The reinvention of Rachel Lemcke

Peek around the veterinary laboratory, and you might see a few different things. White lab coats. Microscopes. Equipment to analyze tests and samples.

And if you’re lucky, you may also spot Rachel Lemcke!

After all, that’s where she hangs out – the lab. As the founder of Amwell Data Services, a full-service independent veterinary laboratory consulting agency, Rachel knows all about the importance of having a functional and efficient laboratory to carry out your work. Originally a graduate of Berry College and later Cornell University, she opened Amwell Data Services LLC in the fall of 2020.

Today, we are thrilled to introduce this mover and shaker in the vet med community. Join us as we learn how Lemcke guides veterinary teams to strategically utilize their lab services, saving them time, money, and headaches.

Introducing, Rachel Lemcke!

Why Veterinary Laboratory Consulting?

Self-reliance. Resourcefulness. Curiosity.

These are the three qualities Rachel credits with getting her to where she is today. She explains, “Growing up around horses, you learn to take care of yourself (and others). I wouldn’t necessarily call it stubbornness, but it’s the faith you can trust yourself to get the job done and push forward.”

Indeed, scientists have a natural curiosity about the world.

For Rachel, it was this curiosity (paired with years of hard work) that eventually landed her the prestigious role of Laboratory Manager at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center. Seeing the impact a successfully run laboratory could have on patient care and the office as a whole, Rachel experienced an “aha” moment…

Why not provides hands-on consulting for veterinary practices?

Lemcke points out, “Many veterinary practices are not leveraging their laboratory services as well as they could for overall practice stability and growth.”

What they needed was somebody who specialized in laboratory planning, optimization, and growth. A person who could work closely with veterinary teams to build personalized workflows to boost productivity, efficiency, and profitability.

Someone like, say, herself!

Amwell Data Services LLC was born.

Out with the Old “That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It” Mentality

Of course, change is rarely easy.

It takes time to make progress. Whether it’s updating your clinic’s equipment, hiring new and diverse staff, or challenging your own limiting beliefs, Rachel Lemcke believes that the inability of the field today as a whole to accept and create change is one of the biggest problems facing veterinary medicine.

She shares:

“This tight grip on the comfortable and routine is suffocating the field from within. While there certainly are other factors beyond this, the perceived lack of urgency to improve vet med from within is evident in so many ‘pain-points’ we see today. Lack of staffing? Much of that comes from employers who are reluctant to improve compensation and benefits, who fail to provide mentoring and a supportive workplace culture to their team, and those that prefer to not take full advantage of their team’s education and skillsets (i.e., tech utilization).”

Rachel experienced this outdated way of thinking once too, when a male supervisor commented “I was going to make a great housewife one day” as she was setting up a new lab space.

She adds, “Many practices are happy to keep doing what they’ve been doing, especially in terms of organizational efficiency, pricing structures, etc., which curtails their capacity for future progress.”

Thankfully, we know vet med has the heart – and ingenuity – to create a better future for itself.

With ground-breaking professionals like Rachel Lemcke leading the way, there is no problem too small or too big we cannot solve! Not only that, she can save your clinic thousands of dollars!!