Today we’d like to introduce you to Charmaine Tong-Kaufman.
Hi Charmaine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born in Kuching, Malaysia and immigrated to Toronto, Canada when I was six years old.
I always loved animals – had dogs and competitively competed in horse show jumping growing up. Went to the University of Toronto and was interested in bioengineering – combining technology with biology – like designing pacemakers. In university though, learned that physics was not for me. Started to work at a veterinary clinic while in university and found my love for veterinary medicine.
After graduating from the University of Toronto, I attended the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.
In the summer of 2010, the summer before my last year of vet school, I visited a friend that was studying in Los Angeles at USC. While here I met my future husband, Rodger Kaufman, at a local go-kart track.
Graduated from Ontario Veterinary College and got my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2011
In 2012, I moved to Los Angeles to be with Rodger and we eventually got married and have a young son.
Ever since 2012, I’ve been in the South Bay working at veterinary clinics ever since!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a veterinarian has many challenges inherent in the job.
In my case though, going to veterinary school in one country but ending up practicing in another country was the difficult part.
At that time California had a veterinary state exam you had to pass to practice. This was not common in other states of the USA.
Also, not veterinary related, but getting a non-immigrant visa to come here to work – known as a TN VISA – can be difficult. For me there wasn’t many hiccups – but gathering all your documents and proof can be stressful.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love being a veterinarian because I love the human-animal bond.
In many cases, the family pet is an equal family member and is benefited with the same care. From routine wellness care – where we discuss ways to keep your pet as healthy as possible and teach preventative care – to sick pets – where we have to diagnose as well as treat their beloved pet. These conversations and opportunities to educate families in making the best decision for their pet is what I enjoy the most.
I also otherwise love all the medical and surgical aspects of veterinary medicine but have a special interest in canine sports medicine and behaviour. This is due to my love for dog sports and I participate in a few sports, but enjoy dog agility the most. This has me seeing sports dogs frequently.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Spending time in a veterinary setting to get exposure to the medicine is the best way to network and learn. Most veterinary clinics welcome volunteers and assistants, especially ones that are proactive with questions, want to learn and be hands-on. Being around animals will also help you learn how to read animal behaviour which is a huge part in both the safety and the treating of animals in a veterinary setting.
You’ll also learn that a large component of veterinary medicine is communicating with people. The majority of these animals come with a family attached to them and you have to learn how to communicate with families in all different situations – from the happy day they bring home their puppy to the end where they might have to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to their senior dog. Many emotions can come with all these different milestones in their pet’s life and you have to be aware that this is a large part of the job.
