To commemorate Veterinarian Technician Week, VCA Gabby Frommelt, RVT tells us about her career. It began in her native El Salvador, where she went to veterinary school and continues today at VCA’s Wrightsville Beach (N.C.) Animal Hospital.

I grew up in El Salvador and wanted to be a veterinarian. After veterinary school, I left El Salvador and was accepted to a Ph.D. program in Prince Edward Island, Canada, but I didn’t end up going. I settled in North Carolina, instead. I worked at a small animal hospital, then moved to another hospital that was a mixed practice with exotics.

I was there seven years, and it was really fun, but it was a smaller practice and didn’t offer any opportunity to grow. I wanted to teach, so I joined VCA in September 2022. At VCA, I’m a registered veterinary technician and an assistant supervisor.

My daily involvement with my patients is what has motivated me throughout my 20-year career – and still does.
I want to give my patients optimum care, and part of that is taking advantage of the online courses and trainings that VCA offers. The medicine in the U.S. is completely different than El Salvador, so continuing my education helps me give my patients the best, most modern care they deserve.

Seeing my patients come through the door and interacting with my VCA team gives me the most energy each day.
We have a newer team here at our hospital, so being able to witness their progress is really great. Whether it’s the little victories, like their excitement about being able to draw blood, to the big ones… it’s pretty amazing to see.
Two of our team members are young women who want to go to veterinary school and three others are going to veterinary technician school through VCA’s Penn Foster Program – one is receiving a full scholarship and the other two partial support. For some, this is the first time they have worked in this industry. It’s been very satisfying to see how they’re doing their baby steps to feel more confident. We make it a point to celebrate every time they do things on their own the first time. I’m always answering questions and explaining the reason why we do things. When they understand why, they are able to do things on their own.

VCA's new career progression program really helps enable technicians to have a more dynamic career path.
There are so many things to learn and different levels of mastery in this profession. VCA developed this new program that is really going to help take our Veterinary Technicians and Assistants to the next level by first recognizing where they are, what skills they have and what they can improve. Not only will this program provide a clear roadmap for development, but professionally it’s going to elevate the role. The fact that we are now working on this will help people understand the importance of what we do.
When I shared this with my team, they were excited and felt it will help them grow and progress in their career. I took individual time with everyone to discuss the tiering process and shared why they were where they were. When we evaluate next, it will really be exciting to see the growth.

VCA really empowers you to be your best.
I know that I have a support system. How many veterinary hospitals offer you free lab certification as a natural part of learning and growing? We have that, and all of the technical support and people who care for your well-being. This is something I haven’t experienced at other hospitals.

This is my second year celebrating Veterinary Technician Week with the team as a supervisor.
We’re going to spoil our team. We’ll have a luncheon together one of the days and just spend quality time with a couple of games. We also have treats and appreciation gifts for them, like a coupon booklet and a gift card to pick out a new pair of shoes.
I am very proud to be a member of the VCA team. It’s a great place to work and grow while you feel supported. I want to continue to grow and develop, so knowing career progression is an important thing at VCA is awesome to me. My advice to any veterinary technician looking to grow their career is to never stop being curious. Our goal is to deliver the best care and patient safety which comes with education and experience.