Banfield

[jmo1012]

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there was an opportunity for vet assistant around my area for banfield

would you do it? the job description was very bland consisting of sitting in front of a computer long hours.......it didn't really go into any of the technical aspects I would be doing

im not sure if i'd like having to promote a product everytime to people to get the company more money........

i think you need to remember that each individuals experience is going to be unique, particularly because each hospital employs different people.

i'd find out more about what you'd be doing, what room you have for advancement, what kind of time commitment they want from you, how much they're willing to pay you, and then make a decision based on how the answers fit what you're looking for. (also, if you're looking for summer/seasonal only, make sure you make that clear before you jump through a lot of hoops-i applied and they missed the part on my app and resume about me attending vet school in the fall until they had me come interview and fill out another application (paperwork redundancy?) but i really like the emergency job i found instead!)

 

[chickenlittle]

I am a veterinarian who currently works for Banfield, and I think working at a Banfield hospital would be excellent preparation for someone who's interested in the veterinary field. Unlike many other private practices, Banfield relies VERY heavily on their support staff. All of my vet assistants (including the one who has only been there for three months) know how to draw blood, place catheters, deliver client education, etc. This is a huge change from other practices I've worked in, where the vet assistants were basically "animal holders" who didn't get to learn/practice any technical skills. Working for Banfield as a veterinarian has its pros and cons, but I think it'd be an excellent learning opportunity for a pre-vet student. (I haven't yet had any summer job vet students to know how that program works.)

Your experience prior to vet school isn't about seeing cool cases... it's about developing your technical skills. You'll learn the medicine in school, but your work experience is what you'll be relying on when it's your first day as a veterinarian and your entire staff is eagerly waiting for you to screw up in your attempts to place a catheter. Sad, but true.

 

[NStarz]

I am a veterinarian who currently works for Banfield, and I think working at a Banfield hospital would be excellent preparation for someone who's interested in the veterinary field. Unlike many other private practices, Banfield relies VERY heavily on their support staff. All of my vet assistants (including the one who has only been there for three months) know how to draw blood, place catheters, deliver client education, etc. This is a huge change from other practices I've worked in, where the vet assistants were basically "animal holders" who didn't get to learn/practice any technical skills. Working for Banfield as a veterinarian has its pros and cons, but I think it'd be an excellent learning opportunity for a pre-vet student. (I haven't yet had any summer job vet students to know how that program works.)

Your experience prior to vet school isn't about seeing cool cases... it's about developing your technical skills. You'll learn the medicine in school, but your work experience is what you'll be relying on when it's your first day as a veterinarian and your entire staff is eagerly waiting for you to screw up in your attempts to place a catheter. Sad, but true.

I would argue that your pre-vet experience isn't about learning technical skills. See the pre-vet checklist thread. If you are employed, sure, it's great to learn these skills and they will definitely be useful later on, but the goal of a pre-vet student is to figure out if the profession is the right one for him/her, not to learn how to draw blood or place a catheter.

 

[libster06]

I am a veterinarian who currently works for Banfield, and I think working at a Banfield hospital would be excellent preparation for someone who's interested in the veterinary field. Unlike many other private practices, Banfield relies VERY heavily on their support staff. All of my vet assistants (including the one who has only been there for three months) know how to draw blood, place catheters, deliver client education, etc.

Sadly, that is pretty much my extent of learning at the veterinary student job I have with Banfield currently. If that's the main emphasis of the vet student job, its falling short of the big picture.

 

[breenie]

I am a veterinarian who currently works for Banfield, and I think working at a Banfield hospital would be excellent preparation for someone who's interested in the veterinary field. Unlike many other private practices, Banfield relies VERY heavily on their support staff. All of my vet assistants (including the one who has only been there for three months) know how to draw blood, place catheters, deliver client education, etc. This is a huge change from other practices I've worked in, where the vet assistants were basically "animal holders" who didn't get to learn/practice any technical skills.

My experience exactly with a boutiquey 2 Dr. practice.

(disclaimer: not generalizing, just saying this was my personal experience)

 

[chickenlittle]

Yes, pre-veterinary experience does involve figuring out if the profession is right for you, but it also needs to include the development of technical skills (from a future employer's perspective). I would not hire an associate who could not reliably draw blood or place IV catheters, and there really isn't much opportunity to learn these skills while you're in veterinary school. Pre-veterinary experience will probably be the biggest contributor to the technical skills that you will graduate with... and don't underestimate the role that your technical skills will place in your ability to get a job.

And yes, there obviously are also private practices where you can gain similar experience. Of the three hospitals I worked for prior to veterinary school, two leveraged their techs/assistants appropriately while one used them just as "holders." Of the three hospitals I've worked at in my veterinary career prior to coming to Banfield, two of those hospitals used the support staff only for restraint. If you can find a job in a clinic that will use you, that's great - but those jobs can be hard to come by (especially if you don't have extensive prior experience). If your options are Banfield vs. animal restraint at an old-school clinic, I'd take Banfield any day.

 

[bunnity]

There are also the summers between 1st and 2nd year and between 2nd and 3rd year to get technical experience.

 

[Prospectivevet]

I've read that a lot of schools do emphasize exploration of the profession over acquired technical skills, but I tend to agree with you. At one of the clinics that I am volunteering at we have a girl in her fourth year at vet school. She has told me that there is hardly an opportunity to learn technical skills once you attend veterinary school. In fact from what she has said she has only been able to practice about half a spay outside of summer experience. Since I learned that, I've been trying to gain a lot more technical experience. 😱

Yes, pre-veterinary experience does involve figuring out if the profession is right for you, but it also needs to include the development of technical skills (from a future employer's perspective). I would not hire an associate who could not reliably draw blood or place IV catheters, and there really isn't much opportunity to learn these skills while you're in veterinary school. Pre-veterinary experience will probably be the biggest contributor to the technical skills that you will graduate with... and don't underestimate the role that your technical skills will place in your ability to get a job.

And yes, there obviously are also private practices where you can gain similar experience. Of the three hospitals I worked for prior to veterinary school, two leveraged their techs/assistants appropriately while one used them just as "holders." Of the three hospitals I've worked at in my veterinary career prior to coming to Banfield, two of those hospitals used the support staff only for restraint. If you can find a job in a clinic that will use you, that's great - but those jobs can be hard to come by (especially if you don't have extensive prior experience). If your options are Banfield vs. animal restraint at an old-school clinic, I'd take Banfield any day.