Spotlight: Ashley Smith, LVT
Welcome to a truly magical Monday ✨ the Monday of National Veterinary Technician Week where we get to start showing of the AMAZING veterinary technicians in our community ❤ currently an adjunct instructor of veterinary technology at Gwinnett Technical College, Ashley has entered the chat!
“I can’t quite pinpoint where my love of animals started, I feel like it has always been a part of who I am! Upon completion of my BS in Biology from Georgia Southern University (Go Eagles!), I started my new “adult life” by volunteering at a small local zoo in Florida. I was able to help with husbandry and enrichments for a variety of animals from farm animals, birds of prey, to otters and all in between. My direction was always geared towards animals, but I knew then that I thoroughly enjoyed helping these animals and being part of their story and I wanted to continue to do so.
When I moved to Atlanta, I started my first job in veterinary medicine as a receptionist and eventually a veterinary assistant at a general practice. I spent a few years as an assistant and realized I wanted to do more than just the motions and learn the “why” behind what we did for our patients.
I applied to the Gwinnett Technical College veterinary technician program and graduated in 2014. Throughout the vet tech program, I gained experience in different practices from exotics, ER, and specialty medicine. I found my love for surgery/anesthesia during this time and worked at an ER/specialty hospital for 7 years. During that time, I took on different roles and ultimately became the Veterinary Nursing Director for the ER and specialty technicians and assistants in our hospital. This is where I found my new passion within vet med, training, and management. I accepted a role as a Hospital Manager before entering my current role. My in-hospital training experience led me to pursue a career path at the teaching level and back to my alma mater, GTC. I may not be working at a hospital level anymore, but I enjoy teaching our students skill sets, concepts and getting them active in local organizations and to volunteer in the community. I still get my “hands dirty” 😊 and help with Best Friends Blood Bank with blood donations when needed.
A career as a Licensed Veterinary Technician can be challenging but what other career are you the phlebotomist, x-ray tech, lab tech, anesthetist, surgical assistant and provide nursing care potentially all in one day?! This career is one that gives back a heartfelt reward that can’t be achieved by any other career and has many career paths from just one degree!
I am fortunate to have the opportunity to help our future veterinary technicians with their journey into this unique field. All of us in veterinary medicine want the best for our patients and we can accomplish this better by becoming a mentor to those around us and as a veterinary community we can be the hero to our patients’ stories.
-Ashley Friday Smith, LVT”
We couldn't have said it better ourselves Ashley 🥹 thank you for educating and inspiring the next generation of veterinary technicians. Your incredible career is a wealth of experience, skill, and perseverance. Thank you for all that you do Ashley, you make this world a better place ❤
