Maureen Noftsinger, DVM ’01
Medical Director, Emergency Veterinary and Specialty Services, Roanoke, Virginia
How VMCVM equipped me for the ‘real world’…
They gave me the skills to think critically and how to dig for the underlying problem in a patient. Dr. Leib taught me that I won’t always find an answer in the 12 hours of my shift
Best part of being a VMCVM alum…
Being able to give back to the school in multiple ways and host students in our practice
Best advice I’ve gotten….
Don’t take your cases home with you. I’m not good at following it but it is very good advice. I have gotten better with this as I have aged
How would you capture the essence of your work in a newspaper headline…
Veterinarian sees the worst but makes the best out of it
My hidden talent…
Being a psychology major from undergrad, I have an excellent understanding of the human psyche and have a tremendous amount of patience. I also remain calm in crazy chaos
A person who has inspired me…
So many people. As a young child, my preschool teacher Mrs. Baker had a farm and exposed me to a lot of different animals and introduced me to James Herriott. He made veterinary medicine seem magical. Dr. Dru Forrester was especially patient with me and I learned a lot from her as her research assistant. So many of our professors inspired me. My childhood friend Nancy Caruso inspires me. She is a marine biologist and conservationist that has done so much for the ocean. She is a modern day Jacques Cousteau. I am also inspired by my children to be a better person and mother.
<a href="https://todaytrendnews7.com/chinas-xi-jinping-launches-new-ai-alliance-what-is-it/” title=”China’s Xi Jinping launches new AI alliance: What is it?”>What did you learn at the college that you never thought you would benefit from?
The collaborative way to approach cases with different people and specialists putting our heads together to find out what is happening to a pet and why
Biggest misconception about my job or industry…
That we are in it for the money. None of us entered this profession for the money. If we did it wouldn’t make sense. However, we all need money to support ourselves and our families. We all hear this from the public way too often
Words of encouragement to a current veterinary college student…
Don’t worry about the details. They will come over time. You are gaining the skills you need to be successful and can look up the rest!
Fondest college memory or tradition…
Our class would often have post-exam tailgates. We had some awesome parties. I also liked the band that some of the doctors had (I can’t remember the name). They would play at parties and it was so fun to see them as people as well as professors. Many of us would go together to football games. We also figured out how to put the TV on in the classroom and would watch ER on Thursday nights while we were studying
A cause I’m most passionate about… The most formative experience I’ve had…
I’m very passionate about my job and helping animals. I do that in multiple different ways including being on the board for the Mill Mountain Zoo currently but have served in multiple other organization. I am also passionate about helping people learn about the profession and host students from time to time, from elementary to veterinary school. I love to help our staff grow into themselves and their positions at work.
The most formative experience I’ve had was actually a trip to China. I had never experienced being a minority and that was an extremely powerful experience for me
Top of my bucket list…
I would like to go to Tahiti and stay in one of the huts on the water
My favorite quote…
“Dogs are not our whole lives but they make our lives whole” – Roger Caras
Being a VMCVM alumnus means…
… having a group of people that went through an extremely intense situation with me and still had fun doing it
How many pets/animals live at home? Can you tell us about them?
I have a farm and they are all my pets. I have 23 goats, 5 sheep, 15 chickens, 5 dogs and a cat. The goats are Nigerian dwarf and are really fun and obnoxious to be around. I have 5 baby doll sheep that are grass mowers. My chickens all have the same name (Henny). I have a golden doodle that I adore (Pearl) and 4 dogs that live outside mainly with the animals to protect them
Anything else to add?
I feel very lucky to have had a dream as a child to be a veterinarian and was able to make that happen. That is a rare gift. I also have been at my clinic since I graduated in 2001 and am so proud of what we have created and how we continue to serve the community 24/7/365
Contact:
540-231-9005
