What does a vet tech do?

Question

What are some of the things that a vet tech does? Do they have to do surgery? Please and thank you :]

Answer 1

Hey there!

Well, you did ask...Sorry it's so long.  I have so much to say about this.



I was a certified RVT for 2 years, and a "vet assistant" (no certification, office assistant, basically) for 3 years before that.  I have to be honest, when you consider 2 years of HARD work getting certified (and it isn't a walk in the park, really, you never worked so hard in your life!), the salary isn't what you'd expect. To start, with a license, expect to get $10-$12.  That's it!  You get more with seniority, but don't expect to support yourself.  Everyone I know who is still doing it is either married (with 2 incomes) or has several roommates to help with rent.



The trouble is: for all your training, there are only 4 things you do that the average high schooler can’t.  Namely: stitching skin, splints and casts, anesthesia and tooth extraction, and 9 times out of 10, the doctor does all that themselves.  I absolutely DO NOT mean Vet Techs aren’t necessary.  They are.  A vet couldn't find his right arm without a good tech to show him where it is and how to use it.  

****BUT****

When a vet has to decide between expensive, trained people, and a high school kid off the street he can pay minimum wage, he's sorely tempted to go cheap.  Especially when he can train said high schooler in just about everything he needs done.



Things are changing, slowly, BUT!!!  Unless you get with a very "high end" clinic/hospital, or work a university, you won't make what you're worth. Considering if you spent the same 2 years to be a medical assistant, or a para-legal, you'd make A LOT more.

As for the work itself:

I tell everyone who asks me (and you did ask) to volunteer first.  See how you like it.

I burned out.

I hated it.

It's backbreaking, heartbreaking, disgusting, WORK!!!  

You will discover the scum of the universe and the pets they abuse.  You will learn what it smells like to clean maggots off pets that are still alive, out of rotting sores the owners swear weren't there yesterday. (yeah, right)  Cats can produce their weight in pus. LITERALLY! I didn't know how much pus could come out of a living creature that weighs less than 10 pounds!!!

And, remember, pets HATE the vet.  Doesn't matter if they're sick or only in for boarding, they hate you.  They want to leave.  Violently sometimes.  Expect to be bitten. Expect to be scratched.  Expect to go home smelling like death.  You will be surrounded by sick, dying animals.  Expect to be peed on, pooped on, vomited on and the pus, did I mention pus?  OH, and blood.  Lots and lots of blood.

You have to euthanize beloved pets.  Old folk's pets. Children's pets. It's horrible.

At some point, you will be required to euthanize a pet only because the owner doesn't want it anymore.  Or because it has a problem the owner doesn't want to deal with.  Or because there just isn't enough homes for all the pets that come through the doors.



For me, the "good things" didn't make up for the bad, but to be fair, here's my list of the good: The general satisfaction of helping.  It was great to send a sick animal home well, to solve problems and literally, end suffering.  Puppies and kittens, 'nuff said, nothing better than baby animals.  Vet staff people are great.  Every place is different, of course, but I always found them to be genuine, friendly, fun loving people.  



So, what would I recommend to someone who wants to work in a vet clinic?  Be the office manager.  Really.  Veterinarians are almost famous for not being able to run a business successfully; their skills are in medicine, not clerical work.  Bills have to be paid, staff need salary checks regularly, supplies have to be ordered, employment laws (OSHA regulations) have to be followed.  Vets don't have the time to see to this part of the business, they're seeing patients.  So, you will make more money as a bookkeeper and office manager.  I know for a fact that a single mom of 2 can support herself comfortably on that salary.  You can pick and choose your contact with the cutest, most healthy animals.  



If you want to work with animals, open a "boutique" type store.  Sell pet related gifts, "designer" collars, clothes, beds, bowls, etc.  Or a "barkery" that sells gourmet dog treats and holistic/all natural/ultra premium food.  I also know for a fact there is a nice living to be had going this route.  Especially now, after the pet food recall.  That's what I'm in the process of starting myself.  The living is NICE!



So, still with me?  Did you make it this far?  Do you hate me yet?  I just wish someone had said all this to me.  Make no mistake, it was an incredible experience, I wouldn't change it for the world, I just wish I knew then what I know now.