Vet Tech Life

Vet Tech Week is arguably one of the best weeks of the year. It competes only with that one week in February where I trialed the “pizza for breakfast” diet. So what are YOU doing to celebrate the superheroes of your clinic?

Ok, let’s address reality here: Some of you are procrastinators. Or – to quote the infamous Stephanie Goss – maybe your lives resemble a “dumpster fire” at the moment. That’s ok. This week can sneak up on you sometimes. So, we took to the Dr. Andy Roark Facebook page to ask Veterinary Technicians this important question: What is the best gift you’ve ever received for Vet Tech Week? Here, we’ll highlight some of their answers so that you can get them what they REALLY want this week.

Make it personal!

When it comes to gifts, the more personal you make them, the more meaningful they become. Recognizing your Technician’s personal goals, interests, and hobbies is a great way to make them feel valued on a whole new level.

“I recieved a cat tree from my employers. It was super thoughtful and very much appreciated with my 5 cats!” – Erinn K.

“Personalized stickers to mark your favorite pens with.” – Katie H.

“Last year our management hand made to go cups with our names on them and pawprints. Filled with candy.” – Krista B.

Get your reps involved.

Did you know you can reach out to your drug/food reps for help? We heard lots of stories of reps getting involved and making some great celebrations possible! Remember, they appreciate Vet Techs, too!

“My all time favorite was last year our rep did a mani/pedi on our day off with a full mimosa/Bloody Mary bar!” – Lynette K.

“My hospital spoiled the crap out of us all week. They organized with different reps to provide us with buffett style Breakfast and Lunch every day.” – Katie H.

Food. Always food.

Lauren A. summed this one up perfectly when she said “I’ve never known a vet clinic to turn down free food, especially on busy days when we just need something to shove in our mouth between tasks.” One of the many ways to a Veterinary Professional’s heart is definitely through the stomach, so don’t skimp on the food this week!

“We get a full breakfast of sausages, eggs, bacon, french toast, fruit etc made bright and early in the morning by one of doctors. It is so nice!” – Magda J.

“The best “ present” I ever got were the doctors making us breakfast. Homemade breakfast was the best.” – Adria B.

Include the clients and coworkers!

Vet Tech Week doesn’t all have to come from management. Remember that appreciation from clients and coworkers is a fantastic gift, as well! Use your lobby, your website, and your social media to help involve clients in the Tech Week celebrations, and make sure the rest of your staff has the opportunity to say thank you, too!

“We…do a special feature on Facebook so clients can leave mushy sweet comments and let the techs now how appreciated they are!” – Maria P.

“We had an associate vet that was sooooo incredibly thoughtful and kind. She…made signs about loving the techs and put them in the lobby. Each one was one of our names.” – Amanda M.

“Client here for what I consider the best vet hospital ever! Every year I bake for the entire staff & I try to do this a few times during the year – the entire staff deserves to be acknowledged & appreciated – love them all!!” – Cynthia G.

“My favorite has been having everyone write a compliment for every other coworker and then compiling all of the compliments for each person into one document (often inside one of their gifts).” – Susan S.

“Cards from coworkers of props for all I do. I know I shouldn’t need it but it feels so good to know you are recognized.” – Mandi T.

Massages. All the massages!

Being a Veterinary Technician is a back-breaking job (both literally and figuratively). Massages was BY FAR the most popular gift mentioned by our Vet Tech community! These can come in the form of group outings, gift cards, or – quite possibly best of all – bringing a masseuse in to the clinic for massages on site!

“The last two years we’ve gotten 15 minute chair massages. It’s awesome!” – Lisa L.

“Last year we got chair massages from a massage therapist and it felt great!” – Vickie H.

“Massages would also help the achy ouch’s days that build up.” – Amy F.

So much room for activities!

It doesn’t all have to be food and goodies. Sometimes activities and experiences are just as great a gift, and a great bonding experience as well. Here are just a few ideas:

“I…have made tye dye scrub tops for my staff – that’s something fun for them (and fun to make as well)! Any white scrub top will work, some fabric soaks it in better. But it’s really easy! Get dye on amazon or local craft store!” – Lynette K.

“Our associate veterinarian, who also happens to be our friend, has treated us to a Broadway show almost every year the past few years. It has been SO much fun and it’s great that we get to hang out with one another outside of work.” – Robbyn M.

“I think my crew/me would appreciate getting out early one night planned and concrete and going out to appreciate each other and relax!” – Amy F.

Assorted goodies.

There were so many great gift ideas listed in the Facebook thread (click that link to check it out for yourself!) Here are just a few highlights:

“Doctor treated LVT to a cooking class to cook the own meal and dessert. It was awesome!” – Stacy B.

“We are also giving out “coupons” as prizes this year – get off 1 your early, I don’t have to clean that kennel, t shirt day, etc.” – Kassie N.

“Highlighters to coordinate my anesthetic charts!” – Hailey C.

“Money goes a long way in making me feel appreciated.” – Erin M.

“Snarky vet tech coloring book. 😂 and movie passes. ♥️” – Angel P.

“$50 Amazon gift card and a tumbler with my name on it!” – Heather G.

Good old-fashioned gratitude.

Sometimes, the easiest gift is also the one that means the most. Remember that when it comes down to it, this week is about appreciating Veterinary Technicians for their skill, compassion, and grit. It’s a tough job, and it takes some really special individuals to fill it! And while no one does it for the purpose of being thanked, acknowledgement can still mean the world.

“A sincere note from a supervisor or coworker also goes a long way.” – Mary M.

“Sincere respect and appreciation goes a long way Techs who feel appreciated are great employees who shine.” – Keri W.

“Topped it off with a hand written card with how much I appreciated every single one of them. Gratitude goes so far and it was my honor to dedicate my time to such an awesome staff.” – Daniele I.

“I stepped into Heaven when I took this job 7 yrs ago. I have never once left the building without the Dr or management looking me in the eye and saying “thank you for your help today.” – Krista B.

There was a point not very long ago when I thought I was ready to move on from veterinary medicine – at least the part about working in a clinic. I was moving out of state, so it seemed like the right time to look for new opportunities.

As it turned out, moving across the country was change enough for me, and as I was hunting for jobs I found myself seeking comfort in my professional knowledge. I started to apply for veterinary technician positions, and with that, came interviews. I remember walking into my first working interview after months of being out of a clinic and thinking, “what if I actually can’t do this?”

During my first working interview, a dog with marijuana toxicity came into the clinic. The doctor did an examination and induced vomiting. She talked me through what she was doing, and even though I knew well enough how a toxicity case is handled, I fumbled around clumsily grabbing towels and nodding my head. When the vomiting subsided, I was asked to place a catheter. Something I had done hundreds of times with ease. I reached around in drawers for tape, catheters, scrub, a t-port… and found none of what I knew. They used a different brand of catheters and there was no Elastikon to be seen.

At that moment I remembered hearing something about hiring new technicians and new graduate veterinarians. For many, their skills are limited to where they are comfortable working. Many may have only worked in one place their entire career or hadn’t taken their first job yet. This ran through my mind over and over again as I painfully realized I had worked in only one hospital for the last five years. I started as an assistant and made my way to becoming a certified veterinary technician. I learned how to place catheters, how to draw blood, how to monitor anesthesia and how to triage emergencies in one place. I knew that I only learned one way to do all of those things.

“Don’t panic,” I said to myself.

I then remembered a good piece of advice from a veterinarian at a conference. They said the first way to make friends at a new hospital is to follow the way their technicians place catheters. So, I took hold of the opportunity and I asked the lead technician. He told me how they would prepare the tape, how the needle snapped back into the cap of the catheter to reduce the risk of poking yourself, and where to find a t-port.

It was an ugly affair.

The catheter glided smoothly into the vein, but after that, nothing went according to plan. I fumbled with this new tape that stuck better to itself than to my patient. Again and again, it would stick uselessly and I would try again. After about 10 minutes, patience was wearing thin in all three of us and I resorted to cutting 4-inch Elastikon into 1 inch and taped the only way I knew how.

The working interview was over at that moment.

What good possibly came of that mortifying experience? At the time, a large milkshake from In-N-Out was about all. I felt terrible that this hospital brought me in for an interview, and I blew it. What did that say about me as a technician? It took some time, but I can see the good and the bad, not only the ugly when I look back on it.

I may have not succeeded at taping a catheter the way that hospital did, but I asked before I tried. I didn’t huff and puff and say I didn’t have what I needed. I showed something more personal in that interview, which was the willingness to learn new things and the respect to try their way. I also learned how valuable it is to diversify your techniques. When I finally did end up in a great hospital here in California, the first task I set myself to was to learn a new way to place a catheter. I now have a wider list of tools and skills at my disposal that I comfortably know how to use.

There’s a certain kind of pressure that comes with having experience. When I was applying for jobs as someone with no experience, begging for someone to take a chance, there were no expectations. Interviewing as someone who knows their stuff – that’s a whole different ball game. My takeaway was not to let my mistakes in an interview make me feel incapable. I’d been in the same hospital for five years! The important thing is learning to adapt with some time and support, and trusting yourself to try new ways of doing things.

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.