Veterinary hospitals are difficult to keep on track, with management involving handling finances, employee schedules, inventory, and a million other aspects that go into caring for our community’s pets. Fortunately for Stone Ridge Willis and our Texas community, we have Mandy Spence keeping an eagle eye on our hospital’s day-to-day operations. Although Mandy may not have as much hands-on contact with our furry patients, we couldn’t help nearly as many without her holding the reins on our practice’s operations. Let’s take a closer look at what a veterinary practice manager does, and how our hospital is so blessed with Mandy spearheading our management. 

What does a veterinary practice manager do?

You may not see much of Mandy throughout the day, but that doesn’t mean this superwoman is not working hard behind the scenes. As our veterinary practice manager, Mandy may be tackling the following tasks:

  • Managing the money — Ensuring the checkbook balances at the end of the day helps keep our practice afloat and able to stay in the business of saving pets. Mandy keeps a close eye on our finances by running reports, handling accounts receivable, employee pay, credit, accounts payable, inventory, budgeting, and setting fees. 
  • Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s — Not necessary only for legal matters, patient medical records are a vital information source about a pet’s medical history and their progress with a disease or procedure. Mandy ensures our medical records are properly completed, recorded, and saved. 
  • Catering to our clients — Our clients are our hospital’s heart and soul and, without them, we would be unable to care for their pets. Mandy ensures our clients are well-cared for, and handles numerous client services, including client communication, education, interaction, grief counseling, and comfort. 
  • Caring for the community — Without our Willis community’s support, our hospital wouldn’t be so successful. Mandy is in charge of handling community situations, such as fundraising and charity events, to give back to the community that has given so much to us. 
  • Checking the inventory — We cannot care for pets if we run out of supplies, and Mandy ensures we stay well-stocked. She corresponds with suppliers, manages stock levels, and orders medical supplies, stationary, and consumable items.  
  • Managing our team — Mandy is a leader, through and through. She is an excellent role model for our team, and handles any disputes or other HR matters. She is also in charge of creating schedules, payroll, vacation requests, recruitment, and training. 

Mandy Spence is an incredible woman who wears many hats in her veterinary practice manager role for Stone Ridge Willis. We are so lucky to have her on our team, and we’d love to share a little bit more about the lady behind the juggling act of practice management.

Meet Mandy Spence, practice manager

We sat down with Mandy in a rare bit of down time, and peppered her with questions about what makes her tick and how she became an essential part of our team. Let’s take a look.

Question: Where are you originally from?

Answer:  I was born in Houston and raised in Willis, but I moved to California halfway through my senior year.  Willis still called to me, and I moved back home after graduating from college.

Q: When did you decide on a career in the veterinary field?

A: I was about 7 years old when I discovered veterinary medicine. I had read an article in Ranger Rick about a wildlife veterinarian who cared for injured and orphaned wildlife, and I immediately knew I wanted to be in the veterinary field. I started out by volunteering to work in the kennels at a clinic, and worked my way through as a technician, receptionist, and into management.

Q: How did you land at Stone Ridge Willis?

A: I tease that I came with the business when Dr. Pettyjohn bought the Stone Ridge Willis hospital in 2012. I had already worked here for 15 years, and I had worked with Dr. Pettyjohn when she did relief work here, so I knew I wanted to stay. She is a fantastic boss and has made Stone Ridge Willis a great hospital to work.

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a veterinary practice manager?

A: I started out wanting to be in the veterinary field so I could care for injured animals. However, as I moved through the different hospital positions, I realized I also love meeting and helping the pet parents. The best part is that I still get to cuddle the cuties that come through the door, while still helping their owners.

Q: Tell us about your pets.

A: My family shares custody of pets who are scattered among different homes. We have five indoor kitties, but one is my daughter’s cat, who was adopted when she was undergoing Army basic training. Our dog lives at our grandma’s house, as we found out that my husband is allergic to dogs. We have two birds, a conure and a Quaker parrot, who both make lots of noise. We also have five horses that reside in our grandma’s pasture.

Q: Tell us about your human family.

A: I have been married to my husband, Steve, for 21 years and we have a daughter named Morgan. She is in the Army and is currently stationed in Kentucky.

Q: What’s something about you that might surprise others?

A: I used to have snakes as pets, and had 19 at one time. They ranged from ball pythons, corn snakes, king snakes, and carpet pythons. 

Q: Tell us about some of your favorite things.

A: My favorite food is a Flo’s filet from Longhorn Steakhouse, paired with a sweet tea. I love to hang outdoors with my family, especially to kayak, 4-wheel, hike, camp, and sit around the campfire. 

Mandy shares that she truly loves her job, feels blessed to work with the people she does, and is unwilling to change a thing. Our entire team feels the same way about our fantastic practice manager. The next time you’re visiting Stone Ridge Willis, reach out to Mandy with ideas for community involvement or easier client communication. We’re always striving to better our hospital for our clients, patients, and community.