're saying or how they're being treated. It's discouraging because it sets a bad example of how things should be. I never want to manage by fear - I want my staff to feel comfortable and safe while still being held accountable.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Honestly, you get out what you put in. If you just want to get your paycheck and do the bare minimum, you're going to get your paycheck and it's going to be a job and that's it. But I'll be honest - I have absolutely put my heart and soul into the clinic and into my employees. When times are hard, they hurt because you care so deeply that it feels like a personal hit rather than just 'we're having a hard time at my job right now.' But it also means that much more when you have people tell you what you mean to them. I had multiple staff members and even doctors come back after they left because when they see a leader who is steady, who puts their needs first, who cares and invests, they want to do the same back. You don't see it on the daily, but there are moments where that becomes so clear and it's 100% worth it. I also think there's too much emphasis on generational separation and talk about younger generations' work ethic. Stop looking at it like that. If you want to progress and grow, you have to put in the work, the elbow grease, and the mental willpower to gain knowledge and skills. You don't just earn things because you've been there the longest or checked out the most people. You have to show you've got the know-how, the will, and the skills. Some of those skills you learn as you go - when I became manager 11 years ago, I didn't do half of what I do now. It takes a lot of legwork to build culture, build trust, and show vulnerability, but it's 100% worth it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say honestly the biggest challenge is imposter syndrome - it's so real. I've felt like I didn't deserve to be in the room or that I haven't proven to myself that I'm worthy. I think this happens for people in general, but I feel like for women it happens a lot. Mental health in general is a huge challenge too. Being in a managerial role, there are times where there's an angry client who's a man and he doesn't want to hear from a female that what the staff or doctors did was appropriate. It's so frustrating when they won't listen or have that conversation with me, but then a man walks in and repeats what I've said or backs me up, and suddenly they calm right down and everything's fine. That's actually a huge pet peeve of mine. Another challenge has been when the support doesn't seem to be there. After we were acquired by a corporation, all four of the women I mentioned who were instrumental to my development transitioned to different roles, and I'm the only one still boots on the ground in my clinic. When they were no longer in the clinic with me 100% of my work week, it became really difficult to get the support I needed. You have it in your head that you don't want your new manager to feel like you don't know what you're doing, so you're wary about going to them. And you can't talk to staff about it because they're subordinates, not peers. Friends and family don't really understand because they're not managers and not in the veterinary field. It took a while to network and find other managers I could actually problem-solve with in a give-and-take way, rather than just being lectured.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think the most important value is accepting the fact that every person you interact with - whether it's one of my staff members, my manager, a client, whatever it may be - is a person who has a life going on in the background that you know nothing about. I've absolutely tried to instill this into my staff: really just having empathy, compassion, and space for grace for people. So many people get really worked up or upset because they perceive that someone's being rude or dismissive of them, but most of the time that's definitely not the case - that person's having a hard day or a hard week. I don't know how to put that into one word, but humanity, I guess. I think it's something that everybody gets caught up in, thinking very from the 'I' perspective as opposed to looking at things from a 'we' perspective or from the eye of the other person. In general, family is huge for me. Helping one another is huge for me. And then just trying to act from a place of goodwill and good intent are the biggest things I try to live by.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Breanna
A Woman in Corporate Veterinary Medicine: A Hospital Manager’s Perspective
Navigating Leadership, Resilience, and Mental Health in Veterinary Management
When people think about veterinary hospitals, they often picture doctors, receptionists, certified technicians, assistants, kennel attendants, and the adorable furry patients. Few think about the administrators working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly—or sometimes, running at all. As a female hospital manager, my journey up the business ladder has been rewarding, but it has also come with challenges that tested my resilience, confidence, and determination.
Proving Myself
Early in my career, I quickly learned that competence alone was not always enough to earn recognition. In conversations, I sometimes found my thoughts overlooked by male clients until they were repeated by a male doctor who stepped in to reinforce what I had already said. I felt pressure to prove myself repeatedly, often working longer hours and taking on additional responsibilities to demonstrate my commitment and capability. While many colleagues were supportive, there were moments when I sensed that leadership qualities were judged differently depending on who displayed them.
Balancing Professional Ambitions
Veterinary medicine is a demanding industry that operates around the clock, and leadership positions often require availability beyond traditional working hours. Balancing professional ambitions with personal responsibilities created another layer of difficulty. Like many women in management, I faced difficult decisions about how to allocate my time and energy. The expectation to excel both professionally and personally can be overwhelming, creating a constant struggle to maintain balance.
Over time, the internal stress became a pressure cooker because I did not have peers with whom I could share or discuss the realities of the job. The veterinary field experiences one of the highest rates of compassion fatigue and emotional burnout among all professions. I believe it is important to shed light on the fact that one of the most difficult aspects of my career has been managing my mental health while trying to meet the demands of leadership.
From the outside, career advancement often appears exciting and rewarding, but the reality can involve significant stress, self-doubt, and emotional exhaustion. The pressure to consistently perform at a high level while supporting staff, meeting organizational goals, and handling unexpected crises can take a substantial toll on a person's well-being.
Managing My Mental Health
Throughout my career, there were periods when I struggled with anxiety, depression, and burnout. Long hours, constant decision-making, and the responsibility of overseeing critical hospital operations often left little time for rest or self-care. I frequently felt that I needed to project confidence and stability, even during moments when I was overwhelmed. This created an internal conflict between maintaining a professional image and acknowledging my own need for support.
One of the challenges many leaders face is the stigma that can still surround mental health discussions in professional environments. There can be an unspoken expectation that leaders should always be resilient and composed. As a result, admitting to stress, anxiety, or emotional fatigue may feel risky. For a long time, I believed that asking for help might be perceived as a weakness rather than a healthy and responsible response to difficult circumstances.
Eventually, I realized that prioritizing mental health was essential not only for my own well-being but also for my effectiveness as a leader. Seeking support, establishing healthier boundaries, and learning to recognize the signs of burnout helped me become more sustainable in my role. I also discovered that open conversations about mental health can encourage others to seek help when they need it.
Mentorship and Finding My Path
I also realized that I was not alone. Mentorship played a significant role in my development, yet finding mentors who understood my experiences was not always easy. In the early stages of my career, I was fortunate to be supported by four amazing women who offered insight, experience, and understanding. Together, we became a force to be reckoned with and leaned heavily on one another.
Through the years, they have moved on to different positions, furthering their own careers and illustrating a path forward into the unknown. While we remain in touch to this day, I can honestly say that, as I continued in my career, seeking guidance required persistence and a willingness to build relationships across departments and professional networks.
Higher Levels of Management
As I moved into higher levels of management, the challenges evolved. Leadership often involves making difficult decisions regarding budgets, staffing, and patient care priorities. These choices can affect employees, patients and their families, and entire departments. Navigating such responsibilities while maintaining empathy and professionalism requires emotional strength that is rarely visible from the outside.
Some managers fell by the wayside because of these difficulties and because they were not provided with opportunities to grow and develop in their positions. I advocated for an annual conference budget for myself, as my managing doctor had always provided one before our hospital was acquired by a corporation. However, I have witnessed time and again that this is not standard practice. Many women, who would benefit from the tools and empowerment offered at conferences, are left to their own devices to navigate the ever-changing landscape of management.
Overcoming Assumptions About Leadership Styles
It doesn't end there. Another challenge has been overcoming assumptions about leadership styles. Women leaders are sometimes expected to be collaborative and accommodating, yet they may be criticized if they are perceived as too assertive. Striking the right balance can feel like navigating a constantly shifting set of expectations.
Through experience, I learned that effective leadership is not about conforming to stereotypes but about leading with authenticity, integrity, and consistency. I had to come to terms with who I was as a manager, rather than who others expected or wanted me to be.
Despite these obstacles, climbing the corporate ladder has been an immensely rewarding experience. I have had the opportunity to improve hospital operations, support talented healthcare professionals, and contribute to better patient outcomes. Each challenge strengthened my leadership skills and reinforced the importance of perseverance.
Peer Development Partner
One of the women with whom I began my career nominated me for a role within the corporation that I believe is vital to the future of the hospital manager position: Peer Development Partner. This program matches an experienced hospital manager with a new incoming manager to offer guidance and mentorship throughout the first six to twelve months of their career. I feel very passionate about the significance of this program and am overjoyed to play a part in supporting new managers in this incredible field.
I am excited to have the opportunity to share my experiences with others. I am currently preparing for a series of three-day sessions focused on the importance of the customer service representative in veterinary medicine and their influence on patient care and business success. These sessions will be held at a professional training center in September, October, and November.
I am also studying to take the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager exam in July. This prestigious certification recognizes an individual's expertise, leadership skills, and potential within the management side of veterinary medicine.
The Path Forward
Today, I am encouraged by the growing number of women entering leadership roles. Progress has been made, but there is still work to do to ensure that advancement opportunities are equitable and accessible to everyone.
My journey has taught me that success is rarely a straight path. It is built through persistence, continuous learning, and the courage to keep moving forward even when the climb becomes difficult.
The hardships were real, but so were the opportunities. Looking back, every obstacle I faced helped shape the leader I am today, and I would not change any of it.
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