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Vet Tech Life

Why I’m Leaving The Vet Clinic

March 30, 2022 by Dr. Andy Roark Community

Today was a big day for me. My eighteen months of maternity leave has finally come to an end and I would have been returning to work as a registered veterinary technician at the same small animal hospital I’ve been employed with for over nine years now. 

But instead, I’ve chosen to take a big leap and concentrate all of my efforts on helping families adopt rescue dogs with the Pawdoption Guide Membership Experience I’ve created, whilst caring for my young family. 

This is huge for me because I am such a proud RVT!

I have always loved what I do. I’ve been an advocate for my profession while regularly enjoying the pursuit of continuing education. I thought I had the coolest job in the world; as a registered veterinary technician you’re ALWAYS on your feet and you get to dabble in so many things. One minute you’re prepping and monitoring a patient in surgery, the next you’re taking x-rays, running lab work, reading cytology, or providing client education. The day-to-day work I did was everything I had dreamed of during the two years I spent obtaining my college diploma for this role. 

That being said, working in a vet hospital is anything but perfect. Even though the role fulfilled me, I seriously considered leaving my vet clinic a few times during my career there. I always chose to stay for the standard of care and professionalism that they upheld. I just didn’t think anyone else could match it. 

So How Did I Get Here… 

In 2019 when I started my own business, Pawdoption Guide, I had no idea when or if it would become a full-time gig. I merely started it thinking that I should have a backup plan because many technicians dealt with burnout or short careers. At one point, I had heard that the average career length for vet techs was 5 years! Probably, in part, because our low salary was and is easily matched by other job opportunities. Shift work, physical demands, and clinic atmosphere most likely played a role in this too. That statistic was an eye-opener for me. 

Now, there are certainly some technicians who stay in the field long term but I would not hesitate to say that the majority of them don’t have children. Unfortunately, veterinary medicine is not an easy field to be in while raising children and my priorities changed quickly with the birth of my two kids. 

I realized how much time I would be sacrificing with them if I worked the rotating shifts of an RVT. There would be weeks at a time where I wouldn’t see my kids following dropping them off at daycare in the morning. I decided I wasn’t okay with this.

Let me be the first to acknowledge my privilege to be able to make a choice like that or even have the financial stability to do so. I am very fortunate. 

When I went back to work following my first maternity leave, I was able to negotiate a stable work schedule with no rotation. However, in doing so, I had to relinquish most of my participation in surgery duties. This was almost unthinkable for me, my identity as a vet tech was wrapped up in this aspect of my work, yet I gave it up because I could not imagine the alternative. 

It was definitely the right choice for me and I got used to the new norm but my job no longer held the balance and satisfaction that it once had. This, along with a second child was really the tipping point for my in-clinic career. 

At this point, I was creating a lot of free resources and courses to empower dog adopters in their dog adoption journey, and completing each one of them enlivened my passion for dog rescue and adoption. I could never have imagined being so fulfilled by something other than my RVT duties in an animal hospital. So, with this personal growth came the awareness that I must continue to pursue this new passion. 

The nail in the coffin, so to say, was when I set out to write my resignation letter. I did what most people do and googled “resignation letter template.” The template I came across looked great and had all the necessities, plus a few optional things. One of them is to mention a memorable achievement, big accomplishment, or highlight of your career. 

I thought, “Sure, how hard could that be?” Well, I must’ve sat on that question for hours, maybe even days. I just kept reliving my 9 years as an RVT at this small animal hospital and all of the opportunities where I showed initiative, leadership or brought something to fruition. I thought of many things but I could not find even one thing that felt worthy of that title. Not one. Every example that came close had a mental asterisk beside it for one reason or another. The truth is, as a veterinary technician you do so many tasks. The accomplishments are many, yet that’s all expected of you. The authority to see projects or tasks through the way you may want to is seldomly possible. The vet or boss is always overseeing you and has the final say. 

For me, it was suddenly and overwhelmingly clear that although I enjoyed the tasks I performed as a tech I was left feeling unrewarded because I didn’t feel I could take full responsibility for my accomplishments. I wanted the ability to lead, not just contribute. 

I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think that I resent my workplace for this revelation. I honestly don’t think I would have had a different result recalling a 9-year career at any other clinic. The really joyous or impactful memories for me all surrounded the camaraderie I experienced as a team or with my individual colleagues.

It just comes down to the role description of a registered veterinary technician which is to work alongside and assist the veterinarian. This was no longer serving me. 

In comparison, with just 2 years under my belt as an entrepreneur, I can name 10 things or more that I’m immensely proud of accomplishing and have provided me with personal and professional growth. That resignation letter gave me the clarity I needed to turn my side-hustle into a full-time gig while confidently leaving my in-clinic vet-tech career. Entrepreneurship is undoubtedly the way onward and upward for me as an RVT.

Photo of Bethany Muir and two dogs

About the Author:

Bethany Muir is a seasoned RVT from Kitchener, ON Canada, who is passionate about rescuing pets. She proudly uses her RVT skills to empower dog adopters in locating, adopting, and integrating their dream rescue dog via her Pawdoption Guide Membership Experience. Find out more by listening to weekly episodes of the Pawdoption Guide Podcast or visiting her website.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Perspective, Team Culture, Vet Tech Life

The Secret to my Success: Mentors and Motivation

March 5, 2021 by Tasha McNerney BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS

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.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Perspective, Team Culture, Vet Tech Life

For Techs Every Day is Game Day

October 17, 2020 by Tyler Grogan

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.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Vet Tech Life

NEW RESEARCH – What REALLY Keeps Techs Engaged and Satisfied?

September 6, 2020 by Andy Roark DVM MS

This week on the Cone!!!

New JAVMA article about what technicians really care about in their jobs. Are you providing them? Are you wasting your time and resources doing things they don’t care about? Let’s get into this!

Cone Of Shame Veterinary Podcast · COS 044: NEW RESEARCH – What REALLY Keeps Techs Engaged and Satisfied?

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.


ABOUT OUR GUEST:

David Liss has an incredibly rich and diverse background in the field of veterinary technology. A registered veterinary technician in California, David holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology and an Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology. He also holds double board-certifications as a veterinary technician specialist in emergency/critical care and small animal internal medicine and has diverse background in emergency and critical care nursing in addition to being a certified veterinary practice manager (CVPM) and professional in human resources (PHR). He has been technician manager at two different twenty-four-hour referral/specialty facilities in the Los Angeles area, has contributed to numerous veterinary texts and was awarded the Veterinary Technician Educator of the Year award by Western Veterinary Conference. David also holds a Master’s inBiomedical Science. David currently is the director of operations for Amerivet in Los Angeles, runs his own consulting business: Veterinary Training and Consulting, Inc., and lectures worldwide.

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Vet Tech Life

2020 Veterinary Technician/Nurse Virtual Graduation

May 6, 2020 by Andy Roark DVM MS

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

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Vet Tech Life

Podcast Crossover! Dr. Roark Goes on VAN

March 25, 2020 by Tasha McNerney BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS

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.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Team Culture, Vet Tech Life

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