Beliefs - Vet in Bellingham | Animal Emergency Care

The AEC Mission

Animal Emergency Care strives to provide compassionate care and quality service, delivered by a team of dedicated professionals practicing state-of-the-art veterinary medicine, to all Whatcom, Skagit, and Island county families, their pets, and corresponding referral veterinarians with principle integrity.

Empathy and Compassion

This is at the heart of what we do. We are caring, respectful, and encouraging to those we serve and to each other.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Working together to improve the experience of our teammates, patients, and clients.
Being present and engaged in our interactions with each other and our daily work.
Actively listening.
Treating everyone with respect regardless of position, title, degree, or expertise.
Maintaining the highest levels of compassion and respect for the animals in our care.

Efficiency

We are responsible, ethical, and transparent in the administration and management of our practice. We strive to make the running of our practice as simple and efficient as possible.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Communicating clearly and concisely.
Being good stewards of our time and talents.
Valuing effectiveness and efficiency in each other.

Integrity and Personal Accountability

We accept responsibility for our actions; we keep our word and focus on solutions rather than fault.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Being thoughtful about how our words and our actions influence others.
Being accountable for our actions and being true to our word.
Being good stewards of our resources.

Asking of ourselves:

How do I demonstrate accountability?
What is limiting my accountability?
What more can I do to achieve results?

Change and Innovation

We are creative and embrace positive, constructive discussion around areas of differing opinions.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Maintaining an attitude of flexibility and adaptability.
Avoiding the “it’s always been done that way” trap.
Being open to having our opinions challenged in a constructive manner. Looking for New opportunities to better serve our community.
Proactively responding and providing creative solutions to address the needs of our clients and team.

Openness and Trust

Our communication is direct and honest. We promote authenticity and transparency in our practice. We are open to feedback and coaching, and we give feedback with candor and respect.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Developing camaraderie with the people with whom we work.
Working to provide and accept honest and constructive feedback.

Value People and Their Ideas

The health of our practice demands we respect each other, we maintain inclusivity, and we value the contributions of each member of our team.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Recognizing people matter.
Defining success as the prioritization of people rather than maximizing profit.
Understanding and utilizing all of our strengths so every team member has the opportunity and the tools to achieve their full potential.

Excellence

We are committed to the excellence in the standards we set, the results we produce, and in the dedicated service we provide.

At AEC, we live this value by:

Acting with professionalism in everything that we do.
Providing outstanding veterinary medical care.
Committing to personal excellence in our individual efforts and actions.
Participating in continuing education.

Communication and Medical Records

We do not take for granted the trust that our referring veterinarians place in us each time they place one of their patient’s lives in our care. This trust, along with our ability to communicate in a timely, accurate, and professional manner is a major contributor to our success.

At AEC, we live this value daily by:

Keeping accurate and detailed records for use by our own medical team and our referring veterinarians.
Providing complete medical records including ancillary tests to our referring veterinarians in a timely manner.

The AEC Vision

Animal Emergency Care will set the standard for the highest caliber of veterinary medicine practiced in Whatcom County, and we are committed to employing only the best personnel in our field.

Animal Emergency Care will be a teaching hospital that not only provides ongoing education and training for its team but acts as a venue for hosting continuing education and training events for area veterinarians, their clients, and their teams.

Animal Emergency Care will be a beacon in the community for information benefitting our entire referral base as well as the public we serve.