Paola Domínguez-López has always been passionate about animals. Her big dream as a child was to be able to care for animals in need, especially those who don’t have a home to call their own. 

Her parents helped foster her love of animals through agriculture programs like 4-H. As time went on, Paola realized that veterinary medicine was the right choice for her, eventually enrolling in the Veterinary Nursing Program in St. Petersburg College. 

While studying to become a veterinary nurse, she also began volunteering for animal shelters. This eventually lead to a job at a local animal hospital, where she eventually became a vet tech.

She now combines her nursing skills and her passion for shelter animals by working her dream job at University of Florida Small Animal Hospital. She currently works in the Veterinary Community Outreach Program of the shelter medicine department. This allows her to help shelter animals in need while doing the job she loves.

Paola is also a member of the board for American Heartworm Society. The American Heartworm Society educates about and advocates for the importance of heartworm prevention for pets, as well as proper diagnosis and treatment.

This volunteer position helps Paola with her goal of caring for and loving animals in need, and is a satisfying highlight in her career.

Just like many others, Paola did not reach this pinnacle of success without help along the way. She credits some of her success to advice given to her by her parents. They told her to always do the best job she could, and that it doesn't matter what she chose to do in life as long as she did it correctly and efficiently. 

Why mental health is important

She’s also no stranger to mental health issues. She made a brave decision early in her career to move on from a nursing job when she found the working environment toxic. Although it was an extremely difficult decision, moving on was the best thing for her.

After a stressful day at work, Paola sometimes relaxes by venting to her husband for a few minutes—but generally prefers to mentally leave work at the door. She finds hiking with her dogs, eating a nice dinner, or listening to cheerful music helps a lot more than mentally bringing work home with her.

On the same note, Paola thinks that one of the biggest issues facing the veterinary community is the state of the community’s mental health. Staff are frequently treated poorly, not just by other veterinary workers but also by customers.

Many customers view veterinarians and those who work for them as “money hungry” because of the high cost of medical care. While it’s true that costs for pet care can be high, it’s actually extremely low for medically trained professionals. Vets and their staff need to pay bills and buy food as well, and the cost of medical care reflects that.

She thinks that more understanding from both clients and medical professionals could go a long way to helping ease the mental burden experienced by both.

In the mean time, Paola does her best to educate her clients on pet care, and help as many animals as possible to get the care they need.