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Dr. Katie Richardson joined the local clinic in November.
Dr. Katie Richardson knows the area well, having attended Bethany Hills School and later, Lakefield College School. After graduating, she moved to Scotland for post-secondary education, acquiring an undergraduate degree from the university at St. Andrews and then completing her veterinary training in Edinburgh. Her colleague Dr. Alexis Smith who joined the clinic a year ago, also earned her veterinary credentials in Edinburgh. Eight years of gloomy Scottish weather made her yearn for a sunny climate, so upon graduation she accepted a job at a clinic owned by a large corporation in Boca Raton, Florida.
In October, her father came with a U-Haul and Katie spent three days on the road returning to Ontario to start her new position in Cavan-Monaghan. It was not COVID or homesickness that brought her home – it was her fiancé. A Canadian himself, the pair met at a Golf course while Katie was studying in Scotland, and after years of maintaining their long-distance relationship, it was time to spend time together in person.
The veterinary practices in Florida and Peterborough focus on dog and cat medicine. The biggest difference between the clinics that Katie has noticed so far is in the protocols. Working for a large corporation in the US meant there was lots of paper work. In Peterborough, she spends a lot more time practising medicine and less time completing reports. COVID has boosted the interest in virtual visits, but to be effective the participating vet needs to know the animal through previous visits so there is a baseline from which to interpret the new condition. In Florida there were more virtual visits but in her new practice, in-person visits are the norm.
Katie still has an attachment to Florida, and hopes to vacation there when she can. She’s here to start a new chapter, both professionally and personally. Welcome, Katie! KG
