The Savvy VetTech

Did you know that as a veterinary technician you have the opportunity to further your education and interest by specializing?

The National Association of Veterinary Technicians (NAVTA) recognizes several specialty academies. Members of this type of academy are credentialed veterinary technicians who have completed additional formal training, education, and testing in their field of interest.

Specialties include Dentistry, Anesthesia, Internal Medicine, Emergency and Critical Care, Behavior, Equine Nursing, Surgery, Clinical Practice and Nutrition, and Zoo Medicine.

Please join us Tuesday March 15th at 5pm PST (8pm EST) for a Twitter Chat with social media expert Danielle K. Lambert!

Social Media is a huge part of today's advertising and client outreach.

Are you doing it properly or are there things you should change about the way you share your hospital's information?

We all like to feel valued in our jobs.

There are days where our duties can feel mundane. Cleaning up after pets, drawing blood, pulling up vaccines, restraining fractious animals, getting urinated on...you get the idea.

Sometimes being a veterinary technician can seem like a thankless job. 

Almost daily, I have a client tell me that their pet doesn't need a dental because the groomer cleans the teeth. I have also had many clients either take their pets for these "anesthesia free dental cleanings" or ask about them. Veterinary technicians are often asked this question as well. Here are some things to know about so you can properly help to educate clients!

Vet Med is rarely all puppies, kitties, and the smell of roses.

I remember when I started working at the veterinary hospital for the first time as a freshman in college. I was a semi-assistant/kennel vet tech just getting my feet wet in the veterinary world. I was assigned to taking care of a sweet little parvo puppy in the isolation ward. 

As promised, here is the answer key for the crossword puzzle we posted Tuesday.  If you still want to download the puzzle, click here and try not to look at the answer key below!

Test your knowledge and sharpen your skills with this month's crossword puzzle from VetTechPrep! 

We will be posting the answer key later this week!

This month we are featuring registered veterinary technician Devon Ayres, who is an ICU technician.

Devon has been working in the veterinary field for a long time, and I used to work with her during my internship when she was the critical care technician. And she is funny! Some of her answers during her interview made me laugh. She is amazing and we hope you will enjoy her inspiring story.

I love opthalmology. While it can be a challenge, the eyes can tell us so much. Changes in the eye can clue us in to the fact that a pet may be hypertensive, diabetic, or be suffering from underlying inflammatory or infectious disease.

Check out these cool eye photos and see if you can guess the diagnosis! 

It can be so easy to fall into the negativity trap. Veterinary Medicine seems especially susceptible to it. Are you or your fellow veterinary technicians and other colleagues heading in this direction?

Negativity is like a virus that can spread throughout the workplace. Read-on to see what you can do to create a more positive work environment.

I had just started my internship after finishing veterinary school. I was on my emergency overnight rotation, and I was the only one on duty.

One of the veterinary technicians took a phone call from a frantic client that stated her dog had been impaled by a stick through its chest. The owner was obviously told to bring the dog in immediately.

If you missed the Twitter Chat with Mele on Running Smooth Anesthesia for Your Patients, here is your chance to join us for another chat...this time on Pain Managment/Analgesia. 

This month we are featuring veterinary technician Roxane Rocks, who is a certified veterinary technician.

Roxane is a very inspiring role model for those in the profession and we are excited to share her story this month!

It is easy to experience burnout in the veterinary profession. Let's discuss some ways you can increase your job satisfaction. All jobs can become routine. If your Vet Tech Job is getting boring, consider these things to boost your love for this profession!