The Savvy VetTech

This month I am very happy to feature Rexann Morrison, a large animal (equine) vet tech. Thank you Rexann for sharing your story with us!

Rexann did on the job training first as an assistant with Dr. Janet Arlitt in Georgetown,TX beginning when she was 19. Then she loved it so much, she found an amazing program at Murray State College in Tishomingo,OK and enrolled and moved to OK to go to school very soon after. She has been a veterinary assistant since 1997 and a Licensed Veterinary Technician since 2006. 

Many people consider their pets as "children." Thus, custody over pets during divorce can be a hot topic. Alaska is the first state to amend their law to consider the well-being of the pet, and even assigning custody or joint-custody will be taken into consideration. Taking into consideration what is best for the pet and not the humans I think is a step in the right direction. 

A vet tech is essentially a pet nurse, but vet techs do much more than nursing! It sounds simple enough, but there are many challenging responsibilities that come along with being a veterinary technician. Besides just “caring for animals”, vet techs have many responsibilities.

These often include drawing blood and collecting urine or fecal specimens, cleaning cages, running the blood machine, performing fecal testing to look for parasites, taking radiographs (x-rays), setting up appointments, giving injections, placing IV catheters, assisting the doctor in the exam room, restraining animals, providing customer service and client education, presenting financial estimates, performing dental cleanings, running anesthesia for surgeries, and many others. So the question is, should you become a veterinary technician?

So you may already have a list of New Year's Resolutions for your personal life. (Are they the same as they were last year? Mine usually are.) But what about for your career and your general happiness?

This article makes a good point. Even I did a Twitter Chat on Compassion Fatigue because it has become such a hot topic. It is important that the issues of suicide and depression are being talked about, but focusing on this issue at a constant could make it seem that vet med is a real downer. Instead of getting swept up in the negatives in our profession, it suggests that we try to focus on more of the positives! Think about what it is you love about your job. 

I love that every day is different. There are always different cases to see and I still learn something new every day! I even saw a dog with narcolepsy the other day (I have never seen that before, and thanks to the neurologist for diagnosing it)! And I think about the clients that really depend on us to help their pets- they truly appreciate our services and would be lost without us. I am thankful that this profession, even in times of recession, still seems to hang on. There will always be more pets that need us. And I love that in vet med there are different opportunities and avenues to explore if you really do get tired of doing one type of job.

I concur that getting too wrapped up in the stresses could be a real issue. Know the warning signs and risks for compassion fatigue, and take steps to prevent it, but don't dwell on the negative. Take steps to make your job more enjoyable. Do you have any thoughts on this topic?

What are the best Vet Tech Schools?  This article lists what they consider to be the best 2 and 4 year veterinary technician programs. Did yours make the list? School ranks were determined based on several criteria including graduation rate, student-teacher ratios and financial-aid. 

“Jackie,” a 4-year old Maltese mix presents to your clinic after ingesting a full milk chocolate bar about 20 minutes ago. This means he consumed about 1.55 ounces according to the package the owner brought.

This link is for a free download from atdove.org regarding blood products, what they are for, what they contain, expiration, and easy to follow flow charts about them. What an easy way to review and remember the details on various blood products! Thank you atdove.org!  Go get them!

Take this quick poll and see how sharp your x-ray reading abilities are at this time! 

Guess the Foreign body in these animals!

We hear a lot about dog and cat days, but horses have their own days too! December 13th is the National Day of the Horse.

I found a short post about this special day from the AzVMA website from last year to see what it's all about.  

According to the article, the idea behind this national day is that it "encourages a dialog about the importance of horses in our culture, the importance of humane treatment of both domestic and wild horses, and the physical and emotional benefits of owning horses."

In this great article by Jade Velasquez, LVT, she lists some reasons that are contributing to this issue. Wages, under-utilization, compassion fatigue, and toxic environment are the four she discusses. We know that the vet tech field has a high turnover.

This is why continuing education, certification, stress reduction, and vet tech appreciation are cornerstones for job satisfaction. Trying to fend off negativity and creating a more positive work environment should be the job of all hospital members. Take a moment to read this article to learn more!