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There I Said It

TISI: Veterinary Technicians Are At War and No One Is Talking About It

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Within veterinary medicine, there is a battle being waged in the trenches. Veterinary Technicians are in a fight for their careers – for respect and for fair wages. Credentialed technicians are battling for recognition and higher median salaries, all while managing patient loads, clients, DVMs and their outside lives.

Lack of title protection over existing credentialed terminology has led to unscrupulous people using titles they didn’t earn or that have been revoked due to unethical behavior. National and state organizations that are supposed to be supporting and promoting credentialed technicians are losing members or not engaging their membership. Corporate hospitals are hiring non-credentialed employees at lower wages. Technicians are being forced to work two, and sometimes three different jobs just to survive. Compassion fatigue and burnout are rampant and technicians are leaving the field more quickly than ever before. Suicide rates on veterinary medicine continue to rise. People are miserable.

What’s the solution? I wish I had a magic answer for that but the truth is, I don’t know. I do have some suggestions as to where to start. We need fresh voices. The way we’ve always done things clearly isn’t working anymore. The people who have always been in leadership positions need to take a moment and look around, and consider allowing new leaders to emerge. Times have changed. Hospitals have changed. People’s priorities have shifted. Discussions need to happen and those fresh voices need to be heard.

We can acknowledge that times have changed and move forward accordingly, or we can stay where we are, destroying our profession from within.

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.

TISI: I’m Tired of Bullying in Veterinary Medicine

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Mental health. Self-Care. Anxiety. Depression. Suicide.

These are all words that have come to the forefront of veterinary medicine in recent years. It is finally a topic that is being addressed in seminars, conferences and articles. It is a real problem.

I have heard many theories about why it is such a problem in our field. Intense/Type A personalities, chronic stress, high debt to income ratios, long hours, the desire to help everyone, mistreatment from clients, the loss of patients, coping with disease day after day… the list goes on. Many of us had some level of depression or anxiety before we went into vet med, so perhaps it is an even deeper issue of the types of people drawn to this field?

This last week, another factor has been on my mind. One that seems to be discussed less than the rest, but one that I suspect may be one of the biggest contributing factors. Maybe it is even an elephant in the room, and I’m not supposed to bring it up?

What is this factor? It isn’t what the world brings through the doors of our clinics. It is what WE bring through the doors of our clinics. It is work place bullying and emotional abuse, and I think it is a bigger problem than we want to admit.

This can occur in a number of forms, from a head tech bullying other support staff, to managers, owners and veterinarians bullying the other veterinarians or clinic staff. I am not talking about the occasional harsh remark or bad mood, I am referring to targeted-ongoing abuse.

This week, a technician I know and deeply respect was targeted, blamed and humiliated for a mistake that was absolutely the responsibility of the veterinarian she was working for. She was shamed and reprimanded by one veterinarian while the responsible veterinarian stood by and said nothing. Later, she was told that she would not be allowed to explain her side of the story and was demoted.

This cycle can become frighteningly similar to domestic abuse. The abuser gains a position of power and uses it to crush someone who doesn’t feel they can stand up to them. And the behavior continues. The victim is torn down enough that they feel they have little or no worth, and have nowhere to go, because who would want them? Some victims are in a healthier place and deal with or leave the situation quickly. Some stay until they can’t take it anymore and have to get out. But then, how to get out? How do you muster the strength to take a chance on finding a new position and moving on when you’ve been convinced you aren’t of value? What if you are dependent on the abuser for a good job reference? Some choose the ultimately tragic way to get out, having been effectively taught that their lives have no value.

In these situations, abuse from clients or the loss of a patient may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, but perhaps we would all have more reserves to handle these situations if we built each other up instead of tearing each other down.

I hope that many who read this will not have experienced these issues, but I suspect the vast majority of people in this profession will know exactly what I’m talking about.

Perhaps the bullies in our clinics learned this habit from being bullied themselves? Perhaps it is an expression of “imposter syndrome,” the fear that we aren’t really perfect and someone will find us out? 

Fellow veterinarians: We work in a small world. The words we say about each other not only erode the public’s trust in our entire profession, but they can quickly get back to the veterinarian being talked about. Let’s stop tearing each other down. And let’s stop allowing bullying in our clinics.

We need to be aware of what is happening within our own walls. We need to pay attention to our managers and people in lead positions. When staff complains about being picked on or bullied, it should raise a red flag. 

Clinic owners, please learn to be leaders, not just bosses. Don’t let your managers (or clients) tear down your associates and support staff. Don’t feel the need to prove how much more skill and knowledge your experience has given you than your younger associates have. Don’t tear them down to build yourselves up. Support and teach them. Build them into great veterinarians. 

Veterinarians, remember that our techs are the backbone of the clinic. They catch so many of our mistakes for us that we can’t afford to blame them for the one they might miss if it was ultimately our mistake. We need to be leaders, admit our own humanity and admit our own mistakes. We need to eradicate the cycles of abuse from our clinics. Maybe if we are intentional about what WE bring into our clinics, maybe we’ll have the emotional reserves to handle everything else that comes through the door?

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.

There I Said It: I’m Not Your Therapist

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There, I said it. I’ve actually been thinking it for a long time. I don’t want to hear client stories unrelated to their pet’s visits. I have no desire to understand their family’s tangled web of conflict. Much less take on the task of caring enough to serve as the peacemaker. I’m your veterinarian, I’m not your therapist. Boy, does it feel good to have this off my chest.

The Back Story

Whether you realize it or not, just about every day in the clinic is story time for clients. I dare say about half of that time is wasted on useless information. Stories that in no way, shape or form are contributing to their pet’s visit. It may come directly from the client’s mouth, or via the staff member taking the call, but there never fails to be an endless supply of meaningless verbiage that precedes the actual question or concern. And in actuality, if those words were never spoken, my efficiency would increase astronomically. There’s a lady on the phone whose car is in the shop. She’s not sure when she’ll get it back because her check engine light came on. She hasn’t heard from the mechanic yet about what the problem is. Her daughter is in rehab, so she can use her car. She can book an appointment anytime this week for her pet’s annual exam.

I have a morning ritual of feeding the deer sunflower seeds and whole ears of corn. I toss it into the yard and I’ve actually been able to get close enough for one to feed from my hand. While I’m out there I photograph all the birds in the trees and the squirrels frolicking in the yard. When I came back inside the other morning after feeding the wildlife I found Fluffy had peed in the kitchen.

Emotional Strain

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I can at least chuckle over those as I look back on them. What I no longer have a tolerance for, and have established emotional boundaries in response to, is being dragged into guilt trips over sad circumstances. I can’t allow myself to carry the unnecessary burdens that some clients try to place on others (unintentionally, sometimes). It’s bad enough being the bearer of bad news on a fairly regular basis. I won’t be made to feel worse if it puts them in a financial and/or emotional predicament in which they are ultimately responsible for.

My brother is the one who said dogs don’t need vaccines. I’m so mad that I listened to him. He always thinks he knows best when he clearly doesn’t. I need you to call and tell him he was wrong. Can you also be the one to tell him he needs to pay for my sick puppy?

I lost my mom five years ago and she left me her dog. We never had a great relationship but I’ve discovered since having this pet what love can look like. This dog is all that I have left of my mother and you’re telling me that he needs a surgery I can’t afford? How can you put me in this position?

Harden Your Heart

I have a tremendous amount of compassion and empathy. But these days, it’s reserved only for the pets I’m responsible for. I will gladly take on the burden of tough decisions for the sake of my patient’s best interest. That’s part of the job and part of the oath that I took as a veterinarian.

However, there has to be a limit. I won’t be responsible for, or take on the weight of, inner conflicts and guilt that many clients struggle with behind closed doors. That’s not in my job description, and I’m not willing to serve that role in the non-existent spare time I have during my day. And I won’t even consider carrying that burden home with me once the working day ends anymore. I’ve hardened my heart for the sake of my mental and emotional health.

James Herriot Lies

I can hear it now, “But what sets veterinarians apart from human doctors is their willingness to lend an ear.” People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, right? Clearly the perfect veterinarian is one just as passionate about people as they are their pets. I call B.S. on it all. Since when did caring take the form of putting out small fires throughout the day related to client lives? Why can’t I show how much I care through the work I do to uncover a pet’s disease or alleviate a pet’s pain, rather than knowing every family member’s name. In fact, if I have to wind up knowing every family member’s name during the work up of a case, I’m actually more likely to not care. Just being honest.

Bedside Manner

Bedside manner is absolutely how one establishes trust with a client. I get it. It can and does set veterinarians apart from other health professionals. Returning phone calls, same-day lab work, the ability to work within a budget and across specialities also sets us apart. More importantly, the ability to relate to a client as it pertains to their pet creates the bedside manner that should bring people back to you.

Being supportive as clients face difficult decisions for their pets, while portraying empathy and offering guidance during that decision making process are not things that I take lightly. These acts are ultimately the ones that demonstrate the compassion that veterinarians are known for, and always will be. The fact that one chooses to not get anymore involved in client dynamics should not, and does not, fault that veterinarian.

Setting Boundaries

Deep down I really do care about people. I’m human. But I can’t allow myself to become consumed in the emotional rollercoasters of people’s lives anymore. Otherwise I wouldn’t have the compassion left to give to their pets, or the strength to show up every day. It’s a large task caring for pets, that for the most part are considered family members. It’s an even larger task sometimes to handle the human emotions that come along with having a pet. There’s no course in veterinary school for that.

I have to harden my heart to the rest. I can’t lose sight of my ultimate goal, and the reason I show up every day to work – the animals that rely on me to make the appropriate recommendations for their care without any outside influences. This boundary has to be set to create a healthy distance, inside and outside of work.

At least for me, it’s one I wish I set sooner. I know not everyone needs this or feels the same. But some of us do, and if so that’s okay. Besides, why would any client want me as their therapist when I’m in desperate need of my own?

There I Said It… I Was Fired Three Times!

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It’s hard to even type this. To relive the three times in vet med I was actually fired (there’s a fourth, but I beat them to the punch). Without sounding overly arrogant, the veterinary field lost a damn good worker and a damn good technician. I tried, I really gave it my all. And I didn’t even get a lousy T-shirt… I got termination papers instead.

All I can think is that every time I stepped foot into a veterinary job, I had big ol’ target on my forehead. It must’ve said something like “I’m an easy target” or “Bully me” or “Blame this guy.”

But of course, you must be thinking… dude you were fired that many times, there must be something wrong with you! Because, that is all I am thinking, day in and day out. Ten years in the field and all I have is anxiety and termination papers. It seems so unfair.

First time, I was fired after just two weeks. Just two short weeks in a brand-new city and a brand-new job. They didn’t have to even give me a reason (right to work), but I could tell they just felt awful about it. Oddly enough, they went as far as contacting 5 other clinics and telling them that I would be looking for a job. Is that even legal? It seems so wrong, and that then made five less clinics I would even consider applying to.

Second time, I got the blame for deleting a file on a computer. Again, they can just fire you without a reason. However, I got the reason out of them and handed over my flash drive immediately to show them I didn’t have it. The person who actually deleted it fessed up right away too when she realized what was happening. It was an accident that for some reason was seen as a deliberate and malicious attack. Of course, there was no rehiring or apology.

Third time was probably the worst. I won’t go into details, but to be accused of theft is just a stab direct into the heart. I am not a thief! To be accused and labeled as one is just beyond absurd. The attending doctor tried so hard to stand up for me because she knew better. Anyone who knows me, knows I would never do that. When I’ve shared details of my story with people in the profession, they tell me what I did happens all the time, and no one else ever gets fired over it. But me! I’m the one that gets the cut.

The fourth time would’ve happened, but like I said, I beat them to the punch. I got intel that I was on the chopping block after I had my review. Their reasoning was because I said “by law I am allowed to have a break.” There! That statement was grounds for termination. I did not threaten or say anything else, but I was over this idea that no one at this clinic gets breaks or lunches. What is wrong with this industry?!?!

I feel like I could have really done great things, made life better for techs, doctors and maybe even helped a few pets. Somehow, I feel shunned, as if I don’t or have never belonged in this industry. The door keeps slamming in my face.

I fully understand the short careers of vet techs and the mental illness that haunts the industry with the high suicide rates. Luckily, I haven’t been tormented in that way. However, something has to change! Why is this allowed? Why are some people judged more harshly or constantly taking the brunt of consequences? I may never know the answer. I pray for those of you struggling or trying desperately to hold on to what is left of this. I am jealous of those who have their spot and deal with very little drama or toxicity. You are the lucky ones. For now, I will work on a new career path and find something else that makes my heart tick so loudly.

Sincerely,

A CVT moving 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.

There, I Said it: I’m Sorry I Judged You

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A client came into the clinic with her ancient dog for an appointment. Fluffy really needed to cross the Rainbow Bridge… like, two months before. This dog was receiving subcutaneous fluids for renal failure, and the owner insisted that the poor creature was still running and frolicking at home. We all found this hard to believe, since we had to administer the treatment while Fluffy was in lateral recumbency. She had to be on her side; she could barely lift her head.

The judgment in the treatment room was strong. Murmurs grew against the client: how cruel it was that she insisted on treating Fluffy when she was clearly suffering, how we wished we could put the dog out of her misery. A couple of vets already gave her the “Come to Jesus” talk, but the client wouldn’t budge.

I felt so awful for your beloved dog, but not for the reasons you may think. I have the same disease as Fluffy.

Yes, the technician that gave Fluffy her SQs is in renal failure.

I’m on the kidney transplant list and doing my best to keep my head above water at work. Every time I have a patient with CKD, it haunts me a little. I scan their blood work and compare their numbers to mine. I take a history and note that my patient is vomiting a few times a week. I did the same thing when my numbers looked like hers, and I know what’s coming for her. Anemia is not kind. The insomnia, the nausea, and the confusion are crippling. The treatment options are just that, treatments. There is no cure. And the treatments are only temporary bandaids.

One shift we had three patients in a row that were newly diagnosed with CKD, first thing in the morning. I wanted to cry, seeing room after room of clients, their faces contorting at the news. I imagine mine did the same thing in front of my doctor when I found out I have CKD.

I also know how much it sucks to have a beloved pet with renal failure. The whole thing hit home for me when my old kitty went in for blood work a couple of months ago. Besides his other numerous issues (I’m a technician, and it’s nearly required by law that I have a pet with issues), his renal values are creeping up. The clumps in the litterbox grow larger, and the water bowl empties faster. I know it’s just a matter of time before I’m bringing him in for a date with the pink juice.

Last weekend was a bad one for my kitty: lots of vomit, lots of confused yowling. I thought we’d be lucky if we made it to Monday, and I checked to see who the weekend on call DVM was, just in case. While discussing euthanasia with my spouse, the cat jumped on my lap and head-butted me while purring. The little !@#!. I started to cry.

I couldn’t do it. He’s still around, and I’ve blown through a bottle of Nature’s Miracle.

Dear client, I’m sorry I judged you. I’m sorry for contributing to the negative clinic chatter about how selfish you are, and how the huge needle is just torture for Fluffy three times a week. I’m sorry you’re watching her go downhill, and there’s not much you can do at this late stage.

And I’m sorry for the technicians that have to watch the horror show every treatment. I wonder how my spouse will handle my treatment, when dialysis comes. I wonder if transplant will happen for me, and if I will ever work full time as an on the floor technician again, or if my days “teching” are gone forever. I wonder what I will feel like, when my BUN and creatinine rival your pet’s values. Will I be able to lift my head, or will I rest in lateral?

I’m sorry for us all. It’s a horrible disease.

I don’t know your personal reasons for keeping Fluffy alive, but I’m sure they are important to you. I’d love to hear the story of how Fluffy came into your life, and what she means to you. And yes, when you realize it’s time to free Fluffy from her suffering, I’ll be relieved for her, but I’ll also cry with you for your loss.

My illness has led me to be a more compassionate technician, and I’ve gotten quite comfortable discussing treatments and medications and diets with clients. I just need to remember what it looks like from the other side of the table, the client’s side.

Sincerely,

A Very Exhausted RVT

There I Said It

 

The views and opinions featured on There, I Said It are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

There, I Said It: I Do Vaccine Clinics and Don’t Apologize For It

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I have had former bosses tell me that people like me are ruining the future of our profession. I have seen people post online about how vaccine clinics will ruin our business.

There, I said it: I don’t care what you think. I do low cost vaccine clinics to serve the community and help animals and owners. I make the community a better place.

I work with a local spay/neuter 501-c3 group to provide low cost vaccines. The average wait time where I work is one to two hours. The lobby is crowded, dogs bark non-stop, and this is the first time many of these dogs or cats have ever left the yard or house.

Most people have to choose between rabies shots and heartworm tests. The rabies shot costs $10, the exam is $10, but adding another $15 for the heartworm test will break the bank.

I vaccinated, heartworm tested, or microchipped 76 dogs in four hours today. Many dogs were petrified and many large dogs tried to bite. This was the first time they have ever been touched!

I educated every single family today about heartworm disease and benefits of spay and neuter. I discussed parvo and reasons to deworm with every single puppy owner I saw today.

If you work ER, this is one less parvo puppy to die in your lobby because it costs hundreds or thousands to treat. If you work general practice then this is one less dystocia dog whose owners can’t afford a c-section because now they understand why they should spay and made an appointment for the low cost clinic.

I refuse to be made to feel like less of a vet because I perform this valuable service to people willing to wait hours to have these services done.

We need to do a better job of explaining the value of our full clinic services and why exams and preventive care is important and worth the investment.

We also should explain that our vaccine clinic is subsidized with grants and staffed with volunteers to reduce the costs so no, your vet is not ripping you off!

In the meantime, there will be Walmart style vaccine clinics who serve a need for those who struggle to afford veterinary care. That’s one less puppy dying from parvo. You’re welcome.

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.