Sandy Moore is the Veterinary Assisting Program Director at the Carrington College Phoenix North campus. Moore has always loved working with animals. For the past 14 years, she’s been a big part of the growth and development of the Veterinary Assisting program[1] and students at Carrington College’s Phoenix North campus.
A History of Care
When Moore moved across the country from Florida to Arizona, she wanted to take her life path in a different direction. She enrolled in a tech school to gain her certification as a Certified Veterinary Technician. Moore said once she began working with the animals, she couldn’t stop! She wasn’t just working with any animals…she worked with veterinarians on small and large animals like dogs and horses, as well as exotic animals including birds and lizards. The Phoenix Zoo was Moore’s next stop. She spent more than a year working hands-on with a variety of wildlife. During her time at the zoo, she was asked to substitute a veterinary assisting class. That’s when she was hooked on educating. In 2002, Moore began teaching Veterinary Assisting courses at Carrington College. She was the first instructor of Carrington’s night courses for Veterinary Assisting students. The Veterinary Assisting program provides an education that prepares students for clinical, lab and administrative duties required as a successful veterinary assistant. After five years in the classroom, Moore detoured into the career services department, helping students get matched with extern programs and map out their paths at Carrington. This was the perfect segue into her position as Veterinary Assisting Program Director in 2010. Today, she leads the department in education, training and care.
Animals versus Humans
Moore believes that medicine never stops and never attains perfection, which is why many say you “practice” medicine. It is this belief that drives Moore to continue pushing forward in the veterinary field. Her passion for medicine made her gravitate more towards animals than people because animals present a more intricate mystery. Because animals can’t tell you what’s wrong, diagnosing and treating an animal can be more difficult. Veterinary assistants become problem solvers and have to solve the puzzle of a patient who can’t verbally communicate. They also have to remember that their patient is the animal, not the human owner. As the Veterinary Assisting Program Director, Moore also has to take care of her humans. She checks in with her team of instructors daily to see how she can assist them. She also communicates with the National Dean for Carrington, as well as develops opportunities for the Carrington Cares program. Through Carrington Cares, our students, faculty and staff are empowered to take an active role in volunteerism, fundraising and other outreach opportunities that help to make the local community a better place to work and live. Moore also serves as a mentor for new program directors and other faculty, while checking in with at-risk students and students participating in externships. One thing is certain, her load is not light! At the top of Moore’s priority list is always the students. Although she isn’t face-to-face with her students every day, she is able to put her trust in the instructors’ ability to do their jobs well. Her favorite part of visiting classrooms is seeing the spark in a student’s eye when they finally piece together what they’ve learned in class and how it applies to the real world. At Carrington College, students gain “hands-on” experience through training that uses the technologies and processes that are used in the field, building while “learning by doing” as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
What’s on the Paws?
In the coming months, Moore is working on participating in a pet expo to create more awareness for the Veterinary Assisting program. She is also planning a Paw-it-Forward event. As a member of the Arizona Veterinary Health Care team, she aids in supporting all veterinary staff and moderates and produces continuing education classes. Outside of the classroom, animals are still at the heart of Moore’s everyday life. At home, she is dedicated to her three cats and tortoise named Speed. The most important notion for Moore is that a career is where passion resides. She says that’s the difference between a career and a job. Carrington College provides students with the starting point to long-lasting careers in health care.
[1] For comprehensive consumer information, visit carrington.edu/cc/va
