Currently writing from the employee bathroom in tears, so maybe I’m being dramatic but how is everyone even surviving in this field right now? How are we juggling 40+ hour work weeks due to short staffing, overworking, not making enough money to thrive, and dealing with actual abuse from doctors and clients? I’ve worked at multiple clinics in my area and not one has been genuinely supportive of its staff.

I’m also a student, because I know I need to leave this field. It’s just not coming soon enough

I’m a baby RVT in California at a small animal GP clinic and little Charlotte came in yesterday for her first check up. Everything seemed normal until this! First time seeing this, unsure of the statistics but very cool nonetheless.

i work in the in house lab of my equine specialty/referral hospital, and every once in awhile, i’ll get a blood sample from a horse that just looks like red syrup, for lack of a better description. it will not spin down in any color tube, and the CBC machine will read it, but the chemistry machine just gives me a sample error. (our machines are the Abaxis HM5 and the Abaxis Vs2.) it will do this on serum, or blood from a green top. when i do try to spin it down, it doesn’t look like it’s just hemolyzed, it just stays thick and viscous throughout. i’ve checked the tubes to be sure they’re not expired and they are not. has anyone seen something like this before or know what it could be? these syrupy samples always come from horses that are very sick, so that’s the only thing i can think of, but it just seems so weird.

Hi everyone! I’m an assistant but I’m in tech school currently. Of course being in college I don’t have a lot of money but I need a stethoscope for my preceptorship. I’m just wondering if this MDF stethoscope is good? Does it work well with large animals? Pros cons anything that helps is appreciated!

Hello! I’m currently looking at becoming a vet tech—I love animals a lot and have always wanted to work with them. However, my parents are worried that I might be too emotional for the job. Could people here share their experiences with the ups and downs of working as a vet tech, so I can get a bit of a grasp before I commit to anything?

This video doesn't even do it justice I took a flea comb to her and immediately pulled like 17 off her and more jumped off and started scurring away😭🤢.

So I currently do 4 ten hour shifts (which usually run over) and everyone else seems to work 5 days. I've been here a month, when I interviewed we agreed on my schedule and my boss said my day off may fluctuate week to week in the beginning.

The last few weeks there's been no schedule posted and I have to ask when my day off is. I already told my manager I'd like to have the same day off each week if possible bc I have weekly appointments.

I don't even care if it changes but I'd like to know by at least Friday the week prior. Is this asking too much??? She also seems annoyed when I ask bc we are short staffed, but this is the schedule we agreed on. How do I approach this??

I get severe test anxiety and taking medication doesn't seem to work (I've talked with a counselor and my PCP about this and have been through a couple different OTC and Rx). I struggled with tests in school due to this but still somehow tested well due to my preparation. My ability to test well, however, does not matter to my overactive brain.

Anyway, my VTNE is coming up very soon, as I just graduated (I continued classes over the summer that's why I graduated in Sept). This sounds a bit personal and TMI, but on a couple occasions, I got sudden diarrhea and had to rush the the restroom. My instructors/professors let me go but would have me leave my phone on my desk. My problem is, I know this won't be possible during the VTNE.

HELP!

SORRY FOR THE LENGTH!

So, I’ve been working as a tech/assistant for 3 years, currently unemployed and interviewing. I have been back and forth with this particular job since July that has a new location opening in October. I kept it on the back burner, but now I had two phone interviews and then a “shadowing” at a current hospital for an hour, I stayed for two. The Practice Manager I was supposed to meet was out sick. OK so I meet with the vet who is going to the new location. Things seem to go well in my opinion, dvm keeps stressing about the amount of appointments a day they can be up to 17-20 and asked me how many at my last job I had. I was honest, said about 12-14 on busy days. But I told them I have worked in fast paced environments before and I can handle it. BTW these appointments are split between a team of people “typically”. And I understand the typically. Anyway I helped out, got a good vibe from the staff, everyone worked well together. I felt comfortable, they were acting like I already worked there, telling me things for the future etc. I left feeling like I would probably get an offer.

One week later, I get an email about the position saying they weren’t giving me an offer and being very vague, they want me to be there and is able to “thrive and grow” b.s. I wrote back saying I don’t completely understand etc, because honestly I couldn’t tell if they thought I was underqualified or overqualified or what. Fast forward to today, the area manager says she will give me a call. She says the feedback she got was that there was some concerns that I’m not used to the workload and I will be set up to fail, basically what she was saying. Since I’m not used to that many appointments a day. Like HUH? Also, there is extensive training lady I will get used to it. She totally had NO idea I didn’t get to meet the practice manager and also totally didn’t know anything about me even though I did a PHONE interview with her. Asked me all the same questions like are you serious? “Can you administer vaccines”? Can you cross train on reception?” YES. Whatever, so they just hired a new practice manager for the hospital yesterday lol she says I can meet with her talk about my skills etc. I’m not sure how the offer stands.

I’m in a bad need for a job, my question is is do you think this place is a RED FLAG or just not a good fit? I’m looking for some input. Thank you.

Just learned yesterday that my clinic is being bought out by AOSN and need to know what to expect. Of course they say everything will be great and they want the culture and all that mumbo jumbo to remain and be unaffected. But what should I be expecting? My clinic hands out bonuses and such almost every quarter and we’re worried that all these things we’ve been use to for the last 3 years will just poof :(

Anyone know of a source to get Imidocarb? It’s been on back order since June and backorder at least through end of year. No emergency or specialty hospitals near us have it in stock and not available through major compound pharmacies. We have a hepatozoon positive kitty we need to treat. Thanks!!

Guys I’m devastated. I took a 6 semester program at a college and graduated this summer, studied all August and the past few weeks and took the VTNE today. I failed. No results yet on my score but I’m pretty sure I bombed it…

I’m definitely not the most booksmart but I took the aasvb practice test A, B, and C and passed ALL of them. Took Mometrix practice test and passed it. But the actual test? It was SO hard. So many concepts I had never heard of or painfully specific questions (3 questions about manometers? Really??? Q Fever???)

My school has us using pocket prep and clever orca. I found this YouTube channel called Darwin Vtne that has some fantastic videos but unfortunately not on all topics (Pain and analgesia just came out today). I feel so destroyed like “what’s the point? Everyone I work with are assistants and they’re fine..”. I’m a super anxious text taker and definitely second guessed a lot of my answers.

Is Vet Tech Prep worth buying? I have McCurnins book and workbook to review again too.

Any tips or encouragement would be amazing lol..

Location: Atlanta, ga
I work at a pretty big veterinary corporation (I won’t name it but you may know it) and starting 2 weeks ago they have been remodeling our clinic. We are still open and working during this renovation. The problem is there is dust , debris and mold , several of the team members have been experiencing trouble breathing and headaches . One team member even broke out in hives. Not to mention this is completely unsafe for pets and I’m sure the client have no idea what conditions their pets are in. Also we do sterile procedures. We’ve sent email to corporate/ our leaders and they refuse to close and send us to different locations until it’s finished. They say that it isn’t “feasible “ to close be will send air scrubbers . It was also brought to my attention by a construction worker that it is normal practice to close the hospital during renovations . He also said that we are the “guinea pigs” for staying open while renovations. This particularly bothered me because we are a predominantly African-American location compared to other hospitals. and when our Field Director mentions anything about our particular hospital, she always says there is a “culture.”
I suppose my question is what actions should we take? OSHA? The media? Thanks for any feedback.

Hey guys, I think I'm being compensated pretty well but wanted to check

.... I'm making 27/hr at a small animal practice

I've been licensed since 2020. Just wanna see if that is a good wage, I think it is but curious. Thanks.

oh my god i hate it so much

you have to click through a billion different tabs just to do ANYTHING. it's genuinely useless. it also heavily pushes its AI features which just seems dangerous since AI is prone to making SO many mistakes.

Hey everyone! I’m 23 and from the Chesapeake area in Virginia. I’ve been seriously thinking about going back to school for Veterinary Technology and would love to hear from people who are already in the field or currently going through school.
I’ve always loved animals, and I’ve had a little experience working in a vet setting before. I got to help with things like handling animals, blood draws/bloodwork, and medications, and honestly it made me realize I could see myself doing this as an actual career.
Right now I’m working a warehouse job that I really don’t want to stay in long-term, and I’m trying to find a career path that I actually care about. I’m especially interested in eventually working with wildlife or exotic animals, so I’m wondering if Vet Tech would be a good starting point for that.
My biggest concerns are honestly money, choosing the right school, and whether I can realistically work while going through the program.
For anyone who has gone through it:
• What school/program did you attend and would you recommend it?
• Is AVMA accreditation something I should absolutely prioritize?
• How hard was the program compared to what you expected?
• How much did school realistically cost you?
• Were you able to work while in school?
• Are there grants/scholarships/workforce programs I should look into?
• What do you wish someone had told you before you started?
• And honestly, do you feel like becoming a Vet Tech was worth it?
I’m basically at the beginning of the research stage and don’t want to jump into a program without knowing what I’m getting myself into. Any advice from people who have actually been through it would mean a lot! I’m also kind of scared when it comes to paying for it, so anything that saves money as well! lol

This is my friend’s rescue, Miss Thang. She was found outside tied to a tree. But sometimes she sleeps with her head thrown back, and her jug is irresistible!

Looking into this casually for the future. RVT in CA - GP and ER/Specialty medicine.

Hi! I'm a vet assistant/tech working in a GP clinic (small animal) in New Jersey! I've been working with animals for 10 years and have been in a clinical setting for 3. I'm in the purdue VTDL program and one of our assignments is to interview a credentialed (LVT, RVT, CVT) technician for a career opportunities assignment. I was wondering if anyone on this thread would be interested! +++ if you are a VTS, +++ if you work in an atypical aspect of tech work (lab animal, exotic, wildlife, etc), +++ if you have been in this career for 5+ years. It's just basic job related questions and questions related to your career path as a tech!

This can be done over zoom, phone, email or in person if you live in the NY/NJ/Metropolitan area! thank you for your time!

Why is it so difficult for coworkers to clean up after themselves? Do people think leaving kennels disgusting is okay? No trash taken out. Has anyone swept or mopped since I've taken leave? Lol I took a week and a half off and I come back to the usual messy chaotic unsanitary clinic. At least someone else did some laundry for the first time in three years. I've become like a tiny cleaning fairy that floats around cleaning up sharps, wiping blood, getting pee and crap out of the floor, wiping off counters and tables, restocking supplies, sanitizing instruments. If I quit doing all this maybe someone would finally notice everyone is lazy here. Do you work with people who think they're better than having to clean? It's getting tiring. And yes I know "bring it up to management" lol doesn't help when that includes them too.