Asking time off for interviews

[PennObie20]

In the past week or so I was invited to four interviews. While ecstatic (!) about this, I'm concerned because they're all scheduled for the first 2 weeks of February. I work in a small vet practice where I'm the only assistant and I feel really bad about having to take so much time off, but I don't feel like I have much of a choice. When I was hired last summer I was very upfront about my plans to apply to veterinary school, and I'm sure the vet knew what that entailed, but it's just coming all at once. Plus, I have to have surgery the last week of January AND I have the flu right now so the timing's kind of awful in terms of missed work. Does anyone have any advice or personal experience about how to approach her/the tech about asking for time off for interviews? I'm doing everything I can think of to minimize my time off, like re-arranging the days I work during the week and taking a red-eye back to work the day after an interview. Help!

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[PreVet_ISU]

I think this part of your career is unavoidable. You HAVE to go to the interviews, and the clinic you are working for knows this. I think making sure you are upfront about the days you need off as early as possible is the best route to go with. And if the clinic you work for doesn't understand, it looks like they might not as supportive of your goals of becoming a DVM as you may have thought!

As far as having surgery and the flu, well, time to suck it up! This is an important part of your process, and you wouldn't want to regret not giving it your all because you made excuses for yourself of why you couldn't do it. Don't let these obstacles keep you from your dream.

Just always remember you are doing the right thing for yourself in the long run! Good luck with your surgery and your interviews! Sounds like your very dedicated to your clinic!

 

[that redhead]

I would let the tech and doctor know as soon as possible the dates that you'll have to be off work. Let them know that you appreciate their support and maybe bring them a souvenir from wherever you go, or make a batch of cookies or something when you get back

 

[Njnealon]

Hey! Is there anyone you can switch shifts with? I asked my co-workers to cover for me, and then picked up some of their hours when I got back. If I couldn't find coverage, I went right to my manager (who did the scheduling) and she helped arrange it. Most people at a veterinary hospital (I hope) would be understanding about interviews, especially the vets, who went through it themselves. I would make sure they all know it is for veterinary school, and how important this interview is?

Alternatively, if there are extenuating circumstances, perhaps try to arrange a skype or distance interview with a school?

 

[Puffins]

In the past week or so I was invited to four interviews. While ecstatic (!) about this, I'm concerned because they're all scheduled for the first 2 weeks of February. I work in a small vet practice where I'm the only assistant and I feel really bad about having to take so much time off, but I don't feel like I have much of a choice. When I was hired last summer I was very upfront about my plans to apply to veterinary school, and I'm sure the vet knew what that entailed, but it's just coming all at once. Plus, I have to have surgery the last week of January AND I have the flu right now so the timing's kind of awful in terms of missed work. Does anyone have any advice or personal experience about how to approach her/the tech about asking for time off for interviews? I'm doing everything I can think of to minimize my time off, like re-arranging the days I work during the week and taking a red-eye back to work the day after an interview. Help!

In my opinion, you should focus less on your obligations to your employer and more on your obligations to yourself. You worked very hard to get to this point and you owe it to yourself to attend every interview that you have been invited to. Yes, it sounds like you may miss a good deal of work over the next few weeks but as long as you approach the situation professionally with your employer and make it clear that you're doing everything you can to minimize the amount of time you need off, I think you'll be fine. In the long run, it will matter more that you gave it your best shot than that fact that you left the hospital understaffed for longer than you would have liked.

 

[PennObie20]

Thanks for all the advice you gave me here! Sorry I didn't get around to replying earlier; I first had the interviews and then sort of forgot about this thread . I definitely appreciate the responses and am glad to have the reassurance that these interviews are necessary and unavoidable....and I shouldn't feel bad about asking time off for them! My employer (and the tech, who does the scheduling) was pretty understanding of the whole thing, and I definitely plan on bringing something in to thank them for their support. I was hoping to use Pi day as an excuse but we happen to have that Saturday off so I'll have to think of another occasion!