We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Blake. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.

Alright, Courtney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I started in veterinary medicine in 2000. I originally thought I wanted to work with zoo animals. Through the process of veterinary school I learned how much I love partnering with clients to care for their pets. So I started work in general practice right out of vet school in 2004. I loved developing relationships with my clients over 17 years, but I was burning out. I knew I needed to do something different but I didn’t want to just jump to another general practice. I decided to start my own mobile practice. I was looking for a different way to serve my clients and to help people that couldn’t get their pets to the vet. Starting a practice from scratch is a big risk. You don’t know when you will get a paycheck or if people want the service you are providing. It was a financial risk for our family but my husband was supportive and I took the leap. It was a wonderful decision! Being my own boss allows me freedom with my schedule and to make the decisions I feel are best for my patients/clients. It is also so rewarding to help clients and pets in their homes. My patients are much less stressed, and therefore their owners are too! I have been doing this for two years now and am so happy I made this decision.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am mobile veterinarian. This means I come to people at their homes and work on their pets there. I work with small animals and exotics (birds, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small rodents). While I see backyard chickens I do not see farm animals or horses. I allow pets that are terrified of car rides or the vet to get care at home. This helps them be less stressed by the process. They still don’t love being poked and prodded (who does?) but they do not have the ramp up from the car ride and wait at the clinic and then, when we are done, they can just go back to their favorite relaxation spot. Many animals that were unhandleable at the clinic are great at home. I can also provide mobile surgery and dentistry services. I have a mobile surgical suite that I can drive to your home and provide service right in your driveway. I am passionate about partnering with clients to care for their pets. I discuss options for care with my clients so we can decide what is best for them and their pets.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

This is such a tricky question. I love what I do and I love my clients and patients. Veterinary medicine has become a difficult profession, however. I have seen a large number of talented, passionate people leave the profession due to stress and client abuse. I have been blessed that I have amazing clients, and the few that have not been kind over the years I am able to let that go. The expectations of clients have risen, as have our abilities, but with that are increased costs. It has become a challenge to provide exceptional care at costs people can afford. The profession is at crossroads and it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. The short answer is…I don’t know. I can’t picture doing anything else because I love this so much!

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

The biggest thing I tried to teach younger doctors I was mentoring is the ability to have faith in your recommendations and the to let the negative words go. You need to look at the situation, decide if you could have done anything better, learn from that and move on. The negative words will break you if let them. You also have to focus on all the wonderful clients that appreciate everything you do for their pets. They are the majority and you have to remember this to survive this profession. Most people that become vets or vet techs are highly empathetic people and that can be a hard lesson to learn. It is essential though!

Contact Info:

• Website: blakehomevet.com