It's not often that you can have work you love that also involves heart-rending and challenging events drawn from front page headlines--such as Hurricane Katrina. But armed with nursing and veterinarian degrees, Brigid Elchos, RN, DVM, has done just that. "Today, I have a fascinating job that reinforces my passion for healing, animals and service," she says, acknowledging the role her veterinarian education has played in her career. "Beyond a doubt, my veterinary education defined the path." 

 

Dr. Elchos started her career as a veterinarian in a most unusual way--as a nurse working on a Louisiana hospital's oncology unit. Her next position was with the Mississippi Department of Health (MDH) tuberculosis control unit, eventually becoming the state's official Tuberculosis Control Nurse. But Dr. Elchos's interest in animals, as well support from veterinarians, led her in a different direction. "Thanks to the influence and encouragement of several wonderful veterinarians, my interest in medicine coalesced with my interest in animals, and several years later I applied to veterinary school," she remembers.

 

In 1999, Dr. Elchos completed her DVM degree at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine and worked for about a year as a relief veterinarian. Soon, though, the MDH contacted her and encouraged her to apply for the new position of State Public Health Veterinarian. "Recent funding had helped create this position, and my prior work experience as a public health nurse and my veterinary degree made me an ideal candidate," she says. She worked as the State Public Health Veterinarian until 2004, when she received a transfer to the Mississippi Board of Animal Health (MBAH) as the Agroterrorism Planner and Coordinator, while still retaining her responsibilities as the State Public Health Veterinarian.

 

Dr. Elchos's primary responsibilities in this current position are in emergency management and public health. In the fall of 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. "I served as Deputy Area Commander, Planning Section Chief, and Deputy Incident Commander," she says. "Hurricane Katrina issues are on-going and I continue to serve as MBAH liaison to shelters and veterinarians still recovering on the Mississippi Gulf Coast."

 

Even though Dr. Elchos had planned to practice in a clinical setting after earning both her nursing and veterinarian degrees, getting a taste of working in public health changed her mind. "As a young veterinary student, I never could have imagined the many avenues of work in which I find myself today--from emergency management to agriculture issues to public health." Because of the way her career has unfolded, Dr. Elchos encourages students to explore as many different options as possible. "The sky is the limit," she says. "Pay attention to your interests and your passions. Always seek to incorporate into your career what brings you alive."  According to Dr. Elchos, the opportunities for veterinarians are endless.        

 

And, because she has listened to her interests and passions and remained open to a variety of work possibilities, Dr. Elchos has a career that is distinctively hers. "The opportunity to use my education and experience to contribute to society in unique ways is especially gratifying--I’m simply never bored!" She does not consider what she does merely a job, but something that fits with who she is and brings her joy each day. Dr. Elchos remembers being asked during her interview for veterinary school why she wanted to become a veterinarian. Her response characterizes her zeal for veterinary public health work: “Because I can’t think of anything else that I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life.”