Did You Know?

Episode 10 – How Can I Help? Adventures in Hospital Concierge Care

Have you ever wondered who might be calming your pet’s nerves after they are behind closed doors? That’s a pretty important role, and just one of the many things Partner’s Hospital Concierge does during her shift. Listen to Maria Kean, our Frederick Hospital Concierge, talk about what her day entails. From keeping the hospital clean to helping calm your pet’s nerves, she does it all.

What You’ll Learn?

What a day in the life of a Partner Hospital Concierge looks like.
What the most rewarding part of Maria’s job is.
An experience that has stuck with Maria and made the biggest impression on her career.
The impact Maria wants to leave on the veterinary profession.

Before you listen in, get to know a little more about Maria in this quick Q&A:

What was your first job?  Retail

What makes you laugh the most? Animal babies navigating their way

What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Turning someone’s day from a bad day to a good day. It gives me purpose and feels amazing!

Who do you admire most in the world (past or present)? Mother Teresa—she lived a life so different from the masses. Every day was driven by her purpose to serve others (poorest of the poor). She lived her entire life with simplicity, never passed judgment or complained.

What’s your spirit animal and why? The Elephant—because they are strong.

Episode 9 – Can Acupuncture Help My Pet with Dr. Keri Levinson

Did you know acupuncture can be used for pets? This relatively new treatment in veterinary medicine supports a wide variety of medical problems, from acute to chronic conditions, such as pain, osteoarthritis, chronic cough/respiratory conditions, and gastrointestinal, immunologic, and neurologic conditions (paresis/paralysis) as a result of acute injury, general aging, or chronic disease.

Dr. Keri Levinson is a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist through Chi University and is excited to use this treatment to help restore balance and heal animals who are suffering. In this podcast, she talks in depth about what acupuncture is, how it benefits companion animals, and why it should be used for both sick and healthy pets.

What You’ll Learn?

How Dr. Levinson became certified.
How acupuncture benefits companion animals.
Why acupuncture should be used as a preventative treatment.
How old an animal needs to be to receive acupuncture therapy.
What a client can expect for their pet during the first acupuncture visit.
How she manages pets who are anxious.
How many treatments are needed before any benefits are seen.
How to set up an appointment at Partner.

Episode 8 – How We Care for Our Most Critical Patients with Dr. Pierre Charlebois

Our Richmond hospital offers Critical Care to some of our sickest patients. But do you know what the difference is between a Critical Care doctor and an Emergency Veterinarian? Dr. Pierre Charlebois, a board-certified Criticalist for PVESC in Richmond explains how the two are different and the specific care a Criticalist can offer patients who come through Partner’s doors.

What You’ll Learn?

Why he left Canada and came to work for Partner
What the difference is between a veterinary Criticalist and an Emergency Care Veterinarian
Who were his most memorable patients and why
What impact he wants to leave on the veterinary profession

But first, here’s a quick Q&A about Dr. Charlebois…

What was your first job? My first ever job was at a movie theater in a small town as a teenager (free movies!). My first real DVM job was working overnight shifts at a veterinary ER, where I worked for 4 years. 

What makes you laugh the most? Classic comedy movies from the 1990s and early 2000s, with actors like Adam Sandler, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, etc. 

What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Waking up without an alarm to the morning sun on a cool, sunny, crisp fall or spring day! 

What’s your spirit animal and why? Felines are a perfect combination of intelligence, agility, cunning, ninja skills, and a good portion of goofiness. They are proud and clean animals and just social enough for my personality. 

Episode 7 – What Happens if My Pet Needs CPR with Dr. Rachael Boyd

Emergency veterinary hospitals see a lot of critical patients who are in need of two types of immediate care. Stabilization is the first step—an early intervention that helps reverse a critical patient, while resuscitation or CPR is for pets who are imminently dying and medical intervention is needed to revive them.

Dr. Rachael Boyd, Partner’s Lead Emergency Veterinarian in our Richmond location, has been practicing ER medicine with a focus on Trauma Medicine for more than 10 years. In this podcast, she explains what’s involved with both stabilization and resuscitation, what training our teams go through to provide these medical interventions, and the overall success rate of both. 

What You’ll Learn?

The difference between stabilization of a pet vs. resuscitation.
What’s involved with both and how successful are they
The training our team undergoes to make these life-saving efforts available to your pets.
What you can expect when your pet needs to be resuscitated.
What is a veterinary DNR and why you are asked to sign one

It can be really hard to make the DNR call; you might feel like you’re giving up on your pet. We urge you to talk to your doctor and medical team—they will be honest about your pet’s chances and will help make these difficult decisions so you’re not alone. In the end, our team is here to support you and help you make the call that’s best for your pet and your family.

Episode 6 – Partner’s Triage Process with Dr. Rachael Boyd

Dr. Rachael Boyd is Partner’s Lead Emergency Veterinarian in our Richmond location. She has been practicing ER medicine with a focus on Trauma Medicine for more than 10 years. In this podcast, Dr. Boyd gives us an in-depth explanation on Partner’s Triage Process—an order of treatment that dictates how patients are prioritized in an ER setting.

All emergency hospitals, both human and veterinary, follow this same approach to make sure all patients get the level of care they need as quickly as possible.

What You’ll Learn…

What is Partner’s Triage Process and how it works.
What the different triage levels are and what they mean.
How our triage system benefits pets who come through our hospital.
How the triage process affects wait times and what you as an owner can expect.

Episode 5 – Creating a Better Partner with Jamie Leach

Jamie Leach, Partner’s People Operations Coordinator, is working to help create a better environment for team members and better care for our patients. Obsessed with animals, Jamie always knew she wanted to work with them in some capacity, and she’s doing just. How? By helping make Partner’s team members work lives easier so that they can focus on helping the pets who come through our doors.

What You’ll Learn…

Why Jamie chose to work with Partner.
What is the best part of her job.
The Top 3 things clients should know about Partner’s team members
What Jamie hopes to see change for the better in veterinary medicine and how Partner is helping create that change.
Why veterinary professionals should consider working at Partner.

But before we dive into our chat, here’s a quick Q&A about Jamie…

What was your first job? Mucking stalls at a barn!

What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?  Puppies, always!

What makes you laugh the most? I enjoy baking, gardening, traveling, and visiting area wineries.

What’s your spirit animal and why? A unicorn! They’re sparkly and pretty.

Episode 4 – Vet Tech Chat with Jamie Wesolowski, AAB, BS, RVT, VTS (Oncology)

Jamie Wesolowski is a Veterinary Technician Specialist with Partner’s Richmond Oncology department. In our interview, Jamie discusses how she chose to become a veterinary technician, what some of the most important moments of her career have been, as well as some of the hardest. We also talk about how pet insurance can play such an important role in helping pet owners make difficult treatment decisions.

What You’ll Learn…

Why Jamie chose to work with Partner.
What some of the hardest moments are in her career.
How pet insurance can play such an important role in treatment.
What experience has made the biggest impression on her and the reality of how hard the veterinary profession can be.

But before we dive into our chat, here’s a quick Q&A about Jamie…

What was your first job? Cleaning up hair at a salon. Got my first PERM at this job. Let’s just say, the chemicals burnt my hair in the front and I had big scabs and missing hair, but she was curly and bouncy!

What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Gosh, there are a lot of things that can make my day better. Some of the big ones are educating clients and feeling the impact I have made, Beagles, iced lattes from Dunkin, a dance party, and taking a Harley ride with my husband.

What makes you laugh the most? Pissfingers (look it up—oh sweet pissfingers)

What’s your spirit animal and why? The Beagle—stubborn, food motivated, and loyal.

Episode 3 – Treating Cancer in Pets with Melissa Miller, DVM

Dr. Melissa Miller is a Medical Oncologist for Partner’s Richmond Hospital. In our interview, Dr. Miller discusses why she chose to practice oncology, the biggest misconceptions in cancer treatment, what families should do if their pet’s been diagnosed with cancer, and much more.

What You’ll Learn…

How common is cancer in pets?
What are the most common cancers in cats and dogs?
What is the biggest misconception about cancer and cancer treatment?
How do you choose which cancer therapy to use for a pet?
What do you recommend for families preparing for an oncology consult?

But before we dive into the deep stuff, here are some quick facts about Miller…

What does Dr. Miller do when she’s not fighting cancer? She enjoys spending time with family, cooking with her fiancée Nick, and entertaining their energetic rat terrier, Lucky Liam. She is also an avid houseplant gardener and essential oil enthusiast.  certified pet grief support specialist and is currently pursuing additional training in veterinary aromatherapy and herbal medicine.

More to come … in a future podcast, we’ll learn about Dr. Miller’s work as a certified pet grief support specialist and her additional training in veterinary aromatherapy and herbal medicine. 

Episode 2 – Leadership with Julie Crosby

Julie Crosby is the Hospital Steward for Partner’s Frederick Hospital. In our interview, Julie tells us what a Hospital Steward does, how her time in the veterinary profession has shaped her, and how her moment of fame led to the adoption of her sweet dog, Emma.

What You’ll Learn…

What a Hospital Steward is and does.
Why Julie chose Partner.
The impact Julie wants to leave on the veterinary profession.
The adoption of Emma and her amazing story.

But before we dive into the deep stuff, here are some quick facts about Julie ….

What was your first job? La Baguette – a French bakery and cafe!
What makes you laugh the most? My kids, my husband, my silly dogs, and The Office. 🙂
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Hearing a positive story or encouraging feedback… and coffee!
Who do you admire most in the world (past or present)? My Grammy! She turned 100 in February. She is the most positive person I’ve ever known and loves unconditionally. She is my hero!
What’s your spirit animal and why? Cat – Curiosity, love, independence

Episode 1 – Neuro with Neary

Dr. Casey Neary, neurologist and neurosurgeon discusses common misconceptions about neurological cases and give us insight into what it takes to become a veterinary neurologist.

What You’ll Learn … 

What does is take to become a Veterinary Neurologist?
What are the most common conditions seen by a Veterinary Neurologist?
Are certain breeds more susceptible to neurologic disease?
What is the biggest misconception about seizures?
Will an epileptic dog need to be on LIFELONG seizure medications?