Blog: The Veterinary Team

In honor of National Veterinary Technician Week, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the veterinary team and how crucial each member is to the care of a pet.  Unless you have worked in a veterinary practice or volunteered in a shelter, you may not realize all of the hard work and emotion that goes into the care of animals.  Working in veterinary medicine is not all puppies and kittens (I know, hard to believe, right?).  The work is usually messy, sometimes heart-breaking but always rewarding.  The hours are long and there is not a day that goes by where we do not take some of our work home with us despite the pay being far less than what one might expect and the astronomical student loans to get into the profession.  One thing that makes the difficult days better is having a team that works together with the same goals, dedication, and passion.  In my many years in the field, I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most caring, giving, and compassionate people.  People that answer phones, clean kennels, stock supplies, wash laundry, mop floors, and scrub dishes.  People that comfort pets, give vaccinations, provide treatments, monitor anesthesia, assist in surgery, take radiographs, clean teeth, cut nails, give baths, and fill prescriptions.  People that laugh, worry, and cry right along with the Pet Parents that we so tirelessly serve.  People that educate, council, and support.  People that are my eyes and ears when I need an extra pair and are your loving hands when your pets are in our care.  People that cuddle with your pets as they awake from anesthesia or while they stay in the hospital with us…not because they have to…but because they want to.  People that love each and every pet as if they were their own and people who want the very best for them.  These are the people that save lives and the people that hold your hand when we have done all that we can.  These are the people that make pain go away and stop suffering.  These people have the biggest hearts, strongest stomachs, and most strength that I have ever seen. Without these amazing people, veterinary medicine as you know it would not exist.  It is their deep love for all living creatures, their yearning for knowledge, and their desire to help that makes these amazing people so remarkable.  I am very fortunate to work in a field full of these spectacular people. Thank you for all that you do!