Celebrating Veterinary Technicians!!

"Me"

First, I want to say thank you to all the Veterinary Technicians who have helped me when my human brings me to your office (my human said to say "thank you" too.) Even though I don't like the needles and pokes and prods and nudges, I know you are just doing your best to help me out.  So, thank you to Veterinary Technicians everywhere!

Today, I am hosting an article from Pamela Haffner, a Veterinary Technician. 

The decision to become a veterinary technician came from the ever present need I have always had to care for animals. I learned, throughout my childhood, about the right way to care for various kinds of animals; from rabbits, rats and birds to cats, dogs and horses. This is when I also learned that having a pet is a long-term commitment that is well worth the love that is received in return.  I always knew that I would work with animals, so when I heard about a veterinary technology program that I could complete in only two years, I was excited to give it a try.

As I attended college, I found my first job as a kennel attendant at a small animal hospital in Dallas, TX.  During the two years that followed, I completed the veterinary technology program, obtained an associates degree in applied science and passed the state and national finals that are required to be a registered veterinary technician. Even though it was challenging at times, to attend school and work full time at a veterinary facility, I do believe that it worked to my advantage. I was able to apply the vast amount of information that I was learning in school, to real situations. 

What I absolutely love about being a veterinary technician is being able to work with animals and people who love animals. I also love the diversity of the work; every day brings something new. There are few positions within the medical field that require you to be a radiologist, anesthesiologist, lab technician, dental hygienist, and nurse all within one day. Within the field of veterinary medicine, there are a lot of different options to choose from; private practice, emergency medicine, referral clinic, specialist, shelter, zoo or research, just to name a few. I gained my experience while working at several large and small private practices, an emergency and referral hospital, several different shelters and a mobile clinic. I would have to say that working at the emergency and referral hospital was the most exciting and challenging job I have ever had and, that the large animal private practice allowed me to work with animals that you don’t encounter every day; such as zebras and camels.

Veterinary technology, like any job, has its ups and downs. The up-side is being able to work closely with animals of all kinds and that every day brings something new. The down side of being a veterinary technologist is having to deal with patients passing away. With experience, we learn how to put our emotions aside, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care or that it doesn’t hurt when a patient passes away.

After 15 years of working as a registered veterinary technician, I felt the need to do more. With the economy the way it is, I have seen an increase in the number of pet owners who can not afford to provide their pets with veterinary care. With the emergence of social networking, I decided to create an animal specific social-support network for the pet-caring community; a new outreach for pet loving people trying to take the best care of their pets as possible; Pets-Life. Pets-life promotes and supports animal health and care products, services and professionals while at the same time provides a support network for responsible owners and their pets.

I have enjoyed many years as a registered veterinary technician and with the creation of Pets-life, I feel that I am doing my part to help local pet-related businesses survive during times of economic difficulty. I want to thank my fellow veterinary technicians for the work they do!

About the Author:  Pamela Haffner, RVT graduated from an accredited veterinary technology program in 1997. She has enjoyed working as a registered veterinary technician in various animal health care settings in Texas, Colorado and currently in Missouri. After creating and developing Pets-life.com in 2010 to support and promote pet-related products, services and professionals, Pamela has been focused on helping pet-related businesses succeed in today's economy by maintaining customer loyalty and by attracting new clients. Her current position at Pets-life is as managing director.