When Shawna Goekler Bradshaw joined Blue Springs Veterinary Services as an associate in August 2011, she was already familiar with the practice and the greater Hillsboro community, having completed a six-week clinical externship here during her final year at Purdue University.
Before her May 2011 graduation from Purdue’s School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Bradshaw received a bachelor of science degree in animal science, graduating with highest distinction, from Purdue in 2007 and was valedictorian of her high school class.
A Marshall, Illinois, native, Dr. Bradshaw grew up on a farm just outside of town. In addition to her involvement with her family’s beef cattle she was active in 4-H, showing pigs for ten years and “shadowing” veterinarians as they went about their work.
She was also active in the National FFA Organization and when the opportunity presented itself, she worked for a local a small-animal veterinary practice.
“Whenever there were calves to bottle-feed, I would love to help with those,” she recalls. “My grandfather also had chickens that were mainly used as a source of eggs for the family. And one year our grandmother gave all the grandkids a goat for Easter, and that we all enjoyed.”
“So I’ve been around and loved animals—large and small—all my life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved being around animals and helping them and I’ve known I wanted to work with them. So really, the only job I’ve ever wanted to do was to be a veterinarian.”
“I love the fact that Blue Springs is a mixed-animal practice, too,” she adds. “I love working with dogs and cats, but since I grew up on a farm, having the opportunity to work with large animals is especially near and dear to my heart.”
In addition to her lifelong love of animals, Dr. Bradshaw has always been active in sports, an interest she continues to pursue avidly and one she shares with her husband Craig, who is completing a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue.
“My husband and I are big into water-skiing,” says Dr. Bradshaw, who is making her first home in Hillsboro at the Soggy Bottom Water Ski Club. “I got involved with the water ski club during my externship, and I happened to find a place to live right on the lake.”
