I just want to share with everyone how happy I am at my new job. This is my second job at a vet clinic and this one is soooo much better than the first.
First of all, I got hired as a tech. This means that I’m doing everything that I want to do, learning things every day. At the first vet clinic I was a boring old receptionist. This is so much better. I’m hands-on with the animals. I also have to point out that this job will never get boring. I’m sure some things will get routine (drawing up vaccines, setting up fecals, performing urinalysis) but I will always have something to learn and there will always be new challenges. (Unlike a receptionist position or past jobs in restuarants)
Second of all, it’s a world of difference, socially, from the other clinic. The people at this clinic are so nice. I think I must have rubbed someone the wrong way at the other clinic right off, cause I was not getting along with people there at all. These people have a sense of humor. They’re great about answering my questions and helping me out. Not that work has to be a social event, but it’s nice to work with people who aren’t giving you the evil eye all the time.
Third of all, I’m making more hourly and working more hours. Hooray! The other clinic had cut me down to 4 hours a week.
Also, I feel that this is a better clinic all around. It’s a much nicer building for one thing. It’s a much more professional space and much cleaner. But I feel that the doctors and all the employees are more concerned with the well-being of the animals in general.
Lastly, maybe it’s the people or maybe it’s that I enjoy the job so much more, but I feel like I’m doing really well. I think I’m catching on fast, but I’m not afraid to ask questions and I know I have a lot to learn.
I know it’s just the beginning and I haven’t even been there a month yet, but I know that this is a much better job than the last one. It is all going so well and I just wanted to share my happiness with everyone. Hooray for me, I got my first real job!
I’m glad that you are enjoying your new job, Coulbean. It’s always great to work around animals but even better when you are helping them to get well.
Perhaps I could ask how you got into this field? Did you get training somewhere or is this vet showing you the ropes? What’s the difference between a vet tech and a vet assistant? I have a lot of dog grooming experience but am wanting to find work in a different area of animal care.
The first job I got at a vet clinic, I got with the help of my biology teacher who was a vet there. It wasn’t working out so well, and I wasn’t working as a tech so I started looking for something else. Having the first clinic on my resume, as well as volunteer work with the Humane Society and the House Rabbit Society helped me get noticed at the next one. I didn’t go to school for it, but there are vet tech programs around (I think they’re like two years long). I am in college, so that helps, but they’re training me there. They’re teaching me everything I need to know.
I don’t think there is a difference between a tech and an assistant. We have techs and receptionists at our clinic. The tech assists the vet. We call patients back to the exam room, get the initial observations from the owner, write in the chart, get weights, draw blood for heartworm checks, draw up vaccines, set up fecals, run urinalysis, set up cytologies, put stuff into the computer, that’s the routine stuff… There’s other stuff that I have to learn yet, but those are the basics.
Dog grooming experience is a good thing. You’re used to handling animals, which is a big part of the job. My advice to you is to make sure that you find a clinic that you like and that you’re working with doctors who care about the animals as much as you do. I was desparate to get work at any clinic at first, and then I was unhappy at a mediocre clinic. Also know that you will have to see some unhappy things. Euthanasias happen on an almost daily basis. Be prepared to have to handle dead animals. Go for it!
I believe euthanasia can be a good thing. It’s sad, yes, but I hate the idea of a critter suffering for the rest of however long their life might be. That’s if there is nothing that can make it feel better.
I’d be more concerned about hurting an injured animal even more just by moving it around. Of course, it has to be done, whether to take an x-ray or for an exam. When I was grooming, we’d occasionally get a dog that was so arthritic that I could feel its bones grind together when I moved it around on the grooming table. It always made me feel sad.
The last groomer I worked for, I didn’t really like. We had a lot of philosophical differences but what I liked the least is that his main income came from breeding very tiny dogs. I won’t go so far as to say he was running a puppy mill but I think he came pretty close. He also kept a couple of his dogs at the shop, 24/7, where they spent 95% of their time in cages. That just isn’t right, in my opinion.
What was good about working there was that that after years out of the business, I learned I still had the knack. The first groomer I worked for taught me well. I appreciate what she did for me.
Again, thanks for your information. I’ll keep looking into it.
