Ever since I can remember, I have loved and been fascinated with animals. However, it wasn't until the end of my junior year in highschool when I realized what I wanted to do with my life. Being a Veterinary Technician is not a glamorous job to aspire to. It is hard, gross, and often sad work. But, it is a rewarding job and one I hope to someday have, all thanks to a television show called Animal Cops.
Dear Veterinary Technicians of the world,
I know you are probably reading this while you decompress from a particularly long and late night. I am sure your patients were less than cooperative, as they always are. They can tell when you're having a hard day, and they usually just do not care. But yet, you can't help yourself when you look at them and smile a bit. This is where you are meant to be.
You may not have known it all along, but being sweaty, dirty, and tired is where you were meant to be. Animals have always had a special place in your heart. You may have known since you were little that you wanted to work with animals, or you may have found out last year. Whatever the case, you are here now, and it is important that you are.
That life you saved today is not just some dog or some cat, or even just some rat or bird. That life you saved today is the most important thing in someone’s life. That life you saved today is a member of someone’s family, just as important as any other. You saved that life, and no one could ever thank you enough for it.
That life you couldn't save today is not your fault. You may feel like you failed, but you did the best you could. You remembered all the techniques you studied for years. You remembered all of the steps you were taught and did what you knew how to do. Sometimes our best is just not enough. But we can't thank you enough for trying your very best because we know it hurts you too whenever you lose a patient.
Today may have been filled with puppy love and routine check ups. Or, today may have been filled with extra bitey patients and fecal samples. Most likely, it was a mix of both, and it was just another normal day. But just another normal day for you means working hours past (or before) your shift. Just another normal day means skipping lunch break and holding your pee in until your bladder breaks because, really, who has time for bathroom breaks!? Just another normal day for you is work that a lot of people couldn't even fathom doing.
Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you are less than you deserve to be. “Oh, you're just a vet tech?” You are not just anything. You are a veterinary technician. You worked your butt off for this job. Hours upon days upon weeks studying for exams. Remembering hundreds of bones and muscles that seem to change between every animal. Botching your first blood draw and working harder each time to nail it until it became second nature to you. Juggling the correct dosage and administering all the drugs in the correct order to the correct area.
The mind of a vet tech is unrelenting. Sub-Q, IV, IM? Don't forget to let off. Crap, where is the tape? Oh no, big dog is getting feisty. Is this cat declawed? No. No, it is not. Why is there a chicken in this cage? Shoot, I have a patient waiting for the doctor. Which patient was that again? Right. Grab that medicine, make sure to hand it to the right patient. I wonder if my coworkers need help. Oh yeah, they need help. Nope, they got it. On to the next patient. Diarrhea, great. My favorite. What time is it? Oh, we’re closing soon. Where is my lunch? Dinner, I guess? Did I even pack it? Smile at the angry patient. Sure, you can blame me if you'd like. Where is the doctor? We’re closed? But… Now what do I do? There's still a hundred things that need to be done and I'm already an hour over my shift…
Now, to be fair, I am not yet a vet tech. Those are just a few thoughts that I have working in the veterinary field, so I cannot imagine the hundreds of other things that fly through your heads on a daily basis as techs. But, I honestly cannot wait for the busy days and long nights, the hard patients and the sad moments. If not for stumbling upon Animal Cops: Philadelphia one day, who knows if I would have found myself interested in veterinary medicine? I like to think that I found that show on that specific day to lead me on an adventure of a lifetime. Heading into my second year of college studying veterinary medicine, these are all the things I have to look forward to, and more. It won't be easy, and I know this is going to be a life long job of hard work, but I am ready for it.
I can't close this letter without mentioning the person that changed my life forever. As I mentioned, Animal Cops: Philadelphia was the reason I began to look into veterinary medicine. But, one person in particular gave me so much hope that I wanted to be just like her. She became my real life superhero. I would like to thank Vet Tech Angela Messer for the passion that she riled up in me. Her compassion and intelligence is the reason why I am currently studying my butt off. I wish that someday I may work as hard and as caring as she proved to do.
Sincerely,
A Future Vet Tech
