Feeling discouraged

[ElsieCat]

First off, please don't respond if you are going to be critical. I contemplated not writing this post for fear of being criticized as whiny. I'm pretty down on myself right now, so be kind!

So here goes: I took a job about 4 months ago working as an assistant at an emergency hospital. I was very excited because up to this point I had very limited clinical experience (outside of volunteering, only about 300 hours working as a kennel tech at a day practice). I was told I would be trained to assist and then move on to be trained as a tech...a dream come true. Well you know that old saying "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is..."

I have been working there for 4 months now and I spend most of my time doing laundry and cleaning the floors. I am titled as an assistant, paid like an assistant (sadly, probably more than most techs at a day practice) but scheduled for kennel shifts. Now, I am not lazy and I have no problem doing hard work (heck, the sight and smell of blood and diarrhea does not faze me) but this is not what I signed up for. Granted I have learned a lot and seen a lot of cool cases, but everything I am learning has been through osmosis. I peak at charts and treatment sheets when I get a chance, but I am not really an active participant in the process.

I was told when I first started working not to open any cage doors, as I would just hurt the animals. I have finally earned the honor of walking dogs outside if they are not too sick (unless it's cold or rainy, then I can walk anyone and everyone) or belong to someone on staff.

If asked to restrain I am usually blamed for the respective tech being unable to draw blood or place the catheter. Granted, I am a rather small girl and probably not the best person to restrain, but I can't get better without practice.

My mental intelligence has also been insulted as well. I can't calculate IV dosages, fill prescriptions, or set up fecals. I've been told "It's just too many steps and too overwhelming for you right now" If I run blood work and it comes back different from what they expected (even if it's a machine doing it!) they question me.

I feel like I have played their game. I work my tail off cleaning to show them that I am hard worker. I always double check before doing anything that could be detrimental to an animal. Not saying I am perfect, but I have done nothing wrong or at any point endangered an animal.

People are constantly telling me what a great worker I am, but the next minute they are telling me I can't do something. Basically, I'm great as long as I stay in my delegated corner by the washing machine.

I turned down another job back in Feb b/c I was told by my supervisor that my schedule would be changing and I would be doing more tech stuff. Well, it's been a little better (one tech has been cool about it) but I still spend most of my time cleaning and trying to look busy. I have approached the supervisor about it and it really hasn't seemed to matter. The way the office is set up, you can't talk to the vets about these things. All tech matters are handed by the sr tech.

I think even more than the work, I'm upset by the response to me wanting to be a vet. I've had a surprisingly successful application cycle, being granted multiple acceptances. I really only told the lady who interviewed me that I was applying to school, but I guess it got around. I kept pretty quiet about it--I didn't want anyone to think I was "using" a tech position as a stepping stone to becoming a vet (I've heard some ppl have had issues with that).

One vet asked me about it a month ago and I told her I had been accepted to an out of state school (I was pretty happy about it--I have family nearby and for me it was a serious option) to which she responded "Oh, did you apply to ---(in state school which she attended)?" No congratulations or other positive remarks.

The last straw was a couple of days ago. One of the techs knew I was applying to school and asked me about. Well, before I knew it, she had told numerous ppl including the vet on duty that I had indeed been accepted to my in-state vet school. The vet's response: "Enjoy your summer. Come fall you'll be working your tail off" Seriously, not even a congratulations.... The next day she went on this five minute rant about how every yr the incoming class looses 5 ppl or so after the first yr of classes...

I'm actually embarrassed that I was accepted to vet school. I feel like every tech there deserves it more than me. It's gotten to the point, that when I open a cage to touch an animal, I am scared I am going to hurt them or mess up. I never felt this way before working here. I even called my best friend crying the other night (bless her heart) saying that I wasn't going to school in the fall b/c I am obviously an idiot.

I hate my job (there I said it) and am scared I am not cut out to be a vet. I thought about finding another job, but with school just 4 months away, I feel no one would hire me unless I lied and said I would be around longer.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I guess what I am wondering is if anyone has been in a situation like this? Do my grievances have any merit?

Thanks for taking the time to read my very long, whiny post. I don't post here very often, but I am an avid reader. This forum has really helped me whether it's learning of ppl's success or sharing in your struggles.

Best wishes!

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[msmrtrthnyllb]

If you were a guy, I'd tell you to grow a pair.
Quit caring so much about what everyone else thinks about you; it sounds like they're giving you a complex. Quit working there. Sounds like you've learned as much as you can there. Maybe I've just had tons of great experiences working at many different places, but I just can't understand how so many places can be like this. If they don't appreciate you, high tail it and get more experience elsewhere.

 

[david594]

You're accepted. Everyone else is just jealous.

 

[adOggy07]

Oh Elsiecat... that sounds awful!

I too have been in a similar position. I started off in the kennel position at an emergency hospital also and I remember feeling very discouraged some days when everyone else was a tech and I wasn't. A lot of the techs used to annoy the heck out of me because I got the impression that they thought they were all a bag of chips and then some. I find it really funny how some techs like to blame other people and things for their own mistakes. While it is true that sometimes it's because of the holder that things can go wrong, that is certainly NOT always the case.

I totally feel your pain on being in the kennel position and not being able to move up. For me, after about 3 months, they finally started letting me try things. And for the most part it's because they have a high turn over rate and really just needed techs. Because we were a pretty busy emergency practice at the time, I had no choice BUT to learn if I was going to survive there. So I used that to my advantage to learn how to draw blood, place catheters.. even doing anal glands was fun to me!

But NEVER, did the hospital I worked for treat me the way you described.. they never put me down or not let me do the simple things... I mean.. not being allowed to open a cage door???? C'MON! That is just ridiculous. It's true that it's always going to be tough in the tech world. A lot of techs get snobby and selfish... that probably happens at every hospital. BUT, no one should be rude and not even give you a congratulations for getting into vet school!! I can't help but think that some of the techs are probably just jealous.

Don't listen to them. And don't believe that hospital that you work at is a good representation of how people are in vet hospitals. It truly sounds like they are overrated and undeserved. YOU GOT INTO VET SCHOOL!! Something that takes a lot of work and determination. You should be proud of yourself no matter what that hospital says!!

 

[winglessflight]

i have been in that situation too, the summer after my freshman year of college. i was told i would be doing mostly kennel duty and cleaning, but would be able to observe procedures, which was fine with me because i didn't know enough to be a tech. anyways, i did lots and lots of cleaning, for 12 hour shifts, and the manager would literally send me out of the room if there was a learning opportunity. towards the end of the summer, he had me scrub the walls once a week. i would hide in back and fold and refold towels for fear of being yelled at. i also was treated by the techs like i know nothing, even though while i didnt know enough to be a tech, i still knew more than enough for my position. every single time we had a diabetic cat boarding (we boarding sick/needy animals, plus the hospital animals) i was lectured about how they needed lots of water and not to give them insulin until they ate. We would have usually 1 cat a week like this, so after 4 months of lectures i wanted to pop, especially since i already knew this going in and never once messed up.

I could go on, so if you want more war stories, feel free to ask, haha. Anyways, like you the job made me question my abilities. My next job however renewed my faith and reminded me I could do it. I personally would quit the job. If you stay there you will be mentally drained, and you don't want to start vet school like that. If you need the money (as most of us do) you could try a non vet job that hires more in the summer. Even though it isn't vet related and will pay less, your sanity is worth it.

Good luck, that place sounds awful.

 

[msmrtrthnyllb]

If you're the vengeful type, you should get a job there once out of vet school to order the jerks around.

 

[hoodle]

That sounds like a miserable situation - msmrththnyllb cut to the chase when they told you to quit working there. It's not worth your time.

I too had a surprisingly successful app season, and I too have struggled with the fact that I'm still not good at restraining cats, I still don't know how to set up basic equipment, I'm still nervous around scared dogs. At this point I'm pretty good at holding off for IVs or extruding for blocked cats, but if the animal is fractious, I'm often useless. I'm lucky enough that I get a lot of hands-on experience at the emergency hospital I volunteer at, but I'm often pretty anxious about whether what I'm doing is correct. I also have felt somewhat embarrassed talking about my options, given that one of the most practical and knowledgable nurses has had no luck in applying for the past 3 years.

You got into vet school, and they'll teach you what you need to learn! Just have confidence in the fact that the committee picked you, and that you'll have plenty of time to hone your skills, especially once you know intellectually what each procedure is for. You can work at clinics over summers or breaks, get a job or volunteer once you're there. Also there will be people coming in with both more and less experience than you - and the school will teach ALL of you to be competent!

So don't worry! Quit your job and move on. Get your school sweatshirt and put the little sticky thing on your car! get pumped for classes to start and for being a vet!

 

[SillyFilly]

CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING INTO VET SCHOOL!!!

To be honest, pack your bags and get the heck out of there! Get a cool, fun job - whether it is at a clinic or not. Find a place you love to work. Work at Starbucks, volunteer at a shelter, find your path! You love animals, and you will be a great vet.

As my grandma would have said - don't let the **stards get ya down!

 

[adOggy07]

If you're the vengeful type, you should get a job there once out of vet school to order the jerks around.

 

[lailanni]

(((hugs)))) That sounds awful. I agree - looks like you've learned all you can there. You should quit before they make you feel any worse - or make you start hating vetmed.

You're accepted. That means people who know what's required during vet school have looked at you and said "This girl can do it. We want her. She has what it takes." Don't let anyone take that away from you. Heck, sounds like a few schools think you're great!!

If I were in your shoes (which I'm not, so please take it with a grain of salt) I'd quit. If you need the money, find another job. You can get great experience shadowing -- there are kindly doctors out there that will take you under their wing. They'll be excited for you going to school in the fall!

This place doesn't deserve you!

 

[zpinkpanther]

Seriously. Hand them your 2 weeks notice yesterday (or today) and don't look back. There is absolutely no reason for them to treat you this way, nor is there a reason for you to stay. This experience isn't helping you; if anything, it's hurting. You should never have been taught to be afraid of touching an animal. Even if they're sick, a gentle touch can do nothing but comfort them, IMO (as long as you wash you hands, in case there are contagious diseases involved). In fact, that's kind of one of my guilty pleasures when I'm at work; I'll go around and pet the sick animals and say what I hope are comforting words when I have a minute free (unless the animal is known to be a biter or something).

Anyway, it's absolutely fantastic that you got into vet school (congrats! ). Now that you're in, you don't need this job for your resume anymore, and if you want to try to gain more experience anyway, you could try finding a real tech job. If it makes you feel any better, I've been a tech off and on since I was 16 (~6 years), and I haven't gotten into vet school yet.

 

[aggiedonk]

Elsiecat
DON't worry about it anymore. You're in vet school. That's what counts. Move on.
Being a tech is tough - I know. I left a professional job where I had alot of grown-up responsibility and started a vet tech job from scratch - learned everything under pressure and became a darn good vet tech but STILL had to go through alot of difficult "swallowing of pride and try harder next time" days. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done emotionally. I think it happens to alot of people and I would think it's worse in an emergency clinic where tension tends to be high. That's probably not a great learning environment. I'd try to find a more laid back clinic for this summer if I were you.

 

[BartonVet87]

You were accepted to an out of state school along with your in state school!!!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!! You wouldn't get into vet school if they didn't think you would be an amazing doctor. Pat yourself on your back!!!

Side note: There are much better clinics out there -- just look I have been a tech since I turned 16 and trust me, you can have a much better experience elsewhere. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pressmom]

You must be working at the clinic I worked at. All the techs hated me. They constantly thought I'd screw up. (Even though I didn't.) A lot of them were life-long techs or people who hadn't gotten into vet school. (And I'm not saying every RVT/LVT/CVT is like this, but the head tech at my clinic certainly was!) It sucked. The only reason I stayed is because everyone the head doctor had written a LOR for had gotten in. I went home crying several days because of this one particularly mean tech that made it a point to upset me. (But I never cried at work.)

Anyway, you're in...I'd quit. I quit when I moved, right after I got my LORs from the vets. The next clinic I worked at was much better...until they hired a girl that didn't get in...then I only had 2 months left before vet school. I ended up leaving a month early, and don't regret it. Some people just can't deal with other's success. All I know is that when I'm a vet, I'm going to make pre-vets feel welcome!

 

[Truth74]

I've been in that situation, too. It's a spirit killing kind of a place.

Get out and find some where else that treats you better. Hopefully, you don't need the money. If you need the money, stay long enough to find that other job, then leave.

 

[cyrille104]

,

 

[twelvetigers]

I agree, get out of there! You don't *need* it, and you aren't getting anything out of it either. So put in notice and scram. Find something better to do with your time.

 

[ShelterGirl]

Get. Out. Of. There. Now.

Congratulations on your acceptances! Not a single one of us knows everything there is to know about vet med, or probably even tech work for that matter. If the schools thought you couldn't handle it, they wouldn't have accepted you.

Your coworkers are clearly jealous and you don't need that kind of BS.

 

[clawsbeatskin]

You got into vet school. That's all that matters. Don't feel crappy because you don't know how to do more clinical things yet. That's what school is for. There was obviously something in your apps that told the adcomms that you can learn these things. I have no clue how to restrain cats or dogs, but it doesn't bother me because none of my experience has been clinical. I'll learn it in vet school. It is also well to remember that not all vets are clinicians...I know of several vets who have forgotten almost all of their small animal clinical techniques and don't even treat. They're still vets working in the field, though!

 

[scienceGal]

ugh. . . .the people where you work do have a huge influence. I feel you!

I started as an "assistant" and all the vets and techs gave rave reviews about me and my "potential" so I am basically doing tech duties after two months of working there (catheters, drawing blood, cytology, wound care, xrays. . i work in an emergency clinic). ps this is my first job at a vet clinic (i only volunteered before)

this past sunday, a cat bit me (she had exploratory surgery and was in a lot of pain and bit me when i picked her up to do a treatment) :-( she passed away the next day

anyway. . .my boss (not a vet but the office manager that hires and stuff), told me to go to the doctor IF the bite was red and swollen the NEXT afternoon. . .then came up to me a few hours later and told me that i should suck it up and get back to work cause i don't want to get the reputation of being a "pansy" my first few months there.

I spoke with the Vet on call and she dismissed me to go to the doctor's. needless to say. . .since i waited over 6.5 hours to get any treatment, it got infected. two days of fever, four days off of work, and 3 IM shots later I have to face that woman when i go to work on friday.
I SOOOOO just want to tell her off, but i also want to keep my job. . . at least everyone noticed how she treated me and they all agreed it was wrong. I LOVE that job, I just really was offended by her. I don't know what to do.

 

[Lab Man]

ugh. . . .the people where you work do have a huge influence. I feel you!

I started as an "assistant" and all the vets and techs gave rave reviews about me and my "potential" so I am basically doing tech duties after two months of working there (catheters, drawing blood, cytology, wound care, xrays. . i work in an emergency clinic). ps this is my first job at a vet clinic (i only volunteered before)

this past sunday, a cat bit me (she had exploratory surgery and was in a lot of pain and bit me when i picked her up to do a treatment) :-( she passed away the next day

anyway. . .my boss (not a vet but the office manager that hires and stuff), told me to go to the doctor IF the bite was red and swollen the NEXT afternoon. . .then came up to me a few hours later and told me that i should suck it up and get back to work cause i don't want to get the reputation of being a "pansy" my first few months there.

I spoke with the Vet on call and she dismissed me to go to the doctor's. needless to say. . .since i waited over 6.5 hours to get any treatment, it got infected. two days of fever, four days off of work, and 3 IM shots later I have to face that woman when i go to work on friday.
I SOOOOO just want to tell her off, but i also want to keep my job. . . at least everyone noticed how she treated me and they all agreed it was wrong. I LOVE that job, I just really was offended by her. I don't know what to do.

You should bite the lady, then tell her to "suck it up."

 

[scienceGal]

that's good advice. . .. but i can't exactly use it. lol

 

[veggirl]

First of all, congratulations on getting accepted to vet school!!

Secondly, QUIT YOUR JOB!! I know it has been said a bunch already, but seriously....you have to stand up for yourself and not let people walk all over you like that! You don't have to worry about some missing experience section in your application for the adcoms to question....you are accepted already! The vet school thinks you are ready and they think you would make a great vet. Focus on that and don't worry about what anybody else thinks! Then, after saying adios to the power hungry techs, let it go and move on to more important things...like getting ready for vet school!

 

[Kat0303]

Congrats on getting in!

I worked for a monster of a vet, and she really killed my desire and confidence in pursuing vet med. I was so uncomfortable at her clinic, that I had this altered image of what vet med. really was. (this was my sophomore year of college, and i even decided to look into other health careers but eventually figured out that it was just how she was that had me discouraged)

Now, I work in a great clinic with a great vet, and the fact that it is such a pleasant place to work makes me more and more excited about the career.

Moral: Find better clinic to work in, and I bet you'll feel more confident and excited about it, imo.

 

[winkle1983]

Congrats! Now get out of there!! There are amazing clinics out there, you just gotta find one...b/c the one you're at now is not it!

I work in an emergency clinic and started as an assistant with no experience...come to think of it I dunno why they hired me...lol But now I do tech stuff...place catheters, draw blood, run lab work, treatments, etc. They are wonderful and I love them. Run far away and don't look back! The next place you work can't be as bad as where you are now!

 

[dpcdoc]

Congrats on being accepted!!!!!!!

Instead of being down about your present job situation, you should be walking on air with the satisfaction that you were accepted. Everyone who regularly visits this forum know the tremendous effort and dedication it takes to get in to Vet school and you should be proud of your accomplishment. Best wishes to you!

 

[VetMed555]

Congratulations on being accepted! This is my experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I started working at an emergency clinic with very little previous experience, and it was VERY difficult at first. Emergency clinics are different from "day practices", and if I could do it over, I'd like to have a year or so at a day practice before becoming an assistant at an emergency clinic. First of all, emergency doctors are *in my experience* less tolerant of "learning time". It's kind of: learn on your own time (when?!), then come in and be ready to do everything. So yes, lots of yelling, eye rolling, calling a tech to take over. I had days when I came home and cried because I felt so incompetent. It's been 2 years, and I survived, and actually got pretty good at my job. However, I just quit it because I'm starting vet. school in the fall. So, don't take it to heart, it's just not a good place to start, so if you're accepted, why would you stay? It's not like you need experience anymore. Also, when I told people at work I got in, only the doctors said "Congratulations!" to me and seemed really happy (Told me I'd be a great vet The assistants and techs were ...ahem...LESS than happy. Not one of them said "Congratulations!" to me. I do think it's just jealousy. To sum up, emergency clinics are a little harder for "beginners", and people are just jealous.

Correction: In VA, assistants can do most things techs can, but they cannot call themselves "techs" without a license, so *technically* I could be "classified" as a tech...without a license.

 

[CanadianGolden]

I have had similar experiences at the clinics I worked at. I did not like the experience and felt that I was treated like an idiot by the vets. You are not an idiot. Neither am I. That seems to be a common and unfortunate side effect of working as a tech assistant. Oh well, you're going to vet school next year, so I guess they'll deal.

 

[Badger Girl]

I, too, have felt like this at different times. In my experience, I have been treated worse by receptionists rather than the assistants or techs themselves. In fact, I just called two clinics this morning to touch base with vets who know I will be calling them at some point to start shadowing. The receptionist was less than friendly and then when I clarified what my intentions were regarding shadowing, she said, "oh, you mean you want to come in more than once??" I don't think everyone that works at clinics has any clue on what it takes to get into veterinary school. I would bet that there are a lot of assistants and techs don't even know the kind of experience that vet schools are looking for.

Sometimes I get a little offended when people are so shocked by how hard it is to get into vet school. People are so clueless. That's why there is this awesome forum. We don't need to explain the difficulty to anyone because we are all in this together!

 

[168135]

First of all, congratulations on getting accepted

My volunteering/shadowing experiences have put me in a similar position... I generally felt ignored when I went in to volunteer. I volunteered there for 9 monthes and when I went in last month to job-shadow, one vet didn't even remember my name. All of the other volunteers and all of the other pre-vetters I know are getting all of the attention and get all of the experience leaving me fighting to get experience. I still want to be a vet. I may be on the bottom right now, but I'm determined to come out in top. If you didn't want to be a vet... trust me, you would know. Stay optimistic and positive and don't let other people get you down... form your own opinions when you get there.

 

[cock a too]

ElsieCat...
It is better for you to see what an unhealthy practice is like before you become a doctor. You should thank them for showing you the warning signs of something that sucks.
I have had four assist/tech jobs (1-1.5 years each.) I have seen ugly! But I am happy to enter vet school with my eyes open. You should be too!
(You should also try sticking up for yourself!)

and

Congratulations You're in!

 

[VetHopeful2012]

First off, please don't respond if you are going to be critical. I contemplated not writing this post for fear of being criticized as whiny. I'm pretty down on myself right now, so be kind!

So here goes: I took a job about 4 months ago working as an assistant at an emergency hospital. I was very excited because up to this point I had very limited clinical experience (outside of volunteering, only about 300 hours working as a kennel tech at a day practice). I was told I would be trained to assist and then move on to be trained as a tech...a dream come true. Well you know that old saying "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is..."

I have been working there for 4 months now and I spend most of my time doing laundry and cleaning the floors. I am titled as an assistant, paid like an assistant (sadly, probably more than most techs at a day practice) but scheduled for kennel shifts. Now, I am not lazy and I have no problem doing hard work (heck, the sight and smell of blood and diarrhea does not faze me) but this is not what I signed up for. Granted I have learned a lot and seen a lot of cool cases, but everything I am learning has been through osmosis. I peak at charts and treatment sheets when I get a chance, but I am not really an active participant in the process.

I was told when I first started working not to open any cage doors, as I would just hurt the animals. I have finally earned the honor of walking dogs outside if they are not too sick (unless it's cold or rainy, then I can walk anyone and everyone) or belong to someone on staff.

If asked to restrain I am usually blamed for the respective tech being unable to draw blood or place the catheter. Granted, I am a rather small girl and probably not the best person to restrain, but I can't get better without practice.

My mental intelligence has also been insulted as well. I can't calculate IV dosages, fill prescriptions, or set up fecals. I've been told "It's just too many steps and too overwhelming for you right now" If I run blood work and it comes back different from what they expected (even if it's a machine doing it!) they question me.

I feel like I have played their game. I work my tail off cleaning to show them that I am hard worker. I always double check before doing anything that could be detrimental to an animal. Not saying I am perfect, but I have done nothing wrong or at any point endangered an animal.

People are constantly telling me what a great worker I am, but the next minute they are telling me I can't do something. Basically, I'm great as long as I stay in my delegated corner by the washing machine.

I turned down another job back in Feb b/c I was told by my supervisor that my schedule would be changing and I would be doing more tech stuff. Well, it's been a little better (one tech has been cool about it) but I still spend most of my time cleaning and trying to look busy. I have approached the supervisor about it and it really hasn't seemed to matter. The way the office is set up, you can't talk to the vets about these things. All tech matters are handed by the sr tech.

I think even more than the work, I'm upset by the response to me wanting to be a vet. I've had a surprisingly successful application cycle, being granted multiple acceptances. I really only told the lady who interviewed me that I was applying to school, but I guess it got around. I kept pretty quiet about it--I didn't want anyone to think I was "using" a tech position as a stepping stone to becoming a vet (I've heard some ppl have had issues with that).

One vet asked me about it a month ago and I told her I had been accepted to an out of state school (I was pretty happy about it--I have family nearby and for me it was a serious option) to which she responded "Oh, did you apply to ---(in state school which she attended)?" No congratulations or other positive remarks.

The last straw was a couple of days ago. One of the techs knew I was applying to school and asked me about. Well, before I knew it, she had told numerous ppl including the vet on duty that I had indeed been accepted to my in-state vet school. The vet's response: "Enjoy your summer. Come fall you'll be working your tail off" Seriously, not even a congratulations.... The next day she went on this five minute rant about how every yr the incoming class looses 5 ppl or so after the first yr of classes...

I'm actually embarrassed that I was accepted to vet school. I feel like every tech there deserves it more than me. It's gotten to the point, that when I open a cage to touch an animal, I am scared I am going to hurt them or mess up. I never felt this way before working here. I even called my best friend crying the other night (bless her heart) saying that I wasn't going to school in the fall b/c I am obviously an idiot.

I hate my job (there I said it) and am scared I am not cut out to be a vet. I thought about finding another job, but with school just 4 months away, I feel no one would hire me unless I lied and said I would be around longer.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I guess what I am wondering is if anyone has been in a situation like this? Do my grievances have any merit?

Thanks for taking the time to read my very long, whiny post. I don't post here very often, but I am an avid reader. This forum has really helped me whether it's learning of ppl's success or sharing in your struggles.

Best wishes!

First of all, congratulations on getting in. No small task. I wish I was in your place.

Second of all, unfortunately, in any high stress environment it seems like the common, easy, and yet ridiculous and immature thing to do is find someone to blame, and it seems like the person that is on the "bottom of the totem pole" bears the brunt. It's not nice, it shouldn't be that way, but for some reason, people (esp. in vet offices) seem to revert to an immature mentality of finger pointing.

Third, if you're really unhappy at your job, you might consider applying to other places, even if it is only for a few months. Not every place will turn you down. You might not be paid as well as you are now though, as it sounds like they're at least paying you well. Of course, that's a call you are going to have to make, but it might make you feel more in control of your life to have options.

 

[rosemma]

First off, I feel like most clinics are the same in that the techs are very cliquish. They gossip, shut people out, and usually the person being blamed is going to be the new one or the lowest ranked. That doesn't make it right.

Secondly, YOU GOT IN. So the opinions of those who matter, those that know what they are doing and what they are judging (usually) BELIEVE in you. You have beaten out a lot of very smart and very experienced people. After I got in I was very happy but I didn't really think too much about it until everyone I knew told me to be very proud of myself. Granted, my family is very vet-oriented with my grandfather, father, and two cousins being vets. However, I did have to grow on one vet. At one point she asked me if I was going to get in because my dad was going to make a large donation or because he was part of a board at my in-state school. I was very ashamed and annoyed. Especially because my dad owns a one man show in the country and doesn't even really know other vets. And, I purposefully didn't mention the vets in my family or their association with the respective schools because I didn't want to get in based on that. I wanted to get in based on my own merit. And I did. I know that, so screw her comments. I know the truth and that is all that matters.

Overall, be happy you're in and be VERY PROUD!!! You deserve to have that and if others want to be jealous or judge you in a poor light then that is their problem. I would say if you don't need the job then quit. I am sure there are other vets out there that would be proud to have you. You don't need that negativity in your life. I would say, if anyone does that stuff again - SAY SOMETHING. Just say, "Well, you may not know me well enough to be proud of what I have accomplished or believe in my future but they did and that's all that matters. And I know I will do well so I am excited." Or next time they tell you it is too complex or that you can't hold for blood draws TELL them that you want to learn or that it isn't too complex for you. A girl at our work, we would always just pass over because we didn't want to have to take time to show her, but she started asking and telling us she needed to learn and we kind of realized she was right. We didn't mean to do it, but we had.

Either way, GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATS!! I AM PROUD OF YOU!

 

[carrbear21]

We all have to put in our time-- as crappy as it may be! You'll get there, don't worry. AND CONGRATS!!! It'll be worth it!

 

[enchantingme2]

Congrats again!!! I just wanted to let you know that with only 4ish months to go I just got another tech job at a day practice (I work full time as an emergency clinic now). So there is still hope! I was worried that they would not hire me because I only wanted one day a week and would be leaving soon, but they were more than willing to offer me the chance to get more day practice experience and they mentioned that it would be worth it since if I like it there I could still work summers there in the future (ruuun onnn senteence...sorry). Anyways, get out now... dont let this one sucky job ruin your outlook on your dream!!! GOOD LUCK!!!