Vet Tech Life

Some of you may have read a recent article I wrote “Four Reasons Techs Are Leaving the Field.” If you haven’t, I’ll give you the cliff notes version: Underutilization, low pay, compassion fatigue and toxic teammates and work environment are huge contributors to technicians deciding to find another field to work in. That article seemed… Read More

I read an NAVTA article suggesting that the veterinary field isn’t short on technicians; rather, technicians are not staying in the field. Recent studies show that a newly licensed technician typically leaves the field after five years.  The program for becoming a licensed technician is a two-year program. So after two years of schooling, paying… Read More

Vet Tech Week is a time to acknowledge and show that you appreciate us. We don’t always need pizza or fancy gifts to make us feel like we are appreciated. Sometimes just acknowledging the work we do and that we are part of what makes your clinic great is enough. We want to feel valued… Read More

This week, while over a bandage change or an extruded dog penis or placing a purse string in a dog’s rectum (hard to remember exactly what I was doing, but some veterinarian-related group activity), a few technicians were trying to describe one of the surgeons I work with. The description was not particularly flattering. I… Read More

I met a young technician once who was at the end of her rope at work: “I work with three doctors, and they’re out of control!” she said, desperate to get some advice. “They hate each other and now they refuse to work together. They won’t even take phone calls from clients who aren’t ‘theirs.’”… Read More