Jordan Kocen, DVM, MS
Director of Holistic Medicine Department
SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Center
Fairfax, Virginia

How long have you been working in your current career? Graduated from University of Missouri Collage of Veterinary Medicine in 1986.  Holistic Medicine exclusive since 1996

Why did you decide to pursue this career?  
Veterinary Medicine is the only thing I wanted to do since young.  Holistic Medicine theory was intriguing so I pursued that route.

What traits would you say make your job “humane”? 
The ability to increase animal’s comfort, longevity and quality of life.  The ability to educate owners about things that they can do for the same results.

What kind of education and training did you get before you started your first professional job? 
4 years college for a Bachelors degree, 2 years for a Masters degree and then 4 years of veterinary college.

How did you find your first job in your profession?
Advertisements in veterinary publications.

What are your duties in your current position? 
Clinical treatment of dogs and cats with aternative modalities including Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, and Homeopathic medicine.  Advising clients on all of the treatment options and helping them make a decision on how to proceed. 

What do you like most about your job? 
All of it:  animal contact, people contact, the ability to continually expand my knowledge base.

What’s a typical workday like for you?  
Appointments all day long.  Many cases are follow up appointments which require deciding if we should continue in the way we are or change therapy and new appointments which involve determining which therapy each patient needs and then educating the owner in regard to that decision and other options available. 

What types of training or experiences do you need to keep up-to-date in your field?
Continuing education conferences, online courses, reading, studying.

What keeps you motivated to keep doing your work? 
I like what I do. 

What personal traits do you think someone needs to be successful in your field? 
You must be comfortable talking to people and confident in your own ability to give clients the confidence to work with you.  You must be able to communicate well.

What advice would you give to a college student or other young person considering entering your field?  What advice would you give to someone who’s changing fields and is interested in a career in your profession? 
Don’t give up if this what you really want to do.  Obtain as much experience as you can before entering school to be sure this is what you want to do.

July 2005