Where I Started
It has been along time, so I’ll go over my vet tech journey a little bit. I started my career as a vet tech by enrolling in Penn Foster and getting a job in a small wellness clinic. It wasn’t easy to change careers. I applied for many different jobs, but needed experience to get my foot in the door.
I ended up at the small clinic with an hour drive. I loved my coworkers. I really enjoyed the environment, but the pay combined with the limited hours didn’t make this clinic sustainable long term.
The benefits were worth it. I do have to say that it was a great place to have a gentle introduction to veterinary care. I learned how to give vaccines, I learned about wellness care, and how to get background information from clients. I learned a bit about surgery and illnesses, but I did know right away that I wanted more.
To reach my goals, I wanted to know more about the illnesses. I wanted to know what would be done to help the animals we referred out. I wanted more hours and better pay. I stayed for a year and then decided to search for a new clinic.
The Job Hunt Struggles.
The job hunt struggles are real. Despite having a year of experience and being in school-and having degrees and work history, I hit a wall. I applied for jobs-didn’t get calls back. I applied for more and I even had interviews that seemed to go well. I had a working interview that went well, and got rejected saying they went with someone with more experience. I sent follow up emails, and even got called back into the same place only to be rejected again for lack of experience yet again. I had interviews at corporate places and private places. I was driving far away for interviews. Finally. Finally I was offered a position at a really good private practice.
My New Job
My new job was to be at a busy 5 doctor practice. This was a big change from the small one doctor I was used to. I was intimidated by the owner, and nervous about my physical limitations being an overweight older person with bad knees.
I also read about the high turnover rate at this hospital, and noticed that the staff almost didn’t seem to think of new people as real. I’ve since learned that they won’t give name tags or anything even remotely permanent to anyone employees less than 3 months because traditionally, when they do, people quit! In my time there, a person who had been there about 6 months left one day and never came back. There were two other people hired about the same time as me, and so far, we are all staying.
A SHIFT IN POSITION
Learning new things is hard for me. I struggle with anxiety, I’m a slow learner, and I’m out of shape. I found the veterinary software so difficult to learn, and the protocols were very different in everything from the expectations in rooms to how vaccines are given. It was stressful.
One day I got called into the office of the two owners and the practice manager and was asked to take over inventory. The person doing it would be leaving but she would train me. I accepted. Oh this has been a journey. Now I’m a part time vet tech and part time inventory personnel. This has been a struggle. I think if I wrote it all out this post would be very long. I’ll do another update on that. For now, I’ll leave it at I’m now at a fill-service hospital, and it’s a whole new world. I’ve taken on a dual role of nurse and inventory manager. I am learning how to manage supplies to make sure the hospital can run, and it is overwhelming. I will write some posts about that in the upcoming days and weeks.
Looking Ahead
I’m still doing vet tech school-Penn Foster. It’s taking a long time. None of it is easy, but I feel like I’m on the right path. I’ll try to update more frequently, and even may use this blog as a journal to share some of my emotions.
If you also made a career change later in life, or just struggling to find your place, know that you are not alone! We’ve got this!
Thanks for reading.
