The plan was set very early. As a young girl, Dr. Fink would “play” veterinarian with her family dogs and cats with the extra medical supplies her dad (a physician) brought home from his practice. She is a relative native, having grown up in Silver Spring. She enjoys rock climbing, spending time outdoors with her dogs, and has an affinity for national parks. Indoors, you will find her reading, cooking, and practicing Spanish, which she hopes will be her second language.
Her clients especially appreciate the way she listens to all of their concerns, never making any assumptions until she has heard the whole story. Her patients seem to sense her calm energy, making exam time much less stressful.
I'm Dr. Laura Frink. I'm a veterinarian at Columbia Pike Animal Hospital and Emergency Center. I went to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine for college and veterinary school as well. After that, I did a one-year rotating internship at a VCA veterinary care in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Then I joined Columbia Pike in 2011. Since then, I've been one of our general practitioners, along with working some emergency shifts. I also love ultrasound and coordinate our extern and intern program.
When did you decide to become a veterinarian?
I'm one of those people who have known I want to be a veterinarian since I was 5 years old. When I was growing up, I was doing surgery and bandaging broken legs on all of my stuffed animals. My dad's a human doctor, and from him, I learned that I love medicine, but I also love animals. This way, I get to work with both of those interests.
What is your favorite part of the job?
As much as I love animals, I think my favorite part of the job is actually the people. Our crew here at Columbia Pike is fantastic. I truly like my co-workers. They're always around if I have a question about anything.
It's also really cool now that I've been a general practitioner for these 14 years. There are some animals that I saw for their puppy visit, and now I'm seeing them as a senior. It's really cool to have known these patients and clients for that long and be part of that pet's life.
What are your hobbies outside of animal care?
I love cooking. Not every day necessarily, but I enjoy making good meals. I love reading and will generally have at least one book, if not two, that I'm reading through. I also like crafts, such as sewing and crocheting. I dabble in other things as well. I can't say I'm good at crafts, but I love doing them.
What are you passionate about in your work as a veterinarian?
There are a couple of things I'm really passionate about. One is ultrasound. I love doing ultrasounds on pets. I think it's a great diagnostic because you can learn so much from this one test that often gives you answers you can really do something about.
In addition, I coordinate our vet ready program for veterinary school students and novice graduates. They get to come in, see what we're about, work with us, and we have a lot to offer here. I think it's a great way to help newer veterinarians and veterinary students see what general practice can be as they're starting their careers.
What do you love about veterinary medicine?
I love that in vet medicine every day is different. I always come into work, never knowing what my day is actually going to be like. Often there are some cute puppies, sometimes itty bitty little kittens with their little faces. I love tiny little kittens.
Sometimes there's a pet with a major medical problem, and then there's the medical puzzle of figuring out what's going on to see how we can help them. I really enjoy figuring that out and then helping that animal, too.