The ENUCLEATOR
Dr. Kimberly Lutz
Veterinarian, Craig Road Animal Hospital in Las Vegas, NV | BS 2014, Purdue University | DVM 2018, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine | Certificate for Diversity and Inclusion | Global Veterinary Certificate
My Story
As a child I was terrified of all animals, but as soon as my family got our first pet (a dachshund named Brownie), I was the one who was most attached. I took care of her everyday and when I began looking for jobs, one came up at my local veterinarian’s office. I decided to take the position as a kennel technician and from there, I grew to love veterinary medicine. I started working as veterinary assistant and knew at that point that I wanted to apply to vet school. I applied to Purdue’s veterinary school through the Veterinary Scholars Program and was accepted.
My Struggles
The path to becoming a veterinarian can be tough! Veterinary school has a rigorous academic schedule and I did struggle with the amount of work when first starting vet school. I also struggled with imposter syndrome, which I think a great deal of us struggle with, because I was comparing myself with others and their successes.
My Heroes
My parents definitely inspired me to continue to grow and be successful. They always pushed me to be a better version of myself and constantly supported my dream to become a veterinarian.
My Typical Day
My clinic is a small animal general practice but we are open longer hours than most. I alternate between working a morning shift and working an afternoon shift. We are open 364 days a year from 6am-8pm. Some days I am the surgery doctor in which I could do around 10 procedures in my 8 hour shift. These procedures can range from spays/neuters to dentals to abdominal exploratory surgeries. I am trained in laparoscopic surgery and endoscopy. On days when I am not the surgeon, I am seeing appointments and walk-ins. My clinic sees a large percentage of walk-ins. In an 8 hour shift I can see up to 25-30 patients on a busy day and around 12-15 on a slower day. These patients are a mix of healthy patients (vaccines) and sick patients. My clinic has the capability to manage more complicated medicine cases and we frequently hospitalize patients overnight because we have overnight technicians.
My Stressors
Because of the nature of my clinic, we do see more complex and complicated cases which can be stressful to manage. I make sure that I maintain a balanced life outside of work to manage my stress. I love dancing and you can frequently find me at my local gym doing Zumba classes! I also make sure that I spend time outside and luckily Las Vegas has several great outdoor spots.
My Why
I like being a veterinarian because I act as a voice/advocate for my patients who can’t tell me what is going on. It’s up to me to figure it out and institute treatment to make them feel better. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a patient make a full recovery.
