We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Dr. Jessica Robb, DVM, has joined Drs. Baxter and Aiton at the Blaine County Veterinary Clinic. Robb started with the local practice in early June then took maternity leave for birth of her first child, Braxton. She resumed duties at the clinic in mid-October. She and her husband, Will, live in the Cleveland area.
Robb grew up in McCook, Nebraska, a town of about 8,000 residents, in the southcentral part of the state. She noted an interest in becoming a veterinarian since she was a young girl. A veterinarian in her hometown encouraged her interest in treating animals by allowing her to 'shadow' him from time to time. About that same time a TV show titled "Emergency Vets" was airing. Robb wrote "I loved that TV show and would watch it every chance I got." She added the visits with the vet and the TV series "made me decide at the age of about eight that I wanted to be a vet and that never changed."
She had connections to farming as her grandparents operated a dairy farm and also raised beef cattle and farmed. Robb was active in 4-H until she was 18, training and showing dogs. She said participating in 4-H, and later helping younger 4-H members with their projects, also helped spur her interest in animal health.
Robb did her undergraduate work at the University of Nebraska. She completed the 2+2 program with Iowa State University-where vet students complete the first two years of grad school at Nebraska, then move on to Iowa State. During her fourth year she completed a 'mixed animal track' that gave her a wide range of clinical rotations-from dogs, cats, cattle and horses to llamas, sheep and a wallaby from a local zoo in Iowa.
Asked what attracted her to the veterinary practice in Chinook she wrote, "I enjoy the variety.... My first appointment might be a new kitten for some vaccines and the next may be a dog hit by a vehicle and requiring surgery." She added she would be seeing large animals that come into the clinic while the other doctors are out in the country. Robb said she and her husband were always interested in moving to Montana and the local clinic had the kind of mixed practice she hoped to join.
Recent news stories have pointed out the increased numbers of women going on to veterinary schools. Robb explained, "Something like 70% of my class was women" and guessed that about half that number would join either large animal or mixed practices. She said she met some resistance, before Chinook, about women working with large animals. She's convinced that will eventually go away as more women practice with large animals.
Robb and her husband have been married about two years. Already she and Will are taking an EMT course so they can serve on the local ambulance crew. Will is already a local volunteer fireman. The Robb's enjoy outdoor activities, including hunting and fishing. They have a horse and three dogs. As to future plans, Robb opined, "So far we really like the area and plan on staying a while. We will see if the feeling is still there after the first winter."
The "Journal" welcomes Jessica, Will and Braxton to the area and wishes them best wishes in their new place.
