In 2016, fresh out of college, Maudie Amos was looking for a role that would give her the practical experience to complement her medical knowledge. Forsyth Humane gave her that opportunity in the animal shelter. As the organization grew and evolved, so did Maudie, working her way into one the vital leadership role as medical manager. Maudie Amos has been working at Forsyth Humane long enough to be trained in every role at the shelter, and although there are days that are tough on her and her coworkers, she knows that she is helping to make an impact. As she says in the following interview, “the big picture is what keeps me going.”
Keep reading to get an inside look on Maudie’s experience at Forsyth Humane and in animal welfare as a whole.
What is your official job title and a little about what you do?
So, I am the medical manager, so I’m over the whole medical team as far as management, payroll, time off requests – just making sure the team is functioning well. Any team conflict – that’s me.
I also collab daily with the vets on site, so the surgery vet and our shelter vet. So Dr. Edmonds and Dr. Brown. We work closely together to make sure any animals that need vet consults or off site vets or resources like x-rays and stuff like that, I partner with them.
I’m also part of the euthanasia decision making team, so animals who might be chosen for euthanasia due to behavior, medical, or space concerns, I help make those decisions. I do controlled substance logging, drug logging. When we order it we keep drug logs in order to keep them controlled. I make sure our logs are correct. Just about everything.
I can do behavior assessments if I need to. I used to do that. I can do operations as well. I’m very flexible. I’m trained in all roles, which is a good quality to have.
Yeah, that’s everything I could do, so I’m just pretty flexible.
That’s very cool. So when did you start at Forsyth Humane?
So I started in 2016, right out of college. I didn’t have any medical experience like physically, like I had the knowledge, but not any hands on, and people don’t want to hire you if you don’t have the experience as well. So I was just like, you know, I’m just trying to get my foot in the door. You know Med Tech, Kennel Tech, I’ll take it.
So I was starting off working on Harris Teeter or their customer service clerk. So I was just doing that, and then I applied here as a Med Tech back when they were on Miller Street.
They gave me the opportunity and ever since then, I started as a Med Tech and then I was the Health and Wellness Coordinator at Country Club when we were bigger. And then I was a Country Club Manager for a while during the interim when we were trying to do this partnership, then once the need was greater, I came over here to be the Animal Care Manager, so I was over the Kennel Techs here. And now I’m the medical manager.
Wow. So, when did you start as the medical manager?
Maybe a year ago, that was like, back before my birthday, so maybe a year.
It runs fast. So this time last year was when I transitioned to the medical department.
Okay, cool. Yeah, I started in March and it feels like, well, some days it feels like I just started, and some days I’m like, I’ve been here for years.
Yeah, yeah. The days run fast, but I’m very grateful for this organization. They always just treat me like an equal and treat me like family. They always like to hire from within so you know they’re supportive of your internal growth.
And I have grown as a person here and I can see that.
Like some things I didn’t want to take on, but they’re like, No, you can do it. I’m like, No, I can’t. But I did do it. And I’m just grateful for this organization, and how I’ve grown in this organization, too.
Awesome. If you could go back to your very first day at Forsyth Humane, as a Med Tech, what kind of advice would you give your day one self?
I would say don’t be hard on myself. It’s okay to make mistakes so I can learn to be better. I would say just breathe, relax, because, you know, sometimes I just want to do a good job. So I’m like, I got to be efficient, I’ve got to do this. But it’s like, you know, it’s okay. You just just do your best. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. So what’s your favorite thing about working here these days?
I think the impact that we make overall, like the big picture. The day to day sometimes is stressful. Like, you know, we have a lot of emotions that we have to deal with. The weight of the team, the weight of the your staff members, the weight of the people who just see the outside looking. Just the day to day, you know, just things we have to deal with.
But the big picture is what keeps me going.
Like, saving lives. Even though I may have to literally put them, in the big picture, we’re saving more that we can bring in the front door.
Just like, feeling that emotion, like, yeah, we may have some hard days, but the better days are more rewarding. And I feel like I’m making a difference with people who have that same vision. So, that’s wht I like about my job.
This might be a hard one. So if you could change one thing about how animal welfare works overall, what would you change?
Hmmm. I feel like I would change the perspective of the communities and the different people that are part of animal welfare. Like just being more educated about different organizations’ goals and you know, what they really stand for. Not just assuming that we do this or we do that, but everyone being transparent and educated about what we really do and not what they think we do.
Yes. Yeah, that’s something we talk about doing all the time. Sometimes it’s hard because you don’t want to say too much and then make people upset.
Yeah. Or you don’t want to be biased or they feel like you work there, so you’re just saying that. And I’m like, No, I’ve seen it. Working here, you see everything, you know? So I mean, I’m a living witness.
Being a part of that change I feel like people should know that realness and transparency of like what really goes on here – the good, the bad, the ugly system and what it takes to really be operational and successful as a humane society.
That’s awesome. Cool. That’s all I’ve got. Thank you so much.
