Kelsy Richardson arrived in San Diego County on a Friday. By the following Monday, she had an interview at an Encinitas animal hospital. A week later, she was on the job.
That kind of fast pivot is second nature for Richardson, 33, a Navy spouse who has spent the last 15 years adapting to the unpredictability of military life.
Now a mother of two and office manager at the animal hospital where she started as an assistant, she is completing the final months of an online veterinary technician program. It’s a credential she hopes will follow her family wherever the Navy sends them next.
“I have been able, because of that roller coaster, not only to adapt emotionally but also mentally and physically,” Richardson said, reflecting on years of unexpected deployments and last-minute relocation orders. “I think that is one of the strengths that I have learned over the last 15 years.”
Her love of animals predates her military life. Richardson grew up in Southern Colorado, riding horses and participating in a 4H veterinary science club led by a practicing veterinarian.
“He would be on call and often during our meetings, we would have emergencies come to the clinic,” she said. “So we got to see real cases and be hands-on with it, which really just intrigued my interest.”
Richardson originally set her sights on a veterinary doctorate at Colorado State University, but quickly realized the length of the program wasn’t the right path, especially as life and love intervened early. Still, the dream of working with animals never left her.
“The veterinary medicine side of things really fascinated me from a very young age,” she said. “I love learning how the body works and how diseases and medications affect the body.”
Kelsy Richardson with a furry friend. (Photo courtesy of Kelsy Richardson)Richardson and her husband have been stationed across the country and overseas, including multiple tours in Hawaii and a stint in Guam, where she earned an online certified veterinary assistant credential through Animal Behavior College — one of the few options available to keep her career moving forward on the remote island.
When the family arrived in San Diego in mid-July 2023 – it was her son’s fifth move and her daughter’s first as a toddler – Richardson drew on that same adaptability. Within months of starting at the Encinitas hospital, she stepped up to help fill a management void.
“It was kind of a fate situation,” she said. “I surprised myself with how quickly I picked up things, especially the administrative side of management.”
She was officially promoted to office manager in April 2024.
Two months later, Richardson enrolled in Penn Foster‘s veterinary technician program, an online, self-paced pathway to an associate of science degree.
“You have up to a year to complete each semester on your own time,” she said.
Richardson is now in her final externship. Most of the clinical hours have been completed at the Encinitas hospital, where a veterinarian specializing in exotics helped her with birds and rabbits. For large animal requirements, Richardson traveled last month to a rural clinic in northern Wisconsin, near Lake Superior. She expects to sit for the national licensing exam this summer.
The vet tech credential Richardson is pursuing is also a practical defense against the career setbacks military spouses can face when moving between states. California does not require licensing for certain advanced veterinary procedures, but other states do and the family moves back to Hawaii in January.
The move will be bittersweet. This posting in San Diego is the longest the family has been in one place — 2.5 years. Richardson’s 9-year-old son has built a close network of friends for the first time. Her 4-year-old daughter has only ever known their Linda Vista neighborhood.
Richardson hopes her path resonates with other military spouses who feel their careers are perpetually on hold.
“We get so caught up in our spouse’s careers because they ultimately do come first,” she said. “But our careers are just as important, and our goals and aspirations in life are just as important.
“I was in a place for a long time that I didn’t think that I could do this. I’m 33 years old and finally able to work on my dreams and goals. It’s never too late.”
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