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Valerye Hidalgo: AAHA/CareCredit Employee of the Month May 2026

EOTM May 2026

Congratulations to Valerye Hidalgo, receptionist at Opossum Pike Veterinary Clinic in Frederick, Maryland, the May 2026 AAHA/CareCredit Employee of the Month!

Ben Williams

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VALERYE HIDALGO
Receptionist

Nominated By: Lauri Edwards, Administrative Director

American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Accredited logo

Practice Name: Opossum Pike Veterinary Clinic

Year Started in Veterinary Medicine: 2025

Years with Current Practice: 5 months

Fun fact: Opossum Pike has been AAHA-accredited since 1977!

Why is Valerye so awesome?

Valerye has been a receptionist with us for less than a year and she has set the bar high for receptionists at our clinic. She goes above and beyond in client care and doing so many extra things for the clinic that we didn’t know we needed.
She is able to bring her past passion of editing and writing to help the clinic in so many ways. Valerye is a breath of fresh air for the clinic, staff, and clients. She brings the joy and laughter that we have been missing for several years back to our clinic.
Nothing seems to hard for her and she always give 110%. Valerye is always looking for ways to go above and beyond for our doctors, patients, staff, and clients. Valerye makes the clinic a better place to bring your pet and a better place to work simply by being herself.

How does she go above and beyond?

Valerye noticed that we had room for improvement in many areas including: clarity and explanation of our consent forms, signage (even suggesting signs we needed but didn’t have), our website, appointment reminder statements, and how we talk to clients.
She took it upon herself to suggest changes that could be made and offered to implement them. We had a lot of changes that needed to be made to our safety handbook and employee handbook to upload for our AAHA evaluation and Valerye took the initiative to help us modify them using her expertise in writing and editing.
She did all this on top of being a warm, welcoming, joyful receptionist. She even volunteered to update our website, something we had been struggling to get to time/staff wise.
Valerye brings so much real world knowledge to our clinic which helps us bridge the gap between age and culture differences with our staff and clients. She encouraged us to allow her to translate some of our documents into Spanish and has volunteered to translate during some appointments.
 Valerye makes sure to point out the positive in everyone around her. She has really helped our clinic get back to where we were years ago in terms of enjoyment of the job that we are doing and making the day (even the toughest days)better for clients.

In her own words:

Why do you love your job?

I love my job because of the ability I have to help someone out while they are experiencing something difficult. A calm voice can make a world of a difference when pet parents are scared, overwhelmed, or stressed. A client that feels taken care of makes a difference for their furry baby too.

Tell us about your pets at home

I have two long-haired tuxedos—Dr. Freddie Jamón Pantuflas and Oliver Valentine. I adopted Dr. Freddie during my senior year of college in October 2025. Dr. Freddie loves to sit in the window and watch birds, play with worms on strings, and eat!
Ollie was adopted in September 2025. Ollie is a Velcro kitty who demands to be held at any moment possible. He loves to play fetch with his lamb chop toy, and enjoys chasing after springs.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I have a lot of creative hobbies! I play guitar (acoustic, electric, and bass), make collage art, and write poetry and creative non-fiction. I also enjoy lifting weights!

Favorite book or show?

My favorite book is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut! My favorite TV show is The X-Files.

Favorite celeb?

I don’t have a favorite Hollywood celebrity, but I do have favorite writers that have begun to reach “celebrity” status. My favorite is Ocean Vuong.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Opossum Pike Vet Clinic

Disclaimer: Trends content is meant to inform, educate, and inspire by providing an array of diverse viewpoints. Any content published should not be viewed as an official stance, position, or endorsement by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or its Board of Directors.

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Official publication of The American Animal Hospital Association