I want to dedicate this to all my fellow associate veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and vet assistants… basically anyone who doesn’t own or run the clinic. You’ve got a difficult and challenging, yet rewarding job. Don’t worry, the managers and owners have their own sets of challenges and tasks to take care of because they have… Read More
There, I Said It: Not My Circus and Not My Fleas
The Moment All the Compassion Fatigue Drained Away
I’ll be the first to admit it: My clinic’s growing pains are beginning to give me compassion fatigue. The overbooking of appointments, the masses of overtime, the constant ring of the phone, the arguing with clients over protocols on prescription med refills and the necessity of heartworm testing and year-round prevention, the absence of… Read More
What Running and an Old Cat Carrier Taught Me About Life
James was my heart kitty. He was like a little person. He had stress-induced asthma and I used to sing to him (“Sweet Baby James”) in the car – when we drove cross-country from California, where he was born in an old church, or when I had to take him to the emergency clinic… Read More
The Number One Reason Vet Techs Leave the Field in Droves
It seems that our profession has more people with toxic personalities than ever before, and more veterinary technicians are leaving the field in droves because of it. Many of us have come across that one person that thinks they are the center of the universe in the hospital. Maybe they have been employed there the… Read More
My Greatest Service Was Sending You Away
When we met, you were dying. Not in the existential ‘a little every day’ or a slow fade of light, but in the ‘Poo is hitting the fan, move. Now.’ kind of way. I quickly went to work. Your eyes were screaming for help, and you let us. Thank you for letting us, I know it… Read More
How Being Called an Athlete Changed How I See Myself
I work out a lot. I even work out with a trainer several days per week. I set goals for myself like being able to leg press 360 pounds, or run a 5K race (despite my asthma), or train for a half marathon on rollerblades (yes, they exist!). Despite all of this training, I never… Read More