Dr. Sue Sayles on her first experience in organized veterinary medicine . . .
My first interaction with organized veterinary medicine was while I attended MSU CVM. I attended the Michigan Veterinary Conference all four years of veterinary school and then volunteered to facilitate the job interviews for the CVM Class of 1997.
After graduation, Dr. Judy Violante contacted me to attend the AVMA Leadership Conference in Chicago in January, 1998. I went and met a variety of great people like Dr. David Caron and Dr. Michael Herr. I even did a mock interview with the media during one of our training sessions. I knew at that time that I enjoyed the involvement in organized veterinary medicine and would continue to serve our profession in any way possible. I didn’t hesitate to accept a position on the Companion Animal Committee when it was offered and have been active on it since that time.
Our local organization needed leadership and I volunteered to take the role of president. It led to the position I now hold on the Board of Directors for District 4. The local group has not progressed as I would like to see it, so in keeping with the revitalization of locals mission by the MVMA I have again taken a leadership role in the Jackson Area Veterinary Medical Association. I am proud to say that our attendance has increased from 4 members at the fall meeting to 25 at our most recent meeting in June 2008.
Why being a leader in your community is important . . .
I am a firm believer in making an effort to fix problems or fill voids, not complaining about their existence. This belief led me to start volunteering in high school. I ran our student council and yearbook staff. I continued this course while at MSU CVM taking charge as class president and organizing welcome barbeques, half-way parties, and graduation slide shows.
Working at the Brooklyn Road Veterinary Clinic gave me opportunity to continue to lead a team. I worked as the only full time veterinarian in the office. My boss came in for 3 hours on most afternoons and gave me the ability to lead our staff and shape the service we provided. He then helped me to purchase the clinic in 2001, just 4 years after graduation from veterinary school. I used the skills previously learned and continued to attend seminars to help lead my team. We grew slowly and I attended a leadership workshop from a consulting firm to gain new skills in running a practice.
The same year that I took over ownership of the practice we started discussing how we could give back to our community. We started with a program where we donate 100% of nail trims during the month of December to an animal related charity of the staffs’ choice. We challenged other clinics and groomers in our area to participate and have continued the program at our clinic since that time, now raising over $1000 each year. Our next task was to add a blood drive annually. We have been very successful in having 25 dogs each of the last 3 years donate blood, and have been fortunate to identify over 7 universal donors. This year we will add our Dog Wash for charity to raise funds for our local humane society.
Outside the office I have enjoyed working with students of all ages. I helped preschoolers and kindergarteners with reading skills, telling time, and just learning to share and have fun. The students at the veterinary school are just as much fun. The VIPS course led by Dr. Jon Patterson has been a yearly pleasure. The last 2 years have I have been involved with the communication session, where students practice delivering information to actors who are portraying clients.
The alumni council at MSU has allowed me to understand the college and have input into alumni involvement and relationships. I have helped on the committee to discuss restructuring the council after Dean Brown arrived and I am currently serving on the committee to help plan events for the MSU CVM Centennial.
