DS: Applying your experience and education?

I've worked at one veterinary hospital or another for over 25 years. I've also worked in animal shelters, training facilities, grooming parlors, human hospitals as a volunteer and part time employee. I know many other employed people that work other jobs that also have the same issues. Here is what I've learned and experienced:

Every place has its own set on office politics and gossip that involve the employer, employee, and the public;

Burn out and compassion fatigue takes on many different forms. Leaving the job because of this is not a reality for most people;

95% of the public are nice caring pet owners that want to so the best for their pets within their means. The other 5% deserve to be euthanized. Guess which group is most remembered. Some weeks it seems like that all you see are that 5%.

Now to answer your questions. I've always felt that it is my job to answer questions and to educate the public. I try to do this with smiles and kindness. I try hard not to belittle people. <Answering many questions on this forum, I feel, probably keeps me in practice> I keep in my mind the 95;5% rule mentioned above. Yes there are some questions that make me internally roll my eyes and say OMG. I've seen the internet as a curse on concerning some of the questions that I routinely answer. You also must realize that many many people who work with animals are not people persons. If they could do their job and work with the animals only they would be the happiest person in the world. I put myself in the category of being a social introvert that would rather be among the animals and not have to deal with the public. When I volunteered at the local human hospital. some of the things that you heard the nurses and CNAs say about patients would curl your hair. So this just isn't happening in veterinary facilities. I always kind of wonder what Wal-Mart greeters say about the public during their breaks

Second question: It depends on what the assistants are allowed to do within the practice. Personally, I don't feel that on the job trained people should be allowed to induce or maintain anesthesia; perform dental cleanings; placing arterial or central lines; give intravenous injections; perform most laboratory procedures; suture skin or extract teeth as the law allows; administer chemotherapy; work with controlled drugs;or perform several types of x-rays or ultrasound. These things should be performed by credentialed veterinary technicians. The public needs to start asking the vet exactly who on the staff performs these things and their credentials. If assistants want to perform these duties then they need to go through an accredited technician program; sit and pass the national and state exams; and maintain continuing education. A CNA does not place an IV catheter in human medicine. It is illegal. An on the job trained assistant is essentially a CNA in my opinion.

I haven't had any bad experiences with vets because I work in the profession and I know the lingo so to speak. However I have been treated badly in clothing stores; grocery stores; dental offices; and several other businesses. I have been treated badly in pet stores because much of the staff are quite ignorant about the care of pets in general. They are just put in the position to sell.

If you are offered the job, turn them down politely (veterinary business is a small community and they do talk to each other). you can also explain that you do not feel that you would fit in well with the general atmosphere of the facility. You can elaborate if you feel comfortable doing so.

I do work in an animal care facility.. as a tech and recently I have started my own rescue.

1. When people ask the same thing over and over I understand and I just explain it again. Sometimes things are hard to understand or you just want to make sure you are doing what is right for your pet. I am the same way with my vets. I ask a lot of questions, some repeatedly, to make sure I fully understand what they are going to do with my dogs. That way if I get a random charge on my bill that I wasn't told about then I can confront them and more so, because I want to make sure my pets are in capable hands. So when people ask me the same thing over and over I help them. They aren't vets, techs, or rescuers so I can't always expect them to get what I am saying on the 1st time.

2. Vet assistants don't need to do anything but sit down and file papers. The assistants at the clinic I work for are more like secretaries. They hardly even handle the animals. They just take calls,book appointments, help file intake reports and so on. It is basically the secretary job that I had at 14. So, no they do not need formal training. Some need to learn to type without looking at the keyboard though. It will make entering files so much easier and faster.

I certainly wouldn't go there. I already feel like I can come across as paranoid when I go to the vet's office with my dogs - my vet and her staff treat me very well and I adore them, but I can be a bit anxious naturally and want the best for my dogs; sometimes this comes out as me asking a lot of questions, even if they may seem silly (and if I may know most of the answer). If a vet, tech, or assistant were ever to mock me or treat me terribly I would find another vet -fast.

I don't think vet assistants necessarily need more training, provided they don't have great responsibility. An assistant should simply be there to assist, and OJT is fine for that. Techs and of course the vet are the ones making any major decisions.

Sounds like a bad experience. My vet technicians in our pet's vet office are awesome, they answer any questions and are always super professional and happy. The only complaint I have is that they sell Science Diet and Royal Canin crap food, but I can look beyond this common ignorance.

One vet we had was a little rushed, she didn't give the full attention we felt our dogs needed but was also a pro in her own right. Therefore, we switched vets at the clinic, and she was wonderful.

In Canada, our vet technologist (basically same as a technician or vet assistant) take a two year course with a 60 hour practicum. I've heard it's quite intensive, they actually don't get paid for what they do. Essentially they are the nurse of the vet feild, but are not only a neo-natal nurse but a geriatric nurse, maternity ward nurse, operation assistant nurse, and the list goes on of their duties.

Merry Christmas!

As with any customer service, you plaster a benign smile on your face, count the minutes until your shift is over, and recite the standard response. In the animal care field, the animals may be the patients but the humans control the wallet. You need to care for one and shmooze the other.

I got so used to reciting the puppy vaccinations schedule I could say it as I made my grocery list.

I would not want to work in such a place.

I spent most of my life in sales, and I know better than to treat a customer with contempt, even a slow one.

They will lose business by treating people that way.

No state in the US has any training or education requirements for veterinary assistants. This is an entry-level position and it's unlikely that they will ever require special education/training because in every type of business you have different levels of knowledge based upon the needs of that position. Veterinary assisting is where people start out in the field and their duties are more limited typically than those of a veterinary technician and definitely than a veterinarian. Veterinary technicians and veterinarians all typically start out as assistants because that is where they first get in a clinical setting and determine if the field is for them.

There are voluntary certification programs for veterinary assistants who want more education/training but who don't want to go the route of a full degree program, but the quality and value of the training varies. These are an organized basic training program and help to ensure that no area of training that an entry-level employee in a clinic is missed--which often occurs with on-the-job training because of time constraints and the way that training is done as situations pop up that allow a training opportunity. But there will always be a need for veterinary healthcare employees to fill duties that don't require a degree or credentialing.

Veterinary technicians and veterinarians are also supposed to supervise and train veterinary assistants and ensure that they are not performing tasks beyond their knowledge and abilities or their legal limitations. This system should work as a tiered organization with those with more education and experience overseeing those with less and thus ensuring that patient care is provided by the people with knowledge and skill to do it correctly.

It sounds very much like the vet in the practice is burned out and that it is trickling down to the employees. A burned out vet or vet tech isn't going to be as focused on providing the best patient care they can and they are also going to let other members of staff slide by with shoddy work because they just don't feel like dealing with the issue. This is a bad situation for clients, patients and hospital staff because no one gets what they need---the best care possible, the knowledge that they need to provide good care and for the staff support, encouragement and a good work environment. This leads to a failure of the tiered structure because those who have the knowledge/skill just don't oversee those below them like they should.

As for remaining polite and professional, that is one of the things that sets people who have taken on veterinary health care as a profession apart from those who view it as a "job". Disrespectful or rude behavior indicates that the person is focusing on themselves, not on what is best for their patient. Good patient care can truly only be provided when good client communication occurs because owners who don't understand what care their pets really need, what kind of changes to look for in their pet and what the plan is to provide quality healthcare for their pet can't fulfill their part in caring for their pet.

Maintaining a professional attitude takes work because providing veterinary care is stressful. Veterinary health care team members have to combat burnout and stress by having outlets outside of work and even during working hours to let them get rid of stress rather than allowing it to build up to the point of depression (what burnout is). Doing your best not to take work home with you, having a hobby that totally takes your mind off of work and that you can enjoy regularly, networking and interacting with others who are in the same situation you are in (veterinary healthcare team members), attending CE conferences where you can "recharge your batteries" by having a bit of fun and learning something that will allow you to make a difference in the care of patients, etc etc. All of these things help to keep you excited about your work and not over-stressed and exhausted and those things help you to provide quality patient care.

Veterinary health care team members also have to take responsibility for improving their situation at work by not feeding into other staff members' negativity and not just "letting it slide" or to move on when they find themselves in a situation that is only going to lead to burnout and that they can't change (say when it's the vet who is burned out and allowing poor behavior by the staff).