Her Story
About Samantha
Samantha Anderkay's road to veterinary medicine was anything but straightforward. She first set her sights on zoology, hoping to one day work as a zookeeper, but found the field too competitive to break into. Following the loss of her father in 2014, she redirected her energy toward history, earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville while juggling work as a museum tour guide, a university archives assistant, and several other jobs at once. At the time, she envisioned a future as a museum curator or director and even gained acceptance into graduate school. But after moving to northern Wisconsin, she discovered that museum positions in the area were scarce, prompting her to reconsider her direction entirely.
That turning point led her to a veterinary clinic, where she unexpectedly found the career that would become her true calling. For nearly eight years, Samantha has served as a Veterinary Receptionist at Westgate Animal Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, acting as the first and last face clients see during every visit. Her responsibilities span phone and email correspondence, client check-in and check-out, invoicing, and educating pet owners — all while making sure both animals and their families feel cared for throughout the process. She has approached the role with the same intensity once reserved for her academic pursuits, earning her Veterinary Receptionist Certificate of Excellence (VRCE) General Practice credential through IGNITE® Veterinary Solutions, her Veterinary Burnout P.R.E.P. Certification (CVBP) through Get MotiVETed!, and her Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP) designation, alongside continuing education in nutrition, end-of-life care, and client communication. Her formative years volunteering and interning at Valley of the Kings Wildlife Sanctuary and Retreat played a defining role in pointing her toward animal care, a passion she now credits as the throughline of her entire career.
Beyond the front desk, Samantha has expanded her influence across the broader veterinary community. Since 2024, she has served IGNITE® Veterinary Solutions as a Brand Ambassador and now as one of the Lead Brand Ambassadors, helping promote the very VRCE program that shaped her own development. She also sits on the President's Advisory Council for the North American Association for Veterinary Receptionists, having joined as a member in 2024. Her commitment to community extends beyond animal care as well, through ongoing volunteer work with Take A Stand Against Meth/Chippewa County Crimestoppers and serving as a board member for the Chippewa County K9 Foundation. Grounded in family, hard work, dedication, loyalty, and respect, Samantha continues to champion the often-underestimated role of veterinary reception, viewing it as a gateway to practice management, veterinary technician work, and even wildlife rescue, while looking ahead to potentially pursuing her Certified Veterinary Assistant and Certified Veterinary Technician credentials in the years to come.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Samantha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my mental health and the strong foundation I was given growing up. Being in a good place mentally has contributed enormously to everything I've achieved. My path here wasn't a single, clear-cut road — it wound through several different directions — but I believe it all started with the solid foundation my family gave me and the values they instilled in me early on. My time at Valley of the Kings Wildlife Sanctuary was also pivotal; it confirmed that working with animals was the right path for me. Even though wildlife rescue and veterinary reception are different fields, they're deeply connected, and every visit back to the sanctuary over the years reaffirmed my passion for animals. History was always my second love, but animals have been my first passion from the very beginning, and Valley of the Kings helped me find my way to it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've ever received came from my father: keep on being you. To me, that means staying true to yourself no matter what. It's advice that applies far beyond career — to life in general — and I consider it the most valuable guidance I've ever been given.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Give yourself grace. Listen — truly listen — to everything around you, including what the doctors share when educating clients. Never stop learning, and never stop striving to excel. Don't let anyone make you feel small, and if something doesn't sit right with you, speak up to those above you. Lean on your coworkers; they are an invaluable support system. Take care of your mental health above all. And always have faith in yourself — there is no ceiling on how much you can learn. In this field, every day looks different, so the drive to keep learning and keep excelling is essential.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The opportunities in veterinary reception are significant. This role gives you a complete view of how a veterinary clinic operates — you see every angle, from the client's first step through the door to their departure, even though you don't get the same hands-on clinical experience as technicians, assistants, or doctors. There's real room to grow, whether that's into practice management, becoming a veterinary assistant, or advancing toward a veterinary technician role — and it can even open doors outside traditional veterinary medicine, into wildlife rescue or shelter medicine. The biggest challenge, on the other hand, is the toll on mental health. Supporting clients through difficult moments with their animals — when frustration, anger, or sadness comes out — requires real empathy, and that takes a toll over time. We call it compassion fatigue, and it's very real. Learning to be kind not just to clients and patients, but to yourself, is one of the biggest hurdles in this field. Recognizing that your role matters, that it's bigger than it might seem, and protecting your own mental health along the way is critical.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family comes first for me — they are my rock on the hardest days, and I know I can always lean on them. Hard work is a core value of mine; reaching any goal worth having requires real effort and commitment. Dedication matters deeply to me as well — this career is the one I've poured the most work and devotion into, and that investment continues to pay off. Loyalty is another value I hold close, both to myself and to the principles I believe in. And finally, respect — respecting your own boundaries, respecting who you are as a person, and respecting the journey that hard work and dedication will take you on.
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