From a very young age, Christi Luke (Veterinary Medicine ‘14) had a love for animals. Her mother supported this passion, but reminded her that there was much more to cute animals than playing with them.

When she was old enough, Luke’s mother suggested she get a job at a vet clinic to gain exposure to the industry that she was passionate about. It did not take long for Luke to realize the intensity and difficulty of the job mentally, physically and emotionally. However, this only solidified her dreams of being a veterinarian. Through this job, she began to understand and appreciate the beauty and complexity of the human-animal bond.

Going into NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, Luke had the idea to do mixed-animal practice. Upon graduation, she took a small-animal practice job that fit her family’s needs. She stuck with small animal medicine, though she never lost her love for other animals — especially horses and small ruminants.

Rekindling the fire

After 10 years in the field, Luke was experiencing extreme burnout, but could not fathom a career outside of veterinary medicine. She began exploring her interest in pain management and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). This opened up a whole new world for Luke.

She performs TCVM on cats and dogs at her clinic, but found great enjoyment in treating horses during her schooling. Luke wanted to continue this journey and felt the best path forward was to start her own mobile practice, Shen Bright Mobile Veterinary Services.

The mission of Shen Bright

Through Shen Bright, Luke offers acupuncture and herbal therapies to a variety of animals — including horses, sheep, dogs, cats and pigs. Recently, she introduced laser acupuncture and cold laser therapy to further help patients, especially those who are needle-phobic. As Shen Bright continues to expand, Luke hopes to continue adding modalities to help with pain control and internal medicine conditions. Along with this, she hopes to add continuing education opportunities for clients at local barns.

Navigating entrepreneurship

Starting a business in veterinary medicine is not easy. With much of her background in science and veterinary medicine, Luke has been learning about marketing as she goes. Word of mouth has been the primary method, but she has also worked to build a larger social media presence to continue educating pet owners.

As her business grows, Luke has found scheduling difficult because she strongly values providing exemplary care. She likes to give patients as much time as they need for successful treatment, which can range from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the patient and the day.

Strength of the pack

Starting her business after veterinary school, Luke said, “I’m lucky to have friends who are familiar with running businesses.” She credits their help as she navigates the startup journey. She also said, “You need someone looking out for your best interests,” while noting the importance of having a good lawyer and accountant in your business circle.

Exploring VetMed entrepreneurship

The journey through VetMed entrepreneurship has been an exciting learning experience. As she reflected on her first year in business following a period of burnout, Luke said, “There are so many new and exciting opportunities in our profession that even those experiencing burnout can choose a different path while staying in veterinary medicine — a career we have given our literal blood, sweat and tears to.”

She had a few pieces of advice to aspiring veterinarians.

• Take more business classes throughout your academic career — not just one course in undergrad or vet school.
• Ask about the business side of practices during internships and externships; there is a lot you can learn during that time outside of medical skills.