Employment

Staff Testimonials:

"I have been asked why after 27 years working at Wilkinson Animal Hospital, I am still here and loving it. I have asked myself at times and the answer always is the same – we have the best leadership from our founder, Dr. Jim Gill; we have the most amazing doctors; we have an awesome staff (some who I have been working with for the last 27 years); we have awesome clients who I know as family and most of all the fur legged babies that come through the door."

I moved to North Carolina in 1991 after my husband retired from the Air Force and started a job at a local High School and since I had previously worked at other veterinary hospitals and enjoyed it, I looked for a job in the veterinary field. I was hired the same day at 3 different hospitals, but Wilkinson just had that special feeling that said, “I belonged here” from day one.

I started at the front desk as a Receptionist, moved to overseeing Finance at the Front Desk, then to Office Manager and finally to Practice Manager. This all happened from the great leadership and mentorship that I received from Dr. Gill, who helped mold me into leading others and helping people and their babies. Our staff is like family, we work together but we also share celebrations from weddings, graduations and birthdays. We like to be challenged so we have weekly or monthly games and staff meetings so we can share with each other the things that we are so happy about during the week, such as a patient doing well after a major surgery or a clients that said great things about one of the staff. We all love what we do but we also want to share with each other. Do not get me wrong, it can be stressful, but this is when the training that is provide to our staff and the practice we do at the staff meetings always helps us get through these times. We also have a unique management system, that makes things go right."

Our clients are the best and I love them like family because they are our family. We get to know about their pets as well as about their family and the celebrations that they go through. Our patients, our fur legged friends and the ones that do not have fur such as our birds, reptiles and such – that is why we are here. Our staff give them the best care, love, treatment and recommendation so they can live longer and healthier. I get to observe the staff when no one else is watching and they sing, kiss and snuggles these babies. They truly believe that our clients and patients are special, and they truly love what they are doing.

Why do I work at Wilkinson Animal Hospital? It is the greatest veterinary hospital ever with the best leadership, best Veterinarians, the best staff, the best clients and the best patients. Did I use best too much, well that is how truly feel."

– Sally Stone, Practice Manager

"All I knew when I started working here at 16 years of age, is that I loved animals and I wanted to work with them. Little did I know I would still be working here almost 30 years later! I absolutely love my job, patients, clients, co-workers and doctors! Though this job can be quite demanding and often emotionally draining, I love the challenge. I have learned so much over the years and witnessed so many advances in Veterinary Medicine.

A little over a year ago, we joined Southern Veterinary Partners and I was a bit nervous about that. However, the transition was smooth, and we are still the same Wilkinson Animal Hospital family. Our practice culture is still the same and we continue to practice as we always have “Where Pets and Their People Are Special”!

I look forward to working many more years here using my knowledge to help future veterinary staff to excel in this wonderful practice."

–Molly Norton, RVT (Veterinary Nurse)

"I have known that I wanted to work with animals since I was a little girl. I made my career goals when I was young and I did a great deal of research of what it would take in order to become a Veterinarian. I found out that it would take a lot of schooling and a lot of hours working in the field. I spent several years contacting different clinics and hospitals hoping to just get the chance to volunteer for them so that I could get the hours that I needed to even be considered for schooling. No one would even consider my application because I didn’t have the experience or schooling that they wanted. I was feeling pretty hopeless about even being able to pursue my dreams. Then I was contacted by Wilkinson Animal Hospital. I went to my interview with hope and sat down with management and told them my story. After a short quiz to see of what I was capable of I was invited back for a working interview. I was absolutely ecstatic. After I went to my working interview I was feeling good. A short time later I was hired on and I have been a part of the Wilkinson team for the last 8 months. I am very happy at Wilkinson Animal Hospital and I love being a part of their team. Everyone is friendly and willing to help. They push you to reach your goals and they train you to be able to be everything that you want to be and more. There is never a dull moment and we have a lot of fun. I go in looking forward to spending time with my coworkers, our clients and our patients."

– Michelle, Veterinary Assistant, Boarding & Grooming Services Director

"When I came to work at Wilkinson Animal Hospital over 20 years ago, I didn’t realize where the journey would take me. What I thought was going to be just a stepping stone in my career, turned into a very stable mountain that has supported me well. The team allows me to grow the way that I want to and helps guide me when I need it. I enjoy working with the staff, the clients, and their pets. The motto is true, “Pets AND their People are special.”With the addition of Southern Veterinary Partners, it has made the practice even better. I now know the vision that Dr. Gill has will be carried forward into the far future. SVP lets us practice medicine the way we want to and support us with what we need. And being part of a larger practice group allows us to offer better insurance, better retirement benefits, and more back office assistance. This allows us to attract and retain even more qualified staff than ever and focus on providing the best quality of medicine possible."

-Dr. Kristen Virgin, DVM

"I have been working at Wilkinson Animal Hospital for 12 years and still enjoy everyday as if it was my first day. The staff at Wilkinson Animal Hospital are family and some have worked together for over 20 years. We all work together as a team and want to see each other become more successful and efficient in our jobs. There is always something new to learn every day at work. I started out as a Pet Caretaker and then moved on to being the Boarding and Grooming Director and now I am the Practice Manager. Dr. Gill and Southern Veterinary Partners has provided me with the tools and an excellent training program to be a productive staff member. In return I am better prepared to give the best care to a family members pet and help the clients with any questions they may have. It makes the Wilkinson staff feel great when a client lets us know that their pet is doing better after the care we have given helped turn that pets health around."

- Lesley Johnson, Practice Manager 2018

"As a practicing veterinarian for over 37 years, you could say I’ve been around the block a time or two. In fact, considering all of my veterinary experience, from a pre-vet volunteer, to a veterinary student, to a preceptorship, to associateships, to owning a practice for 18 years, and to being a relief vet for over 10 years, I have worked with over 2 dozen practices. I explain all of this tell you this: Wilkinson Animal Hospital is the best hospital I have ever worked with…PERIOD!

After I sold my practice, I “flirted with retirement” but Dr. Jim Gill, who I had known for years, needed a DVM at Wilkinson. It was then that I started helping on a part time basis as a relief vet. That was over 12 years ago. I continued working as a relief veterinarian here and at other practices. I tried to “retire” a couple more times but never left Wilkinson and over 2 years ago, I signed on as a full-time associate and I haven’t looked back since.

One might ask, “why is it that having had tinkered with retiring, I am now back working full time?” Simply put, I became a veterinarian because I wanted to be able to help pets and pet owners. Wilkinson Animal Hospital has enabled me to revitalize and accomplish that to a greater degree than anywhere else I have been.

Management here is top notch and fair and includes the best staff training I’ve seen anywhere. As a result, the staff are the most competent I’ve ever worked with and they share my goals and purposes in the profession. The policies and procedures are effective in keeping things running smoothly and efficiently so that we can help the most pets and people with the least stress. In short, I am able to practice quality medicine in a great environment with teammates who care for each other and their patients, helping lots of pets and their people and I am fairly compensated for my efforts.

Hence my previous statement, Wilkinson Animal Hospital is the best hospital I have been associated with…PERIOD!"

– Dr. Kim Moore, DVM