This site was designed specifically for you. Before I tell you about VetTechLife, let me share how VetTechLife began. I’ve enjoyed working as a veterinary technician for 30+ years. Longer than some of you have been alive!
Over the last three decades, I have seen tremendous change in Veterinary Medicine. Back when I first got started, we weren’t quite troglodytes, but we still saw a few of them around. I can remember when:
- Pain management consisted of analgesia during surgery, but nothing post-op. The theory was that pain kept the patient from moving around much post-op so just let them hurt. Ouch!
- We nebulized birds with a combo of DMSO and malathion to treat air sac mites. The smell permeated the entire hospital. It is a wonder we are still alive!
- The very first veterinary technicians were certified in California. In fact, I know some of them!
- Veterinary technicians were glorified kennel help with no understanding of what we were doing. Don’t get me wrong! We weren’t stupid, just uneducated. We performed completely accurate lab work, but couldn’t tell you what any of it meant. We performed treatments, but had no understanding of why we were doing what we were doing.
- We used water from a garden hose and dish soap to scrub a cow before a c-section while we worked in the middle of the pasture. Why our patients didn’t end up with rip-roaring infections I will never understand!
- We used gravity flow for IV fluids because veterinary clinics didn’t see the need for infusion pumps.
Boy, have things changed! As Veterinary Medicine has advanced, so has the Veterinary Technician profession. Our roles in the veterinary practice have become much more sophisticated. We are educated, skilled members of the Veterinary medical team contributing on a daily basis to patient care. Some of us now contribute to the education of others, the advancement of the science, and to the profession. Our profession has come into its own and is growing rapidly as our roles become more critical and our contributions more highly valued.
I know when I first got started as a Veterinary Technician, I was just a kid with no worries other than doing a good job at the Veterinary Clinic and passing my University courses. Life was pretty simple then.
Things have most definitely changed! Now, I worry about the economy, my grandkids, the environment, retirement, my growing waistline and my creaky joints. I have come to discover that I am not alone in my concerns (ok, maybe the waistline and creaky joints).
I talk with Vet Techs all over North America. I hear that your passion and commitment to your profession are strong. I hear that you love what you do for a living. You have told me there are plenty of resources designed to help you stay current with and grow in your profession. And yet, you have shared with me that you struggle in your day-to-day lives. You feel like you are juggling too many balls and the one you always drop is “you” and even, sometimes your relationships. I hear that you are overwhelmingly busy. You are struggling financially. You have shared with me that your life is out of balance. I hear the “S” word (stress) frequently. You tell me that you have had to shrink your dreams to fit your budget. I even hear you say you have given up on some dreams entirely. I hear you.
Know that you are not alone in your challenges. There are tens of thousands of us in the Veterinary Technician profession facing the same struggles. As I listen to you, I realize we, as a community, need easy access to guidance and inspiration from those with proven success. We don’t need theories or best guesses. We need concrete information that has proven to work for anyone. And, we need it in bite-size pieces because we are already very busy.
So, what if we could go to one place to find trustworthy people who can help us regain control over our lives? What if we had instant access to the experts committed to helping Veterinary Staff achieve both personal and professional success? What if there was one resource where the focus was on our unique professional and personal challenges? VetTechLife is that “one place”.
VetTechLife was born to fill your need for guidance and inspiration. The content is based on your concerns. The experts are chosen to fill your needs. New content is created to fill the needs you identify. VetTechLife is the community center for the “village” you belong to as a veterinary professional. This is where you can find the “village elders” you trust to help you move forward in your life both personally and professionally. This is where you come to learn how to live on purpose rather than by accident. Come meet the experts. Explore your website. Let us know what else you need.
This is your website. Let it help you design your best year yet! Let VetTechLife help you achieve balance. I look forward to hearing from and working with you.
Onward and Upward!
Moira A. Fitzgerald, BS, RVT
