Our Reception Team

(Deanna & Kelsey)

Deanna and Kelsey are the first friendly faces you'll meet when you walk into our hospital.  Our front desk staff are not only supremely talented and well-trained, but also courteous, attentive, and hospitable.  Whether you need a cup of calming herbal tea and a cookie upon arrival, or your pet needs a cool drink, they'll take care of you! These Knollwood reception team members are also the caring voices you'll hear when you call to make your appointment. 

Deanna works with us full time and comes to us from another area animal hospital, where she also worked as a receptionist.  Her sense of organization and cheerful, upbeat personality have already helped us tremendously and we know that you'll benefit, too!  Deanna loves our small hospital working atmosphere and the close bond that so many of you have with your pets.  And as a former barista, where she cheerfully accomodated dozens of "special requests" from her clients every day, she's developed a wonderful understanding of - and appreciation for - the individualized approach to the care we take with each patient!

Kelsey worked full time as a nanny for years before she joined our staff.  And as a "pet Mom" herself, she says she understands exactly how important your furry family members are to you! Kelsey makes our reminder calls, escorts you and your pet into and out of exam rooms, and makes sure that you get that cup of tea or coffee that you wanted - along with something current to read.  She also makes sure that there is a clean, comfortable, and quiet spot for you and your pet to relax while you are waiting to see the Doctor.

With our computerized system, our Reception team can give you any pertinent information about your pet with a minute's notice.  All front desk team members can track any allergies that your pet has, or any special requests or needs that a client has when they come in for a visit. Call our front desk staff to make your appointment today! If you have a medical question, a member of our staff may put you on hold briefly so that you can speak to a Nurse...

Nursing Team 

(Lea, Ashley, & Leslie)

Our Nursing staff are just as accommodating and helpful as our front desk staff!  They are always available to assist the Doctors while caring for your pet.  They're also available for any questions that you may have.  Speaking with one of our Nurses is always the fastest way to get a question to, and an answer from, one of our Doctors. 

When you and your pet come in for a visit, a Nurse will often be the first person in the room with you. The Nurse will collect pertinent information from you, such as medications, diet, allergies, temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and body condition. A Nurse can also sit down with you to discuss all of the needs of a new puppy or kitten, so you can be sure that you're doing everything possible as a new pet owner. As with every member of our staff, our Nurses attend continuing education classes, so you can always be sure that you are getting the latest, most up-to-date information. Current Knollwood clients can make an appointment with one of our Nurses to learn the proper techniques for ear cleaning, dental home care, and anal gland expression for your pet. Call today to make an appointment for a demonstration!

Each of our Nurses has a special area of interest and expertise.  You'll know you're in experienced hands with Leslie - she began her veterinary nursing career in the early 80's, about the same time that Dr. Mitchell did!  And, she and Dr. Mitchell have worked at the same small animal hospitals and veterinary emergency facilities, so their styles of practice mesh very well.  Leslie is an extremely skilled veterinary dental hygienist and surgical assistant, and she excels at anesthetic monitoring.  Her surgical illustrations have been published in AAHA and she's very pleased to be back working at an AAHA hospital as one of our full-time Nurses.  Leslie's help in updating our computer laboratory data collection system has been invaluable.  We know you'll feel right at home with her.

Nurse Lea has been working with us for over three years.  She's an amazing multi-tasker who assists our Doctor in exam rooms, as well as with special procedures, laboratory sample collection and processing, and with radiology and surgical procedures.  But that's just the start of what she does!  Lea is responsible for all of the hospital ordering and inventory. from medicines to food to surgery supplies.  You will also find her assisting our full-time Reception staff on busy hospital days.  Nurse Lea is also responsible for double-checking all of your charges  and your lab reports to make sure that you receive full value for the time and dollars you spend with us.  She plans to enter a local training program for Veterinary Technicians, to further her career opportunities with us. 

Nurse Ashley also serves in the Army Reserves and most recently assisted with hurricane relief efforts.  She's been working with us for over three years, in between her Army assignments.  In addition to assisting with medical patients and providing most of our anesthetic support for our surgery patients, Ashley keeps our staff training manuals updated and documents much of our staff training.  She also serves as Coordinator of our Hospital Support staff.  Ashley makes sure that the folks who make your experience pleasant - by providing you with a clean, sanitary environment - also make each visit equally pleasant for your pet.  You will also find her assisting our full-time Reception staff on busy hospital days.

Kelsey is training as a Surgical Assistant, in addition to her front desk duties.  She helps our Nurses monitor surgery and dentistry patients and assists in post-operative care, to keep all patients clean and comfortable.

Nurse Jill  is currently on maternity leave, but she hopes to be back later this year, to resume the surgical, dental, and anesthesia duties at which she excels.

  
Hospital Support Team

 (Emily, Nick & Kelsey)  

Our Hospital Support Staff are trained by Kelsey and are responsible for a whole lot of what keeps our hospital running smoothly! They are responsible for maintaining our hospital in a clean and sanitary condition, but that's just the start of their duties.   They make sure that your Doctor and Nurses have a clean room in which to see you in a timely and efficient manner, and they are available to help you and your pet to and from your vehicle if you have an ill pet that requires assistance - or if you're trying to handle a rambunctious dog and get the baby settled in your car.

In addition to training all Support Staff, Kelsey makes sure that your charges are correct, that you receive all the care and medications you need, and that all medications are packaged and labeled safely and correctly.  She coordinates patient trips to the treatment area, provides assistance with blood draws and radiology appointments, and keeps our Doctors on time and productive by assisting them in whatever they need.  She is currently training as a Surgical Assistant.

Emily and Nick also play a very important role in assisting our Nurses with the care of out-patient and hospitalized pets.  Under the direction of their supervising Nurse, they clean and sterilize surgical instruments, administer fluids and oral medications, and they make sure that all hospitalized pets receive proper nutrition and exercise.  You'll often find Nick or Emily administering something even more important to a hospitalized pet than medication - lots of TLC and personal attention, to help them get better, fast!

Knollwood's Webmistress

Kelly works from home as our Webmistress.  Kelly has designed, developed, and maintained our website from Day 1, and she is the one who keeps it up-to-date and running smoothly - even though she now lives in Champaign, Illinois!  Fortunately for us, being a Webmistress means she can live anywhere, so long as she has her trusty computer handy. 

Kelly receives your e-mailed pet photos, stories, memorials, and ideas for many of our pages, and makes them a reality on the web!  if you have new ideas, suggestions fof change, or simply wnat to tell Kelly how fabulous you think your website is, please contact her at:

postmaster@knollwoodhospitalforpets.com