RANT HERE thread

[psilovethomas]

For the past month, I've been getting tension headaches. So I've been taking lots of NSAIDs and tylenol. Que massive heartburn attacks and nausea. Okay, I can deal with all of that. But now my joints are aching, so much that it wakes me out of my sleep. I don't know what to do. I really do not want to go to the doctor because I know I won't get help there. I've been on all of the heartburn meds and I don't want to go back on my headache medicine because I don't like the dependence aspect of it.

So, I plea to my colleagues. I really want to try herbals. I've tried aloe and cactus milk for the heartburn with only small improvement. Anyone know (from personal experience) of a magical herb/plant that can help with heartburn and/or body aches? Hopefully this does not terminate the medical advice clause.. I will delete it if it does, just PM me.

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[that redhead]

For the past month, I've been getting tension headaches. So I've been taking lots of NSAIDs and tylenol. Que massive heartburn attacks and nausea. Okay, I can deal with all of that. But now my joints are aching, so much that it wakes me out of my sleep. I don't know what to do. I really do not want to go to the doctor because I know I won't get help there. I've been on all of the heartburn meds and I don't want to go back on my headache medicine because I don't like the dependence aspect of it.

So, I plea to my colleagues. I really want to try herbals. I've tried aloe and cactus milk for the heartburn with only small improvement. Anyone know (from personal experience) of a magical herb/plant that can help with heartburn and/or body aches? Hopefully this does not terminate the medical advice clause.. I will delete it if it does, just PM me.

Ginger is supposed to be good for nausea, but that's all I know. Hope you get some relief soon

 

[Lupin21]

For the past month, I've been getting tension headaches. So I've been taking lots of NSAIDs and tylenol. Que massive heartburn attacks and nausea. Okay, I can deal with all of that. But now my joints are aching, so much that it wakes me out of my sleep. I don't know what to do. I really do not want to go to the doctor because I know I won't get help there. I've been on all of the heartburn meds and I don't want to go back on my headache medicine because I don't like the dependence aspect of it.

So, I plea to my colleagues. I really want to try herbals. I've tried aloe and cactus milk for the heartburn with only small improvement. Anyone know (from personal experience) of a magical herb/plant that can help with heartburn and/or body aches? Hopefully this does not terminate the medical advice clause.. I will delete it if it does, just PM me.

Also you might try using peppermint oil on your forehead and temples as a little relief boost from the headaches. I don't often get headaches, but when I do, this seems to be all I need. As straightforward as it seems, maybe finding outlets to reduce the tension in the first place is the best route. Getting stuck forever battling secondary problems doesn't sound very pleasant. I wish you luck in finding a way back to health!

 

[Minnerbelle]

So bunnity and cowgirla, now that the day before holiday weekend extravaganza is done for you guys, they're all headed my way .

Fml fml fml fml

After 10 years of people constantly telling me I am going to burn out, I think I actually might this time.

But holy hell guys, I can't imagine having sick exams scheduled every 15 minutes and not having the ability to admit for hospitalization... At least I can just put together a big estimate, send the owners home and just continue workup/treatment as there is time to so.

 

[bunnity]

Hang in there Minnerbelle! You got this.

 

[cowgirla]

So bunnity and cowgirla, now that the day before holiday weekend extravaganza is done for you guys, they're all headed my way .

Fml fml fml fml

After 10 years of people constantly telling me I am going to burn out, I think I actually might this time.

But holy hell guys, I can't imagine having sick exams scheduled every 15 minutes and not having the ability to admit for hospitalization... At least I can just put together a big estimate, send the owners home and just continue workup/treatment as there is time to so.

Ick. Hang in there! Deep breathe and don't forget to do something for you every once in a while!

 

[WillowLeaf]

For the past month, I've been getting tension headaches. So I've been taking lots of NSAIDs and tylenol. Que massive heartburn attacks and nausea. Okay, I can deal with all of that. But now my joints are aching, so much that it wakes me out of my sleep. I don't know what to do. I really do not want to go to the doctor because I know I won't get help there. I've been on all of the heartburn meds and I don't want to go back on my headache medicine because I don't like the dependence aspect of it.

So, I plea to my colleagues. I really want to try herbals. I've tried aloe and cactus milk for the heartburn with only small improvement. Anyone know (from personal experience) of a magical herb/plant that can help with heartburn and/or body aches? Hopefully this does not terminate the medical advice clause.. I will delete it if it does, just PM me.

Have you ever looked into acupuncture for the headaches/body aches? In my experience, it was far more effective than meds for tension headaches/migraines/muscle tension and body aches, and I also dislike being dependent on meds and dealing with side effects. Some acupuncturists will give you advice about herbal treatments too. (I hope this isn't considered medical advice either. Will delete if it's not okay.) Hope you find a way to feel better soon!

 

[Jamr0ckin]

Have you ever looked into acupuncture for the headaches/body aches? In my experience, it was far more effective than meds for tension headaches/migraines/muscle tension and body aches, and I also dislike being dependent on meds and dealing with side effects. Some acupuncturists will give you advice about herbal treatments too. (I hope this isn't considered medical advice either. Will delete if it's not okay.) Hope you find a way to feel better soon!

I've also had success with trigger point therapy (similar to acupuncture) for tension headaches.

 

[dovelover]

For the past month, I've been getting tension headaches. So I've been taking lots of NSAIDs and tylenol. Que massive heartburn attacks and nausea. Okay, I can deal with all of that. But now my joints are aching, so much that it wakes me out of my sleep. I don't know what to do. I really do not want to go to the doctor because I know I won't get help there. I've been on all of the heartburn meds and I don't want to go back on my headache medicine because I don't like the dependence aspect of it.

So, I plea to my colleagues. I really want to try herbals. I've tried aloe and cactus milk for the heartburn with only small improvement. Anyone know (from personal experience) of a magical herb/plant that can help with heartburn and/or body aches? Hopefully this does not terminate the medical advice clause.. I will delete it if it does, just PM me.

Have you tried to manage the heartburn with diet? I hated being on heartburn meds long term so I just try not to eat trigger foods (aka anything with corn syrup in it). Not sure if it will help if you're trigger's NSAIDs, but thought I'd mention.

 

[swingnsave]

The other day I mentioned to a co-worker (also a really good friend) that I'm strongly considering applying to SGU next year. She just scoffed and told me that HORRIBLE vets come out of there. Old grads, recent grads, etc. and she's only ever heard negative comments from the vets she's worked with. It really peeved me bc I have met some great vets from SGU and I have followed a few on here and through blogs (hi jmo! ) She told me "not to bother because they accept everyone so you won't be able to challenge yourself." Seriously??!?!

 

[allygator13]

The other day I mentioned to a co-worker (also a really good friend) that I'm strongly considering applying to SGU next year. She just scoffed and told me that HORRIBLE vets come out of there. Old grads, recent grads, etc. and she's only ever heard negative comments from the vets she's worked with. It really peeved me bc I have met some great vets from SGU and I have followed a few on here and through blogs (hi jmo! ) She told me "not to bother because they accept everyone so you won't be able to challenge yourself." Seriously??!?!

That's nice

 

[Rainheart]

Dear professors,
You are paid to teach us material, not just read off powerpoint slides for 5o minutes. I am plenty capable of reading. I also don't appreciate having to read paragraphs of text off said slides in tiny font that I have squint at to even try to make out.

 

[jmo1012]

The other day I mentioned to a co-worker (also a really good friend) that I'm strongly considering applying to SGU next year. She just scoffed and told me that HORRIBLE vets come out of there. Old grads, recent grads, etc. and she's only ever heard negative comments from the vets she's worked with. It really peeved me bc I have met some great vets from SGU and I have followed a few on here and through blogs (hi jmo! ) She told me "not to bother because they accept everyone so you won't be able to challenge yourself." Seriously??!?!

unfortunately those people do exist, however, they are wrong. every school produces a spectrum of veterinarians, but i think that SGU produces some pretty amazing graduates from an excellent program. every program has flaws, every program has highlights. all students are different.

regarding the "everyone gets accepted" mentality - with accreditation in sept 2011, the applicant pool increased significantly. with increasing numbers of applicants came increased selectivity.

 

[Jamr0ckin]

The other day I mentioned to a co-worker (also a really good friend) that I'm strongly considering applying to SGU next year. She just scoffed and told me that HORRIBLE vets come out of there. Old grads, recent grads, etc. and she's only ever heard negative comments from the vets she's worked with. It really peeved me bc I have met some great vets from SGU and I have followed a few on here and through blogs (hi jmo! ) She told me "not to bother because they accept everyone so you won't be able to challenge yourself." Seriously??!?!

Unfortunately there isn't an @$$ hole or dumb @$$ filter in vet school admissions.

They exist from every vet school. And they also exist in every profession.

I, too, know some awesome vets from island schools. No judgement here, not anymore.

 

[rockatiel]

I have been a little (lot) down on myself lately. I have 2 years of undergrad left, and maybe over two before I start the application process if I decide on a gap year. And I just don't feel prepared at all. The immature mistakes I made as a freshman haunt me everyday. I made a few C's and it holds me back all the time. I held one little leadership position last semester that really didn't mean much of anything. I feel like any EC I get involved in (besides my clinical experience, which I miss greatly) either just dissolves or no one around me takes me seriously. I do have social anxiety and I care a lot about what others think. I'm afraid that because I am not type A it will keep me from getting in. I want to be a leader so bad but I feel know people won't want to listen to me. I just don't think that if I am this type of person I will ever have a chance. My cGPA is just below what it needs to be for most honor societies, so my hard work academically will go unnoticed. I constantly feel like I am making the wrong choices. My grades have been really awesome since that one fateful semester. I stay on the Dean's list. I do some volunteer and service things too. I am just beginning to think that I have screwed up my bachelors completely because I am not well-rounded enough. This is my 3rd year and I feel lost. I look at my classmates who are the president of so and so, has made the deans list every semester, and has so many more qualifications than me and wonder if it is even worth trying.

 

[DVMDream]

I have been a little (lot) down on myself lately. I have 2 years of undergrad left, and maybe over two before I start the application process if I decide on a gap year. And I just don't feel prepared at all. The immature mistakes I made as a freshman haunt me everyday. I made a few C's and it holds me back all the time. I held one little leadership position last semester that really didn't mean much of anything. I feel like any EC I get involved in (besides my clinical experience, which I miss greatly) either just dissolves or no one around me takes me seriously. I do have social anxiety and I care a lot about what others think. I'm afraid that because I am not type A it will keep me from getting in. I want to be a leader so bad but I feel know people won't want to listen to me. I just don't think that if I am this type of person I will ever have a chance. My cGPA is just below what it needs to be for most honor societies, so my hard work academically will go unnoticed. I constantly feel like I am making the wrong choices. My grades have been really awesome since that one fateful semester. I stay on the Dean's list. I do some volunteer and service things too. I am just beginning to think that I have screwed up my bachelors completely because I am not well-rounded enough. This is my 3rd year and I feel lost. I look at my classmates who are the president of so and so, has made the deans list every semester, and has so many more qualifications than me and wonder if it is even worth trying.

1. C's in your first semester of college, especially now that you are on the Dean's list is hardly anything to fret over. Many college freshmen struggle at first. Vet schools like to see an upward trend like that. I was the opposite and had a downward trend and I still was accepted. You can't change the past, all you can do is worry about and work on the present. Focus on your grades now and continue to do the best that you can.

2. I am not type A at all. Very quiet, reserved, introverted. I am very laidback and go with the flow type of person. I haven't had any problems except with maybe taking longer to make friends.

3. I have never been president of any club. Ever. Not in high school, undergrad or vet school. It isn't the kiss of death. You can still make it. The point here is that you are involved in other things. You do volunteer and community service things. That is good.

4. I was never on the dean's list every semester, maybe half of them at best. Still got into vet school.

My suggestion is to stop comparing yourself to everyone around you. It doesn't do you any good. You need to focus on you and you alone. Be the very best that you can be and don't let what others are doing or are not doing bother you. It doesn't concern you. The only thing that you can control is what you do, you can't control others. So take charge of what you have control over and let go of the things that you do not have control over.

Also, there are people who have completely failed out of college before that went back, did well, and got accepted to vet school.

 

[dovelover]

I have been a little (lot) down on myself lately. I have 2 years of undergrad left, and maybe over two before I start the application process if I decide on a gap year. And I just don't feel prepared at all. The immature mistakes I made as a freshman haunt me everyday. I made a few C's and it holds me back all the time. I held one little leadership position last semester that really didn't mean much of anything. I feel like any EC I get involved in (besides my clinical experience, which I miss greatly) either just dissolves or no one around me takes me seriously. I do have social anxiety and I care a lot about what others think. I'm afraid that because I am not type A it will keep me from getting in. I want to be a leader so bad but I feel know people won't want to listen to me. I just don't think that if I am this type of person I will ever have a chance. My cGPA is just below what it needs to be for most honor societies, so my hard work academically will go unnoticed. I constantly feel like I am making the wrong choices. My grades have been really awesome since that one fateful semester. I stay on the Dean's list. I do some volunteer and service things too. I am just beginning to think that I have screwed up my bachelors completely because I am not well-rounded enough. This is my 3rd year and I feel lost. I look at my classmates who are the president of so and so, has made the deans list every semester, and has so many more qualifications than me and wonder if it is even worth trying.

Take a deep breath. All is not lost. I used to get horridly anxious about this stuff, but the important part is to stop caring about what everyone else does. You never know, they may be totally hollow and worthless behind all the flashy titles and lines on the resume. It's really easy to worry that everyone else is better than you, but they all have things they hate about themselves and their experiences. You probably have things on your resume that they don't. You don't need to be the president or officer of a club. Being involved is all that's really important. Community service is leadership in its own way, even if you aren't in charge of anything. Just keep doing the best you can do. It's good to push yourself outside your comfort zone, but not to the point of total panic. I really didn't make the most of my college years because I also had a lot of social anxiety and depression. I wasn't an officer in any clubs, was really only involved in one or two clubs, and the only leadership position I had was being an orientation mentor for two years. I got into vet school just fine. Your freshman academic problems aren't really that big of a deal if you show an upward trend and keep things going strong. Seems all you're really lacking at the moment is a positive attitude and an ability to control your anxiety. Both of these things are achievable if you set your mind to it and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.

 

[orca2011]

I have been a little (lot) down on myself lately. I have 2 years of undergrad left, and maybe over two before I start the application process if I decide on a gap year. And I just don't feel prepared at all. The immature mistakes I made as a freshman haunt me everyday. I made a few C's and it holds me back all the time. I held one little leadership position last semester that really didn't mean much of anything. I feel like any EC I get involved in (besides my clinical experience, which I miss greatly) either just dissolves or no one around me takes me seriously. I do have social anxiety and I care a lot about what others think. I'm afraid that because I am not type A it will keep me from getting in. I want to be a leader so bad but I feel know people won't want to listen to me. I just don't think that if I am this type of person I will ever have a chance. My cGPA is just below what it needs to be for most honor societies, so my hard work academically will go unnoticed. I constantly feel like I am making the wrong choices. My grades have been really awesome since that one fateful semester. I stay on the Dean's list. I do some volunteer and service things too. I am just beginning to think that I have screwed up my bachelors completely because I am not well-rounded enough. This is my 3rd year and I feel lost. I look at my classmates who are the president of so and so, has made the deans list every semester, and has so many more qualifications than me and wonder if it is even worth trying.

Just seconding DVM.

I had some C's and a couple W's during my first two years and it didn't hold me back . Wasn't even brought up in interviews.

Most definitely not Type A (...maybe on some things) but I'm super laid back and just kind of go with whatever happens.

I never held leadership positions in undergrad and I only have two now. I also feel similarly in that I feel like people don't always listen to me/value my opinion and I definitely think about what others think of me (in regards to work ethic and such) probably a little too much. It hasn't held me back yet.

Only honor society I was in in undergrad was Tri-Beta and I never made it onto the Dean's List except for my last two years of school. As for extra-curriculars, really only do things if you actually have interest in them. There is no point in joining something to just add it to your resume because adcoms will figure out that you did it for solely that reason. Volunteering and doing service is great! I did some myself and talked about it frequently in essays or my interviews.

 

[rockatiel]

Thank you guys so much. All you can really do is compare your behind-the-scenes to someone else's highlight reel it seems like... But it is never really like that! I don't want to complain a bunch but I needed it off my chest. Thanks for the support all

 

[Hotfillyky]

I have been a little (lot) down on myself lately. I have 2 years of undergrad left, and maybe over two before I start the application process if I decide on a gap year. And I just don't feel prepared at all. The immature mistakes I made as a freshman haunt me everyday. I made a few C's and it holds me back all the time. I held one little leadership position last semester that really didn't mean much of anything. I feel like any EC I get involved in (besides my clinical experience, which I miss greatly) either just dissolves or no one around me takes me seriously. I do have social anxiety and I care a lot about what others think. I'm afraid that because I am not type A it will keep me from getting in. I want to be a leader so bad but I feel know people won't want to listen to me. I just don't think that if I am this type of person I will ever have a chance. My cGPA is just below what it needs to be for most honor societies, so my hard work academically will go unnoticed. I constantly feel like I am making the wrong choices. My grades have been really awesome since that one fateful semester. I stay on the Dean's list. I do some volunteer and service things too. I am just beginning to think that I have screwed up my bachelors completely because I am not well-rounded enough. This is my 3rd year and I feel lost. I look at my classmates who are the president of so and so, has made the deans list every semester, and has so many more qualifications than me and wonder if it is even worth trying.

Find something that makes you unique. Schools do look for that. Stop being so down on yourself. Focus on the now and future and let go of the past as a learning curve. Find something you are confident about and excel at it. People WILL listen to you but you must believe in you first. Stop worrying about what they think and figure out what you think about yourself (keep in mind that we often judge ourselves most harshly).

It took me 15 years and a lot of self learning to get here. Believe me, it CAN happen!

 

[orca2011]

Our chest freezer decided to die at some point so all the food is thawed. Since we have no idea when it happened, there were only a few things I could save (veggies, bagels, pasta). I'm out like $80 in meat/fish... I'm so bummed because a lot of it was just bought stuff that was supposed to last me a few months.

 

[KCgophervet]

Went in for my 90 day review at my vet ER clinic job (a month late because the manager had been on vacation). Got there, forgot to clock in so I didn't get paid for it, and basically got told that "it seems like you're not catching on as quickly as we'd like" because when I don't know what to tell someone who calls in, I have the audacity to ask the vet/techs.

Seriously, she said I'm asking too many questions. I would understand if I was asking questions for the same basic calls we get all the time, but I honestly only ask when I really have no idea and would rather get the professional's opinion than make up some BS to someone which might end up with their pet dying or something! I just cannot wrap my head around why that's a bad thing. I also apparently don't sound confident enough on the phone, especially when I'm unsure of something. Well yeah, because I don't know, and typically that leads to me making the silly mistake of asking someone who might know so I can tell people the correct information.

All of this is just seriously making me want to A) Quit this job and B)Solidifying my plan to never work in regular clinical practice. Unfortunately the job pays decent and at least gets me some experience. But now I'm dreading going in even more than ever...

 

[allygator13]

Went in for my 90 day review at my vet ER clinic job (a month late because the manager had been on vacation). Got there, forgot to clock in so I didn't get paid for it, and basically got told that "it seems like you're not catching on as quickly as we'd like" because when I don't know what to tell someone who calls in, I have the audacity to ask the vet/techs.

Seriously, she said I'm asking too many questions. I would understand if I was asking questions for the same basic calls we get all the time, but I honestly only ask when I really have no idea and would rather get the professional's opinion than make up some BS to someone which might end up with their pet dying or something! I just cannot wrap my head around why that's a bad thing. I also apparently don't sound confident enough on the phone, especially when I'm unsure of something. Well yeah, because I don't know, and typically that leads to me making the silly mistake of asking someone who might know so I can tell people the correct information.

All of this is just seriously making me want to A) Quit this job and B)Solidifying my plan to never work in regular clinical practice. Unfortunately the job pays decent and at least gets me some experience. But now I'm dreading going in even more than ever...

When I worked emergency and we had to do CSR training, every time I got on the phone with someone, after I hung up the trainer would say, "You said 'A', and you should've said it this way. You said 'B', and you probably could've said that a little better." I also never knew what to tell clients, especially when I first started. The most common thing was basically, if you are concerned, bring your pet in. But talking on the phone at that job always stressed me out because I felt like I could never say anything right. When I worked at a veterinary surgery specialty practice, there was no one sitting right beside me at all times listening to me talk on the phone, so my confidence about it grew much more and I was no longer scared to answer a phone call. It really depends on where you are and how obsessive they are about phone skills. I'm sorry your particular situation is one that is difficult :\

 

[LyraGardenia]

Went in for my 90 day review at my vet ER clinic job (a month late because the manager had been on vacation). Got there, forgot to clock in so I didn't get paid for it, and basically got told that "it seems like you're not catching on as quickly as we'd like" because when I don't know what to tell someone who calls in, I have the audacity to ask the vet/techs.

Seriously, she said I'm asking too many questions. I would understand if I was asking questions for the same basic calls we get all the time, but I honestly only ask when I really have no idea and would rather get the professional's opinion than make up some BS to someone which might end up with their pet dying or something! I just cannot wrap my head around why that's a bad thing. I also apparently don't sound confident enough on the phone, especially when I'm unsure of something. Well yeah, because I don't know, and typically that leads to me making the silly mistake of asking someone who might know so I can tell people the correct information.

All of this is just seriously making me want to A) Quit this job and B)Solidifying my plan to never work in regular clinical practice. Unfortunately the job pays decent and at least gets me some experience. But now I'm dreading going in even more than ever...

I've had similar issues at my job, where it's like they seem to expect me to know how to do everything, including things I've never dealt with, or have only done once months ago, and get annoyed when I ask questions to make sure I'm doing something right. A couple weeks ago they gave us training checklists to mark the things we didn't know how to do, but then only went over a couple things with us, and then the other day one of the vets got annoyed that I wasn't sure how to do something that I had marked on there. I'm trying to learn as much as I can here, but it's hard when proper employee training seems to slip through the cracks.

I guess one thing is to look at where the criticism is coming from. Was the office manager reporting to you what the vets/techs have said, or was that her opinion? Does she have experience as a receptionist, or does she have no idea what doing your job is actually like? Does she actually supervise your work on a regular basis, or does she mostly sit in her office, and maybe caught you on an off moment and formed an incorrect impression from that? Especially if she was on vacation for a long time, she may have missed seeing you improve considerably. And sometimes people in management just have unreasonable standards, or forget what is and isn't common knowledge when you're first starting out. Are there other recently hired employees to compare you to, or are you by far the newest one?

It's also possible that she (or the vets/techs if she was reporting what they said) doesn't think you're doing a bad job, but just wants to push you to improve and become more confident. As long as you're not in any danger of being fired, I would try not to take it to heart and just do your best to keep learning and improving. Performance reviews often have to be taken with a grain of salt, and don't mean much in the grand scheme of things unless it's a job you plan to keep for years.

 

[derwent2052]

Went in for my 90 day review at my vet ER clinic job (a month late because the manager had been on vacation). Got there, forgot to clock in so I didn't get paid for it, and basically got told that "it seems like you're not catching on as quickly as we'd like" because when I don't know what to tell someone who calls in, I have the audacity to ask the vet/techs.

Seriously, she said I'm asking too many questions. I would understand if I was asking questions for the same basic calls we get all the time, but I honestly only ask when I really have no idea and would rather get the professional's opinion than make up some BS to someone which might end up with their pet dying or something! I just cannot wrap my head around why that's a bad thing. I also apparently don't sound confident enough on the phone, especially when I'm unsure of something. Well yeah, because I don't know, and typically that leads to me making the silly mistake of asking someone who might know so I can tell people the correct information.

All of this is just seriously making me want to A) Quit this job and B)Solidifying my plan to never work in regular clinical practice. Unfortunately the job pays decent and at least gets me some experience. But now I'm dreading going in even more than ever...

I can't remember where it was, but I remember hearing about an ER clinic that had their own reference manual for receptionists, so that way if there was a call they were unsure about, rather than having to try to reach a clinician or tech who might be occupied with an emergency or something, the receptionist could refer to the book. It was also used as a training tool. I think they said it had sample scripts for receptionists to get an idea of how to handle certain calls, and that it was a useful reference so everyone was on the same page/giving the same advice/following the same protocols. It sounded like a great idea, I wish the practice i used to work at had one!

Anyway, maybe something like that might be useful for the clinic (if they're open to doing something like that!) or maybe just something you could put together for yourself on your own time? Would require extra effort, but you could make your own little reception-nerdbook and talk to the doctors/techs outside of your working hours for good info to add to your notes
now that I think about it I kind of want to put one together... especially as i get nervous sometimes on the phone, so having something to refer to helps me a lot. it took me ages to get comfortable answering the phones at the clinic i worked at, i was glad i didn't have to do it too often!

That sucks getting told off for asking too many questions though always better to ask a question imo! especially when saying/doing something wrong could potentially have a negative effect on a patient :\ Hope it gets better for you!!

 

[KCgophervet]

I can't remember where it was, but I remember hearing about an ER clinic that had their own reference manual for receptionists, so that way if there was a call they were unsure about, rather than having to try to reach a clinician or tech who might be occupied with an emergency or something, the receptionist could refer to the book. It was also used as a training tool. I think they said it had sample scripts for receptionists to get an idea of how to handle certain calls, and that it was a useful reference so everyone was on the same page/giving the same advice/following the same protocols. It sounded like a great idea, I wish the practice i used to work at had one!

Anyway, maybe something like that might be useful for the clinic (if they're open to doing something like that!) or maybe just something you could put together for yourself on your own time? Would require extra effort, but you could make your own little reception-nerdbook and talk to the doctors/techs outside of your working hours for good info to add to your notes
now that I think about it I kind of want to put one together... especially as i get nervous sometimes on the phone, so having something to refer to helps me a lot. it took me ages to get comfortable answering the phones at the clinic i worked at, i was glad i didn't have to do it too often!

That sucks getting told off for asking too many questions though always better to ask a question imo! especially when saying/doing something wrong could potentially have a negative effect on a patient :\ Hope it gets better for you!!

We actually DO have a reference manual for the common stuff, which I used heavily when I first started. Unfortunately it doesn't (and can't) cover every potential question clients call in with. Which is why I ask the vets/techs when I'm unsure. Honestly when I started the job this same manager who gave me the review told me to ask questions whenever I wasn't sure because they'd rather have good information going out than not - which is one of the reasons why this "constructive criticism" took me completely by surprise.

When I worked emergency and we had to do CSR training, every time I got on the phone with someone, after I hung up the trainer would say, "You said 'A', and you should've said it this way. You said 'B', and you probably could've said that a little better." I also never knew what to tell clients, especially when I first started. The most common thing was basically, if you are concerned, bring your pet in. But talking on the phone at that job always stressed me out because I felt like I could never say anything right. When I worked at a veterinary surgery specialty practice, there was no one sitting right beside me at all times listening to me talk on the phone, so my confidence about it grew much more and I was no longer scared to answer a phone call. It really depends on where you are and how obsessive they are about phone skills. I'm sorry your particular situation is one that is difficult :\

This 100x over. I already hated answering the phone there because I 1) Hate talking on the phone in general (when online pizza ordering became a thing there was so much rejoicing) and 2) Dread getting questions I can't answer or don't know the answer to. I had about 3 days of training with the current CSR's and then they just let me figure it out. I honestly felt decently confident about this job, thought I'd been doing well, etc and so on and even talked to a couple techs back in July about any comments they had and worked on them. This job is definitely stressing me out now more than ever...

I've had similar issues at my job, where it's like they seem to expect me to know how to do everything, including things I've never dealt with, or have only done once months ago, and get annoyed when I ask questions to make sure I'm doing something right. A couple weeks ago they gave us training checklists to mark the things we didn't know how to do, but then only went over a couple things with us, and then the other day one of the vets got annoyed that I wasn't sure how to do something that I had marked on there. I'm trying to learn as much as I can here, but it's hard when proper employee training seems to slip through the cracks.

I guess one thing is to look at where the criticism is coming from. Was the office manager reporting to you what the vets/techs have said, or was that her opinion? Does she have experience as a receptionist, or does she have no idea what doing your job is actually like? Does she actually supervise your work on a regular basis, or does she mostly sit in her office, and maybe caught you on an off moment and formed an incorrect impression from that? Especially if she was on vacation for a long time, she may have missed seeing you improve considerably. And sometimes people in management just have unreasonable standards, or forget what is and isn't common knowledge when you're first starting out. Are there other recently hired employees to compare you to, or are you by far the newest one?

It's also possible that she (or the vets/techs if she was reporting what they said) doesn't think you're doing a bad job, but just wants to push you to improve and become more confident. As long as you're not in any danger of being fired, I would try not to take it to heart and just do your best to keep learning and improving. Performance reviews often have to be taken with a grain of salt, and don't mean much in the grand scheme of things unless it's a job you plan to keep for years.

Before everyone's review is due an email goes around with a survey where any other employee can make comments. So her remarks could be from her, the vets, the techs, anyone really. She is one of the people who trained me and actually does fill in on open CSR shifts so technically she knows what she's talking about, but she's also a licensed vet tech and started working at this place as a tech and progressed to office manager. I also do feel like she may have missed some of my progress - the email surveys went around early July so all of her comments were basically from back then... but she mentioned she still thinks they are relevant. There is another recently hired employee - but she'd worked in a clinic before and came in with a lot more experience than I have (did I mention about 90% of my vet experience prior to vet school was in lab animal?? the only small animal stuff I had was a few hours shadowing and a mentorship thing I did way back in high school).

Overall I know it was probably more meant to give me something to focus on, and this by far is not a job I plan to keep that much longer (maybe through next summer) but it was just very disheartening to hear. I've never really had a review that was so completely focused on negative things without a single positive to balance it out (unless you count her telling me that everyone liked me as a person, despite my implied incompetence).

 

[dyachei]

A family friend's son was hit while out while walking. Hit and run, of course. I hate drivers in this state

 

[orca2011]

Really pathetic rant, but my apple isn't crunchy. All the other ones that I bought at the same time have been fine (except for maybe one spot) but like the whole top half of this one is bleh. It doesn't even feel squishy when you press on it. =(

 

[that redhead]

Really pathetic rant, but my apple isn't crunchy. All the other one's that I bought at the same time have been fine (except for maybe one spot) but like the whole top half of this one is bleh. It doesn't even feel squishy when you press on it. =(

I hate the trick apples that feel like they're going to be nice and crunchy and then they're mealy

 

[Lupin21]

Really pathetic rant, but my apple isn't crunchy. All the other one's that I bought at the same time have been fine (except for maybe one spot) but like the whole top half of this one is bleh. It doesn't even feel squishy when you press on it. =(

 

[orca2011]

I'm so glad I'm not alone in my hatred of squishy apples.

 

[dyachei]

I'm so glad I'm not alone in my hatred of squishy apples.

squishy apples are gross! But they can be good for making applesauce

 

[primatevetjess]

After working 14.5 hours, I'm finally headed home. Unfortunately, I have to be up in 7.5 hours to be back.

P.S. Squishy apples are the worst.

 

[jmo1012]

only one more night left of sharing a bedroom with 3 other people. i cant wait to be back in my own bed after 2 weeks of communal living! not that we haven't had a lot of fun, but personal space and quiet sleeping time will be wonderful change of pace!

 

[jmo1012]

came home to a leaking AC pipe and brown water. if i lived alone, i'd attribute it to the fact that i've been away for a month, but i have a roommate who has been here the whole time. she is conveniently away for the weekend though.

 

[Minnerbelle]

After working 14.5 hours, I'm finally headed home. Unfortunately, I have to be up in 7.5 hours to be back.

P.S. Squishy apples are the worst.

I feel ya. We have this "dreaded" weekend shift once a month that is comprised of a 24 hour shift followed by a 16 hr shift just 8 hrs later (though of course that 8 hr rest period is a best case scenario). It's justified as okay because in theory we are allowed to sleep when it's slow. But that is a rare occurrence.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Recipe for burn out, for reals

 

[bunnity]

Dear god, I am glad I am in general practice.

 

[KCgophervet]

I am absolutely dreading going to work tomorrow. It doesn't help that I may actually be getting ill what with the stress of school, my lack of sleep lately, and the weird cold snap. I feel like I've been run over (by someone who then stopped, reversed, and ran over me again) and haven't slept well in days (nearly weeks). After that freaking review and already not loving the job I just don't want to...

 

[psilovethomas]

.

 

[NStarz]

Please don't quote this. I'm probably going to delete it..I just need to vent right now.

***HUGS*** I'm here if you need to talk, girl.

 

[Lanith]

I'm so sorry . You made the right choice though, and you'll make it through this.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Stay strong @psilovethomas! I can't even imagine what you're going through right now, but I would have made the same choice in your shoes. I hope you have people in your life that you can talk to and who support your decision. <3

 

[orca2011]

Ugh. I'm sorry @psilovethomas. I pretty much second everything @LyraGardenia said and let me know if you ever need someone else to vent to.

 

[bunnity]

I would have too. Wishing you well.

 

[Rainheart]

We are all with you in the hard decision you made. Stay strong @psilovethomas

 

[wildcatj]

So sorry @psilovethomas . I know that couldn't have been an easy decision, but again, would have done the same. Hang in there.

 

[psilovethomas]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your support. My best friend has been pretty awesome- she has supported me 100% through the whole thing. My boyfriend is just going to need time to sort things out in his head, but he still asks me a few painful questions every now and then. But, that's only natural.

 

[cowgirla]

Thanks guys. l.

Also thinking of you. Also would have made the same decision, no question about that. Here if you need a new set of ears to talk to, just message me. hang in there, and be strong!

 

[Minnerbelle]

I'm so sorry psilo... I can't even imagine what you're going through, but I'd be in the same exact situation. I really hope everything gets better between you and your boyfriend. That's really tough,