DrAndyRoark.com

Articles, Videos, & Training on Pets & Veterinary Medicine

Jade Velasquez, LVT

Five Things We Have to Stop Doing in Vet Med

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1. Putting ourselves last.

We all care immensely about our jobs. We care for our patients, clients and coworkers. But we often put ourselves last on the list. We must find ways to put ourselves first. Listen to your body. When you feel stressed, anxious or exhausted your body is telling you something is wrong.

Are you putting your physical, emotional and mental health first? Are you leaving work at work when you walk out the clinic door? Are you doing things that you enjoy? We care so much for others that we forget to care for ourselves. This isn’t sustainable. Make yourself a priority! You are worth it!

2. Resisting change.

Back in the old days, we boxed cats down for anesthesia. We used muscle to restrain with the intent of getting the job done. Then we began to see a shift in how we handled cases. We use chemical restraint and practice low-stress techniques to give our patients a better hospital experience.

Change happens. It helps us grow and push forward. It brings innovative ideas and maybe even better ways to do things. We cannot dig our heels into the ground and cling onto how we’ve “always done things”. We must come up with ideas and be willing to let our coworkers feel safe to bring up ideas. Without change there is no growth. We must always be willing to grow.

3. Not speaking up when something seems wrong.

I remember feeling off about a case one day. My gut feeling was this patient wasn’t safe to go under anesthesia. Blood work was normal. There was a heart murmur that had been addressed by the cardiologist. The patient was bright and alert. Something felt wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I asked the doctor what they thought about doing radiographs before anesthesia. They let me go with it.

Turns out the patient had abdominal fluid and needed more than just the elective procedure they came in for that day. I thank my lucky stars that I was willing to say something and that my doctor was willing to listen. Our gut feelings and senses are a mystery on why they work the way they do. And sometimes they are wrong. But by speaking up when something doesn’t sit right, we can continue to be our patient’s advocate.

4. Tolerating bad behavior.

Talking to so many of my colleagues, I have found that many of them have been bullied, spoken down to or made miserable by someone in the clinic. Maybe it’s a boss, coworker or even a client. But many of those who were experiencing this nasty behavior didn’t say or do anything. They put up with it and felt utterly helpless.

I’ve always believed that to make your garden grow, you must remove the weeds. When people are aggressive, abusive or just plain jerks, we must stop putting up with it. By allowing this behavior to happen in clinics or thinking “It’s just part of the field,” we are condoning negative behavior. Make your garden beautiful and don’t put up with those who try and destroy it.

5. Getting lost in our mistakes.

We all want to be right. We are overachievers and a lot of our self-worth comes from being right. We are human beings. We will make mistakes. Those mistakes will haunt us forever. But what we do with those mistakes is crucial to our success. We cannot beat ourselves up over the past.

The best thing we can get from a mistake is to the ability to learn from it. We know that our mistakes can have a huge magnitude. It’s ok to feel guilty or think of what we could have done differently. But don’t live there and don’t let it immobilize you.

This is truly an amazing profession we get to be a part of. We have endless opportunities to learn, grow and evolve into the professional we were meant to be. The most important thing is not to just survive this field, but to be able to provide amazing care for your entire career. When we stop doing these five things, we increase our longevity in this field. I want to see you all do what you do best, for as long as you possibly can. I want to see you happy. You have the power to make it so.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

When Is It OK To Fire Someone?

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One of the biggest challenges in vet med is dealing with the vastly strong personalities in this field. I know I sure as heck am not a peach. I can be stubborn, vocal, and stick up for what I believe in. It’s made me some enemies but has also made me some fiercely loyal friends. But what happens when a strong personality goes to the dark side and borders into toxic? When temper tantrums are on display daily and people tiptoe around the clinic, so as not to wake the beast?

The golden rule of dealing with nasty coworkers is to bring their behavior to their attention. I had a dear friend and coworker call me out when I kicked a chair across the treatment area after a particularly stressful day. It was not my finest moment. In fact, it was downright mortifying when she called me out on acting like a prima donna over something so utterly stupid.

I don’t even remember what it was, but I sure remembered being told how ridiculous I was. It made me embarrassed and I vowed not to ever throw such a display again. Sometimes even good people show negative behavior. Calling them out on it in a constructive way can make them take a long hard look in the mirror.

But what if that doesn’t work? What if that makes them blow up worse? What if meetings discussing behavior and even trying to address the underlying cause don’t make a difference? Well, vet med, it’s time to weed out those that have a negative effect on the already stressful culture.

I’m not going to beat around the bush here. Fire them. Fire them now. Don’t believe the millionth time that this employee swears that they will change, especially if ample opportunities have been given. Remove the weakest link, even if it seems like they are irreplaceable.

This behavior is affecting business. It is affecting staff and it is affecting patient care, period. When you have good, hardworking staff leaving the clinic because Dr. So and So keeps chewing out the receptionists, that is not ok. When your patients sitting in the hospital hear slamming of doors or screaming, they are terrified. When your staff is unhappy or uncomfortable in their work environment, they aren’t going to instantly be happy when dealing with clients. Clients can sense that. Unhappy clinic cultures kill businesses.

Not only that, they drive out well-meaning, hardworking and less dramatic staff members. One of the main reasons people quit a job or leave the field is due to clinic culture. No one wants to work in an already stressful field if they are getting their butt chewed every time they walk into the building. Even if the animosity isn’t directed at them personally, the tension is enough to damper anyone’s good mood.

Finally, bad behavior is contagious and it sets a dangerous precedent. If the tech that’s been there 20 years can go on tirades, why can’t anyone else? The grip of negative culture takes root and its tendrils reach out to grasp employees who may otherwise not behave in such a manner.

So, if you have a problem employee, it doesn’t matter their title or longevity. Deal with it. A lot is riding on this. Also, if you are in a clinic where this behavior isn’t dealt with, get out. We spend more time with people at work then we do with our own families. So make it a place you are proud of.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Here’s How I’m Celebrating Vet Tech Week Just a Little Differently This Year

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I love vet tech week because, if only for one week, so many techs feel appreciated. But then I remember that there are some clinics that don’t celebrate. There are some technicians that never get to hear how awesome they are or that what they are doing matters.

One of the biggest problems we have in this field is the lack of kindness, empathy, and appreciation we have for each other. We give our clients and patients 110%, but forget about ourselves or those who are in the trenches with us. Sometimes we forget that we are all in this together.

There was one comment that stuck with me on one of my articles that impacted me dramatically. I use it as my motivation to push for change in the field. It speaks volumes for one of the biggest issues in the field.  “Vet techs eat their young.”

When I was a baby vet tech, I loved this comment. I had more experienced technicians look down on me for my total noob status. They scoffed at my inexperience and took joy in my struggle to prove myself. As much as it pains me to admit it, I felt it was a rite of passage and that we all had to prove our worth. I dished out just as much nastiness in my career as was heaped upon me in my early years. I’ve been on both sides and they both weren’t very fun places to live in.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to dish out nastiness or haze the up-and-coming vet techs out there. We don’t have to look at it as having to earn our title or proving our worth. We are all rock star vet techs. We all do this for one reason: we love animals. We all have the hearts of a vet tech, a heart that wants to help the wounded and nurse the injured. It’s time that we start doing this amongst our colleagues. This BS hierarchy and self-induced martyr complex must stop. It all starts with us, folks.

This year my state technician association decided to try something different. Instead of the obligatory “Proud to Be a Vet Tech” post we decided we would push our membership to take action. We are pushing for our membership and our colleagues to participate in random acts of kindness.  What better way to show the pride in our profession than to support those who work alongside us? We ask people to show each other that they care.

Maybe we help a vet tech student study for an upcoming exam. Maybe we tell someone we work with how much they inspired us. Maybe we bring veggie trays to feed the staff during the lunchtime splenectomy. Or just compliment someone on their mad IV catheter placement skills. But whatever task we choose, we start putting good out into the world.

This field sure isn’t easy. We go home covered in dog hair, cat pee and mysterious bruises. Clients yell at us. They even curse at us. Patients bite and scratch. Our bank accounts aren’t loaded. But still, this is a profession that we should all be proud of.

We do things that create daily miracles. We all need to be reminded of that. We all should be reminded of what amazing veterinary technicians we are. So, please tell someone that they matter, that what they do is worthwhile. Offer kindness, support and cookies. Ask someone how their day is. Stop buzzing around the treatment area and listen to what your coworker is saying. Be kind. Be present. Be genuine.

Thank you to all the fierce forces in vet med that have helped someone else succeed. Thank you to those who won’t hear any appreciation this vet tech week. Thank you all for loving your jobs and pushing to make this field even more amazing. We all matter. We all deserve to be appreciated. Share your knowledge, strength and all-around amazingness with the world. Keep fighting the good fight. Happy Vet Tech Week to my tribe of badass technicians who will bring about change and compassion!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

I Was Wrong About the Worst Part of My Job

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A year ago, today, I wrote an article about “giving your all to euthanasia”.  The article gave comfort to many, including owners. In this article, I stated that “euthanasia can be the hardest part of my job.” As a technician, yes, euthanasia can really wear on my soul.

When you have euthanized the third, fourth or fifth patient of the day it can leave you empty, even if in your heart you know that you are allowing a patient to pass with dignity and peace. You are allowing them to drift away surrounded by their loved ones, or in cases of those whose owners can’t stay, surrounded by kind voices and gentle pets. But it still isn’t a part of our job we love.

I was wrong though. Euthanasia is not the hardest part of the job by any stretch of the imagination. There are cases that keep us up at night, and we cry in the car while driving home. Cases that leave images of tragedy burned into our memory. Sometimes it feels at the end of the day that we couldn’t do enough, fix anything or that everything we touch crumbled. These are the moments, the cases and the days that are the “hardest part of our job.”

The feeling of telling a client that the new puppy they got their son for Christmas has parvo and may not make it. Watching the son say goodbye to his new best friend while tears roll down his face before we whisk the pup away to isolation. That’s the hardest.  Watching the puppy decompensate overnight, despite our best efforts is the hardest. Walking in to your next shift and seeing that isolation is empty and knowing that puppy didn’t go home with his owners. That there is a boy somewhere, missing his friend. That is the hardest.

There is the Good Samaritan, hit by a car that is brought into the clinic. This cat was found on the side of the road and it has lost its glow of life from his eyes, hours before. Knowing that pet had died by the side of the road alone without its family getting to say goodbye. That is the hardest. Then seeing the post in a local pet group that shows what that cat looked like, when it had the spark of life in his eyes. Having to contact the owners to tell them how their cat was found and listen to them cry over the phone. That is the hardest.

There are things we see, experience and feel in vet met that are not for the faint of heart. It affects us deeply and yet we still walk into the next room, to hopefully help the next patient. Sometimes it’s a trauma case, sometimes it’s something that could have been preventable, sometimes it is a euthanasia. There are parts of our job that hurt and it changes from minute to minute, hour to hour. For those of us in the field our fire to make a difference is what triumphs over what we are feeling in a moment.

In closing, on the day I wrote that “euthanasia is the hardest part of my job,” I believe it that moment it was. But there are even more difficult events we cope with. In vet med we grow, we change and we adapt. We push through for others. Because the pain we feel is raw and real, but will fade. But the feeling when we make a difference that is the payoff. To enjoy the miracles, you must know the feeling of sadness. For all of you who are experiencing the hardest day or saddest case just know you are not alone and this too shall pass.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Are You Stuck in a Toxic Workplace?

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I have worked in veterinary medicine for 15 years. It has been an amazing journey, and during this time I have met, connected and formed friendships with many of my colleagues. These colleagues have shared their triumphs and successes as well as their struggles and losses. Some have stayed in the field and some have left.

Of all the stories I have heard, the stories of working in a toxic clinic are the stories that haunt me. When I say unhealthy work environment, I mean an environment that allows blatant bullying and aggressive behavior. Gossiping, Oscar-worthy dramatics and manipulation are bubbling just below the surface of many a well-meaning vet hospital. Our job is to help our clients and patients, but how is it that we have so horribly missed the mark when it comes to taking care of our staff? Our people?

I hear stories of those who were forced out of hospitals due to clinic politics, hierarchy or favoritism. Then I see people who said, “Enough is enough.” They were brave enough to turn their backs on those who took advantage of them. They are the fierce warriors of vet med who realized their happiness means more than any job or paycheck. These people took a chance and found their joy in doing their job without the looming fear of toxic coworkers.

They found clinics where they are appreciated, valued, and treated like individuals- not just another cog in the wheel. They are survivors of abuse. They got out. And while getting out is the first step, it doesn’t prepare them for the complete shift in culture they will face.

Sometimes healing is uncomfortable. These people aren’t used to a positive energy. They are used to hearing their failings and flaws. Adjusting to a culture that embraces positivity can be awkward. Hearing you are smart, you are skilled and that you matter can be a total M. Night Shayamalan mind warp.

You have to relearn your confidence and not look at compliments as back handed.  You may look for any validation of your lack of self-worth or value in every action from coworkers, colleagues or management. When the fear of being a constant scapegoat or failure, starts to leave, you may wonder when the other shoe will drop. When will the rug of a supportive work environment be pulled out from under you? No one should live life this way and if you are, stop.

Then there are the stories of those who never got out. People who spent 20+ years at a clinic where a doctor treated them like an inconvenience. Doctors who go into work and their medicine is questioned daily by fellow doctors. Technicians who weren’t allowed to do their job duties, because a battle axe technician hoarded it for themselves. Receptionists who were disrespected and spoken down to by practice managers. And they stayed. And they still stay. Comfortably miserable. Because in some way they just gave up and resigned themselves that this was all they knew. They go into work just waiting for the day to be over. Day in and day out.

A job should never consume our sense of self. If it were any other aspect of your life, would abusive and hurtful behavior be tolerated? If upon walking into work, you were repeatedly punched in the face, would you stay? Hell no. Abuse is abuse. If you are in a situation where the hurt outweighs the joy, be brave and make a change. It’s like they say in domestic abuse cases, have a plan and get out.

Don’t allow yourself to buy into the BS that you are a victim. You are not. You are an amazing, intelligent and deserving person. We all are. We all deserve to be able to walk into work without feeling a ball of anxiety or a bleeding ulcer developing. We shouldn’t have to feel like we’re walking on eggshells by taking up the same oxygen space with people.

This is a job, folks. Ok, so it’s a job where our patients are our passion. Many of us live and breathe it. But no job should smother or stifle us. Whether you are in vet med or change to a completely different field, every single one of you deserves to feel nothing but the pride of your chosen profession when you walk into work. Never ever forget, that what we do is a choice.

What we tolerate is a choice. The lines we draw are a choice. Choose wisely. When we are old and retired, telling our grandchildren stories, we aren’t going to be telling them about when our boss demeaned and publicly berated us in front of a client. We aren’t going to be telling them that our colleague smeared our self-image. We will tell them about the joy of working in a healthy environment where we had the passion to make a difference with people and pets. We will tell them about our successes and how we found our true selves in our calling. We will tell them the exact moment when we discovered our voice. Loud, confident and booming.

With our actions and our voices, we can make a difference. We can speak up and push back. We can establish clear cut boundaries on what we will and won’t put up with in the workplace. We can set an example for the future of vet med. Each day is another page in the story of your life. Is it one worth telling? If not. Make it one. The only thing that can hold us back from happiness is ourselves. But your happiness is worth it. You are worth it.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Why Being a Vet Tech is Not a Consolation Prize

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Today our clinic had a very special visitor. We had a job shadow come and learn a bit about becoming a veterinary technician. A freshman in high school, I won’t lie I wasn’t expecting much out of her. I expected her to quietly follow us around and meekly ask any questions she felt would help her pass whatever school assignment she was working on. But this young girl was exactly what I would want in a future coworker or employee!

She asked questions. Really good questions. “How do you collect urine on a patient?” “What skills do you need to be a successful vet tech?” “Was your first euthanasia the hardest?” This young woman was assertive and looking for knowledge. Not just to pass a class, but to truly get a feel for what it is like to be a veterinary technician. I couldn’t help but be reminded of when I was in high school and had starry eyes about becoming a vet tech.

I watched on in pride of seeing this future vet tech own it, ask questions and not be afraid to strike up a conversation with any of the staff from receptionist, to tech to doctor. I, myself, was a meek and mild teenager, so I knew this young lady’s perseverance and drive would get her far in life. And then I heard someone ask her the question that breaks many a vet tech’s heart. “Well, have you considered becoming a veterinarian?” This question brought me back to every student counselor meeting I had in high school. To every person who asked this exact same question as I radiated in excitement from telling them about my chosen profession.

Frequently, my friends don’t understand why I chose this profession. Heck, most of them have no idea what the profession means. My parents stated regularly “You’re so smart. Why don’t you become a veterinarian?” at holiday dinners. Hell, I have even had doctors tell me that. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the intended flattery.

But for so many of us techs, this is our dream. This profession is in our blood. We are techs and we have no desire to become vets. Not that there’s a single thing wrong with any position in the clinic. Just that being a vet tech is what we live, we breathe and it’s what gets us up in the morning. I am sure that many vets feel the same way about their title. It would be just as awkward to ask a future veterinarian why didn’t they just become a human doctor.

As my heart sunk realizing, that this was a question that this young girl would hear frequently as she blazed her own trail, I waited for her response. “Yes, I have and I would really prefer to work closely with the animals and nurse them to get well.” I was dumbfounded.  Here was this high school freshman who knew exactly what she wanted to do and why she wanted to do it. She was not ashamed. She didn’t want to do anything else in her life and she had no problem telling a veterinarian as such. She had no apologies for her choice and wanted to put in the time, energy and research to solidify this choice.

In her I saw my tribe and I was proud. I was proud of every young student who knew what they wanted to do in life. I was proud of those who I knew would soon be working alongside me, with their heads held high because being a vet tech was their calling. And above all, I was proud of this girl. She spoke what I, and many other technicians, have wanted to say. That she will be a vet tech and she will be proud of her choice.

Given I have always been a woman of few words, I didn’t say a word while overhearing this conversation. But for young Jayden and those young and upcoming students who feel this profession is your destiny, don’t give up. Be proud. Don’t second guess yourself and your choices. We can’t wait to have you on our team. Thank you for reminding me of the pride I have in my choices by showing me the pride in yours.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.