Pulse - May 2023 - 8

SCVMA PROFILE
JIM BELL
JIM BELL
Award Winner Ethel Pawlak Loves to
Celebrate Veterinary Team Members
E
thel Pawlak, recipient of the 2023 Southern
California Veterinary Medical Association
Veterinary Team Member Award, could not be
more excited to be celebrated.
Ethel is a happy spirit who, " feels fortunate to have been working
in veterinary medicine for over three decades! Veterinary team
members are awesome people. . . some of the most compassionate,
resourceful humans you will ever meet. I love that we can help
families and their pets every day. "
Ethel says she learned from " her first vet med bosses " veterinarians
Garth Peterson and Wayne Thiele, long-time owners of McClave
Veterinary Hospital (now VCA McClave Animal Hospital)
in Reseda, California, that " each individual at a practice can contribute
so much to its success. " She says she enjoys learning about how
the various roles mesh together to form super veterinary teams.
Ethel started as a receptionist when she was 19 years old, worked
as a veterinary assistant for years and spent about two decades as
a practice manager, first at McClave and later at Veterinary Cancer
Group. For the past few years, she has been working in marketing.
Ethel began working at VCA Veterinary Specialists of the Valley in
Woodland Hills as the hospital marketing manager two years ago.
Ethel has served as vice president and continuing education coordinator
for the North Bay / Westside Chapter of SCVMA for
more than nine years. She says she is " a huge fan of lifelong learning
and likes bringing people together " . Her work as chapter CE coordinator
was mentioned in her award citation.
One of her favorite projects has been promoting a week honoring
veterinary receptionists in hospitals everywhere. " Nearly
20 years ago, when I was working in Reseda, we began referring
to Secretaries Week (which is celebrated the last full week of
April) as Veterinary Receptionist Week. " For the past several
years, Ethel has been on a journey to share the concept.
Most of the initial movements for Veterinary Receptionist
Week took place with shares on Instagram, where Ethel says she
was able to connect with Dr. Andy Roark, Dr. Adam Christman of
DVM360 and Banfield Pet Hospital's social media team.
From her work at Veterinary Cancer Group, she connected with
Ignite Veterinary Solutions and from her colleague Melissa Tompkins
Lewis of South Coast Veterinary Management Solutions, she
was able to connect with the American Animal Hospital Association
on the topic. Ethel created a website in 2021 - VeterinaryReceptionistWeek.com
- to help spread the word as well.
" The receptionists, technician staff, doctors, custodians, supervisors,
and managers - I think it is important to recognize evThe
American Animal Hospital Association and DMV 360 did stories
about Receptionist Week and how it began.
8
MAY 2023
PULSE
eryone in the animal
hospital. And the impressive
thing about
gratitude is that it
feels great to give and
to receive. "
Of Veterinary Receptionist
Week, she
says " fair wages, great
benefits and a healthy
work environment are
what really matter at
the end of the day " but
" a bit of celebration
feels good as well. "
Marlo Humphrey,
Vice President of the
Orange County Chapter
of the SCVMA &
practice manager at
Quail Animal Hospital
in Irvine, worked
with Ethel for more than 10 years at Veterinary Cancer Group. She
Ethel Pawlak
nominated her long-time friend for the team member award.
" Ethel is one of the kindest, most genuine people I know, " Marlo
said. " She cares deeply about her co-workers and everyone around
her. She loves pets and is one of the smartest managers I know. "
Ethel's favorite veterinary organizations include: PrideVMC,
the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association, Not One
More Vet and the American College of Veterinary Emergency &
Critical Care's Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Ethel, who grew up in Los Angeles, has a silly dog named Boom
Boom, whom she adopted as a senior. She enjoys going to the park,
listening to music, trying new vegan foods, and attending fun shows
like Cirque du Soleil. Ethel has lived in L.A. and the San Fernando
Valley most of her life, although she spent a year in New York City
and two in Oregon. She earned an AA degree in liberal arts from
Los Angeles Pierce College. P
http://www.veterinaryreceptionistWeek.com http://www.veterinaryreceptionistWeek.com
Pulse - May 2023

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