VMC Spotlight: Megan Anderson
Megan Anderson
Position
Veterinary technician assistant on the float team
Joined the VMC
October 2023
Before the VMC
Megan worked in human medicine for 15 years. She still picks up casual shifts in the ICU at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.
Why was she interested in working at the VMC?
Megan decided to make a career change after the pandemic and found a position at the VMC. “I loved the idea of having the opportunity to learn in various departments and to work among talented colleagues,” she says.
Education
Megan earned her occupational associate degree in marine mammal behavior, care, and training from the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys. She is currently enrolled in vet tech school online through Purdue University.
Born and raised
Anoka, Minnesota
First paying job
Working as a receptionist for her family’s blacktop company
Current home
Minneapolis, near Lake Nokomis
Pets
Watson, a 2-year-old neutered male tuxedo cat, and Laci, a 12-year-old spayed female lab/terrier mix
Hobbies and interests
Kayaking, hiking, camping, traveling, drawing, and special effects makeup
Favorite movies
Tombstone, The Sandlot, and Now and Then
Favorite book
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
Favorite food
Italian with a nice glass of cabernet
Favorite part of her job
Helping patients recover and reach new personal goals
Most memorable case
Megan worked with a human patient who developed a sudden, mysterious onset of full-body paralysis. The patient was bed-bound for three months with only the words. “We had no idea what the prognosis would be and if the patient would ever walk again,” Megan recalls. But the patient slowly regained all motor function. “The first time she stood with therapy and hugged her mom, we all cried.”
What does she do to stay positive every day?
“I really try to embody the mantra ‘mind over matter.’”
If she won the lottery. . .
Megan would buy her grandparents and parents new houses, travel with family and friends, build a ranch, and live off the land with lots of animals and a sprawling garden.
Looking forward to
Finishing school and working with wildlife abroad.
On her bucket list
Free diving with sharks and seeing the northern lights. “I have already crossed off skydiving and getting scuba certified.”
Most people don’t know
Megan was a dolphin and sea lion trainer in the Florida Keys and also worked at an aquarium with a giant Pacific octopus. “Her name was Octavia, and her favorite form of enrichment was to dismantle Mr. Potato Head,” Megan says. “I would return later to find Octavia proudly perched with Mr. Potato Head’s mustache at one end of the tank and his top hat at the other. I will never forget how much animals have taught me and how we can change the world by seeing life through their perspective.”
What advice would she give her younger self?
“Don’t be afraid to establish boundaries and to be confident in upholding those boundaries. It has been an important skill in not only my professional life, but my personal life.”
