15/06/2023
Grads Give Advice, Part 3: “I am the owner of Appalachian Veterinary Services in Christiansburg, Virginia. AVS is currently a six doctor mixed animal practice, with plans to expand to multiple locations in the future. We see everything from horses to kittens, and most of our work focuses on large animal patients. Shortly after entering practice my first year out I realized I wasn’t getting the fulfillment I had hoped for as an associate veterinarian, and knew I needed more on my plate as an owner. I started my search for a practice and 13 months after graduating, I bought Appalachian.
The best advice I can give any new graduates interested in practice ownership is that anything is possible, and you have to be relentless in your pursuit of what you want. I was told no by over 20 banks through the process, instantly became 7 people’s boss, and lost 75% of our support staff within the first three months of ownership. After working through these challenges and learning so much about veterinary practice and myself, we now have an incredible team of 12 and growing, and are able to sustain a much larger workload while maintaining a better work life balance for our crew, which isn’t easy to do in large animal practice! We are always accepting student externs and feel it’s critical to provide opportunities for hands on learning and mentorship before entering practice. I’m happy to talk to anyone interested in chatting more or joining us for an externship!”
