Jamie Rauscher, LVT, has been with Animal Hospital of Towne Lake, a 24/7 GP/ER practice in Atlanta, for more than 25 years. She worked her way up from a Veterinary Assistant to Licensed Veterinary Technician and now serves as their Hospital Manager and JV Partner.

Jamie is the President of the Georgia Veterinary Technician Association (GVTA) and the Immediate Past President of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA). During her NAVTA presidency, she helped address the issues of technician utilization and was focused on vet tech education and professional growth.

Given her 30+ year career in veterinary medicine, we wanted to learn more about Jamie. We asked her 12 rapid-fire questions about her life in and out of vet med, and her well-being/self-care routines since May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

1. Leading teams 👥 or providing patient care 🩺? Both - In addition to being a multi-site hospital manager, I still work on the floor with my team 2 days a week to help them grow and provide good patient care.

2. Emergency medicine 🚨 or general practice medicine 🩺? ER all the way. It’s my passion.

   

3. Reading 📚 or podcasts 🎧? Reading. Always. I love a good book. We started a book club with our team here at the hospital and meet monthly.

4. Advocating for technician license advancement 📜 or focusing on specialty certification 🏅? Advocating for technician license advancement and title protection. Utilization of credentialed veterinary technicians is vital to the success and longevity of our profession as well as self-satisfaction.

5. Self-care 🧖‍♀️ or nature walk 🌳? I am awful at self-care. But I am learning how to do things for myself and put me first. 30 years is a long time to put others ahead of me. While difficult, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

6. Dogs 🐕 or cats 🐈? Cats. Here’s my eight-year-old Sphynx named Pitou.

   

7. Online CE courses 💻 or in-person CE at conferences or the new PetOne Veterinary Training Center 🏢? In person is always more effective I believe. The new PetOne Veterinary Training Center is a work of art. I am proud of the progress NVA has made in making an investment in educating our teams. I am on a committee to help grow its offerings and help teach. Expect great things from us!

8. Teaching 👩‍🏫 or learning 👩‍🎓? Teaching others has become a passion of mine. But no matter how long I am in the profession, I will never stop learning.

9. Journaling 📓 or meditation 🧘‍♀️? I would say self-reflection rather than meditation is what works best for me.

10. Morning person ☀️ or night owl 🦉? Once I’m up and going, just keep me moving. I can thankfully acclimate to day or night.

11. 🤗 Comforting anxious pet owners or nervous pets? Helping anxious owners to remain calm which in turn helps their pets to not be nervous.

12. Tech-free evening 📵 or cooking a new recipe 👨‍🍳? Cooking is not a skill I possess. I would rather end my day with a hot bubble bath and a good book.

More about Jamie:

Her interests include anesthesia, pain management, emergency and critical care, as well as hospice and palliative care. Her certifications are ever evolving, including currently: RECOVER, Fear Free Elite, Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional, Human Animal Bond, and Hospice and Palliative Care. She is also pursuing her VTS in ECC as well as her AHPCT certifications currently. She is married and lives with her husband and son just north of Atlanta. Her furry family members include a golden retriever and four cats. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family.