Life & Work with Alice Toriello

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Alice Toriello.

Hi Alice, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have always been an inquisitive problem-solving, hands-on type of person. I love science and discussing science and medicine with people. I love animals and people, so veterinary medicine was a great career choice for me. I attended Hiram College in Ohio and graduated with a degree in Biology in 2003. Then, I graduated from The Ohio State Veterinary College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007.

I took over ownership of MetroPet Veterinary Clinic in Berea, Ohio in 2011. Check out our website at metropetvet.com. Our little clinic has grown and now it includes six exam rooms and a dedicated surgery room, dental surgery suite, radiology room, isolation room, laboratory, and separate waiting and hospitalization rooms for both dogs, cats, and exotic pet species.

I of course treat dogs and cats, and some of my other areas of special interest and additional training include the treatment of exotic pet species, dentistry, geriatric pet care, and performing laser surgery.

One of the more recent things that I have been working on is moving forward implementing the concepts of Fear Free Veterinary Medicine within our practice. Fear-free veterinary medicine Is a new way of practicing that involves additional training for veterinarians above and beyond our medical training. It involves concepts such as gaining cooperation from the pet before performing procedures and minimizing fear, anxiety, and stress wherever possible. For example, the colors and design palette that we have chosen at our hospital are designed to be calming for pets. We have calming pheromone plug-ins in all the exam rooms. We play brown noise or classical music in the exam rooms. You can learn more about this at fearfreepets.com and https://fearfreepets.com/about/what-is-fear-free/.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting into veterinary school itself is challenging, much more difficult than, say, getting into human medical school. There is only one veterinary school in the entire state of Ohio and it only allows a limited number of students. It is a rigorous and challenging program, and the job is very rewarding but also challenging in its own ways. Currently, there is a national shortage of veterinarians, leading to overwhelming workloads for many veterinarians, so that is a challenge as well.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you are thinking about going into veterinary medicine, I would encourage you to think long and hard about the debt you will incur in school and whether or not you would be able to pay that off with a career in veterinary medicine. Many of us have a strong passion for this field, but unfortunately, if the numbers don’t work out, we will see fewer and fewer people go into veterinary medicine with the rising cost of veterinary medical education. Being mentally strong and physically strong are also very important for this job. I would want people to know that it’s okay to ask for help, and almost anyone who’s a veterinarian will probably need mental health counseling at some point. It’s probably best early in your career to just go ahead and get a counselor and start going to appointments regularly. You will see and experience things that you are not prepared for, and it’s best to have someone ready to talk to when you need them. And finally, I would say stay curious; there’s always more to learn, and there’s always something new to know. I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and I have learned something new and interesting every single day of my life. That is why I like this field so much. You can never get bored (if you are doing things right). Medicine is always evolving and changing, and there is always new research leading us forward. And when we know better, we do better.

Contact Info:

• Website: metropetvet.com