Dr. Mara Elspeth Connolly

Profile

Board-eligible small animal veterinarian with 9 years of clinical experience in high-volume general practice and emergency medicine. Specializes in soft-tissue surgery, internal medicine, and Fear Free patient handling. Reduced post-operative complication rates by 22% at current practice through protocol standardization and staff training.

Work Experience

Associate VeterinarianMar 2019 - Present

Barton Hills Animal Hospital, Austin, TX

Manage a caseload of 18–24 patients daily across wellness, urgent care, and surgical appointments, maintaining a 96% client satisfaction score on post-visit surveys.
Standardized pre-anesthetic screening protocols for patients over 7 years old, reducing anesthesia-related adverse events by 22% over a 24-month period.
Mentored 3 new-graduate DVMs through a structured 90-day onboarding program, cutting average time-to-independent-caseload from 16 weeks to 10 weeks.

Emergency VeterinarianJun 2016 - Feb 2019

Capital City Veterinary Emergency Center, Austin, TX

Triaged and treated 30–45 emergency cases per 12-hour shift in a 6-doctor, 24-hour facility handling over 12,000 annual visits.
Performed emergency soft-tissue surgeries including GI foreign body removal, splenectomy, and urethral obstruction relief with a 91% successful discharge rate.
Introduced a standardized pain-scoring system (Colorado State scale) across all shifts, improving consistent analgesia administration compliance from 64% to 97%.

Veterinary AssociateJul 2015 - May 2016

Lakewood Companion Animal Clinic, San Marcos, TX

Conducted wellness exams, vaccinations, and diagnostics for a mixed small-animal and exotic patient population of roughly 900 active clients.
Launched a senior wellness screening package that increased annual bloodwork compliance in patients over 8 years old by 38% within the first 6 months.
Reduced average client wait time by 11 minutes per appointment by redesigning intake workflows in collaboration with the practice manager.

Skills

Small Animal Surgery (soft-tissue & orthopedic)Emergency & Critical Care MedicineDiagnostic Imaging (digital radiography, abdominal ultrasound)Anesthesia Monitoring & Protocol DesignFear Free Certified Professional (FFCP)Internal Medicine – endocrinology, gastroenterologyVeterinary Client Communication & Case PresentationIDEXX & Heska in-house laboratory platformsDEA Registered – Schedule II–V controlled substances

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