This week on the FarmHouse, a podcast by Lancaster Farming, we're talking to Dr. Nicole Irizarry, a large-animal veterinarian who owns Kissel Hill Veterinary Services in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Irizarry opened her own mobile vet practice in the fall of 2023 after working in a large-animal group practice for seven years.
She currently serves clients in about a 25-mile radius with most of her clients being horse owners. She also works on cows, sheep and goats, plus a few other species like donkeys and mini cattle.
"I definitely used to have a favorite species," Irizarry said. "Now I really don't know that I do. I like different things about the different species."
In recent years, there has been a shortage of large animal veterinarians. Since studying at Penn State and Cornell, Irizarry knew she wanted to work on the large animal side, and many of her classmates initially did as well.
"I think there's a little bit more of a problem with retention than recruitment," Irizarry said.
The lack of a work-life balance and the demand for being on call can often lead to burnout in the large-animal field.
While Irizarry lists business hours on her website, she often has days where she isn't home until after 9 p.m.
"For (my work-life balance) I am never a 50-50 split," Irizarry said. "I am either 100% or 90% in on my business. Those things are fine with me. I think it is what I signed up for. For some people it would be a step too far, and that's totally fine."
Irizarry didn't grow up in agriculture, but she grew up always wanting to be a vet. She graduated vet school in a class of 100 — 82 of whom were women.
Of the women in the class, 11 went into a career with food animals, but only three — including Irizarry — are still active in that field.
"I am still here," Irizarry said. "I am persistent about being in this area, in this profession, as a veterinarian that works in a broader agricultural community."
