Working at a clinic I've been a long time client at

[StrictlyEquine]

I finally got hired at the vet clinic of my dreams as a technician assistant. In fact, I've been a client there for 12 years. I've looked up to these people since I was a kid and give them much credit for my decision to become a veterinarian one day. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I worked very hard to finally get a position here. I knew from the beginning I'd have to prove myself since everyone here has known me for many years. I've learned in my short time being here so far that the two senior technicians who I thought were the nicest turned out to be the tougher ones to work with.

At first I thought they were just pushing me to succeed, but I've come to find out that they nag everybody else and complain about the co-workers behind our backs. The two senior technicians each have different ways of doing things which they can never seem to agree on. One of them will tell me to do something one way, and the other will get irritated and tell me to do it their way. It's discouraging to myself and disappointing seeing the two people who I've known the longest turn out to be this way. They lack patience while I'm still learning, and they get bothered when I don't know how to do something or where something is located in the hospital. It just seems like everything to them is a huge inconvenience.

Other than that, I have zero complaints. I feel that our team does great with communication but I think the rest of us can agree that these two senior techs have a tendency to nit-pick and hover. We really try to avoid drama and confrontation which I respect, but I feel like the senior techs resort straight to complaining to our manager instead of kindly telling us what it is that they need. I do feel personally attacked when I see them looking right at me and talking to the practice manager on the other side of the window. They seem to do this a lot to other employees which has resulted in one of them leaving the practice recently even though she really didn't want to. Unfortunately, I've accepted that this is something I'll just have to deal with seeing how other technicians have brought this up in the past and did not get anything resolved. Since our senior techs have been there for almost 20 years, I can see how it might be difficult for our new practice manager to handle the situation.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever been employed at a vet clinic after being a client there for many years? If so, how did it turn out for you? And would you happen to have any advice that might be helpful for my situation?

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[that redhead]

Haven’t been in this situation but unfortunately you’re probably right: not much is going to change when these people have been there for such a long time.

You might ask the office manager or similar if they could outline how they’d like certain things to be done since the head techs disagree- and tell them you need the clarification for that reason.

 

[PippyPony]

Second @that redhead 's recommendation to ask for SOPs for the things the head techs disagree on.

It sounds like a good opportunity regardless of having some disappointing revelations about people you once looked up to, and it seems like you're handling things in a mature way.

I might also consider trying to catch the 2 long term techs individually when they are less busy and/or less tired (maybe at the beginning of a shift if it is abnormally slow?) and ask them to walk you through their way of doing things. Toss in some compliments, like that you were impressed by xyz when you were a client, and would like to learn from someone who has their level of expertise (20 years is a lot of experience!). Ask questions about why they do things a certain way vs. other ways you may have encountered (they probably have a reason for their preferences) and compliment & thank them when appropriate.

Actually vocalizing real respect & appreciation for their skills and expertise -- and time -- can be a good way to kind of snap people out of complaint mode. It's hard to be a jerk to someone who just told you they looked up to you as a kid and is now eagerly looking to learn.

Although...sometimes, people who have been doing a job for a long time and are very efficient at it just get frustrated by having to slow down for others. It's unfortunate, and it makes for a difficult work environment for new people, but sadly, not everyone is a teacher.

If that's the case, then the best thing you can do is rely on management to set standards for the team, and/or don't let their complaints & irritation bother you. Remember: if other people have had a similar experience, it's not you who is the problem. And if they are as good with clients and patients as it seems like you always thought they were...management is probably going to do what they can to keep them on staff, so it's unlikely to change a whole lot.

 

[dragonfroot]

I've been in this exact same position. Ended up working at the place I took my first dog. Trust me when I say this behavior from senior techs is not unusual. I also agree with PippyPony's suggestions above.

In my case, I learned a LOT about the "real world" of vet medicine, business, and interacting with people from working at that hospital. I used to idolize my veterinarian thinking that he was some altruistic soul who blazed on for the good of animal kind, but came to see the reality. Nobody is perfect, we are all flawed individuals.

It's kind of how they say you should never meet your hero's, because they are not who you think they are. It was a good lesson for me in the end, and I hope that your time there will be a good lesson for you too.

Best of luck!

 

[starfish229]

I work at the clinic I've brought my dog to for 10 years. It was more scary for me than anything to start working under the vet I had been coming to for years. I'm still super intimidated by him because I don't want to let him down - he was so gracious to offer me a paid job to help me get vet experience, so I want to do the best job and stay on my best behavior. Even after a year I still haven't loosened up much around him cause I'm always on edge about doing everything right and the way he likes it.
I can definitely relate to techs who didn't really taking the time to help teach me things at first, and just getting frustrated that I didn't know everything. Coming into this job, I had animal experience, but it was my first vet experience, so I didn't know the terms for the instruments and labs and medications. It was pretty overwhelming at first, like when people were asking me to grab something for them, but I didn't really know what they were asking for, and then they would get frustrated. It just took a lot of time and repetition to get the hang of it. Unfortunately, if there are people that tend to talk about others behind their backs and gossip, you can't change that. The people you work with are either wonderful or they're not, you just learn how to deal with every type of person.