Arielle Glaspie Veterinary Technician (Revised)

This picture is a perfect explanation of why I need to have this article on my blog. Every person has a different idea of what exactly a veterinary technician does. Friends think I get to hang out with cute animals all day. Parents often think of elaborate surgical procedures. Society thinks that all I do is play with cute, fluffy puppies and kitties. Clients tend to think I like long sharp needles and pinning their pets down on the exam table. I think I am a champion, fit to stand in the presence of superheroes. In reality, a vet tech’s job includes all of the above and more.

When I say that I am studying to be a veterinary technician, people always Always ALWAYS say "Oh, you want to be a veterinarian! That's cool." And I have to say "Cool, yes. Vet, no." Then I get the blank stare.

What most people don't realize about the veterinary profession is that there are 3 strata in the veterinary office. At the very tippy top are the DVMs (Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine) with 8 years of college (if they’re lucky). As the actual doctor, vets are the ones who perform surgeries and diagnose diseases.

Next come the veterinary technicians with a Bachelor’s degree (4 years). Vet techs take care of anything the vets don’t do or don’t have time to do, which covers a wide and extensive range of duties.

Last are the receptionists, who don’t have to have a degree but do have to be able to organize the office, keep track of and let the other staff know of appointments, fill out entire forests’ worth of paperwork, and be mildly versed in insanity in order to keep up with co-workers and put up with clients.

Of course, what I’m most concerned with is the vet tech part of things, but one thing that keeps getting mentioned in my vet tech classes is the value of teamwork. The vet tech doesn’t have as much school/knowledge as the vet and without the receptionist the vet would be stuck fixing paperwork instead of pets. Even vet techs have to constantly work with other vet techs, especially when an ornery animal walks into the clinic. Every person is essential to the running of a smooth and efficient clinic.

There’s a reason vet techs are also known as veterinary nurses. That is what they are. The vet/vet tech relationship in a clinic is exactly like the doctor/nurse relationship in a hospital, only they take care of animals, not humans.

On one hand, taking care of animals is simpler than taking care of humans. On the other hand, it is excruciatingly more difficult. Animals are easier to prep for surgery, they don’t get infections as easily as humans, they have warm cuddly fur (not counting amphibians and reptiles), and if they’re in the right mood, will love you to death.

But animals can’t tell you what is wrong with them and their favorite way of telling you “That hurts!” is to bite in order to get you to back off. And that is when they are in a good mood. Dominate, crabby, or unsocialized animals will claw, bite or scratch if you so much as look at them.

They can’t understand that vets and vet techs are there to help, not hurt them.

Professionally, being a vet tech is a catchall job. I have to know how the x-ray machine works, what part of the animals needs to be x-rayed, how much anesthesia to give to any sized dog (or cat), how to restrain animals for examination so they don’t eat my face off or savage the examiner, how to autoclave instruments, set up for and shave animals for surgery, how to give shots, pick up poop, do laundry, write in charts, talk to clients about their pets, how much to feed all the animals, plus anything else at the end of the day that needs to get done.

Ultimately, vet techs are there to prevent this:

Every year, thousands of animals are actively abused and passively neglected. Another 5-7 million pets are circulated through pounds and shelters. Of that, 3-4 million are euthanized, mainly because there are just not enough resources to care for all of the neglected and abandoned animals.

As a vet tech, my goal is to care for any and all animals, regardless of breed or past history. Also as a vet tech, abuse and abandonment hold a special place in my heart particularly when animals are euthanized because vet techs are often the ones who do it. We are the ones who look into the animal’s eyes as we slide the needle into their cephalic vein and inject enough drugs to kill them because a stupid someone didn’t take care of them. In lieu of an actual owner, we are the ones to hold and watch over them as they die because the person that promised to protect them ended up abandoning them and leaving other people to clean up the mess. And doing that week after week in a shelter environment or even just in a veterinary clinic takes its toll.

Which is why helping animals heal and find new homes brings such joy to those of us in this profession. In order to stand the bad side of things, in order to not burn out psychologically, vets and vets techs focus on the positive things: the kitten that was carried in with a mangled face but who walked out with nothing but a funny shaped nose; the trouble dog who kept getting sent back finally coming to an owner who understands him; the joy of children as they find their new buddies; the sad smiles as families say goodbye to a much loved friend. These things are what make our jobs and sacrifices worth the pain.