atDove Blog | Veterinary Training Blog

Being a veterinarian is exhausting, isn't it? We need to care about so many things!

Veterinary technicians are essential in any veterinary clinic but they can come in many forms. Having grown up as a gamer, I can most easily define these forms as technician levels:

Any of us who took a basic economics class in college know the simple fact is that interviews for open DVM positions have suddenly become mini rose ceremonies ala The Bachelor – only with everyone wearing clothes and doing far less crying. This can also be a similar experience for other sought-after veterinary jobs.

I’ve been a veterinary technician for over 25 years. I call myself the, “longest continually employed veterinary technician” in the history of veterinary medicine. So far, I have not met anyone with more longevity in the profession. A lot has changed in the world of veterinary medicine over the last decade. Where do I start?

In this field, it’s not uncommon to feel the toll of burnout. I would feel mine come and go, having a hard day or entire week where I wasn’t coping as well as usual, making me wonder, is this burnout? But then over the next few days feeling the complete opposite, like I’m where I’m supposed to be. That’s the tricky thing about burnout and compassion fatigue, it doesn’t always present itself clearly and defined. It can ebb and flow, creating a feeling of constant displacement. When I started to feel like I would have more weeks of hardship than feelings of success, I decided to make a change.