Shelter job dilemma...

[Whirr]

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I'm undergoing a bit of a crisis at my job right now, so I wanted to ask all of you great people what you think. I've been working at a shelter for the last year and by and large have really loved it; the work is very hands-on, my coworkers are great, and there's a lot to learn. In the past few months, though, the job has been getting to me. I've known for awhile that this isn't a job I could do long-term. I'm getting very emotional about certain animals, and it's the time of year where the shelter is full to bursting with stray cats (the last of the summer litters are hitting and the weather is starting to get cold, so they're coming in in droves and many of them are sick). I'm experiencing muscle tension in my shoulders, and I'm getting run down by the work because so much is asked of us. Many days we barely get a lunch break squeezed in an 8 or 9 hour shift because the shelter is sooo busy (although this has been getting better lately), and we always have far more work to do than we can get done. I typically work 2-3 weekends a month there, too, and they tend to be extra stressful.

A couple of weeks ago I applied for and was offered a job at an actual veterinary clinic as a kennel worker/vet assistant. There are a lot of certified veterinary technicians in my area, so it's unlikely I could get a job as a vet tech, but this is still vet experience (there is no vet at the shelter most days; I'm volunteering my time to assist her with surgeries the one day a week that she is there). There are some issues at the clinic--lots of office politics mostly--but still, it's a vet job, which seems a step in the right direction considering my career path. I'm allowed to do less than I am at the shelter, but it's still different exposure and different experience for my application. (A side note about me: I finished all of my pre-vet coursework this summer and am waiting one year to get extra experience before applying to vet school, so I have time to work and get shadowing in.) I'll be working about 30 hours a week there, plus 1.5-2 weekends a month.

I'm having a lot of trouble deciding if I should try to keep my shelter job and work both places. There are inherent problems in this, as both jobs require some number of weekend and holiday hours, and I would like to have some time to spend with my husband before I enter school again. I'm going to keep assisting with surgeries every week at the shelter (spays and neuters) whether or not I keep working there. I'm just feeling so down right now. I've learned a ton at the shelter, but the stress is really getting to me, and the nightmare of scheduling two animal care jobs...

What would you do?

 

[Pandacinny]

I've been almost exactly where you are, only I did stick it out at the shelter job. I was working 20 hours of overtime per week many (if not most) weeks and I never got out on time or finished up a full day's work. After the first year that I got denied vet school, the adcoms said to go get more varied experience and try again next year. I didn't want to leave the shelter because I had a lot of ties to the other staff and to the environment and animals and etc. I thought I could get other experience and work at the shelter, but I didn't have time for much of anything beyond shelter work. When I applied the second time (last year) with even more shelter experience, plus the tiniest bit of non-shelter from a month or two before my interview, I was denied again. I think staying at the shelter and having literally all of my time besides sleeping taken up there played a big part in this.

If I could do it over again, I'd leave the shelter and get more experience. If I were you, I'd leave and start at the private clinic. Unfortunately, the shelter experience alone will not be enough to get you into vet school - you need to branch out. Even if you do more technical stuff at the shelter, the kid who cleaned kennels at three different clinics and watched a large animal vet for awhile, and did some lab stuff, and otherwise has a much more varied portfolio is going to look better than you - whether or not you're the one who can put a catheter in. Try out the new place, but don't cut your ties. If you have time, volunteer at the shelter a couple days/a couple weekends per month.

I hate to sound bitter - I did really love my time at the shelter and working there has really helped develop my interests and my character. I just wish I hadn't gone through all that stress and sacrificed my application.

 

[ShelterGirl]

It sounds as though you've already decided to take the private practice job. If that is indeed the case, then I would NOT recommend working both jobs. You sound as though you are on the verge of becoming burned out and adding hours and more stress will obviously not help.

I actually opted to leave my shelter job last year in order to work at a private practice. Why?
- Ability to work with pets through cases to resolution instead of euthanizing them
- More equipment (IVACs, EKGs, fluid warmers, etc.) that the shelter did not have
- Ability to develop more clinical skills (IV and u-cath, etc.) that were not done at the shelter
- Many more doctors to observe (20 vs. 2)
- Clinic is highly respected in the area
- Explore another career option

Pandacinny has a great point - you don't tend to get breadth of experience by staying in one place. Will the private practice job add new experiences to your application?

If you decide to leave the shelter, could you perhaps volunteer at a different shelter or rescue? (I don't recommend volunteering at the same shelter if you quit - too awkward.)

Good luck.

 

[BrumleyVet]

It sounds like your going from one stress to another. Be careful of "office drama" - that could make it harder for you to get a good reference. That's the reason I left my non-prof job. The drama made it extremely difficult, and it started to flow to the customers.

I have the same problem you have with the certified techs - it's next to impossible to get any real hands on surgery time. Continuing with the surgeries at the shelter is a smart move. You will always find something new or different to be able to learn there.

 

[Whirr]

Thanks to everyone for your insightful responses. I spoke to my boss at the shelter yesterday, and he really wants to keep me on--he's offering me a really light schedule if I want, so I think I'll probably try to keep both jobs until I can feel the waters out at the clinic a bit more. This should help with burnout, too. I can always quit in the future, and he understands and would still welcome my help with surgeries. So I think I'm on a good track for now. We'll wait and see what happens, but I would hate to quit a good thing without knowing what the new job is really like, and a week isn't enough time to tell. I certainly wouldn't quit the clinic job so quickly; I need the experience badly and I think I'll do fine there. That job has the potential to go from part-time to full-time, and in that case I'd probably leave the shelter job, but first things first.

At least I have good options--I'm feeling really positive about my chances for getting into school next year if I can fit in enough large animal shadowing. 😀

 

[parietal]

Hi, Whirr!

I can completely understand how rough regular shelter work must be. But if you can, I'd highly recommend getting a really good feel for the private-practice job before you completely quit your shelter job.

Different clinics have vastly different expectations of their vet assistants and vet techs, and you want to be sure that you are opening new doors of opportunity rather than closing them.

Ultimately, you need to make the best decision for yourself, not your application, but be sure you have all the information you need first.

Best of luck.