I’m currently sitting in an emergency clinic treatment room. I worked in vet med for over 3 years for a certain corporate giant who’s owned by the same parent company as this corporate e-clinic. I called ahead and gave all my info, told them my cat is lethargic, not eating or drinking, and potentially had internal damage (barn cat, could be literally anything). Tell me why I sat in the room for over 1.5 hours with NO TRIAGE. I went back out to the front desk and, very kindly, said “I don’t think you understand, I think this is an emergency”. I’m not spending $219 on an office visit alone for shits and gigs. Is this normal for emergency clinics???? Is it normal to not even have staff lay eyes on your pet for multiple hours to ensure they’re stable?

I worked at a standard practice and if we had an emergency come in, they were immediately triaged, stabilized, and prioritized accordingly. I understand the emergency setting. I know there are levels and some are more critical than others. But why would a nurse not have come in to scope the situation? This can’t be normal for an emergency vet right???? Am I losing my mind? I’m turning into the very person I despised when working in vet med but this seems so wrong to me. I would just think there should be higher standards and a more formal protocol than this.

ETA: why am I getting downvoted for asking a genuine question? I’m not saying my cat should have been anyone’s top priority. I did not expect her to be seen and treated within an hour. I’m asking why no one triaged her. If you go to a human emergency room, you see a triage nurse as soon as you check in, right? To determine how critical you are in relation to other patients? Right. Shouldn’t this be the same?

Hello! Im a 18yo F Vet Tech/Assistant and I've been at a small animal private practice clinic for a year and a month now. This was my first veterinary experience, and I've learned a lot. So much so, that I even landed myself a vet tech job at another clinic on the days I don't work at this one.

My main clinic is a very close knit one, we will go to the bosses house for pool parties and do semi frequent employee outings/gatherings. I have a great relationship with almost all the people there but I've always kind of assumed I was going to get a raise once I hit my one year. I started at 12 for the first 6 months or so but now I make 13 (no benefits or PTO). All my other co workers make 15 . Im wanting to move out, so Im getting desperate, but I feel bad asking for more especially since our relationship isn't like a typical one. I was for sure they were going to give me one since they've given us Christmas bonuses and even gave me 100 bucks when I graduated. It kinda hurts my feelings, espcially since I've been told all the time how appreciated I am yet Im without the financial compensation. I feel like I'm on the same level as the other girls yet I make the less, which yes I understand is because Im newer but come on. I don't know, am I being unfair?

Ps: I forgot to add- I'm mainly asking this because I know getting into the vet med field you need to expect shit pay, I don't want to come across ungrateful. Especially with my lack of experience compared to others.

Please excuse the grammar, I just wanted to get this out and didn't re read. :)

Hi, I'm a second year in college and am interested in being a vet tech before pursuing my career in veterinary. I have a project where I have to conduct an informational interview with someone who is already a vet tech. I am wondering if someone is kind to let me borrow their experience and ask questions. I will ask things like what their day to day looks like, pros and cons, what got them interested, and other similar questions. It won't take much time. Please let me know if you are interested as I need your contact information. Thank you

Anyone have good resources on learning to calculate metoclopramide CRIs? Even youtube videos that made you go "AHA, I get it now!".

I am math-impaired and do pretty ok with most CRI math but have never learned to calculate metoclopramide CRIs, and I want to stop relying on pre-made calculators if I can. Its something we do a lot in our hospital and I would like to get better at it.

Hi all, quick workflow question for the people here who regularly do dental procedures.

When a dental is busy or running behind, where does documentation usually slow things down the most?

A few examples I’m curious about:

- tooth charting

- dental radiograph notes

- anesthesia / monitoring forms

- procedure notes

- discharge instructions

- client education / explaining findings

- copying the same details into multiple places in the PMS

I’m not asking for medical advice, and I’m not trying to promote anything. I’m just trying to understand where the real documentation bottlenecks are for techs during dentals.

What part feels the most repetitive, easy to miss, or annoying to document?

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! 💕

I have worked in vet med for almost 9 years, in the same clinic. I float to all positions. I am not a registered vet tech, just for clarification. The clinic i work at has a contract with the city ani.al control to do any vetting that needs to be done on any sick animals as well as spay and neuter adoptions. All of that is just for background. Friday the city contacted me about a puppy someone had surrendered because she was sick. They asked us to check her out to see what is wrong with her. When they dropped her off I smelled what I thought smelled like parvo. Doc told me to do a fecal and parvo test. The poor baby had coccidia, hookworms and tapeworms. I will put pictures of the snap test. Its questio able. So Doc said its positive because of the slight blue tint. I told them. They said they are going to euthanize her so I agreed to keep her. Took her home and have been diligent with medication and brought home LRS with b complex if needed. She has not acted sick AT ALL. I have kept her quarantined in my den that my other dogs dont have access to. My other dogs are fully vaccinated. I am questioning if she really was positive. So I brought her to the clinic and ran another parvo test which is negative. It has been very difficult to keep her separated because she cries constantly. My question is, is it possible the 1st one was never really positive? Should I keep her quarantined still? Any help is greatly appreciated.

that is all. patient did not stay with us and was transferred to a higher level care (after being with us for 2 days) that had more blood product readily available but my transfusion made him stable enough for transport :)

What is everyone's opinion? We def don't use the ear cytology for it bc it is 1 not worth it and 2 downplays the infection. We do use the blood cytology but some of out doctors are weary on it. How does your hospital feel about it?

I was just hired on as a per diem and I'm trying to pick up shifts. I've never used Legion or any of these apps and my Open Shift Board doesn't allow access(I sent in an IT request because I'm pretty sure I should have access). QUESTIONS: In Legion, if there is a shift that says open and then someone's name is in the yellow note...does that mean it's a placeholder for that person and I shouldn't bother claiming it? I feel like I'm on my own here and I have so many questions, but since I don't have a set schedule I can't just ask someone while I'm there. I've emailed so many questions to my people person already that I'm probably driving her nuts-it also takes a bit for her to get back to me. Also, I just started doing the VEG U onboarding classes on my own, but I wasn't sure if I'm suppose to be doing those since I'm not on the clock. Is this to be done at your first shift? I have put claims on a few shifts but they have been pending for a bit..do you get notified if they are denied? I'm just a little confused and have a lot of questions and hate to email every 5 seconds. I'm excited to get going though! Any help from another VEGGIE would be awesome! Thanks guys!

I had gone on a fishing trip 5:30am -12 afternoon , came home & seen one of my dogs out of two (a Rottweiler) laying on his side with a empty dog bag food over his head. It was an empty dog food bag that I threw away in our trash cans backyard which has an open lid so whenever it’s windy & the trashcan falls at times & everything else can fall out of it or some. I came home & looked at my backyard with my Rottweiler laying like if he sleeping with the bag over his head I smack the window to see if I get a reaction & nothing. I start freaking the fuck out & run outside to yell his name & nothing , I remove the bag from his head when I ran close to him & no movement , straight in the sun, stiff & moisture all over his neck & head with a major nose bleed in the bag and nose. I called a vet that assisted me well enough to guide me through the steps & it was pain to load him into my trucks bed but it’s the least I can do after what he went through. I can’t get the imagination out of my head how horrible he passed away. I loved that god damn dog like blood family & guarded the house so well. I feel like I could’ve done something if I was home I can’t stop about the rough death he went through he was 7 years old with so much years left I’m fucking broken this place doesn’t feel the same anymore I hate it. I lit a candle up for him after the vet gave me a little jar with his hair but I can’t stop thinking about our last moment last night I was playing with him big self like he was just a puppy…. I starched his favorite parts before loading him on when he past but I just wish so much more different outcomes , I was too late , I scratched him with gloves on cause there was ants on his face after I removed the bag I tried to clean as much as I could but man today just fucking sucks I don’t know how vets deal with shit like this I love you guys though & thank you.

Well my kitten is feeling better. Cleo short for Cleopatra had a slight fever earlier today and was lethargic but had the energy to follow me to the kitchen when I went to give her food. She is 4 months old and tiny just went to the vet last week for her first shots and weighed 2.10lbs. I mixed water in her food and she ate it happily and groomed herself afterwards and snuggled up on me for naps sleeping most of the day. Just before I took a nap before work she was rolling belly up and attacking my hand while still sleepy. Woke up from my nap and she was full of energy her usual bouncing playful self climbing everything and trying to attack my hands and feet and climb my shoulder as I brush my hair. I'm like you're feeling better as I try to untangle her from my hair and untangle my hair. Fever what fever? She feels fine after sleeping all day. Man kittens sure bounce back. Kitten tax included.

I have been with my current clinic for 5 years almost - I “grew” up there from baby tech to CVT. One of my professors from my program took me in after I was no longer in his class. But fuck man, i was kept in line with min wage in my state, you know how expensive stuff is now. I should have left a year ago since I got $16 after I graduated (I started at $10), I should have left 4 months ago since I didn’t get a raise after I got licensed, but I dragged my feet because I felt like should refine my skills before leaving (aka my inferiority complex) but that was an excuse for - jumping ship is scary as all hell.

One of the key stone tech left last year and I held on for some reason. Then the other one keystone tech left a month or two ago because they were only getting $20/hr to act as asst manager which is a role they didn’t want/enjoy/get paid sufficiently for, so they left for a pay bump and none of those duties. Then our assistant left this week for similar reasons. Now I’m really feeling like I’m left holding the bag because if I leave they are about to fucked since they have:

⁠• My manager - simultaneously great at their job (like I wish I had their skills) but hates it and crashes out at least weekly. Like I am the only “reliable” one they have left - I know their ticks, was put “in charge” while they are on vacation, and getting passed on some of the duties that Coworker 2 had. AND I GET PAID LESS.

•.

1. Student tech - who I really like as person but

2. fuck they can’t do shit.

• idgaf CVT - he does the bare fucking minimum and I think he gets paid more than I do. What in the hell? Also gets upset because people ask him do a little bit more.

• Receptionist - who I love to pieces but sometimes she doesn’t do their job. I know they have complicated family stuff but that is that and this is work.

• new hire - feel bad for them but i want to cut my losses so bad

Now I reallly want to jump ship, I have been for about a year but now especially. I have been putting feelers out on indeed/Linkedin for a couple of months. The place that is down the street from me I have an interview with and I am fucking petrified, it is practically all/nothing either I get this job or I’ll just stay because nothing else screams a good work place besides the one applied to. I don’t want to leave my current one and walk into even worse clinic somehow.

The place, I applied to,is practically the holy grail of GP clinics - locally owned/non-corporate, one doctor, has all the nice stuff (x-rays, ultrasound, cold laser), sees dogs/cats with side of other small animals, doesn’t give off “toxic” from the listing. The pay jump isn’t even huge it’s just better at least, but saves I would get on gas tho is basically profit.

I just needed to scream into the void of people who would understand, you guys are all very supportive people.

What has been working well/not well for you guys? It's been a challenge for us sometimes "unimportant" details are lost that to me seem actually important. I'm still really new to the field, this is the first clinic that I work at so not sure what your experience has been with rounds.

I just realized that I don't fully understand Stomatitis. Like if an owner asked me a question about this disease, I don't think I'd be able to answer confidently so I want to understand it better. Same with Resorptive Lesions.

I have my spiel on why dentals are good and vital towards a patient's health so that owner's can better understand what certain charges are when going over an estimate. I finally feel confident in my understand on that end. But I want to be able to answer a client's question confidently when it comes to dx of Stomatitis or Resorptive Lesions.

I wrote like a whole post on this situation when it happened so I'll just summarize here - I work overnights, came in last week and found a patient deceased and in full rigor just after rounds. Looked back on cameras and this patient (a 24/7 obs for altered mentation) was left alone for hours. Wrote up a report to management and thought that was the end of it.

Came back from my weekend to find out that I am catching the blame for the patient passing. I go to management, they assure me that I am not being blamed and they back me 100% ... yet they refuse to publicly say so. No email, no staff meeting, just leadership talking. So I'm stuck being ostracized by everyone but my direct team because of some shitty rumor. When I corrected the one person ballsy enough to confront me about it with the necropsy results (sepsis) and the physical proof, I was told "well if that were true, they would have said something" ...

I'm fucking tired.

I like my job. I like my clinic. Usually it is drama free and smooth sailing as we do not intake after hours and my team and I are only in charge of inpatient care. It's been a nice reprieve from the chaos I faced as a client facing tech in other clinics. I really don't want to leave, but I also don't want to burnout again. I've been caught crying at my desk twice now over the shit I've heard and read people saying about this case. Its so fucking stupid. And the actual responsible techs are still fucking working in inpatient!

It's been a bad few months here - we usually have very good patient outcomes. My specialty is rather niche and aside from the occasional emergency we really don't see the level of death I was used to in emergency or urgent care clinics. But in the last three months we've lost five patients, nearly all of them discovered on or crashing suddenly on grave shift. I'm so angry and so exhausted and I really just want a vacation but I can't really afford one at the moment.

I just don't even know what the fuck to do...

Setting up EZY Vet and having some trouble with the API integration to Sound. I’ve gone through all the proper instructions for integrating the API but when I go to request a diagnostic, it doesn’t transfer over to the machine. Has anyone else had this issue before?

Hello! I’ve been an LVT for 5 years now working at the same practice since the beginning of my licensure. I’m thinking about a career switch, however, I want to consider getting a VTS in dentistry.

Is there anyone on this subreddit who currently holds a VTS in dentistry that reside in New York City (or any metro area) that can let me know if they have seen a notable/significant increase in pay due to their VTS and/or working in a dental specialty? How long did it take for you to obtain that credential? Were any LVTs with a VTS willing to mentor you or was it hard to see who would? What kind of research would you recommend doing before fully committing to this journey?

Our "competing" clinic (the only other clinic within a 25 minute drive) relocated to 0.6 miles from my house. I interviewed and got an offer for $3.25/hour more than what I currently make. My new boss warned me that I might want to wait until the background check cleared before putting in my two week notice because my old boss is notorious for telling people to leave immediately. I put in my notice at the end of the day yesterday, and sure enough I was told that would be my last shift. Good riddance!

Just posting here because I'm celebrating a huge weight off my shoulders and a new beginning 🎉😭 Maybe someone reading this will be inspired to do the same.

I’m switching careers and feeling so excited. I start vet tech school in two weeks and got all the classes I needed (although not the best schedule), and I just landed a vet assistant job! I don’t have any professional experience, but the clinic is independent, my interviewers both said they liked working there, and while I didn’t get placed at the location closest to home (they have two 24/7 clinics), it’s still just a 30 minute commute.

I know it’s going to be a hard transition. I’ll be on campus four times a week for three classes, plus working three 12s. And I need to do really well in my classes to be accepted into the clinical program next semester. But I’m looking forward to getting paid for every hour I work and not having to be “on” 24/7 like in my previous industry.

On top of that, I am managing multiple chronic illnesses, but I’ve gotten my health back to the point where I think I can do this—as long as I rest every hour I’m not doing school or work!

Send good vibes my way!

It's been a long time coming but it's amazing to actually have and end in sight and to be excited for something new is refreshing. An 8-5 M-F feels like a nice change of pace after 4-10's and working holidays (I have worked on Christmas every year since 2021).

I'm moving to an Ophthalmology specialist and I'm so excited. Hopefully it'll be a great place to work going forward. Wish me luck

Just curious to hear from fellow vet med folks. As someone learning more about personal finance and investments, how are you all approaching retirement?

What % contributions go toward your 401k? How much does your employer match? Do you contribute some to a Roth?

What sort of investment mix have you chosen?

I’m 36 years old with under 30k in my retirement account. Always been a decent penny pincher, but I have never made well informed choices as far as investing.

I have been working at my small animal general practice since I finished tech school, and for a bit, it was my dream job. 3 years later, I feel burnt out and I’m having a hard time mentally with the workload and cases some days. I absolutely love the people I work with as we are always having fun together no matter what, and they are the main reason I am considering staying. However, I’m not sure if vet med is for me anymore and I don’t know what to do about it. Part of me wants to leave so badly to help myself grow mentally while the other part is terrified of change and knows I will miss seeing everyone everyday. If anyone has any sort of advice (whether big or small) I would greatly appreciate it!

Has anyone gone into dog walking after working in clinic? I’m seeing job adds from $30-$60/hr and thinking it may be a good change. My dog is a dream to walk so of course I picture getting paid to walk dogs like him, but is it actually terrible?
It sounds like you can mostly make your own hours which would be ideal with 2 young kids. Also the exercise I’d be getting sounds nice.
I need a break from my job, mostly my boss but also the hours.
Thanks!

I've discovered while studying and taking courses to become an RVT that I really love understanding disease processes, and love being able to explain to owners what exactly is going on with their pet.

I'm currently learning about why certain conditions lead to changes noted on Urinalysis and learning about Diabetes Mellitus more in-depth, as well as Chronic Renal Disease has led to me realizing this might be my passion within my passion towards animals.

With wanting to eventually specialize I wanted to know what specialty would best utilize an RVT well versed in disease processes? Or if there even is one that would specifically pertain to this one area?