As Palm Beach Equine Clinic’s newly appointed Hospital Manager, Sarah Panico brings her love of horses and her past experiences of riding, competing, barn, and show management to PBEC. An avid horse lover since the age of seven, Panico became a working student as a young adult until she almost left the industry when she was 19.
“I was looking to change jobs and do something entirely different,” explained Panico. “My mom saw a job application for the hospital technician position at Palm Beach Equine Clinic on social media. I wasn’t going to apply for it, but she convinced me, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
When she joined the team at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, located in Wellington, FL, Panico thought she wanted to become a veterinarian. However, she changed her mind after discovering her true passion while working as a veterinarian technician. She found that she enjoyed the hands-on role of being a hospital technician, which involved following treatment plans and taking care of the horses in the clinic’s care. Critical cases were especially appealing to her as she enjoyed the concentrated care each case required.
“When I first started working here, I thought I had a decent amount of knowledge about horses and their care,” commented Panico. “But working with the team of Veterinarians at PBEC, it has given me the opportunity to gain a wider variety of knowledge and experience. It inspires me to keep learning and growing. The Palm Beach Equine veterinarians thoroughly enjoy teaching just as much as you enjoy learning from them.”
Panico’s day-to-day tasks as Hospital Manager are much more extensive than when she was a hospital technician. Her job responsibilities involve overseeing the hospital, managing patients, training employees, and managing critical cases. She also updates and schedules the patients’ treatment plans, assists in prepping patients for surgery, coordinates admitting/discharging patients, and assists the doctors with procedures, morning rounds, and assessments.
Nine years later, Panico still enjoys coming to work every day. She loves taking care of her patients and being a part of their recovery process. She also credits her team and co-workers with making the management aspect of her role something she enjoys as well.
“We have a great team of dedicated people here,” said Panico.