Whether you prefer to be called veterinary technician, veterinary nurse, veterinary assistant, CSR, or all of the above, this is my letter of appreciation and gratitude for you. This is my support for the support staff, without which I most literally could not do my job. For all the talk about burnout of veterinarians, there is not nearly as much mention of burnout in vet techs. But you all endure just as much stress, long hours, challenging client interactions as vets, with much less recognition or reward. So I’m here to say that I care about you. I want you to be successful, to feel fulfilled, and to stay safe. Please accept my letter to you. It contains the things I most wish for you, the things I hope you value for yourself.
I don’t want you to risk injury for me
On multiple occasions, I have heard techs either tell me or another tech they are training that they want to make sure that if a dog or cat bites anyone, its them and not me. Now, what kind of sense does that make? Absolutely none. My life, my health, my comfort, are not more important that yours. Instead of approaching animal handling with the idea that you will take the injury to protect me, let’s work together to keep each other safe. I do all that I can to try to prevent you from getting bitten or scratched, but if you have the attitude that it’s ok that you get hurt, you will be less likely to make good decisions to protect yourself. Also, I am vaccinated for rabies. Are you? You should be, and not at your expense. We all know how many animals we see who are not up to date on their rabies vaccine. By using your body to try to protect me, you are literally putting your life at risk for your job. Is it worth it?
We are fortunate to be working in veterinary medicine in the age of Fear Free medicine. Let’s embrace it. When you work with me, I don’t want you to keep struggling with a fractious patient and risk injury. In fact, I won’t allow you to do that. You may feel frustrated when I ask you to stop. It’s just as much for you as for the pet when I decide not to continue. As much as I don’t want our patient to be stressed or anxious, I don’t want you to get hurt in the process. It may not be the way we used to do things, but it’s better. Let’s grow with the times. Let’s try food rewards or reassurance from the owner. If those things don’t allow for safe handling, let’s stop and consider chemical restraint. I want you to stay safe. And I want you to tell me if you’re not comfortable handling a particular patient. It’s time to value staying safe over getting it done.
While we’re on the subject of injuries, you don’t need to throw out your back picking up huge dogs to put on and off tables. Ask for help! I am happy to help you lift the dog if needed. I’m also more than happy to see the dog on the floor. I know it’s easy to think you’re invincible, but you’re not. Time to start being proactive.
Wear the PPE
Continuing with the theme of not being invincible, we all need to be better about protecting ourselves from infectious diseases, radiation, chemicals and more. It may not feel dangerous at the time, but you put yourself at serious risk by not wearing proper PPE when you perform a dental cleaning, take dental radiographs standing right next to the beam, or use potentially hazardous chemicals for cleaning and disinfection. Maybe it feels clunky. Maybe no one around you is doing it. Maybe you didn’t realize that you should. Whatever the reason, please assess your use of PPE. If it’s not readily available, ask for it. Insist on it. You have a right to protect yourself.
You deserve to be licensed or certified
Whether you were trained on the job or you went to school, you deserve the formal recognition of certification and/or licensure. Even if you haven’t been enrolled in a full-time training program, you can combine online classes with on-the-job training and take the exam to get your CVA, Certified Veterinary Assistant. Other options are the CVT, RVT or LVT titles (certified, registered or licensed veterinary technician) or the VRCE (Veterinary Receptionist Certificate of Excellence). You don’t have to quit your job to go back to school to get any of these certifications. And many workplaces may even reimburse you for some or all of your expenses. Having a certification is another bargaining tool that you can use to improve your compensation as well. Certification may also open up career opportunities outside of general practice: specialty practice, teaching, industry, research, and more. There’s definitely a lot of sacrifice and hard work required, but the benefits of increased confidence, skill level, renumeration and responsibility are worth it.
You deserve to be paid well
You deserve to be paid a living wage. You deserve to be able to afford to rent or own a home, to afford health insurance and other necessities of life. You deserve to be paid as a health care professional. You deserve more than pizza parties and gifts for tech week. All of us–veterinarians, pet owners, and animals would be lost without you. It’s time you be treated as such. You are in high demand right now, just like veterinarians.
Don’t forget you are a professional
A fabulous technician I used to work with commented jokingly on a conversation she had with a client. The client was expressing amazement with how easily the tech was doing whatever it was she was doing with her dog. The tech responded without thinking, “well, I do this for a living.” The rest of the afternoon was full of this technician and her coworkers jokingly repeating, “Ma’am, I’m a professional!” and similar statements. But it’s not a joke! You are trained, and you do this for a living. You ARE a professional!
I had another technician tell me recently that he didn’t want to do something without me because he was “just an amateur.” While I’m glad he waited for me to help, he is definitely not an amateur. And neither are you! Be proud of your training, your experience, your knowledge and your skill! The average pet owner would be shocked if they saw all the different tasks you perform on a daily basis. You contribute so much to patient care and safety. You have a wealth of knowledge you can share with pet owners. And you have valuable insight you can share with veterinarians about your patients.
You deserve to grow
Part of the reward for working hard, getting certified and learning new skills should be to grow professionally in your role. This can mean taking on supervisory or managerial responsibilities, taking part in new clinical opportunities like working in surgery, having more autonomy and independence in talking with and educating clients, or something else. Look out for ways to prepare yourself for these opportunities, and ask for them if they are not offered. Veterinary medicine is so busy and backlogged right now that you’d be hard pressed to find a practice that doesn’t need a hard working team member who wants to help more. If there’s a skill you really want to learn, communicate that. You might end up working with a member of the team to learn that skill or going to a CE course to learn from other experts. Look for ways to add more value and fulfillment to your position. Sometimes growing means moving on to a different opportunity. That’s ok, too.
You deserve psychological safety at work
You deserve to be treated with respect. You deserve communication, feedback and constructive criticism. You deserve recognition for your hard work. You deserve not to be drowning in toxicity. You deserve to be defended and protected from abusive clients. If you don’t have these things, it’s time to find a new job.
Please take your breaks
Veterinary medicine is a hard field to work in. Clients come late, walk-ins happen, someone calls out sick, patients are sometimes much sicker than the owner let on, emergency surgeries get added on, and the list goes on. It’s easy to just work through lunch and inhale your food when there’s a quick moment. While I appreciate your dedication, you shouldn’t have to do this. Take your lunch. We need you to to be healthy, both physically and mentally so that you can do your best work. And YOU need you to be healthy so that you can enjoy your life. Life is more than just work.
Don’t get me wrong–I don’t say this as some who has it all figured out. I’ve just seen too many techs go throughout their day without much regard for their own needs and their own fulfillment. I know that you do what you do because you are smart, hard working, and you love animals. Of that, I have no doubt. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of love along the way.
I’m sending my love and appreciation to you today and always……
XOXO,
ES