gaining more exp

[bayarea15]

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I would like to gain more exp, but my supervisor is against kennel staff being promoted. my job duties as kennel include dishes, laundry, cleaning sx items, bathroom, cleaning dumpsters, and floors. I am rarely given the chance to help restrain animals.

I am contacting other small animal hospitals, and dairy farms, trying to get more exp, as well as volunteering at wildlife next session.

Should I keep trying to get more hands on exp or just let it be? I've worked there for six months, and am paid min wage. It's becoming detrimental to my financial situation.

 

[kakurubird]

Just a thought that doesn't address your entire situation: While you are looking for more and varied opportunities, is it possible for you to use part of your break or part of a day off to shadow one of the docs and observe appointments or surgery?

 

[bayarea15]

That's a great idea, and I have asked if I could do that...got a no...

 

[bbeventer]

Wow, it seems like the clinic you are at is pretty unyielding. Have you asked why you are not allowed to shadow at your clinic on your own time? Its odd that they don't want to train staff from within their own clinic. If I were you I might silently be looking for employment elsewhere......

Another thought for experience, call local stables (if you are lacking equine) many barns are more than willing to have extra hands work for lessons, etc.

 

[bayarea15]

Wow, it seems like the clinic you are at is pretty unyielding. Have you asked why you are not allowed to shadow at your clinic on your own time? Its odd that they don't want to train staff from within their own clinic. If I were you I might silently be looking for employment elsewhere......

Another thought for experience, call local stables (if you are lacking equine) many barns are more than willing to have extra hands work for lessons, etc.

I hadn't thought of calling local stables, thank you! I have no equine whatsoever. Only have the 6 mos at my job, plus pet sitting etc.

I asked if I could be trained for nurse duties, or come watch sx on my own time, etc, and was told no because since I was hired for kennel, I must stay kennel. I said okay, but again said I was hoping for coming in on my own time or during my hour break, just to watch a dental etc and they said they would have to ask the owner, and never got back to me. I asked again once more, in a less obvious way, and again got a no. My coworker has been kennel for five years....

It's a fairly busy place. Six drs, 2-3 receptionists there at all times, 4 managers, and prolly 8-10 nurses there at all times, then at closing 3 nurses. And me for kennel.

 

[bigkittinteef]

Sounds like things aren't going to change at your current job. You can go volunteer at places like a shelter, stables, and definitely large animal farms(it looks great on vet apps and a lot of people avoid that kind of experience-bad choice I think), etc. If you want to work in a small animal hospital, definitely check in with all of the hospitals within a reasonable commuting distance. When you go in to apply, drop off a nice resume with a cover-letter and wear something nice (interview attire). I know it seems silly but my manager is so judgmental and tosses apps aside for anything marring a good first impression; we get so many applications that she's always looking for a reason to toss one out. Maybe it's because my experiences in hospitals are in SoCal--I'm from the bay area too. Just be friendly, polite, and confident. If no one is hiring, try shadowing/volunteering. It's difficult but it really pays off in the end. Good luck!
p.s. did you try asking your personal vet about shadowing. Maybe you could wiggle your way into his/her heart and get a job later on when you get experience? I was hired after an internship. heh heh. My evil plan all along.

 

[libster06]

I asked if I could be trained for nurse duties, or come watch sx on my own time, etc, and was told no because since I was hired for kennel, I must stay kennel. I said okay, but again said I was hoping for coming in on my own time or during my hour break, just to watch a dental etc and they said they would have to ask the owner, and never got back to me. I asked again once more, in a less obvious way, and again got a no.

I've truly never heard of a place that unwilling to help expose an employee, especially one wanting to go down the veterinary medicine path, to the field/job (shadowing, etc.). I've also NEVER heard of a company that would not let you advance in your job. I'm assuming they did not tell you when they hired you that you would have ZERO opportunity for advancement, otherwise, I don't know how they would ever get anyone to work for them if they gave that info up front. Ever.

To not let you go in on your own time and observe is absolutely crazy. Are the surgeries and cases there that top secret that you really have to ask the owner first?? But you wouldn't have to ask the owner beforehand, should you be on the clock and happen to see them performing said surgery..... probably the most preposterous thing I've heard in awhile. I'm sorry they are making kennel assistants out to be the pariahs of the office :/

My coworker has been kennel for five years....

Yea.... screw that. Look for another job, or perhaps another clinic to shadow "on your own time".

 

[bayarea15]

Sounds like things aren't going to change at your current job. You can go volunteer at places like a shelter, stables, and definitely large animal farms(it looks great on vet apps and a lot of people avoid that kind of experience-bad choice I think), etc. If you want to work in a small animal hospital, definitely check in with all of the hospitals within a reasonable commuting distance. When you go in to apply, drop off a nice resume with a cover-letter and wear something nice (interview attire). I know it seems silly but my manager is so judgmental and tosses apps aside for anything marring a good first impression; we get so many applications that she's always looking for a reason to toss one out. Maybe it's because my experiences in hospitals are in SoCal--I'm from the bay area too. Just be friendly, polite, and confident. If no one is hiring, try shadowing/volunteering. It's difficult but it really pays off in the end. Good luck!
p.s. did you try asking your personal vet about shadowing. Maybe you could wiggle your way into his/her heart and get a job later on when you get experience? I was hired after an internship. heh heh. My evil plan all along.

Oooh, fellow bay arean!

Thanks so much for the suggestions, I am super open to large animal exp, I have been beginning to start my search for places for that area, but did find 2 dairy farm vets who are willing to take me out on the road for a day. I agree on dressing professional 🙂 its a first impression, I agree. I am really only in the beginning of my pre vet path, its been a dream for a good chunk of years, but I had some family things to take care of so I kept waiting, plus, its SO hard to get hired anywhere without exp, even just for kennel. It's unreal. At first I thought I was going for small animal, but I am expanding my interests, and large animal, lab animal, marine mammal, are all things I really want to get exp in, for reasons other than it looking good, I am genuinely interested.

There are 3 vets that are pretty aware that I have a goal of applying to vet school, one of them has been on the ad com for Davis, and she emphasized me getting broad exp. The other 2 are closer to my own age than she, and both agreed that the tuition is scary, but assured me I am not too old, and both emphasized having to put in a lot of effort in their personal relationships during vet school.

The vets themselves are awesome, and usually are happy to tell me about their cases on my lunch break. It's the management who controls the reigns however... 🙁

I will pretty up my resume this wkend! What do you think is reasonable commuting distance? I'm thinking Santa rosa, sac, and then all the way to sf, east/south bay in the opposite direction. So like an hour and a half. Is that too far or too close??

 

[bayarea15]

I've truly never heard of a place that unwilling to help expose an employee, especially one wanting to go down the veterinary medicine path, to the field/job (shadowing, etc.). I've also NEVER heard of a company that would not let you advance in your job. I'm assuming they did not tell you when they hired you that you would have ZERO opportunity for advancement, otherwise, I don't know how they would ever get anyone to work for them if they gave that info up front. Ever.

To not let you go in on your own time and observe is absolutely crazy. Are the surgeries and cases there that top secret that you really have to ask the owner first?? But you wouldn't have to ask the owner beforehand, should you be on the clock and happen to see them performing said surgery..... probably the most preposterous thing I've heard in awhile. I'm sorry they are making kennel assistants out to be the pariahs of the office :/


Yea.... screw that. Look for another job, or perhaps another clinic to shadow "on your own time".

Sigh. It's horrid. No they didn't tell me I would be limited. She actually told me in the interview that she started in kennel at another hospital and now she's the nursing sup. I dunno. It's just freaking ludacris. All the staff (reception, nurses, rvts) agree that we should promote within.

I get to glance at the surgeries thru the window when I'm cleaning the wet tables, here and there. On the rare occasion that the nurses ask if I can come hold some back legs for cysto, the manager usually comes running and takes my spot. 🙁

We all get ce based on how long we have worked there, my $ amounts to $100. I asked if I could put it towards the online veterinary assisting class everyone takes, and come in on my own time to do the clinical portion. They said no, and said my ce would only go towards my dept. Um, what ce is there for cleanup? Just give me the $100 then, haha. 🙁

I even said I would be happy to keep doing kennel, but just wanted to learn some skills. That did not go over well.

Well, just gonna have to keep on truckin. Glad to know I'm not totally off base in thinking its a bunch of garbage.

Thanks for your help!!! 🙂

 

[NittanyKitty]

I agree with the others - for a practice to be totally unwilling to help someone gain experience who is interested in the field is ridiculous. If I were you I would consider finding another job in another hospital. If that's not do-able and you're pretty miserable where you are, find another job not related to vet med to help you financially and shadow/volunteer whenever possible. I've also found that if you show up in person at these places (during off or low-key hours!) with a resume, cover letter, and a smile it is much harder to turn you away than via a phone call. Good luck!

 

[Trematode]

Unfortunately, not every clinic is willing to take on a student (and yet the number of hours considered to be competitive is on the rise). I feel for those who have trouble finding experience. I have been to approximately 15 clinics with resumes. I never had a job offer. Shadowing is minimal. I spend 90% of my volunteering time cleaning. It is best to have hundreds of hours of cleaning experience than no experience at all. I would stick with it and look for different clinic/place to volunteer. If you need your fix of animals, try a shelter and go from there. Best of luck!

 

[skittles12]

The vets themselves are awesome, and usually are happy to tell me about their cases on my lunch break. It's the management who controls the reigns however... 🙁

I actually worked a place like this once. The vets really wanted to let me do things, but the manager was pretty unyielding and had some ridiculous rules (4 people quit within 6 months). Fortunately, it was a very small clinic and there would be days when the manager wasn't there, so the vets would let me watch surgeries and do some minor assisting then.

I would recommend looking elsewhere for more experience. Contacting your personal vet can be a good idea--I've taken that route as well recently. He has let me do a lot of hands-on things and is happy to have me come by whenever I have a break from school. Best of luck to you!

 

[libster06]

I actually worked a place like this once. The vets really wanted to let me do things, but the manager was pretty unyielding and had some ridiculous rules (4 people quit within 6 months). Fortunately, it was a very small clinic and there would be days when the manager wasn't there, so the vets would let me watch surgeries and do some minor assisting then.

I would recommend looking elsewhere for more experience. Contacting your personal vet can be a good idea--I've taken that route as well recently. He has let me do a lot of hands-on things and is happy to have me come by whenever I have a break from school. Best of luck to you!

My first job was a kennel assistant and I also worked at a place where my manager treated me like a **** for brains and I was only allowed to set up fecals, heartworm tests, hold sometimes for blood draws. Mostly I was restricted to cleaning, but I did get to see surgeries. My point is, even though several of us others have been under strict management, none of it seems to be near to the extent that you are. You've done everything we would do/have suggested and it's clearly not panning out. Yea, cleaning experience is better than no experience at all, for sure, but in the mean time, I think the OP should definitely try to find work or shadowing opportunities elsewhere.

Side note, I just wanted to say that I keep hearing on here that shadowing is hard to find, etc. For me, this has never been the case. Perhaps I am lucky, but everywhere I've lived since I was 17 I have been able to find vet clinic jobs, be it kennel, tech, what have you. I have never asked to "shadow", its always just been an actual job, but I just wanted to give some encouragement that, for others it very well may be difficult to find experience, but for me in the past, it has not.

 

[Megascops Asio]

I've also NEVER heard of a company that would not let you advance in your job.

Unfortunately I have worked for a place like this. Worked there for a year. A coworker of mine (who had worked there only for a few months) asked the regional manager about either raises or promotions....she laughed in his face. No joke. She laughed in his face and said that no one who worked that job would get a raise or a promotion, ever. This wasn't at a vet hospital, but the situation was more or less the same. It was either a) continue to work a crap job for minimum wage or b) leave and find a new job. So, to bayarea15, I would say that its time for you to find a new job.

When I began looking for a vet hospital to work at I got in contact with every hospital in my immediate area. I first looked to see if they were hiring for a paid position, but none of them were (go figure). So I offered to job shadow/volunteer. Out of 10-15+ hospitals, 3 gave me a chance to come in and speak with them. One of them decided to let me job shadow. I took every opportunity in my schedule to be there. Sometimes I could only come in 1 day a week, sometimes 3. After a year though, they offered me a job. And thankfully, once I had experience actually working with the vets (not just doing kennel work - which I already had experience in), I was able to get my foot in the door at other places.

So, bayarea15, I would suggest to start looking for a new job. If you can find a job that pays - awesome. But if you can only find a chance to volunteer - keep your current job but do it.

 

[bayarea15]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with such experiences!

Then again, I'm not glad cause it sucks, frankly.

It's really hard to get your foot in the door in my area, even with humane society volunteer exp. But I really think I need to look for new employment more vigourously. 🙁

 

[RetroUnicorn]

I have a similar question related to experience:

I'm a vet assistant, zoo hospital assistant, and wildlife rehabilitative. In all of these positions I work as and mostly with vet techs and managers. I know it's best to get letters of rec from the actual vets, but I never get time to talk with them. I see them during procedures, but don't want to distract them with too many questions. Then they just disappear after the procedures to their office to do reports and write-ups afterwards, and don't want to be bothered. When I do have time to talk with them, it's the end of the day and they just want to go home.

How did you guys (SDNers) get on the good side of your veterinarians and got them to know you personally? What do you guys suggest I do in my situation?

 

[libster06]

I have a similar question related to experience:

I'm a vet assistant, zoo hospital assistant, and wildlife rehabilitative. In all of these positions I work as and mostly with vet techs and managers. I know it's best to get letters of rec from the actual vets, but I never get time to talk with them. I see them during procedures, but don't want to distract them with too many questions. Then they just disappear after the procedures to their office to do reports and write-ups afterwards, and don't want to be bothered. When I do have time to talk with them, it's the end of the day and they just want to go home.

How did you guys (SDNers) get on the good side of your veterinarians and got them to know you personally? What do you guys suggest I do in my situation?

When you ask for a rec letter, you don't expect it that day. Most people (including me) give their writers AT LEAST a month to write it. It shouldn't bother them to write one, but if it does, they will probably tell you. All you need to do is the next you find yourself in conversation with them, or just a lull, whatever time of day it is, ask them if they will be willing to write you a positive LOR. Let them know when the deadline is and everything. Then don't bother them about it for several weeks. Often it takes a lot of minor prodding to get an LOR from someone, even after they've agreed to write one, so don't just ask and then neglect it.

Bottom line it, you have to ask for one if you want one. Just because you haven't had a one-on-one personal interview with them for them to "get to know you" doesn't mean they haven't observed your work ethic, or your love for the job/field.

 

[bayarea15]

Update: talked to one of the managers last nite about coming in on my own time again, she wanted to speak to me alone, so off into an exam room we went.

She said she talked at length with Dr so and so, who is the practice owner, and at this time I'm still not able to do anything, but perhaps within a few years my time will come. Then she brought up me wanting to apply to veterinary school some day and laughed. As well as it was stated that kennel is not part of the staff and its not in my job description to learn nurse stuff.

I said I wasn't making an effort to leave my kennel position but again want to come in on my own time to watch procedures etc. She said she could tell I was disapointed and she was sorry.

Sigh.

Great tips on letter of recs!!!!! I was wondering that myself!

 

[kakurubird]

I have a similar question related to experience:

I'm a vet assistant, zoo hospital assistant, and wildlife rehabilitative. In all of these positions I work as and mostly with vet techs and managers. I know it's best to get letters of rec from the actual vets, but I never get time to talk with them. I see them during procedures, but don't want to distract them with too many questions. Then they just disappear after the procedures to their office to do reports and write-ups afterwards, and don't want to be bothered. When I do have time to talk with them, it's the end of the day and they just want to go home.

How did you guys (SDNers) get on the good side of your veterinarians and got them to know you personally? What do you guys suggest I do in my situation?

I work with some vets who are very willing to talk to the techs and we all talk regularly about our pets and families and such. But a lot of this started from chit-chat during procedures back in treatment area (as opposed to be in an exam with a client). Depending on the vet, I often ask quite a few questions while we're doing things in treatment, especially not just "what is this/what are you doing," but "why are we doing this/choosing this approaching".
I think just from seeing you work and interact with other techs and knowing your level of interest, even if it doesn't seem like you guys are particularly close or what not, the vet should have a pretty good idea of what kind of person you are. And, of course, this is why you don't ask for a letter of recommendation, you ask for a strong (or positive or whatever) letter of recommendation.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Where in the bay area are you?

 

[bayarea15]

Minnerbelle I sent you a private message, hopes that's okay!