Mickas "has big shoes to fill but he has the skills and abilities to do that," veterinary hospital Director Harmon Rogers said. "And he brings a set of experiences in private practice into our academic setting that will help our clients and our students."

Mickas joins three other veterinarians who supervise fourth-year veterinary students when they see and treat small animals brought into the hospital by a variety of clients from the local area and the Northwest.

"When the senior students are in the small animal rotation, they assess and do the exams by themselves. Then we come in, examine the animals and talk with the client and review the student's work," Mickas said. "The process helps the students get more comfortable and feel competent integrating their classroom experience with the clinical setting. The clients benefit partly because if we need to refer them to a specialist, we have them all right here as well."

Mickas was a veterinary student at WSU and graduated in 1997.

"I knew Dr. K when I was a student. We worked together on one case I remember, with the ophthalmology specialists, about a dog named Rags who had cataracts," Mickas said. "Three years later when I was visiting WSU I remember that client saying to me that although Rags had passed away later, she was still grateful for the care we'd been able to give ...that's one of the most rewarding parts of being a vet, being able to help clients when they are trying to respond to the problems their animals are having and make the best decisions they can by thinking with their hearts."

WSU's vet school emphasizes not only technical education, but the ability to successfully communicate with clients, Mickas said.

"This hospital really teaches students to express their compassion and help the people who bring in the animals, not just stop with the technical knowledge," he said.

Mickas, who is married and has three young children, said he is happy to be back on the Palouse for reasons beyond the vet hospital itself.

"This is a great place to raise a family," he said.