A 24 Hour Vet Hospital Administrator’s Thoughts…

It is the wee hours of 5/11/11…opening day! Our doors open in 6.5 hrs and by the time you get to read this blog we likely will have had our new doors open for a few hours. I’m still here at the hospital preparing miscellaneous, yet important, components. I can’t seem to stop working! The “on” button seems permanent at this point, lol. There is so much to do for our big day. I want to make sure everything is in it’s place; I am not alone in my thinking. There are a few of us here ensuring the computers are all where they need to be and operational; Cubex – automated inventory systems – are fully stocked; the vending machines are ready to dispense goodies; cleaning is taking place; the phone system’s greeting is recorded and much more. It’s nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time. I anxiously await the next few hours. I certainly do not want to let down my team, our patients and clients, or our referring veterinarians. Truthfully, if I had a couch here and I didn’t have pets at home waiting on me to let them go potty I would likely sleep here…just in case I’m needed. Despite me being very tired I definitely have adrenaline running through me as we push to the 8 O’clock hour. At this point, I feel like I’m way beyond my second wind; it’s more like my fourth, lol. I’m optimistic that everything will go well on our first day in our Robbinsville home. It can’t be without its hiccups but it is all about our attitude in coping with them. Flexibility has been key thus far.

Ok, ok…the first part of my blog is all very real but I feel something is missing. I’m feeling too logical which is not at all appealing when reading a blog. What I actually wanted to do was a video blog but there simply was not enough hours in the day (or night) to get to it. This is a surreal time for me. On Saturday night, 5/7, we held our Red Carpet Grand Opening Gala of which was wildly successful beyond all my expectations. Nicole, marketing director, and I planned the event for months and for me it represented the culmination of six years worth of dedication in bringing this dream to fruition. I even asked someone to pinch me during the gala just so I would know it was real. Saturday was about celebration and today represents the reason why we are all here…for our patients who are someone’s beloved pet. I’m proud beyond belief. I feel like NorthStar’s new home is my “baby” because I have put so much of myself into it. To date, today represents my greatest achievement of my career and I will forever be able to say I built this center. It is an amazing feeling. What is most exciting for me is knowing I have helped to create a place where my team can flourish, where they can be happier than ever before, where I have helped to solve their grievances, where patients get the extra TLC they deserve, where everyone who may, or does, come into contact with NorthStar has been considered and planned for in our design, and the list goes on and on. I’m the one who can’t do a tour here under 1.5 hrs because I have so much to share and I feel all of it is important enough to impart to the listener. I’ll try to refrain from writing so much that it takes you that long to get through my blog. In all seriousness, today is going to be amazing and stressful. No doubt. I have faith everyone, including myself, will come through with flying colors because the most important thing to me and to my team is helping our patients feel better and easing the worry of our clients.

I do my job as the hospital administrator because I love veterinary medicine and even more so I love everything NorthStar VETS represents. I feel a great ownership of our hospital; it’s success and failures. Fingers crossed that today will be a success.