See the Full Issue
October 2024
Tech Support
The pandemic changed many aspects of our day-to-day lives, including what is endured at the workplace for veterinary professionals. Changes in patient load, staffing shortages, and client expectations have exponentially increased the workload for credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs).
New Challenges and New Opportunities to Help Technicians
The pandemic changed many aspects of our day-to-day lives, including what is endured at the workplace for veterinary professionals. Changes in patient load, staffing shortages, and client expectations have exponentially increased the workload for credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs). While some of these changes appear to be here to stay, some of the boundaries set by CrVT staff seem to be in jeopardy. Several thoughts come to mind when considering the well-being of CrVT staff after COVID including:
- What new stresses are CrVTs facing because of COVID?
- What can be done to help the career path of CrVTs because of the changes seen after COVID?
- What do these changes mean for the future of CrVT work?
As a veterinary social worker, I decided to investigate these changes by speaking with several CrVTs to gain their first-hand insight and combine those with my observations.
The human–animal bond experienced changes during the pandemic because clients were forced to stay home, increasing time spent with their pets. CrVTs I spoke with agreed that even after lockdown more clients seemed to be working from home and therefore spending more time with their pets. While it is wonderful to witness clients being more observant of their pets, it has increased the number of phone calls to vet hospitals requiring triage by CrVTs and often an increase in patients who need to be seen. This uptick in calls has contributed to significant increases in workload.
The pandemic also saw an increase in the number of households with pets, which has led to a spike in the pet-to-staff ratio. Increases in pet ownership led to a situation where CrVTs, already spread thin, were expected to do more. Another consideration when looking at pandemic-related changes is that, although these clients are staying home more, so are their pets. Unsocialized dogs and puppies that do not get enough mental stimulation can become more challenging patients, which also adds to the stress of being a CrVT.
As the workload and level of difficulty have increased, so have client needs. Clients don’t understand the increase in workload for all veterinary hospitals after COVID. Waiting longer for available appointments, more time needed for medication requests, and longer wait times in the clinic can be difficult for clients to accept because it’s different from their past experiences. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding can lead to demanding and disgruntled clients.
Reminding ourselves of the things we are grateful for in our careers can help reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed.
Stress is common in our profession. Taking the time to discuss the biggest stressors for CrVTs in our practices allows for opportunities for employers to make changes and better support staff. A frequently cited workplace stressor is being short-staffed. Staff turnover is an issue for all personnel within the veterinary profession with a reported turnover rate of 30%–50%. High turnover rates can leave a CrVT shorthanded or needing to train a new hire on top of their daily responsibilities. CrVTs are expected to do so many different tasks in a day that when a practice is short-staffed it can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed or burned out. One technician I spoke with described how she feels when this occurs.
“It is often difficult to divide ourselves up between eveything we have to deal with: multiple doctors’ needs, receptionist questions, clients requesting medications online or in hospital, clients wanting to speak with us regarding concerns for their pets and triaging calls, treatments for patients here for exams, or hospitalized patient needs, in addition to an overly booked tech schedule, surgeries, high priority exam appointments, radiographs, lab work, sending and receiving referrals to outside hospitals, etc.”
More CrVTs in the veterinary setting could certainly help decrease the workload for CrVTs, but it would still leave other stressors to be addressed, such as client and coworker expectations.
A generalized looming feeling felt by CrVTs is that of disappointment. Nobody enjoys feeling as though they’ve let someone down. But CrVTs report they encounter this regularly, whether it is a client who is being told they have to bring their pet to an urgent care because their primary veterinary office is at capacity, or telling a doctor that they cannot do a task because the CrVT is already backed up.
Regularly feeling that we have disappointed someone can lead to anger and sadness. Even the most highly functioning CrVTs can experience symptoms of imposter syndrome due to feeling that they are not living up to the expectations of their coworkers and clients. Feeling as though you are disappointing clients and coworkers can lead a CrVT to question their career choice, even though the cause of feeling this disappointment is out of the CrVT’s control.
Setting Boundaries
Boundaries are without question a necessary tool for CrVTs to have. Boundaries can be something as simple as having a memorized phrase to say to a client who is giving them a hard time, letting a coworker know that you are unable to help them in that exact moment but are happy to help when the task at hand is finished, or even adjustments to work-life balance.
Having boundaries while maintaining professionalism can help manage expectations for coworkers, clients, and the CrVT. It takes conscious processing to relate to our clients and coworkers. We may not appreciate a client who is angry when things are out of our control or a coworker who is putting pressure on already monstrous expectations. If we take a moment to understand where they are coming from and set boundaries for ourselves, we can end up in a calm state rather than feeling overwhelmed.
Gratitude can be a hard practice for any person, yet the generalized practice of gratitude can increase happiness in our lives holistically. Reminding ourselves of the things we are grateful for in our careers can help reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed. Coping mechanisms that seemed to help the CrVTs I spoke to included processing the difficult parts of the day with a coworker, investing time in an interest or hobby outside of work, box breathing, and taking a break when the stress level gets too high. Coping mechanisms are easy to discuss at staff meetings and are beneficial to promoting wellbeing inside any veterinary hospital.
While the world of CrVTs has seen difficult changes, it is important to acknowledge that the future looks bright for CrVTs. The chance for CrVTs to specialize in their area of expertise leaves many opportunities open. Considering the high turnover rate of CrVTs entering the field, having more opportunities for specialization and advancement may decrease the amount of turnover seen.
Supporting Technicians
Advocating for our CrVTs is something to consider when pondering what we can do to help. Discussing with clients how much CrVTs do, sharing Facebook posts about CrVT responsibilities, and reminding coworkers of what a CrVT has on their plate are all examples of advocacy. Education in the form of advocacy can lead to further acknowledgment of our amazing CrVT superheroes in scrubs.
Undoubtedly, one of the most important findings in my practice has been that, even though CrVTs understand the difficulties and hardships their career faces, they continually share that they love their job. Reasons a CrVT may enter the field (such as helping animals, building skills, and educating pet owners) are still at the core of what this role does.
Even the most highly functioning CrVTs can experience symptoms of imposter syndrome due to feeling that they are not living up to the expectations of their coworkers and clients.
While the stress of patients, clients, and coworkers is there, CrVTs also find job satisfaction because of the patients, understanding clients, and supportive coworkers. Enhancing these positive experiences through recognition can go a long way for the CrVT who may be struggling.
All of us within the veterinary profession have the power to help the CrVTs we work with. Checking in and asking how they are doing and creating a safe and supportive environment where CrVTs can talk about their state of mind can go a long way. Offering to help with appropriate tasks can help a CrVT feel less pressure by expediting the task at hand.
Even if offering to help is not what is needed at the moment, the offer can have a positive impact on the morale of the CrVT. Nobody wants to feel taken for granted, so checking in routinely and letting them know they are a valued member of the team can help diminish these feelings. My appeal to all of us working within the veterinary profession is to ask yourself during the workday, “How have I supported a CrVT today? And how can I support a CrVT tomorrow?”
Photo credits: freemixer/Collection via Getty Images Plus; Hirurg/Collection via Getty Images Plus; Anchiy/Collection via Getty Images Plus