Why we Love, Love, Love our veterinary technicians

Veterinarians would be lost: No,  we would be nothing, without veterinary technicians.  We would be sad, lonely, tired, overwhelmed, and totally broke. 

I thought about this as I was working today, a very busy Saturday.  I walked out of exam room after exam room to see my technicians scurrying by, handling a mega-pile of tasks.  Draw the blood, catch the urine, run the tests, radiograph the pet, give the fluids, trim the nails, present the treatment plan, count the pills, and call the client.  One crabby gentleman said some rude remarks and threw a stack of paperwork at one of my kindest, most gentle technicians as she was explaining a treatment plan.  She handled the assault with with grace and poise.

How can we honor these rock stars of the veterinary world?

Love and Respect their experience:

Some veterinarians take a superior attitude with their technicians. They do not respect their knowledge base and experience.  Most technician programs are 2-year programs, however much of the technician learning is done hands on.  They learn much of what they do by actually dealing with animals and clients.  Also, sometimes your veterinary technician has more years of experience than you do. Your technician has also worked with multiple veterinarians allowing them exposure to many different methods of  practice and new ideas.  They spend more time with the clients and patients too, allowing them to get to know what the individual needs possibly better than the veterinarian.  When a technician alerts you about  the status of your patient, it would be wise to listen to them with an open mind.  They will help you avoid missing something important.

Love and Respect their teaching ability:

Most of the technicians that I work with are vastly more patient than I am, and much more thorough when teaching a client patient care.  When they are properly trained in nutrition, training, puppy socialization, parasite prevention, and medication techniques they can pass that training on to my clients.   They are friendly, open, honest and able to talk to a client on the level that they need to understand many issues surrounding their pet’s care.  Not to say that we doctors are not great educators, but when we are in the middle of a packed schedule with many patients occupying our time, we are forced to rush through the client education “stuff”.  That is when we can call “super technician to the rescue!”  The client will get a much better education than they will get from the veterinarian (me).

Love and allow them to be who they are:

I work with 10 technicians on a daily basis and each one is unique and special.  I have one that loves inventory ordering and monitoring, one that loves to handle the schedules, one that is a top-notch repair and maintenance woman, one that loves working with the practice management software and one that is a master at social media.  One hates surgery, one hates running exam rooms, one loves exotic pets, one loves rabbits, one loves dog training.  They are all super talented in all areas, but are super productive in the areas that they like best.  The most productive thing that I can do as a veterinary leader is to assign them to the areas in which they excel.   Honoring their unique talents makes for a happier work environment and a more efficient hospital.

So cheers to Shelley, Carolyn, Deanna, Beth, Nicole, Sam, Dawn, Jessica, Jackie and Becky – my amazing technician team.  Thank you for saving me day after day. 

Please share your best veterinary technician story with me in the comments, to honor those who really run our veterinary hospitals.