Her Story
About Chelsea
My career path has taken me through many different areas of veterinary medicine. I graduated from the Air Force Academy for undergrad, where I got a lot of leadership training and experience, and then served as an active duty officer in the Air Force. When I transitioned out, I did some soul-searching and realized that my childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian was what I wanted to pursue. I took jobs as a veterinary technician while applying for veterinary school, and after graduating in 2013, I did a small animal rotating internship at a specialty hospital. I worked in general practice and emergency medicine before taking a role as an in-home end-of-life veterinarian, which exposed me to the type of work that Caring Pathways focuses on. After about a year in that clinical role, I pivoted to industry and worked for a leading pet food company for almost 5 years, getting more experience on the business side of things. I then found my way back to this niche part of the vet profession, joining Caring Pathways as General Manager in January 2021, and earning my current title of Executive Director of Operations in January of this year. I recently achieved my MBA, which has really helped me support the growth and expansion of Caring Pathways from a single market practice to operating in 4 different states. In my current role, I ensure continuity of operations across all our practices, hire and screen new veterinarians, and support both veterinarians and other team members in developing as leaders. I also do a lot of writing for various publications on veterinary end-of-life care topics. My day-to-day involves a lot of coaching, mentoring, and sometimes putting out fires, but really just providing support for our teams to ensure we're providing the most peaceful and positive experience possible for families going through end-of-life care with their pets.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Chelsea
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think one of the most important things you can do as a young professional is to network. So many of the opportunities that have come my way throughout my career have been through the people that I've met, just from putting myself out there. I wouldn't say necessarily go to networking events, but if there is an opportunity to volunteer with students, or attend some sort of other event, or go to conferences, put yourself out there and meet people. Don't just sit in the corner - really try to meet the other professionals who are attending. That can open up opportunities and doors for you down the road. I realized this when I was in veterinary school when I became a student ambassador for different companies like pharmaceutical companies and pet food companies. I was a representative for a few different organizations, and it really helped me educate vet students about who they are and what they did, and kind of start a professional relationship there. Some of those relationships I made as a student rep carried forward into after graduation and opened up opportunities and allowed me to step into different roles that I don't think I would have had exposure to or been quite as visible on their radar if I hadn't put myself out there and applied to be a student rep.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think, as a veterinarian, it can be very easy to get stuck in whatever your current role is. So many veterinarians go into the field for the love of animals and for the love of supporting that human-animal bond. But when you go into the same clinic day after day after day, it's easy to get busy and sort of stuck in that routine. I just want to remind vets that our careers can take us anywhere, and I feel so grateful that I was able to explore so many different areas of veterinary medicine since graduating - from emergency medicine to general practice, volunteer shelter work, going into industry, and now in leadership. There's even more than this, but if you're starting to feel burnt out in your little corner of veterinary medicine, don't give up on veterinary medicine. Just remember you can take this degree in so many different directions and still have an impact and find a lot of fulfillment in different areas of veterinary medicine.
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