Meet Jin An

We were lucky to catch up with Jin An recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jin, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic comes from various sources.

My role model is my mother who had worked diligently selflessly so that she can help her family, friends, etc. She rarely spends money for herself, but she would help and give money to those in need.

Another source of my work ethic also comes from being a Christian. There are 2 bible passages I strive to live by. In Colossians 3:23-24, the author (likely Apostle Paul) tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”. And in Romans 14:8, the Apostle Paul tells us, “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord”.

When I was in high school working/volunteering at a veterinary hospital (from 9th to 12th grade from 1996-2000), I just wanted to become a veterinarian (without thinking too much about finances). I truly respected the veterinarian whom I volunteered for. It was beautiful to see this vet saving many pets’ lives. At that time, I thought that this vet was able to talk to animals.

In college, I worked at another animal hospital from 2000-2004. I still did not give up my aspiration of becoming a veterinarian without thinking too much about my future/finances. I just wanted to save pets’ lives.

When I was in grad school (vet school), I took out a lot of loans to become what I’ve always wanted to become (a veterinarian). By the time I was officially working as a veterinarian (in 2010), I realized how little I was making compared to how much I owed in loans. So, I worked extra shifts (graveyard/emergency shifts) on top of my full time (day time general practice) so that I could pay off the loans quickly. Not only I was able to pay the loans off quickly, but I also gained tremendous amount of knowledge working many hours as a veterinarian (learning from vet nurses and other associate veterinary colleagues).

Now I call myself a Christian Veterinarian. I believe that God created all of these animals/pets so that I can help/save them to the best of my ability in order to create a unique bonds with their human parents. Not only I am able to help with pets’ well-being, but I am also able to financially help/support my family, friends, missionaries/pastors, etc. This unique trait of working hard with honesty comes from the Christian value system as well as seeing my mom working diligently while growing up.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

After 10 years of working under corporately owned/privately owned veterinary hospitals, my wife thought it was a great idea to open our own animal hospital.

The opportunity came 4 years ago (2020) to have my own veterinary hospital (Belmont Heights Animal Hospital) in Long Beach. In the first 2 years, I was very stressed out about “what if I don’t make enough money and end up closing down the hospital”. The reason for this was that I didn’t want to increase the costs of veterinary services, but I also wanted to pay my employees well. There were many pet parents who couldn’t afford the costs of veterinary services when I was working elsewhere. Thus, as an owner/veterinarian, I decided to make my veterinary costs/services affordable/reasonable with a great quality service, which involved being faithful, persistent, personable, honest, courteous, thorough, etc with my clients. It’s been 4 years of serving the neighbors without much break/vacation faithfully, and I am so humbly thankful that now I have many clients who trust me as their vet. Some of them actually told me that I had spoiled them, and they have hard time finding a vet when they move away to another location.

Now I am stressed out about not being able to see/help every pets in a single day. There were times I had to turn away few patients/clients to emergency facilities because I was over booked with appointments for the day. When my kids are a bit older, my plan is to extend my hours to help more clients/patients.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I believe that being open to changes is very crucial. Pride sometimes gets in the way, and when someone below us suggests to do certain, we end up getting hurt inside. Learning to get rid of self-pride and humbly accepting suggestions definitely is one way to grow more mature as a person.

Secondly, persistency/perseverance by working hard without comparing ourselves to other employees is another great quality to have. I had 1 employee complaining about another employee because s/he was working harder, but pay was about the same. When I was working at another hospital as a vet, I didn’t work hard for money. I just worked hard to help other employees/coworkers without comparing myself with others. When I worked hard without complaining much, not only I was offered a raise, but I also was given an opportunity for promotion with additional vacation days (the manager told me that I deserved a break).

Thirdly, being transparent/honest with co-workers and with clients is a great quality to have.

Fourthly, I would recommend the new folks to become a great listener. I always take long-time with my appointments because I tend to listen to clients. While I listen to the clients, I start to organize my thoughts before I speak and give advises. When the clients speak to me for 10 to 15 minutes, I am able to summarize and give advise within 5-10 minutes.

Lastly, treat your last patient/client as if s/he is your very first appointment. As the day ends, I think we tend to become impatient because we get tired with the previous appointments. Prior to each appointments, I compose myself and try to regain my strength so that I can finish the race well.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Bible has played an important role in my development.
It says in Colossians 3:23, one of the verses in the Bible, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” In Proverbs 3:5-6, it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”.

There are many more verses (or I shall say, everything in the Bible) that are valuable nuggets or wisdom. Above 2 verses definitely have changed the way I view things and do things. Above 2 verses help me to persevere and overcome hardships and difficulties. They help me to be diligent, and also help me to be honest with my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.belmontheightsvet.com
• Instagram: belmontheightsah

Image Credits

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