Vet Tech Life

If you take a moment and think about it, I’ll bet you could start a long list of things you have learned about being a veterinary technician because of working through a global pandemic. Did you learn something about technology? Did you learn to communicate in new ways? It took me until now to see it, but I am a better veterinary technician because of the challenges of this year. There’s no way I can describe our universal experience, but I want to share my story because I have something important to remind you of – it’s okay to not know everything about vet med!

I recently heard a phrase that truly fits what it means to work in veterinary medicine: “Every day is game day.” Being a veterinary technician in a global pandemic has been like jumping into a brand new game without any practice, making new plays and hoping to come out a winner at the end of the day. How many times did you walk into the clinic this year to learn a new protocol would be applied right away (which from that moment was brand new information to absolutely everyone in your clinic)? It’s been overwhelming! For me, as we integrated more new things like wearing masks, curbside services and cleaning protocols, it felt like my brain started to dump other important information out. Eventually, I reached a point where I was making a bunch of simple mistakes. I did things like forget the parasites prevented by Revolution. It would slip my mind to record something in a medical record. I’d move slowly through an appointment because I was trying even harder to remember all of the things to be done.

I felt like I was losing it. Why was it suddenly so hard to do my job? Was I the only one feeling this way? What was wrong with me?

In August, I hit a wall.

I was so tired. I was tired of asking questions and the answers constantly changing. I was tired of sweating in a mask for 12 hours a day. I was tired of making mistakes. Everything about my job felt hard, and I felt the weight of everyone around me being tired, too.

There was a point that I got so angry at myself because I thought I was failing my team. All of the doubts I carried with me about my skills as a veterinary technician felt validated by my sudden inability to do what I would say was a good job. Then, after a courageous conversation with my managers and a lot of tears, I remembered something so fundamentally simple: we are always learning.

They reminded me that while I was doing things like making simple mistakes, I was doing a lot of things really well too. I was showing up to work in the morning and saying hello to my team to foster positivity and camaraderie. I was still taking time to teach other technicians about anesthesia. I was owning up to mistakes in the moment and setting an example to follow. I didn’t know everything, but I kept asking the questions.

What I needed to realize and what you should know is that it’s okay not to always have the answers. It’s okay to give yourself room and time to grow. In veterinary medicine, and in life, you hold onto information you need to know the most often. We have plenty of medical information we need to know, but this year, we added many new pieces of knowledge to our client education list… like how to use video chats! It’s easy to get wrapped up in what you see as shortcomings. When you get there… what if you think about a skill you’ve developed in 2020?

We are veterinary technicians. That means we are phlebotomists, anesthetists, janitors, educators, professional animal handlers and so much more. This year, think about how our roles have changed because of the state of this world. In just a few months, we have learned to communicate the value of what we do for pets without the benefit of eye contact or body language cues. We have learned to ease fear around pets leaving their owners for care. We have learned a million new ways to clean. We have learned how to work with even more compassion toward our teammates who are afraid or who aren’t. We should add a long list of skills to our resumes after this experience, and maybe even recognize a few that we had left out before.

There is no way to be the best at everything. There is no shame in reviewing the basics or asking questions you might have known the answers to once upon a time. It’s okay to lean on the knowledge and strengths of your teammates sometimes. Try not to focus on the things you don’t know. Think about all the incredible things you do know. You are a veterinary technician. You are an expert communicator. You have a compassionate heart for pets and their people. You do not know everything about veterinary medicine – and that is perfectly okay. Part of being a great vet tech is pushing yourself to keep learning. Guess what? This year pushed us in ways no one saw coming, and we are all better vet techs because of that.

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.

Date: Sunday, May 24th, 5 pm EDT / 2 pm PDT

Cost: There is no fee to graduates, schools, or guests

Register as a Graduate or Guest at: tinyurl.com/2020VetTechGrad

Dear Friends,

A few days ago, my team and I hosted an International virtual veterinary school graduation. More than 8,000 veterinary school graduates and their families and friends have watched the ceremony in the 48 hours since it became available. Almost 2,000 people attended live.

Looking back, I was deeply impacted by the comments I saw during the live event. Parents were crying in pride, graduates were rejoicing together, and veterinarians were sharing their best advice for new doctors entering our profession. It was truly amazing.

Now that we have given our full attention to help celebrate the new veterinarians entering our profession, it is time for us to do the same for our new technicians. The technician graduates who are finishing their programs have dedicated 2-4 years in pursuit of their degrees, and they deserve to be congratulated, inspired and welcomed into veterinary medicine.

My friends and colleagues, please join me Sunday, May 24th at 5 pm EDT/2 PM PDT for the first-ever Virtual Veterinary Technician School Graduation! This will be an online event taking place with music, photos, commencement speakers and an outpouring of encouragement and love.

If you are graduating with a degree in Veterinary Technology this year, please register for our virtual ceremony as a graduate, and come to be celebrated. Also, feel free to share the link with your friends, family, and colleagues so that they can attend as well.

If you are a guest of a graduate, or if you simply want to be there to support and welcome our new technicians (and possibly to get re-inspired yourself), then please register as a guest.

All are welcome, and the ceremony is free to all those who wish to attend.

Commencement speakers will include:

Kelsey Beth Carpenter RVT, BA – Veterinary Technician, social media manager for DrAndyRoark.com, and the creative personality behind “Vet Tech Kelsey”

Senani Ratnayake RVT, BSc – Owner/Founder of Motivatum Consulting, past President of the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians, and Director of Learning and Engagement at P3 Veterinary Partners

Andy Roark DVM, MS – Veterinarian and Founder of DrAndyRoark.com and the Uncharted Veterinary Community

Kenichiro Yagi RVT, VTS (ECC), VTS (SAIM), MS – Current President of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), Cornell Simulation Lab Manager, RECOVER Program Director, and Veterinary Technician and Nurse Advocate

Graduates, I am so excited to congratulate you on your upcoming completion of your technician programs and take the time to celebrate all you have accomplished. Even if the future appears uncertain, please know you have so much to be proud of.

I hope to “see” you there!

Best wishes,
     Dr. Andy Roark

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.

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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