VTS was originally in Seattle and is now located in NJ, but they're the only veterinary tissue bank in the US and ship bone materials worldwide. They harvest the long bones from horses and dogs and convert them to all sorts of types of bone grafts - it was a pretty neat L&L. Here's their site for anyone curious.

Before my clinic scheduled the L&L I had no idea this was a thing. I'm sure it's crazy expensive (what isn't anymore) but it's still really neat. For donor pets, they cover the cost of cremation, which I thought was pretty nice.

No, I don't clean up parvo blowouts while eating lunch because that's actually disgusting. I feel like this was written by AI.

I was hired at my hospital a year ago specifically for ER. When I applied, there were separate job listings for ER and surgery. The surgery department dissolved after the surgeon left, and management has been trying to rebuild the team for almost a year.
Now they're having ER techs cover surgery. Initially, there was an extra call-in fee for the surgery tech, whether they were already on shift or not, but that's since been eliminated.

I really don't want to do surgery. I left my previous job because I was doing it constantly, and I specifically chose this position to work on the ER floor. Surgery also makes me physically unwell (claustrophobic, nauseated, overheated, etc). The doctor we call in is also extremely particular and requests one specific tech while frequently trashing the others.

do I have any grounds to refuse surgery assignments?

I am (unfortunately jk lol) an RVT, and the lead wants to make it so everyone with letters has to go in sx.

Does being hired specifically for ER matter, or would I need medical documentation/accommodations, i already have some in place for work hours.

I'm in California, if that makes a difference. Has anyone dealt with something similar?

I started a few months ago in specialty ER and the culture has been a bit of an adjustment. Sometimes it feels like a competition for cases, participating in emergencies, learning new skills and if you aren’t assertive enough it’s easy to get steamrolled constantly. Being new to the practice mixed with this environment makes it a little difficult to not shrink or lose confidence. I have a lot to learn but I’m also coming in with 6 years in the field and with prior background in emergency and I wish I was performing better than I have been. Any advice is appreciated.

It’s been so bad lately. There’s no way other places are like this.

Manager is sick so goes home early. That leaves me and my coworker, two unlicensed techs, to handle FIVE surgeries. The girl working up front hasn’t even been here a month.

When my manager leaves, she sends me a text clearly meant for my boss accusing me of “clicking in early” and that’s why I went into overtime. Ignoring the fact that she asked me to cover her Friday.

This can’t be normal. Working your ass off just to constantly be berated and accused. I love what I do, but not this shit. I just want a fucking thank you or good job now and then.

Not sure if that's the right flair but anyway! Has anyone here applied to work for the non profit, Animal Balance? I just received an ad for them and it looks pretty interesting to be a paid volunteer for.

Hi all, I’m considering a career change from tech into anima rehab and have spent some time exploring various pathway to get there including DPT school, Vet School, and Vet Tech school.

For those working as Vet Techs in canine rehab…

What has been your experience working in that environment?
What are some of the limitations on what you can and can’t do as far as providing care?
What does your day to day look like?
What does your career trajectory look like?
Are you satisfied with your pay? Does working in a specialty impact pay at all?
Would you have chosen an alternative pathway to anima rehab?

I appreciate all your responses!

For context: symptoms started on Friday October 23. After some ER visits over the weekend including Friday where X-rays showed a foreign body that the doctors there didn’t feel safe operating on, all that could be done was give fluids and make sure he’s stable. I finally saw a specialist today.

He tells me prognosis is not good, my bird is declining, losing weight. Sends home meds and a plan for possible endoscopy or surgery on Wednesday IF my parrot gains weight.

A few hours after our visit, my parrot poops out the foreign body.

His appetite is fully back, poops went from green and mostly urates to now a normal brown and solid logs. I’m shocked he was able to pass this on his own. Has anyone experienced something similar before??

I refuse to believe I am the only one who hates having clinic cats. I just started at a clinic that has 2. The cats themselves are very nice, but holy hell, they are really annoying to have around. Jumping up onto the desk/keyboard while I'm trying to type up notes or on an important phone call, stealing food from the breakroom, getting in my patients' faces while I'm working on them (which makes me so nervous), peeing on clean towels/blankets, trying to walk out the door when we have deliveries or when clients are coming in and out, jumping up onto sterile packs/gloves/gowns after I've opened them. I feel like I'm constantly herding them around and trying to keep them out of the way. Plus having to take care of them, scoop litter boxes, feed them, meet their emotional needs, and monitor them for illness. The maintenance they need isn't so much on its own, but it is just one more thing we have to worry about on top of the current workload. The rest of the staff joke about how the clinic cats terrorize the clinic, but honestly, I think these cats are causing the patients and the staff a lot of stress with their antics and I'm just not a huge fan, tbh. Anybody else hate having clinic animals?

I an a newly licensed rvt with about 2.5 years of previous clinical experience and I just started a new job. For context I am the only listened tech at this facility but there are other vet assistants with more experience.

Today was my first day and everyone has been really nice so far. The manager even made me a basket for tech week even though I hadn’t officially started yet 🥹 but I’m really struggling. I feel so overwhelmed and like I’m not right for the job. I feel so anxious and scared all the time. I don’t know if it’s just new job nerves or if it’s something deeper. I’m writing this currently on my lunch break and bawling my eyes out because I’m so stressed, scared, and overwhelmed.

Does this happen to anyone else? Do I just need to ride it out? Any insite or thoughts would be great! Thank you

Hi all. My current ER we have DAs (doctors assistants) who handle talking estimates and finances, hospitalization etc. with owners and we as techs handle solely the triage/treatments. This is my first clinic so this is my normal of course but I know it’s not normal for every hospital. I interviewed at a new ER clinic and it seems that all triage techs see the patient through from admit to discharge. This includes going over and making estimates and treatments etc. this is all very scary for me and I know people take money VERY seriously and I’ve experienced issues in the past when assisting DAs. I know this is the normal for a lot of techs that you all go over your plans and money etc. what’s your advice on handling this? Any tips or tricks? Any advice is appreciated!

This is a place to post (as many times during the week as you’d like) anything that made you feel good! Weather that be a cute puppy that licked your nose or a happy client story or something that doesn’t feel like it needs to be it’s own post. It can be anything you’d like, and this is a place for you to see other people’s love for our profession!

Please don’t stop posting under the “positive” post flair if you want to share more! This is mostly for morale and help people to remember why we love doing what we do.

We are allowing external links (for this thread only) for images and videos, preferably no links to personal social media pages. Please remember to not post any personal information or to post a pet without permission. These posts will be deleted.

A new thread will be posted weekly, and the old one will be archived. Have fun! 💕

Hello! I'm starting a new position where I'm supervising vet tech students and kennel attendants and I'm caring for vet tech program animals. I need shoes for when I'm on my feet all day, and I've looked at a lot of recs. The problem is that the tongues on sneakers tend to pinch at the top of my foot where my ankle area connects. I've found one pair of shoes that don't cause that, which are my Nike "Big Nike Low"s (pictured). All the recommendations for shoes are largely online only (or mostly) brands so I'm worried I'll buy an expensive shoe without being able to try it on and then not be able to wear it. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone with experience with Cloves or another one of the popular brands have any advice? Thank you so much! I start tomorrow and I want to order new shoes for the job asap.

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I'm going into my college's vet tech program next year (haven't gotten the email yet but I was accepted for this year, took chemistry instead). But I have very bad depression and anxiety. Do y'all have any recommendations on what area I can go into that doesn't cause much moral injury and issues with clients personal problems? I used to be a VA and I took on the emotional tool of client's financial issues and stuff. I was thinking of lab animal, night shift ICU, or anesthesia. Any advice? Thank you!

Hi guys, before I start this I'm super new to reddit but I really value feedback and help and knowledge from other people and I love to dump my thoughts so it seems like my jam lol. I'm not entirely sure if this is the best place for this post but I'm hoping seasoned nurses and registered techs can share with me their wisdoms

I've been working at an animal shelter for a few years now and we've rolled out a new low cost spay/neuter program which prompted us to hire our own on staff veterinarian and she is WONDERFUL. Since I've always wanted to become a vet tech (I've been veeerrryyy slowly working through the Penn Foster program 😬) I got the position to start helping the vet with the clinic as well as vetting the shelter pets. I'm having a blast, I love shelter med, it feels like where I'm supposed to be. I feel so grateful to be able to learn things the way I do every single day.

Buuuuut I can't draw blood for the life of me. Even on sedated animals (granted blood pressure can be low but still), and my vet is so kind and caring and she is rooting for me knowing I'm starting from scratch but I also have so much respect for her that I do want to make her life and job easier, so when she has to take a break between surgeries to help me run a silly little heartworm test I feel really guilty.

So here I am, I'm wondering how you folks started with this particular skill? Did you get it right away? Did you struggle? Did any particular videos, informational graphics, exercises, etc help you? I can get a flash sometimes, but I don't know if I'm then getting too excited and popping out of the vein or what's going on. Any resources you recommend for helping me practice my phlebotomy?

Calling on exotics techs or ones who work frequently with neonates or patients in the <1kg range! Lend me your secrets for sewing thread width, tiny veins!

I'm great with phlebotomy and catheterization but the super littles give me a run for my money and I'm on the losing end more often than I'd like.

TIA!

Hey everyone!

I’m prepping to fill a segment at a conference about behavior, but I want to make sure it’s something the average tech wants to know or can use! Let me know what you like to learn about, whether it’s cooperative care and handling, general behavior information about cats and dogs, training information, best practices to create a calm atmosphere - or something else I haven’t mentioned.

Hi everyone,

I started at a new clinic a few days ago and I honestly really like the staff and the doctors and the place isn't bad, but there are definitely somethings that are really strange to me and I wold love some feedback! So I normally work with clinics or doctors that are FearFree certified, this place isn't and I've been managing okay with that because no one is upset if I handle the animals the way I want as long as it's safe for everyone so that been good. The other thing though is that the practice isn't AAHA certified and I have only ever worked placed that are certified or even if they aren't certified that follow AAHA regulations and suggestions.

So firstly, they only have one bear-hugger for the entire clinic and no hot water bottles. The bearhugger is only in surgery not dental, no waterblanket and no blanket in general goes on top of the pet. I think dental they may use a towel on top, but Ive only seen 1 so far. So every patient is like 97 degrees maybe 98 at most by the end of surgery.

Secondly, they will do things low cost for the owner, which I think is great, but that also means that they just won't put an IV in if the owners don't want or if the tech is unable to place one then they just don't? So that stresses me out so much because I put an IV in everything even kitten neuters.

Thirdly, Surgery suite. I have never seen anything like it. The doors to surgery are not swing positive pressure doors, they are just standard latch doors that STAY OPEN ALL THE TIME. Even when there is surgery going on the doors stay open. There is also a computer and chair in there for the tech, but instead of it just being used while surgery is going on it is just used all the time. People are going in and out all the time. Only the doctor doing surgery wears a cap and mask in the surgery suite. There are no booties on anyone, no masks on anyone and no caps on anyone in surgery even while there is a surgery going on. People bring food in there, and stand and chat in there. It's very odd and seems not sterile or safe, but it's not technically illegal.

Fourthly, anesthetic monitoring. I did check this on my states veterinary laws and what they do at the clinic is not illegal but it freaks me out. When they do any anesthesia they of course have someone monitoring, sort of. But, they don't write anything down. I was taught and every place I have every been, including a rescue center in South Africa, have always done at least q15min recording of parameters, TPR/BP/ETCO2, etc. They don't write anything down. They have a sheet that no one uses but it's not required. I am shocked because like what if you are audited or sued? Where is the record of what is happening, what if you need atropine or something, there is no record of why it is being given or what the anesthetic trends were. They also don't use any monitoring sheets for sick patients that are getting treatments throughout the day when they stay in the hospital, no hourly checks or TPR or anything, just a quick look and a "yup seems fine" and on with the next thing.

Anyway, am I being to anal-retentive? Is this weird or concerning? Should I just do my monitoring like I always have? Please help and give me guidance.

A little over a month ago I discovered a deceased patient right at the beginning of my night shift. After this and the subsequent report, several rumors were flying around the clinic about whether or not the patient actually passed before my shift or if I was somehow lying about this to save face and pass blame off to someone else. It fucking broke me, and I'm not really sure why, but my confidence after the incident was shot.

For weeks after nothing really changed, no one in management mentioned the incident in general or even specifically to me aside from my direct manager who told me repeatedly that everyone was on my side and things were being done to change protocols and training structure to prevent a similar outcome in future. I have not seen any action taken in that regard, and I pointed out that the continued issues I was having with clinic gossip, a distinct lack of work being done on day and swing shift, and the lack of even a general email addressing the situation was leaving me feeling like I was fending for myself.

Last week, just before going on vacation, my manager came to me to tell me that the swing shift and their manager had complained about my "attitude" and I was told that I had to "move on from the situation and start fresh after PTO". I don't recall having a tone or attitude - though I do recall complaining to management about coming in to filthy treatment stations, iso patients being moved to gen pop and a few other things, so maybe my irritation started to leak into rounds idk

I went on vacation and met up with a friend on the tail end. My friend manages a different clinic and advised me to "just play the game" until I could get back under the radar and resume coming in and doing my job as normal. She is hopeful that if I just smile and nod and pretend to be agreeable and sweet that things will smooth over and go back to normal. And maybe she's right, but I just can't do it. I'm crying on my way to work, I'm second guessing all of my decisions, I'm struggling to delegate things because I'm scared that my team will get backlash for choices I'm making. It's a nightmare.

I can't find another job - I have been looking, nothing is available. I've even ventured outside of vet med. No one is hiring. I'm miserable. I don't know what to do. I'm in therapy, I'm trying to plan more PTO, I'm potentially upping or switching my meds. I just don't know what else to do. Like I can either be happy go lucky or I can be good at my job, I just don't have the bandwidth for both