This week, I welcome Melody Martinez to discuss career paths for veterinary professionals.We talk about what being a veterinary technician has taught us and how we have used what we have learned to find and follow our passion to create opportunities and strengthen our field. We have unlimited opportunities as veterinary technicians. As Melody said “No one should feel the job that they have is the only thing that there is because it isn’t, our job trains us to do everything” Melody Martínez is Certified Veterinary Technician and the first generation daughter of Afro-Caribbean, working-class immigrants from the Dominican Republic. She grew up in Massachusetts and began her veterinary career in 2007. Melody has worked in small animal general practice, emergency and critical care, and as a Senior Animal Caregiver at Farm Sanctuary, where she oversaw the medical care and husbandry needs of 800 rescued farmed animal residents at their New York shelter. In 2015, she pivoted to a career in nonprofit management, community organizing, and fundraising with organizations dedicated to racial and economic justice. Melody currently works as a racial equity and organizational change management consultant at Acorde Consulting. She provides organizations with trainings, assessments, and executive coaching to advance their diversity, racial equity, and inclusion efforts. She helps teams address conflict and create the healthier internal climate that is necessary for truly powerful work to take place. As a result, she has supported dozens of mission-driven organizations in making meaningful shifts to workplace culture and in becoming more values-aligned. Melody continues her work in veterinary medicine as a relief technician. She volunteers regularly by mentoring K-12 students interested in veterinary medicine, and by providing medical support at animal sanctuaries and organizations that increase access to veterinary care for people experiencing poverty or homelessness with animals. She serves on the board of the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA) as the Chair of the Social Justice Committee.Melody is also a board member at the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA)  where we're trying to create the conditions necessary to ensure our profession can fully benefit from the presence and contributions of Black, Indigineous, and people of color (BIPOC).Support Melody:  Acorde Consulting - https://www.workwithacorde.comMCVMA - https://mcvma.org/This weeks episode Sponsor:Galaxy Vets - https://www.galaxyvets.com/Support the show :TwitterFacebookInstagramEmail