Do You Know Who Your Vet Tech Is?
What do they do, these vet’s assistants?
They have the best job ever!
All day with kittens and puppies they play
Getting wags and kisses – so clever!
You’d almost pay to have their day
It just sounds so life-giving…
Vet technicians are almost magicians
Turning snuggles into a living!
What you don’t realize with those stars in your eyes
Kisses aren’t all they are getting.
Listen up, listen well – get a clue
And you’ll find out what techs really do!
Welcome to Veterinary Technician Week, a week that recognizes those who support veterinarians in caring for pets. There's a lot of misunderstanding about what vet techs do - let's clear that up, shall we?
Vet technicians – what people think they do:
- Play with kittens and puppies all day
- Assist the veterinarian with all the fun things they do
- Play with kittens and puppies some more
Vet technicians – a partial list of what they really do:
- Check on animals hospitalized overnight,...
Easing Interactions with Difficult Clients
Do you have to deal with someone who’s difficult? Maybe angry, defensive, egotistical, greedy – whatever they are, they just suck the life out of you?
Instead of dreading your interactions with them, try this – feel compassion for them.
Can you imagine going through life knowing that people don’t like you very much? And believe me, they know! Think of them as kind of broken, because in a way they are.
When you can feel for them instead of against them it helps you feel better. And maybe the interactions with them will go better, too!
I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!
How to Build Up Your Own Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is something a lot of people struggle with – you, too, sometimes?
We are usually much harder on ourselves than on the people in our lives. That’s a habit developed in childhood and it doesn’t serve us well at all – listening to all that negative self-talk in your head guts your self-confidence.
Try this to build yourself back up – once a day, focus on something that you did really well that day or the day before and feel the pride of a task well-done.
If you journal, make this part of your journaling routine. If you practice regular affirmations or meditation, make it part of that time. Focus on success and feel your self-confidence soar.
I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!
Walk a Mile in Their Crocs
Do you ever look at other veterinarians and think they’re so much more together than you are?
I love my veterinarian a lot and hope she doesn’t do that, and hope you don’t either.
You never know what’s going on inside another person’s head, heart and life, though humans like to think you know. You don’t.
What looks calm, cool and collected on the outside could be full of conflict and consternation on the inside. You can admire someone and want to be like them – just beware of comparing yourself to them, because you’re not walking in their Crocs.
I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!
The Secret Purpose of Goal-Setting
Did you know that a goal is just an excuse to grow and learn?
Mom’s goal for me is to compete in rally obedience by the end of this year. I like that goal because there’s cheese involved and I get to play games with her.
What’s really happening when you’re reaching for a goal is that you’re stretching your knowledge and creativity and belief in yourself, and that’s all good!
So go ahead – set a goal. Just remember it’s the journey to the goal that really lights your fire, so enjoy every step along the way.
I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!
The Art of Dealing with Annoying People
Got a client coming in today that you dread seeing?
Maybe they’re difficult, or maybe they’re a close-talker, or maybe they just don’t know when it’s time to stop playing, like my Poodle brother. Give that boy some Ace, already!
Anyway, when you know you have to spend time with someone you don’t love spending time with, try this – make up a story about why they are the way they are. Make it a tale of woe, like something bad happened to them in childhood that caused them to be how they are.
Convince yourself that the story is true, because when you do, you’ll feel love and compassion for them instead of irritation or dread.
I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!
Ouch! Responding to Criticism
How do you respond when someone criticizes you or wants to argue?
Sometimes that squirrel sits up on the fence and chews me out – man, that frosts my fur!!
It’s really easy to get defensive or to argue – instead, memorize these words and use them as needed – “thank you for your input – I’ll consider it.”
You have acknowledged that you heard them and have NOT agreed to what they’re saying, just that you’ll consider it.
You might consider it garbage, but hey, you still considered it!
I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!
Breathing Outside the Box
Have you ever heard of box breathing? It’s a controlled way of breathing with specific patterns, and there are a bunch of different patterns.
A study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology suggests that two minutes of 5-2-7 breathing a day will help you make better decisions.
Breathe in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 2, exhale for a count of 7. Two minutes of that a day will calm you down in that moment and help you make better decisions for the rest of the day.
I’m Sandy Weaver and just like Kacey, I love veterinarians!
Jumping Through Someone Else's Hoop
Do you try to live up to other peoples’ ideas of who you should be?
Sometimes Mom accidentally calls me Bonnie – that was the last red-head-Siberian she had. Oops!
If there’s someone in your life who expects you to behave, believe and achieve they way they want you to that’s probably causing you a lot of stress, whether you realize it or not. So before you jump through a hoop someone else thinks you should jump through, ask yourself if YOU want to jump through that hoop.
You have your own inner knowing of who you were born to be. You know what feels good to you and what doesn’t. You are you – the one and only you on the planet. You do you, and let that other person see and appreciate you for who you are.
I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!
Bouncing Back from a Mistake
How do you feel when something goes wrong?
I ran into the coffee table and knocked two books and a big candle off. Oops…my bad, Mom!
When you do something like that, do you kick yourself for failing or give yourself the grace of knowing that you did the best you could do with the information you had, and now you have more information?
I know sometimes lives are at stake when something goes wrong in your hospital and that adds extra pressure. When you remember that you did the best you could with the information you had, it’s easier to allow yourself the space to learn and grow.
And that’s what humans are here to do!
I’m Kacey and I love veterinarians!
