DrAndyRoark.com

Articles, Videos, & Training on Pets & Veterinary Medicine

Tasha McNerney BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS

My New Years Resolution? To Love Vet Med Again

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Well folks, we have reached the point where New Year’s resolutions are in full effect, and everyone wants to change something about their life/schedule/wellness/career for the better. For me that something is veterinary medicine.

Vet med is like the college roommate that borrowed your zoology textbook and then left it on a bench somewhere on campus. Vet med is the relative that you told to “make themselves at home” and then they order 10 premium on-demand movies. Vet med is the neighbor who wakes you up at 6 am on a Saturday with a leaf blower.

But when you look at things on a deeper level you see that it’s the same college roommate that makes sure you get all your messages and that same neighbor who reliably watches your cats while you are out of town.

See, what I’ve realized over my 17-year career is that vet med is transparent about what it is; exhausting, rewarding, sometimes depressing, sometimes joyful, never boring. It took me a long time to realize that the things I hated about vet med (the no lunch breaks, the hours spent in surgery past my shift, the economic struggle) were not completely vet med’s fault. Often, it was my own inability to create healthy boundaries around work and what I thought it meant to be a dedicated technician. You see at one time I stayed late every day; I ate lunch while sitting next to a bulldog in recovery and answered client questions at 10 pm while trying to soothe a small child back to sleep. And I am ashamed to say, I judged other techs harshly if they weren’t as “dedicated” as I was. I now see that I was upholding toxic systems that have led to much of the frustrations in veterinary medicine.

So, in learning that boundaries are in fact important, and by properly setting them – I am starting to love met med again. And while boundaries are different for everyone, here’s what they can look like:

  • Saying no to working every weekend. Unless this is something you agreed to in your contract.
  • Committing to your family time after work hours by not continuing to check emails or answering calls. Believe me, this was a hard one until my son pointed out how I never see his shots at basketball practice because I am always on my phone.
  • Giving yourself permission to say no to job opportunities that, while enticing perhaps monetarily, don’t suit your lifestyle needs. I learned this one the hard way…
  • Utilizing your paid time off when you’re sick. Need a mental health day? Want to take a vacation or just because you have earned it and want to take it? Do it!

So maybe a New Year, New You is just a matter of setting healthy boundaries with vet med. Remember that not everyone is going to totally understand your boundaries (or necessarily agree with them), and that’s okay; you have them in place for a reason, and you need to respect that for yourself.

The Secret to my Success: Mentors and Motivation

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Did you know that the average veterinary technician stays in the field for 7 years according to an AVMA study? So how did I, Tasha McNerney, one-time journalism major, make it to 17 years in this field without going out ala Scarface in the movie Half-Baked?

I’ll tell you it wasn’t easy, but I had a few cheerleaders behind me that helped make me so successful. Let me introduce you to a veterinary technician that mentored me and motivated me to go above and beyond.

When I started at Rau Animal Hospital in 2003, I was the typical fresh-faced, impressionable, new grad that wanted to take on every opportunity, especially if the said opportunity was a urethral obstruction cat, or a laceration repair, or an abscess, or reading a urine slide… I mean I was excited about everything! After working in the outpatient area for about a year, a position came open within the hospital’s anesthesia staff, I was certain I would be perfect for this and eager to learn ALL THE THINGS!!!

There was just one problem, the supervisor of the department, Vickie Byard CVT, VTS (dentistry) was feared. There were legends of her temper written in the halls, and it was said she would do things like ***gasp*** ask you questions in front of your peers and then laugh at you if you didn’t know the answers… ( side note: I have to tell you guys, this never happened with Vickie, however, I did have this kind of demoralizing hazing thrown my way at a specialty and referral center I interned at and let me say if you’re a tech that gets your kicks by laughing at how little the new techs know… I hope you get caught in a rainstorm and then your socks get wet and you have to work a 10-hour shift with wet socks you meanie!!!)

Anyway, I applied, got the position and was soon placing IV catheters and inducing anesthesia and recovering kittens from surgery. As time went on, I started to become more interested in anesthesia and began my path to my VTS in anesthesia. Vickie Byard saw that I wanted to get more in-depth anesthesia cases, so she started scheduling me on challenging anesthesia and dentistry cases. She helped advocate for me to attend more CE events to gain even more anesthesia and pain management knowledge, and probably one of the most amazing things was: she asked me questions about anesthesia and pain management concepts that she herself didn’t understand…on the treatment floor, in front of others. She was instrumental in fostering collaborative communication with the doctors and techs so that the medicine could truly be a team approach. Vickie would give her dentistry knowledge, I would give my anesthesia thoughts, and then together with the veterinarian, we would come up with a plan to best treat the patient. When I applied for my specialty in anesthesia and my application was denied, Vickie gave me words of encouragement and told me to not give up, and just try again next year. She supported me through not only career ups and downs but life ups and downs too, helping me to move a sofa up 3 flights of stairs when it would not fit in the elevator.

My point is, we all need a cheerleader. Great technicians and doctors are NOT encouraged to grow and get better by bullying and intimidation. In fact, they leave the field earlier, or worse stay in and spend their time bashing co-workers and clients. Great technicians and doctors are fostered in an environment that allows them to grow, and fail, and learn, and grow more. The reason I have lasted 17 years in this profession is because I truly really the field of veterinary anesthesia, but I love the people. Thank you, Vickie Byard, for making me a better technician, mother, and friend. Look at the people you have interacted with over your veterinary career. Who has made the biggest difference in your career? Let them know, then pass it on.

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.

Where Have the Working Moms Gone?

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It seemed like a normal work conversation, discussing an after-hours team building activity and the specifics of when and where we could host it. After some back and forth about times and locations, I realized the limiting factor was me, or more specifically the fact that I had a child. 

You see, on my surgery and anesthesia team I am one of 14 people working to provide amazing anesthesia. However, I am currently the ONLY ONE with a child at home. I wondered if this was true for other departments in our hospital and I found that it was… ER only has 3 people out of 20 that have school aged children at home, ICU has only 2 working moms out of 12 staff members. 

So, veterinary medicine… what happened? How did a profession dominated by women become a harsh environment for women to raise children in? And, can we make a change, so we do not lose women to other professions once they have children?

In a recent poll amongst friends, one thing that seems to stick out is the overall low pay for veterinary technicians (yes it’s true… a cashier at my local grocery store makes the exact same per hour as a fresh out of school veterinary technician) and the hours that are difficult to mesh with school and daycare. 

According to a 2016 study, approximately 30% of skilled working moms quit their jobs after having kids. Additional research shows that of those that leave the workforce, about 70% say they would have stayed in it if they’d had flexibility. 

There are new concepts being used in corporate America that could potentially be an advantage to us in veterinary medicine if we are willing to step outside of the “this is the way we’ve always done it” box. 

Microagility is a concept taking hold that involves allowing employees to step away from work for a few hours (say to pick their children up from school) and time-shift an unconventional schedule that might help commuters avoid rush hour or to do a kid car pool run. 

So, let’s put on our imagination hats (as I say to my son… and my husband when I was trying to convince him to buy a run-down house in need of a major remodel) and imagine if these things are possible for working moms in vet med. Instead of just saying “No, that won’t work here,” I challenge you to ask how it could work here, and if we did this, what would it look like? Could we have working mothers work a split shift in order to pick kids up from school? Could mothers working 1 day a week from home be an answer to the backlog of training manuals, AAHA inspection reports, and employee reviews? Were you thinking about hiring an outside company for help with your social media? Why not hire a millennial mom that already knows both your hospital and Tik Tok! With the advent of telemedicine, do we have some working mothers with extra training (in behavior, or pain management) that could do much needed and valued teleconferencing with clients? Could working mothers be the ones that start your monthly Zoom pet bereavement group for clients? There are many opportunities that could exist to help prevent our working mothers from leaving vet med, we simply must shift our perspective on the way it’s traditionally been done. If any profession can adapt and progress, it’s vet med. 

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.

Podcast Crossover! Dr. Roark Goes on VAN

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When her number one “veterinary celebrity” is already booked, Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds Podcast host Tasha McNerney asks her ol’ friend Dr. Andy Roark to be a guest on the podcast. “In all truths, Andy Roark is probably one of the most genuine and generous people in the business,” wrote the podcast host.

On this episode, the two talk about the benefits to technician utilization and team education when it relates to anesthesia and pain management.

To see more from Tasha McNerney and the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds Podcast go to her Apple Podcast page here, or search for Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds wherever you get your podcasts.

I’m a Veterinary Influencer. And Guess What? You Are, Too

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Recently I was perusing my Instagram looking for a great photo that would help start a conversation I wanted to have about multimodal pain management for fracture repair patients. I eventually found said photo (a gnarly humerus fracture), but it got me thinking… am I an influencer? A colleague of mine recently used the term influencer to describe themselves and there has even been some discussion as to whether or not you should put the term influencer on your resume or LinkedIn profile. 

Here’s my hot-take on the subject and why you should not fret if you haven’t started an Instagram that is full of perfect lighting and cute kittens. Veterinary Instagram influencers are pretty common these days but we should be careful who we are letting influence us and pay attention to the message they are sending. When you are trying to let the world know who you are, what your personal mission is, and why they should follow you here are some things to keep in mind:

The people we look up to as true influencers in this profession are the real deal. They are not pretending, they are working hard to move forward along their path, this is why we believe the message and believe in them.  They are walking the walk when it comes to their values, integrity, and personal identity. As a veterinary community of “influencers” we should be magnifying our truth, not manipulating a message in order to get sponsorship from a scrub company. 

For me, (a person who runs a veterinary community with almost 45,000 members around the world) the message is about elevating the standard of care as it pertains to anesthesia and pain management. And guess what? You don’t need a loyal Instagram following or the perfect Snapchat filter to be an influencer. In your clinic, whether you are a receptionist, doctor, animal care attendant, technician, etc., you have the power to be an influencer. How you approach your job and the care you give to your patients every day is the type of grassroots point of care influence we need in veterinary medicine.

Be the example you want the next generation of employees to be. If you see a co-worker struggling, offer to help. Instead of snickering when they don’t tab their tape, explain why the practice is beneficial. If you see a client struggling with a difficult decision, be empathetic, listen to all of their concerns (even the ones we find silly). If you see a pup has knocked over his water bowl and is now sitting on wet blankets, stop assuming the next person will take care of it and fix it. 

One of my favorite quotes and one I truly try to live by is “Don’t just stand there and shout it; Do something about it.” I hope I have used my influence to provide a better experience for the patients I am dealing with each day. I am proud to be surrounded by a team that influences me every day.

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.


Collaborative or Combative? Why the Doctor Tech Relationship Matters as Much as the Medicine

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The Technician Perspective

As a veterinary technician specialist, I get called in to consult with practices on how to make their anesthesia and pain management plans the best they can be. I sit down and review the protocols and practices, take an inventory of drugs available and converse with the staff about the flow of the surgery day. All of these things are super important when it comes to a quality patient experience however ONE THING stands out more than others. In order for the practice to be running at its highest level, the relationship between the technicians and doctors has to be one of collaboration and trust. Now I know trust is not built overnight but let me stress the importance of handing things over to your techs and letting go for a minute. 

Technicians are versatile and valuable asset to your practice. Teach them how to do ALL THE THINGS and you will see their confidence boosted and they will become more engaged and your practice will thrive. Want more time to make your phone calls or heck I don’t know… eat lunch? Teach your technicians to perform local blocks, call clients for follow up, or write discharge instructions. I have been surprised by how many clinics I visit and the technicians are scared to offer their help or suggestions because a doctor has told them their opinion doesn’t matter or to quote one technician “ to stay in her lane” when she suggested a tactic for dealing with an aggressive dog. Patient care suffers when your technicians feel they cannot be a part of the conversation regarding patient care. 

That’s not just an opinion it’s science:  In human medicine it’s been found both the safety and the quality of care patients receive depend upon the quality of relationships in the healthcare practice environment where care is provided (Joint Commission, 2008; Shen, Chiu, Lee, Hu, & Chang, 2010). Intimidating or disrespectful behavior by doctors toward nurses impacts the healthcare practice environment in a negative way, affecting both nurse retention and patient outcomes (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010; Joint Commission, 2008; Schmalenberg & Kramer, 2009).

So, docs why can’t we work together to create the best patient outcomes? Teach your techs the way you want things done, set up a standard of care and let them flourish. But don’t just take my word for it… here’s amazeballs veterinarian Dr. Lauren Smith to give us the white coat opinion on how we can bridge the gap and maximize efficiency.

The Veterinarian Perspective

As a veterinarian, I make life and death decisions every day. I go into exam rooms and examine sick pets with emotionally distraught clients. I cut open animals and touch their insides, then put them back together. It’s a LOT of responsibility. 

At the end of the day, the buck stops with me. If a cat dies because a technician gave the wrong dose of insulin, it’s my fault. If a client gets bitten because an assistant wasn’t restraining properly, that’s on me. If a boarder doesn’t get her seizure medication and has a seizure because the client service representative didn’t mark it properly on the intake paperwork, it’s my license on the line.

Being a veterinarian is hard. And it’s easy to let the weight of all that responsibility go to your head, for better or for worse. So, I can understand why some of my fellow vets have a hard time letting go and putting their trust in their support staff. I mean, it’s easy for people to tell someone else what to do when it’s not their butt on the line, right? And besides, you’re the one who spent all those prime dating and socialization years with your head buried in a book learning how to make these decisions. You’ve given up countless opportunities and made innumerable sacrifices to get here. How can you trust anyone but yourself?

Only the real question should be, how can you not? Trust is integral in everything we do. We ask for it every day, and trust is mutual. If we ask for it, we need to be able to give it in return.

Little moments of splintered trust add up. Every time you dismiss a technician, you teach them that it’s not okay to speak up. And I wish I didn’t have to say this, but degrading and belittling others is never okay, nor is throwing or punching things (yes, I know of instances where this has happened).

And believe it or not, one day you’ll be the one to calculate a drug dose wrong, or to draw up the incorrect medication. Will your technicians feel safe speaking up? And think of all the little benefits you’ll miss out on, too – the new, more efficient way of doing things they might have suggested if they felt they’d be heard. Or maybe, just maybe, trusting them to intubate patients and read an ear cytology will free you up to finish your charts, research a case, or grab a quick break so that your mind is more focused and less likely to miss something important.

And stepping outside of ourselves for a minute — you’ll make their lives better too. Career satisfaction is strongly tied to respect from coworkers, increased responsibility, and opportunities for challenge and growth. Give your support staff these things and they’ll be happier, more productive, and may even, occasionally put us to shame… I mean, look at how many more references Tasha McNerney, CVT, CVPP, VTS, awesomest anesthesia nerd around, used in her half of this article, while I have none!

And stepping back into ourselves for a minute, having happier support staff makes going to work more pleasant. It also increases staff retention which is great since high turnover is terrible for our bottom line, our relationships with our clients, and our own sanity when we’re working chronically short-staffed. 

So next time the stress of our job starts making you crazy, lean on your staff instead of snapping at them.

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.


Dr. Lauren Smith is a 2008 graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her clinical rotation at Cornell University before returning to Long Island to enter general small animal practice. Dr. Smith is a pet mom to a blue-eyed poodle mix named Frankie and a very needy cat named Charlie. She is also an aunt to a smart, funny, strong-willed niece.

Dr. Smith is the creator of The Vetitude; a website and social media presence that promotes empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence in veterinary medicine. You can find out more at thevetitude.com