In celebrating the Dr. Earl H. Rippie Veterinary Nurse Leadership Scholarship recipients, we see a common theme among these outstanding veterinary nurses—passion. Passion stems from truly caring about what you do and allowing yourself to be motivated by that purpose. For many of us, our purpose is to provide our patients with the best care to enable them to live the longest, healthiest life. Imagine if each of us lived our passion and brought this fervor to our veterinary hospitals? We would live by the phrase: “It’s not my work, it is my passion!” Passionate workers are not only happier but more productive.
I believe every veterinary team member wants to provide the best care. However, we face many hurdles, which can easily become roadblocks to fulfilling our purpose. The multitude of challenges faced during the past 2 years has created roadblocks. It is time to reacquaint ourselves with our purpose, acknowledge and overcome the obstacles, and reignite our passion!
Meet the 2022 Rippie Scholarship recipients:
Andrea Hannigan, CVT
Animal Health Center, Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Starkville, Miss.
Andrea told her father that she wanted to be a veterinarian at the age of 3. She went on to join the first class at Mississippi State University’s Veterinary Medical Technology Program and works in Community Health Service, where she helps care for working dogs. Andrea has a passion for veterinary dentistry and is pursuing her VTS in dentistry.
Belinda Andrews-Jones, RCVS RVN, VTS (ECC)
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, National Health Service (NHS), Streetvet, Dorset, England, U.K.
Belinda’s 30-year career in veterinary nursing has led her in many directions. She has worked in emergency and critical care, teaching, surgical nursing, and management. Since January 2021, Belinda has been using her skills honed in veterinary medicine to oversee a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic for humans. She also volunteers for StreetVet, a charity that provides veterinary care for the pets of unhoused people in the U.K.
Stephanie Hollich, LVT
Chase Animal Hospital, Huntsville, Ala.
After developing her passion for veterinary medicine as a volunteer at a local animal shelter in high school, Stephanie went on to earn her associate degree in veterinary technology in 2018 and become a licensed veterinary technician in 2020. She also enjoys caring for her Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, and lab mix, Toi, at home.