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MedVet Career Spotlight: Max Parkanzky, DVM, DACVIM

Written by: MedVet
Published on: Sep 13, 2022

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Max Parkanzky, DVM, DACVIM [square]
Max Parkanzky, DVM, DACVIM

MedVet is the largest family of emergency and specialty hospitals owned and led by veterinarians. This distinction means we have unique insight into the challenges our caregivers face and what’s needed to provide a deeply supportive Caregiver Experience.

Building Careers at MedVet
Whether it’s the freedom to innovate, advance care and service delivery, or take action to influence their professional and personal development, we support building dream careers, not just jobs. Our caregivers are encouraged and empowered to share their expertise to nurture growth and advance our profession. In addition, we offer a suite of benefits that support our caregivers’ personal, financial, and workplace wellbeing, including opportunities for doctors to become shareholders. To learn more about the exciting opportunities to join the team Leading Specialty Healthcare for Pets, visit medvet.com/careers.

About Dr. Max Parkanzky
Max Parkanzky, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), is a Board-Certified Veterinary Internist and Interim Medical Director at MedVet Salt Lake City. When MedVet Vancouver opens in 2023, Dr. Parkanzky will relocate to serve as Medical Director for the brand-new 24/7 emergency and specialty hospital located in Vancouver, WA. He is currently the Internal Medicine Specialty Leader for all MedVet locations and has been a member of MedVet’s exceptional team of caregivers since 2019.

Dr. Parkanzky earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science at Michigan State University. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and master’s degree from Purdue University. Following veterinary school, he completed an internship and residency at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.

He has a strong interest in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases but also in minimally invasive diagnostics and therapies, liver disease and extracorporeal therapies such as dialysis.

Professional memberships include the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Our commitment to caring for our team is one of the reasons MedVet is the best place in our profession to give and receive care. It’s also what attracts the best and brightest professionals like Dr. Parkanzky to join our team. We sat down with Dr. Parkanzky to learn more about his path to becoming an internist and why he continues to choose to build a fulfilling career with MedVet.

What made you want to become a veterinarian? 
I’m the typical cliché in that I’ve always wanted to be a vet! I’ve always enjoyed being a caregiver and solving problems. It doesn’t hurt that I love animals as well.

Why did you choose Internal Medicine as a specialty?
Internal medicine originally sparked my interest during a physiology class in vet school. Learning how the kidneys work and then what goes wrong in disease was really what started it all. Many of these patients also have complex, and sometimes mysterious, problems that plays into my passion for solving problems!

What do you consider a challenge you’ve faced in your career and how you did you overcome it?
Specialty training and residency are, of course, rigorous and difficult but the most rewarding challenges for me have had nothing to do with being a doctor. Rather, leadership roles are something most vets aren’t taught how to handle. Supporting a team and overcoming obstacles together has been something that’s been really difficult to learn but incredibly fulfilling for me.

What do you consider one of your career successes?
I’m incredibly proud of the new services I helped bring to the clients in my area. First, I was only the third clinical internist in Utah when we started the Internal Medicine service at MedVet Salt Lake City shortly after my residency.  I then helped spearhead the dialysis service which isn’t offered anywhere else nearby.

What is a piece of advice you would share with those beginning their career?
Always keep an open mind. Whether that’s how you approach a new problem or where your career may lead. You may be pleasantly surprised at the number of incredible opportunities we have as veterinarians.

What is something unique about your career or career path?
I consider myself very lucky seeing as my career path had been predictable and straightforward. Perhaps the most exciting thing for me is what’s happening now; taking on more of a leadership role in our hospital and helping to support the entire team. I care a lot about my patients and clients but now I get to have an impact, albeit indirectly, on all the patients the hospital sees.

What do you like most about being part of the MedVet caregiver team? 
MedVet is one of the few specialty veterinary groups I’ve found that really prioritizes the whole trifecta of veterinary care; the patient, the client, and the team. It’s been incredibly supportive in pushing the boundaries of veterinary medicine to bring services to pets and clients that may not have had access to them previously.

MedVet has also been overwhelmingly supportive of my own goals, and I see this repeated for my colleagues and other team members as well. I was honored by being asked to represent all internists within MedVet as a Specialty Team Leader. This role is important because it helps ensure the priorities and needs of internists are being heard at the highest levels within MedVet. Transitioning to new leadership opportunities wasn’t initially on my radar and, frankly, likely wouldn’t be happening if I wasn’t with MedVet.

You can learn more about Dr. Parkanzky in our Meet the Specialist video series


View jobs of interest on the ACVIM Career Center