Christina Ojanen has been a veterinary technician at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for nearly two decades, spending 16 years in Small Animal Orthopedics and most of the past two years in Integrative Medicine.
A native of Yakima, Washington, Christina attended Yakima Valley Community College for her veterinary technician degree before coming to WSU, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology. She is also a certified veterinary technician specialist in surgery and a certified companion animal rehabilitation therapist.
She shares her home with Callie, a 7-year-old lab who loves outdoor activities, and Fiona, a 12-year-old old cat who loves her cat tree and sitting on Christina’s lap during the cold weather.
What is your typical day like at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital?
I start at 8 a.m. by checking in and setting up any drop off appointments, doing treatment on post-op orthopedic patients, and any catch up from the previous day. We start appointments at 9 a.m., which can be regular rehabilitation patients, acupunctures, or new patient evaluations. We take a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. and start appointments again. We finish with appointments at 4 p.m. and till 5 p.m. we finish paperwork, clean up, and restock as needed. We create home exercises for orthopedic and neurology surgery patients as needed during the week. Consults from the other services are fit around appointments. We will also do treatments on hospitalized patients for other services when asked.
What made you want to work in veterinary medicine?
We had dogs growing up, and I also went along to the vet appointments and assisted with any medications or treatments at home. I always enjoyed working with animals and the medical side of care. After hanging out at our local veterinary clinic, I got to see what a veterinary technician did and decided that was the job for me.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
I enjoy helping our patients get on the road to healing after a surgery or giving them more pain free and mobile senior years. I also enjoy teaching when you get to see someone accomplish a skill or find something on an exam.
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?
I was the small animal orthopedic technician for over 16 years, and I was interested in rehab for a long time due to a previous dog who had rehab most of her 16-plus years of life. I finally got certified and moved over to the Integrative Veterinary Medicine Service 1.5 years ago. I see myself staying with IVM for the rest of my career.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Reading books, gardening and yard work, walking/hiking, cross-country skiing
What advice would you give to pet owners?
Preventative care helps to avoid problems in the future as well as have your pet seen sooner to avoid a bigger problem.