Need to vent about a weird stressful day. Sharing pics of my pup that will hopefully help anyone else that is having a weird or bad day as well!

Had an emergency house call for a euthanasia of a Great Dane that is well loved in our clinic. On our way back the woman who hired me into the field (19years ago) calls to schedule a euthanasia for her 17 year old cat that I’ve known since a kitten. On our drive back to the clinic, right after talking about setting the cat euthanasia up, the car in front of us hits a baby deer at full speed!! I nearly jump out of the vehicle while it was moving to try and catch the fawn to check it out!
I’m SO over today!!
(Baby deer sprinted off into the woods and we didn’t find it. We determined that the baby probably hit the car more than the car hitting the deer. But that sweet thing was at full tilt when it hit the side of a car going around 40mph. It didn’t seem injured by way it sprinted off.)
Today I’m ADR, but hanging in.

Hi there!

I’m currently going down the rabies rabbit hole since news came out about the mobile petting zoo where the baby goats were positive with rabies.

It brings me back to my Vet Assistant days and even though I did not have an experience with a domestic animal having rabies while working, it makes me feel some sort of way because the Vet Hospital I worked at did not educate the assistants on getting vaccinated before working with them.

It’s funny though. I only worked at this hospital for a week and saw so many red flags. I never saw my manager (she sat upstairs in her office instead of training me and the other assistants. We honestly looked like chickens with our heads cut off working because none of us were trained.), the Vet Techs did not like the assistants, and none of the doctors cared about us enough to learn our names. It honestly felt like I was just another body there.

Anyway, like I said, I feel like everyone there handling animals should have been told to get the rabies vaccines in case of those type of situations, especially if I was bit by a cat or dog who was unvaccinated. I was not told and shouldn’t have been hired if I didn’t get it.

Last I heard, the owner/main doctor retired and sold the building so it’s being ran differently now.

I love animals but I did not have the passion for being an assistant. I respect everything Vets and Vet Techs do, I saw that first hand. But, I don’t know how ya’ll go through your shifts without stressing not only over the animals health, but your own as well. I’d be terrified of diseases like Rabies.

I just hope everyone who was at that petting zoo got their shots after. I wouldn’t hesitate.

Swamped day in the E.R. and im just a K.A. Went out of my way to be as helpful as possible - made a run to drop off a patient at a shelter, helping with stats coming in, discharges going home, treatments for in-patients, etc. etc. One of my techs is swamped with their caseload and gets pulled to talk clients through euthanasia. I stop and ask if theres anything I can do to help with the patient we were about to work on before they got pulled. Tech gives me a list of actual treatments to complete for them - some of which I cant do as a K.A. (without a finger) so I rightfully grabbed another less busy tech to help.

While the tasks being asked of me weren't something I could do alone, it felt really nice to know that the tech respected and trusted me enough to ask and give me clear instructions on how to do each one. It really felt like a "they see potential in me and my hardwork means something" moment.

Big shout out to all the techs who value their K.A.s and show them love and respect. Its a small gesture but it really brightens our day.

Hi all! I’ll keep this short and sweet.

I am a recently graduated and licensed tech, who was lucky enough to find a job soon after taking my VTNE. I started this new job a week ago, making this my second week.

Today, we had a fractious cat come in. My school and my place of internship were pretty much strictly fear free … but obviously I know the basics of animal language and safety. UNfortunately, the poor fella was really not digging his blood draw and nabbed me. It’s pretty superficial, I’m obviously going to keep an eye on it for any advancements.

My question is, to all you elder techs out there, does that make me inadequate to be a tech? I’m feeling really bummed this happened my second week into the real deal, and I can’t help but feel like the staff are thinking less of me for “letting myself” get nabbed.

I know these things come with time, too, I’m just looking for a little encouragement that getting got does not immediately discredit all the work I’ve put in.

I’ve been in vetmed for over 10 years. I worked as an unlicensed tech and then through the OTJ pathway obtained certification. I couldn’t afford college when I was younger. I now work at a university, in a very specialized department that’s high pressure/high stakes, don’t want to share too many details. But I know many people who have spoken about wanting this specific position. For some people in my department it’s their dream job.

But I cry every morning before going in. I have nightmares about looking down and seeing a patient grey and dead, or a big dog falling off a table, my boyfriend even says I wake up in the middle of the night screaming. I’m “on” all day at work and I can’t turn my brain off because I still feel like I have to be on high alert, waiting for something to go wrong. I’m overweight, depressed, have no energy or time to do anything else during my day… I get home and just lie down and can’t even make dinner (fat because I stress eat via ordering dominos at 1am because I can’t fall asleep again after a nightmare. I stress eat because i am a former substance abuser and it’s either food or pills or self injury, so I pick the lesser of the evils.) I call off frequently due to panic attacks and anxiety.

Meanwhile, my coworkers seem like they’re thriving. Of course, I can’t read someone’s mind, and I don’t know someone’s life outside of work. But everyone seems like they love this job, they want to advance their career in it, they go home and take care of their kids and do activities with their husbands, etc. and I’m struggling. I don’t have a life because I’m tired, depressed, and anxious. Oh yeah, and I live paycheck to paycheck, and if anything happened to my own pet I could not afford the care provided at my workplace. Also the insurance I get from my workplace doesn’t cover enough for therapy/psych/meds, because I’ve looked into it. (I’m also recovering from BPD and PTSD, I’ve had a few other psych labels over the years but anytime I talk to a therapist I get referred out because “they can’t treat personality disorders” even if I don’t mention it they figure it out pretty quickly lol.)

But nothing bad is happening to me at work. I get praised a lot, I generally like my coworkers. I like the job itself. It’s just destroying me. I wake up crying/having panic attack. I go to work and my nervous system is fried. My brain has to be “on” and I cannot miss a single detail. I stress about every interaction I have with my coworkers. I go home and can’t take care of myself and have no life and no money. This can’t be it. I want to be happy. But I feel ashamed and embarrassed that I’m struggling this much.

I want to quit, and my boyfriend would support me, but I have no other education or job training, so I feel trapped in this field since I don’t want to just live off of someone else’s support. And honestly? Again, the shame and embarrassment are a big factor. It’s easy to tell someone they should prioritize their mental health, but I do feel like it’s something wrong with me, since everyone else can deal with it so easily.

I don’t know how to end this post. Wrote on notes app on my phone so idk what the formatting is gonna be like.

We were down 3 staff members yesterday, so I was doing my best to juggle 2 peoples work all day, but was mostly stuck at reception because of yhe endless stream of people coming in.

We had people leaving without paying cos they were waiting so long for me to get to them because I was juggling so much, I had to deal with animals that needed iv placements, cremation sorted out, xrays uploaded and sent elsewhere, dogs with diarrhea and vomiting, people coming in to visit dead animals, people who couldn't pay for treatment getting really rude to me & the vets & I just had to watch them leave with their poor kitten who would likely die within the next few hours.

A lot of clients were really rude & condescending because of the wait time, I could barely get anyone clinical to speak to people concerned about their pets cos we were so busy.

I genuinely got to a point where I was so stressed & overwhelmed I almost cried and had trouble writing, typing & keeping my head straight. I'm autistic as well, so this sort of constant stressful communication really strained me.

Not every shift is like this but when it is it genuinely wears me down to 5% battery and I still feel like shit the next day and can't stop thinking sbout all the animals I might have let down.

I still have stress from it & i dont know how to get it out.

I dont know if its even worth telling my manager how the shift affected me? Or if that would make me risk getting fired or somethibg.

Any advice or commiseration much appreciated thank you

I’m considering starting vet tech school in about a year, but while I’ve been researching the field, I keep coming across a lot of negative experiences like stress, burnout, low pay, working overtime etc.
What I’ve noticed, though, is that the overwhelming majority of these experiences seem to come from people working in veterinary clinics. I understand that working at a clinic is the most obvious career path for a vet tech, but is it really the only option?
Are there other jobs where vet tech qualifications/skills are useful that might be a little less stressful or demanding? I’d also be interested in hearing from anyone who works at smaller or less busy clinics, perhaps in a small city. Is the work-life balance better in those environments, or do the same problems tend to follow you regardless?
I’m still in the early stages of deciding whether vet tech school is right for me, so I’d really appreciate hearing about the positive sides of the career too. Are there people here who genuinely enjoy their work and have found a setup that works well for them?
I’d love to hear about your experiences, especially if you’ve found a path outside of the typical busy clinic environment

This is going to sound weird, but I really have found my favorite subject in vet tech school to be hematology, it's highly fascinating and I love studying it. My question is, is there a career path that I could go into after I finish school that would allow me to work in research, maybe clinical pathology, or a field having to do with hematology, or would that be a separate degree?

I am making a huge career pivot (from education as an educational aide to the veterinary field, specifically in the kennels), and the jobs in my area typically require 1-2 years of experience. I have been rescuing and caring for animals' basic needs, as well as medical needs, under the supervision of veterinarians for 12 years.

Will clinics and hospitals consider this as experience? It's been really hard getting my foot in the door, and I would love the chance.

This is a place to post (as many times during the week as you’d like) anything that made you feel good! Weather that be a cute puppy that licked your nose or a happy client story or something that doesn’t feel like it needs to be it’s own post. It can be anything you’d like, and this is a place for you to see other people’s love for our profession!

Please don’t stop posting under the “positive” post flair if you want to share more! This is mostly for morale and help people to remember why we love doing what we do.

We are allowing external links (for this thread only) for images and videos, preferably no links to personal social media pages. Please remember to not post any personal information or to post a pet without permission. These posts will be deleted.

A new thread will be posted weekly, and the old one will be archived. Have fun! 💕

We have an owner looking to try and take their cats blood pressure at home. I think this is a great idea! The cat doesn't particularly like coming to the hospital and will lose patience with us pretty quickly! We are all curious what her readings will be at home. Anyone have any suggestions on what blood pressure machine the owner should use at home?

This timer is meant for dark room film dev use. I’m loving the analog experience. It makes me stare at it and not forget that I’m staining something. Lol

Hello!

I have adhd and dyscalculia (a math based learning disability)

I am wanting to go back to school, and I have been considering a vet tech program to pursue.

But I am wary, as I am aware it’s a pretty numbers heavy job. I’m not incapable of doing math, it just takes me a beat longer and I double check my work a lot. I will not lie though, I would need to keep a calculator and the formulas handy as mental math and I are not amazing friends and it can be hard, but not impossible.

Is there anyone here who has dyscalculia or knows anyone with it? Do you believe someone this disability would be able to pursue this career and be successful?

Besides vet tech I have been considering becoming a zoo keeper. I live near really amazing accredited zoo’s and wildlife areas. But a lot of my family is saying vet tech- it’s more stable, I would be good at it. But I am afraid that it’s not doable due to my issues

Thank you for reading!

Edit: all of these responses have made me feel so much more confident in my choice. I will for sure be pursuing a vet tech degree and not let math hold me back anymore. Also, it’s been wonderful meeting so many people who have dyscalculia!! I have met only 2 other people, so this is more than I could’ve hoped for. Thank you so much!!!

Just got off a phone call with a doctor that's hiring RVTs. This clinic is located in GTA area and claiming he's not going to pay higher than CAD $22 for new grad (without experience) RVTs.

Even in small towns, unregistered new grads are getting $24 dollars according to my sources. We can only get more appreciated for our hard-work if we stick together when it comes to pay rates.

so - I’m a baby tech. I graduated, passed the VTNE, and started a job as a surgery tech at a big university hospital around three months ago. I left a different field (finance) to pursue vet med, so it’s not my first ‘serious’ job. I work with mostly great techs, but I’m noticing some behavior from my boss and the surgeons that I just can’t seem to get past mentally. Looking for other people’s thoughts and opinions because I feel like I am going crazy.

The surgeons are allowed to treat us however they feel on any given day. I was, for lack of a better term, hazed when I got there. It took three weeks for ANY of the surgeons to use my name. They refused to ask me for things in surgery but if another tech came in they would say hey we need all this stuff. They would walk into a room with myself and another person and make conversation with said other person while acting like I was invisible. Instead of asking for the OPEN BIOHAZARD BAG that I had, a surgeon looked at me and then simply dropped a testicle on the ground and blood went all over the floor, another one screamed at me in the OR about contaminating the leg I was scrubbing (I hadn’t). I had a surgeon ask me for a tool we don’t have and then told me to ‘go find her someone who knew what they were doing.’ I brought this up to my supervisor several times at first because it made me feel like crap. Every time I brought it up she brushes it off with ‘well they don’t know how to respond to new people’ and ‘they’re the surgeons we are here to help them’ - I don’t think that excuses them from basic human decency?

We were taught in tech school that times are changing and we should work with a team - other techs, doctors, and assistants - who respect us for what we do. I am so anxious every day because I don’t know if I will get yelled at or made to feel like an idiot. My boss claims that the doctor - tech relationship is like this anywhere and that I would be in the same boat no matter where I was. I just can’t help but feel like that’s not true. I guess I just needed to vent and if anyone has advice to offer, I would love to hear it

Looking for advice from people who worked in specialty medicine, got burnt out, and left for GP/urgent care.

My specialty hospital is definitely great with the level of medicine we get to practice on a day to day basis, but the stress levels are DEFINITELY catching up to me.

So, my question is to people who worked in a large hospital like this to a smaller clinic: were you able to transfer to a clinic like that and still feel fulfilled? Knowing you may not be practicing the same level of medicine as before?

The place I’m applying to has a high staff retention rate (compared to my current hospital, who hemorrhages employees out the wazoo), so that does fill me with confidence.

But I’m also scared I won’t feel as fulfilled in this job NOT utilizing all of my specialty skills. But on the other hand… I can NOT keep going at the rate I’m going without the risk of my mental health declining tremendously.

So, if this sounds like you, I would love all of your honest opinions, advice, pros/cons, everything!

Thank you all in advance; proud of ALL of us vet techs, wether its GP, urgent care, specialty, ALL of it!❤️

I’ve been aways told that the expiration dates on some medications, mostly pills, really means it’s effectiveness significantly reduces after that date and that they never “truly” expire.
At the previous hospital i worked at, once a medication reached its expiration date we simply threw it out. I have left that hospital and started at a new one a couple months ago. At this new privately owned hospital i noticed some bottles were way passed their expiration date like an Enalapril that expired in 2023. I immediately noticed it when i started and i brought it up to the manager, and she said “expiration dates are bs”. Not much i could say or do.
Today we had a 15yo heart patient that’s been seizing frequently and also has a history of enlarged liver, collapsed trachea and other things. The ER she went to a week ago for one of his seizures prescribed enalapril, she came today to us for a follow up and requested more as it was running out. We dispensed the 2023 expired Enalapril.

Thoughts?

I am scheduled to have a robotic laproscopic hysterectomy next month. My doctor says I should be able to return to full work after 2 weeks (with the restriction of not lifting over 30 lbs for 6 weeks), but I have read such vastly different experiences online, and I dont feel that my surgeon fully understands the physical nature of this profession. I HAVE to return to work after 2 weeks - the plan now being I move to just doing seated or lighter work for now (working front desk, doing dentals, or working appointments) instead of working a more demanding or unpredictable role like surgery or emergency intake (we are a small mixed GP and ER) until week 6. I am unsure when they will expect me to pick up after hours call shifts.

This turned into a bit of a rant, sorry. I am just interested in hearing about the experiences of actual techs in similar situations, because I worry about feeling pressured into doing more. I am lucky to have very supportive management, but I do worry about the tech team itself while I am unable to perform normally. Just wondering what to expect! Thank you!