The laboratory animal technician is praised not only for the impeccable care she gives the animals in her charge, but also for volunteering to step in to cover census-taking duties.
Ashea Hatcher saw a need, and she stepped in to fill it.
The laboratory animal technician in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Veterinary Resources (VR) program has volunteered during two time periods in the past year to complete the census duties for VR in addition to her normal animal caretaking duties. This job involves scanning the cage cards in the 10 VR animal facilities each week — amounting to about 12,000 cards. The census duties ensure that principal investigators can obtain real-time information about their animals as well as detailed invoices.
“Fully expecting to scan a few of the facilities myself last week, I checked Cayuse [the vivarium operations software] on Wednesday and discovered that Ashea had already scanned seven of the 10 facilities without even being asked,” said Carey Martin, MA, MBA, business operations administrator, VR.
On April 7, Hatcher was surprised by University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, during a videoconference with the news that she had been selected as the University’s April Employee of the Month.
“A lot of people have seen how dedicated you are to your job, how good you are to the animals, and how you live out UMB’s core values,” Jarrell said. “It went noticed, and that’s a really nice thing to be able to tell you: how much people look up to what you’re doing.”
Hatcher takes care of about 200 mice, doing welfare checks and making sure they have food, water, and clean cages.
“When it comes to being an animal caretaker, Ashea is one of the best we have in the program,” said Martin, who nominated Hatcher for the award. “She was recently asked by her supervisor to train a newly hired laboratory animal technician because of the impeccable care she gives to each animal under her purview.”
Hatcher adheres to established animal welfare protocols, research ethics, and regulatory requirements to maintain high standards of care. She accurately documents animal health and behavior and reports any concerns promptly.
“She treats all animals with kindness, patience, and attentiveness, ensuring their physical and emotional well-being,” said her supervisor, Ashley Lipman, veterinary facility manager. “She minimizes harm and discomfort by following humane handling techniques to reduce stress in the animals.”
Hatcher said working with the animals keeps her busy. “I enjoy walking around and seeing the animals,” she said.
Hatcher, who has worked at UMB for seven years, had earlier training on the census taking, but she said the system has since changed.
“I’m still learning, and I’m excited about the things that I’m learning,” she said. “I enjoy going around to each building and talking to everybody. It gives me the opportunity to interact with more of my co-workers. I’m also looking at the animals. I still make sure they’re OK in the process.”
With the cage card work, Martin pointed out that not only has Hatcher volunteered and completed the census duties, but she also has tackled another challenge.
“Ashea was also able to solve a months-behind backlog of deactivated cage cards,” Martin said. “She created a new and improved filing system, which has allowed for better management of the cage cards and their corresponding destruction dates.”
During the videoconference, Hatcher’s colleagues took turns praising her, which brought her to tears.
Larry J. Shelton, DVM, MPH, director of VR, said he was proud of Hatcher.
“All I’ve heard is she has knocked it out of the park,” he said. “This is so well deserved, and I appreciate having you on the team.”
Kristine Spelman, manager, Veterinary Operations and Facility Management, said it has been a pleasure watching Hatcher’s career trajectory.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure watching you grow with the department with so many different adverse situations while seeing you navigate everything with a smile on your face,” she said. “You are always such a pleasure to work with and be around, and to watch you progress in your career has been very admirable.
“It says a lot about you as a person,” Spelman added. “Because when the department was faced with a situation where we really needed help, you stepped right into that role and excelled. And that put a huge spotlight on you as an employee, as a person, to take that type of situation and really flourish and do it so well and consistently.”
Martin reiterated during the videoconference that she is impressed with Hatcher’s dedication.
“You were juggling your normal caretaking duties. You were training a new employee. You were also filling in the gaps doing census work. You were on top of everything and anything, and you did it with this huge smile,” she said. “I didn’t know how you were handling it all, but you did it so well.”
Hatcher will receive a certificate, a letter of commendation, and an extra $250 in her next paycheck for the award. Hatcher said she was surprised and grateful to receive the honor and thanked Jarrell, Martin, Shelton, and other managers she works with, calling it “a team effort.”
“I’ve been working hard for the past seven years, so I feel honored,” she said. “I’m kind of speechless. I’m grateful.”