Please welcome Tori, the newest extern to join the team at Craig Road Animal Hospital!
Tori is a fourth-year veterinary medical student at Michigan State University (MSU) and will graduate in 2022. Tori is from Lansing, Michigan, and has lived in Michigan all of her life. According to Tori, she always had a strong drive to work with animals and enjoys the problem-solving aspects of working in animal medicine.
She said her mother once told her that when Tori was in pre-school, she claimed she wanted to be a veterinarian. As she got older, Tori began taking classes to prepare for vet school and worked as a veterinary assistant and technician for a small animal clinic in Michigan. She also received her veterinary assistant’s license.
Some of Tori’s volunteer work also includes lab animal research and caretaking, assisting in genetic research, and a student assistantship at MSU, such as assisting in surgeries, taking x-rays, running bloodwork, and holding pets during wellness exams. She’s also volunteered with UnitedWay in various community outreach programs. Tori has also worked in emergency medicine and a specialty veterinary hospital where she learned more about neurology and surgery.
Tori received her Bachelors in Biology from Ferris State University. After graduating, Tori applied to MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine program but didn’t get in. During her gap year, she worked full-time at an animal clinic and was accepted into the program the following year.
Tori heard about the externship program at Craig Road during one of her classes that held mock job interviews with animal hospitals. Tori was paired with the hospital administrator for Craig Road and was asked if she wanted to do an externship after the interview. Now that she’s here, Tori said she’s looking forward to seeing the different diseases and treatments used in Las Vegas compared to Michigan.
“You don’t see very many cases of poison like rattlesnakes or heatstroke in Michigan,” she said. “I think I’ve only seen one case of heatstroke, and not that I’m wishing that happens to anyone’s animal, but I’m interested in seeing different cases like those. I’m really looking forward to seeing things that I wouldn’t see back home.”
Tori said she plans on going into general practice after she graduates, and is most interested in neurology. She said she hopes to learn more about cardiology, too.
In her spare time, Tori enjoys going kayaking, disc golfing, swimming, shopping, and hiking with her boyfriend and their 8-month-old Chocolate Labrador named Reya.
Welcome to the team, Tori!
