University of Delaware alumna Monica Sterk works as a regional medical director for Veterinary Emergency Group’s 20 hospitals in the northeast region.

Medicine meets mentorship

Article by Nya Wynn Photos courtesy of Monica Sterk June 06, 2025

Emergency room veterinarian and UD pre-veterinary medicine alumna Monica Sterk extends her knowledge through UD student mentorship

University of Delaware alumna Monica Sterk knew she was destined to become a veterinarian. But after graduating from UD in 2013 with a degree in pre-veterinary medicine, she had no idea where her veterinarian journey would take her. General practice? Mixed-animal vet working with large and small animals? But after being hired as an emergency room veterinarian at a 24-hour hospital, her world turned upside down.

“I started that job, telling myself that if I could do this and learn as much as I can, I can then get a job anywhere, since it was such great experience,” Sterk said. “Turns out, I fell in love with working overnight ER. It was exciting and different and challenging. It was kind of a little bit of everything.”

In 2018, she joined Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) as an ER doctor. Back then, VEG had only three hospitals in its organization, but Sterk felt she had found where she was meant to be.

“At VEG, it’s a very open-concept ER,” Sterk said. “It changed my perspective on veterinary medicine and emergency veterinary medicine. I really just fell in love with the company and the ER.”

Now Sterk works as a regional medical director, supporting 20 different hospitals in VEG’s network from Philadelphia to Massachusetts.

“The bulk of my day is helping with new ideas, working with medical operations, creating things like patient safety event logging and what we do with that information,” Sterk said.

The Blue Hen alumna coaches veterinary doctors, offering the expert guidance that they need to run a successful hospital.

“There are also times I work on the floor as a doctor and in an emergency room,” Sterk said. “You never know what's gonna happen and what’s gonna come in, but the majority of my time is spent in leadership.”

Although she fit perfectly into a leadership role, it did not come by chance. During her time as an undergraduate at UD and in veterinary school at Western University of Health Sciences, Sterk served in various leadership roles, helping her peers and mentoring students in the pre-veterinary medicine program.

Sterk served as the vice president of Sigma Alpha, the agricultural special interest sorority in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, where she learned the value in how great leadership can help shape a team.

Since graduating from UD, Sterk has returned many times to give talks and attend networking events with Sigma Alpha, the Animal Science Club and the Pre-Veterinary Club.

Sterk now works mainly in leadership, but still gets hours on the emergency room floor working with animals and clients.

“My big thing for the students is that sometimes you have no idea where things are going to take you, but the unknown leads you to very new and different places that you’re going to be very happy with,” Sterk said. “I am living proof that I wanted the exact opposite, but here I am loving what I’m doing.”

At one of these events, Sterk met Zoey Zuckerman, a pre-veterinary medicine major at the time, and they struck up a conversation.

“My father is also a veterinarian, so he was kind of involved with the Veterinary Emergency Group, and I connected with her that way,” said Zuckerman, who graduated from UD in 2021. “After that meeting, I went up to her and asked if I could shadow her while she was working, and it went from there.”

Zuckerman shadowed Sterk at VEG while she was still an ER doctor. Although Zuckerman always wanted to pursue veterinary medicine, she credits her shadowing experience with Sterk as a huge driver of pursuing emergency medicine and leadership.

“Monica was just so passionate about the job and about client communication,” Zuckerman said. “We go into this field knowing that we want to help animals, but helping the people with them is more of a difficult part that they don’t necessarily teach you in school, so watching her be so passionate about it made me want to do the same thing.”

After finishing up her degree at UD, Zuckerman attended veterinary school, during which she stayed in close contact with Sterk. When it was time to look for jobs, Zuckerman already knew where she wanted to be.

“I just started at VEG as an emergency veterinarian at the end of January, in the same hospital where I originally shadowed Monica,” Zuckerman said. “I see myself one day being in a medical director role as well. I would love to follow in her footsteps.”

Sterk’s mentorship with Zuckerman was not an isolated event. Indeed, Sterk continually mentors UD students looking to go to veterinary school.

“I’m always happy to help,” Sterk said. “I’m like throwing my phone number and email to anyone who wants it. It’s something that I’m really passionate about. I love inspiring the students and being there for whoever needs me.”

Sterk emulates great leadership in her role, continuing to mentor UD students, alumni and other doctors where possible, extending her impact both at work and within the UD community.

“I really love the idea of making big scale changes and really supporting those who need it, and being what we call a servant leader,” Sterk said. “Everything that I do, it’s really to serve the people who are on the front lines. So, it really is a big reward for me when I can make changes and create initiatives that make their lives easier and keep our patients safer.”