There is an unbelievable statistic that was released about the average life span of a veterinary technician….5 years…!!! They say it takes an average of 5 years before a vet tech burns out and leaves the industry. I was almost one of those statistics.

I have been an RVT for 10 years.

Volunteering my time in Cuba for the dogs and cats.

What’s an RVT you ask?

A Registered Veterinary Technician who devotes two years of very intense schooling, studying late nights, blood, sweat & tears, and a big test at the end to pass to become an RVT.

We learn a crazy amount of information. Things like anesthesia (what drugs to use, monitoring patients, emergency situations), venipuncture, IV catheter placements, drugs (what they are, how they work, how it reacts in the body of cats and dogs, contraindications, how long it lasts, etc..), X-rays, drug calculations, every disease and how to treat it, fluid therapy, behaviour and so much more. All of this crammed into 2 years of schooling.

Rainbows, kittens & puppies, and burnout?

Fresh out of school, we have rainbows in our eyes and we want to help every pet. We will work through our shift without a lunch break, help a family through a difficult euthanasia and then get right back to work even with tears in our eyes, we will cuddle a pet while it recovers from a difficult anesthetic, and even stay late past our shift to help out the rest of the team. We do all of this because we love what we do. But sometimes that just isn’t enough.

Sometimes we need recognition every now and then for what we do.

Being told that we are doing a great job from our bosses just grazes the surface of what we need to keep our mental game running. As a mobile RVT, I have realized something. I am no longer “stuck in the back” all day long. I am on the front line with the pets and their owners for the whole appointment. They get to see me in action with things that usually are done in “the back” (a magical place that everything seems to happen, but you can never see it being done). The feeling I get when I am thanked over and over by these owners is a wonderful feeling that seems to give me the strength to keep on moving forward.

Taking blood from a kitty in the bathroom while the owner holds.

RVTs are the magic behind the scenes.

Just like in a film, there is always a crew behind the scenes that makes the magic happen, that never get the recognition that the actors or producer/director do. Day in, day out, of rushing around like a chicken with our heads cut off, getting peed and pooped on, staying late with no thank you, and so much more. All with the stress that knowing our paycheck may not pay the bills.

My first time being able to touch Dusty at home. On the first visit, we only saw his head poking out. After the second visit, he was all over me.

Two years ago I was ready to leave the profession. I was burning out. There is a saying in our industry that “we don’t do it for the money, we do it for the love of the job.” Just like nurses, technicians don’t get paid what we are worth. I thought I was burning out because I was torn between doing a job that I love and paying my bills. But now I realize, it really isn’t about the money. I have found out that it is about the love of the job, AND being recognized for what I do by the people that really matter…the pet owners.

I never really understood the kind of relationship that owners have with their veterinarian until I became a mobile technician. I hate to admit this, but I used to feel jealous that I did all of the work in the back for the pet, while the vet would get all of the credit and would even get gifts.

But now, it is no longer just about what the vet does for the pet, but what we do together as a team.

I went from behind the scenes vet tech, to in the spotlight vet tech.

I was nervous at first. After all, I have nobody to fall back on if I can’t hit a vein to get blood. And now I have the owners watching every move I make. But I wouldn’t have it any other way now!

Sometimes I like to take a nap with my patients after a hard day's work.

We have the most amazing clients.

I am so grateful for what I am able to bring to the table as a part of an awesome vet team. We get to go into their homes and get to know them as people and not just as pet owners. We get to hear their life stories, what they love to do, and what their pet has brought to their lives. We get to laugh in the good times and cry in the sad times. This is why I became a vet tech. To enrich the lives of people with pets. To focus on the relationships that we have with our pets and with their people instead of just focusing on the medicine. I want to be there for them on a professional and personal level when they need our help.

The relationships that I have made will last a lifetime!

I have never been so fulfilled in my life than I have been for the past year and a half as a mobile vet tech.

For this, I am proud to call myself a mobile RVT!

#RVTproud