No matter what stage of your career you are in as a veterinary professional, it is vital to take an intentional approach toward choosing a work environment best fit for you. The right workplace can make the difference between loving your career or hating it—feeling burnt out and undervalued or feeling fulfilled, engaged, appreciated, and excited to come to work.
Most people come into this profession desiring to improve the lives of animals, and the right work environment can empower them to make that vision a reality. However, to reach that goal and gain a clear idea about what you should expect from your employer, you need a clear view of your role.
The role of a veterinary nurse
No matter the title, from veterinary nurse to veterinary technician, the job always includes four distinct roles: functional, social, emotional, and support.
Functional role
In terms of any job, you must fulfill specific tasks and responsibilities to achieve particular goals. For veterinary nurses, their primary concern is the well-being of patients, which requires exceptional care through administering medications, monitoring vital signs, and assessing patient status, performing nursing procedures, and ensuring patient comfort and health.
However, to do this job well, the role of a veterinary nurse should extend beyond the animals themselves. It should also include supporting pet owners by actively understanding their anxieties, fears, and grief while providing comfort and reliable information during challenging times.
Veterinary medicine also thrives on effective collaboration, so your functional role requires working smoothly alongside other veterinarians, technicians, and staff members, forming a cohesive team dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for
all patients.
Finally, no veterinary clinic can run smoothly without efficiency and organization. Maintaining accurate medical records and ensuring seamless patient handovers contribute to the practice’s success.
Social role
Social jobs focus on how others perceive you and the image you project. The social role of a veterinary nurse is to demonstrate your genuine love for animals. Compassion and dedication should shine through in every interaction at work, building trust and rapport with pets and their owners.
Veterinary nurses could become a reliable source of pet care information, empowering owners to make informed decisions about their animals’ well-being. Projecting the image of a recognized professional, taking pride in the work and representing the veterinary profession with confidence and competence. You do not want to be seen as just a caregiver. Instead, you should present yourself as a trusted advisor who helps guide clients and participates in decision-making processes related to patient care, offering valuable insights and contributing to treatment plans.
Personal/emotional role
This part of your role involves feelings and internal experiences associated with your work. For example, when you see a sick animal recover or participate in a pet owner’s joy in restoring their pet to good health, you can experience immense satisfaction, contributing to your career purpose and fulfillment.
Developing resilience is crucial in this field. Building a sense of self-worth through clinical mastery and continuous learning can further fuel your motivation. You also have the opportunity to connect deeply with animals and pet owners through empathy, sharing in the emotional journey of experiencing the unique rewards of such connections. However, the emotional toll on a veterinary nurse can be hefty. This is where having the right employer can start to pay off since some employers will provide better resources and support than others to help you navigate stress, grief, and ethical dilemmas that may arise.
Supporting role
Beyond direct patient care, a veterinary nurse may wear many ancillary hats, such as:
- Ensuring value. Evaluating continuing education opportunities, equipment, and supplies to help ensure quality and value for your clinic.
- Creating value. Participating in protocol improvements, mentoring new nurses, and sharing your expertise through volunteering or online platforms.
- Transferring value. Ensuring smooth patient handovers, educating clients, and adequately documenting procedures and visits.
Obstacles, pains points, and risks
Specific challenges can prevent veterinary nurses from thriving in the workplace. These include a lack of educational or training opportunities, poor team communication, limited financial resources, lack of career advancement opportunities, work-life balance challenges, and ineffective leadership. Further, when it comes to the functional, social, emotional, and ancillary components of the job, specific pain points can create additional tension.
Problems in the functional role might include resource scarcity from outdated equipment or limited supplies, communication breakdowns precipitated by inaccurate records or unclear communication, technology woes stemming from obsolete software or malfunctioning equipment, and feeling overworked and understaffed. These are things that make your job harder when they exist.
Pain points from the social job can involve situations, such as delivering bad news to clients, making mistakes during procedures, struggling to explain complex medical concepts, experiencing a lack of respect from other professionals, and even bullying or disrespectful behavior. These are circumstances that can tarnish one’s professional image and reputation.
Emotional pain points can encompass everything from secondary traumatic stress from witnessing animal suffering, burnout from emotional labor, suppressing emotions, facing ethical dilemmas, feeling powerless to prevent animal suffering, and ignoring personal life or prioritizing personal life. These are things that make you feel bad every time you do it.
Your ancillary role can also bring pain points, from issues such as insufficient break room facilities, difficulty accessing healthy food options, unreliable public transportation, uncomfortable PPE, difficulty finding parking, unclear instructions for non-patient care tasks, and unhelpful HR or other supportive services.
Finally, working with animals comes with inherent risks, such as physical injury from animal handling, mental health burnout, compassion fatigue leading to apathy, workplace violence or aggression, medical mistakes, and exposure to infectious diseases.
What to expect from employers
Each obstacle, pain point, and risk offers clues into what gains an employer needs to fulfill—and what general expectations are reasonable—to help facilitate success on the job. You can think about these in terms of absolute requirements, expected gains, desired gains, and unexpected gains.
While the lists in each category below are not exhaustive, and the specific “gains” you prioritize will vary depending on your circumstances and career goals, this can give you a starting point. By understanding the various benefits and advocating for those that matter most to you, you can increase your chances of finding a work environment that fosters your professional growth, personal well-being, and overall career satisfaction.
Required gains
These are the must-have offerings from your employer. If your organization doesn’t provide these as part of your employment, consider these your deal breakers:
- Accurate and accessible medical records
- Safe and functional equipment
- Clear communication and protocols
- Adequate staffing and support
- Safe work environment
- Basic training and resources
Expected gains
These gains can build upon the foundations above to provide a more fulfilling work experience. While they may not be absolute dealbreakers, noticing whether these features would be part of your workplace experience can help you choose among opportunities from different employers. Expectations include:
- Access to user-friendly technology to simplify tasks and improve efficiency
- Comfortable and professional uniforms to ensure safety and well-being while reflecting professional pride
- Continuing education opportunities to help you stay current with advancements in veterinary medicine and expand your knowledge base
- A competitive salary and benefits package to recognize the value you bring to the clinic and ensure financial security
- A positive and supportive work environment fosters collaboration, mutual respect, and open communication, contributing to your overall morale and satisfaction
- Recognition and appreciation from colleagues and management to acknowledge your hard work and dedication, reinforcing your value within the team
Desired gains
Some employer offerings are “love to have” rather than “need to have.” Desired gains take things a step further than required and expected gains, offering opportunities for growth and fulfillment beyond the expected. To a certain extent, veterinary nurses have gotten accustomed to not having these gains, which is what the veterinary field should be working hard to change. Not having these gains should not be the norm. These could include:
- Maximizing your skills to allow you to take on more autonomy in patient care or specific tasks
- Having access to updated equipment and tools
- Mentorship and career development programs
- Flexible work arrangements
- Access to wellness programs to help you manage stress, promote mental health, and maintain overall well-being
- Being able to participate in research or advocacy initiatives
Unexpected gains
These are delightful surprises that go beyond even your desired expectations. Unexpected gains might include:
- Being empowered to perform advanced tasks to the full extent of your license
- Receiving compensation comparable to registered nurses
- Having the financial freedom to choose how you spend your free time
- Using cutting-edge equipment not typically available in most clinics
- Early adoption of progressive technologies
- Having your voice heard through amplified platforms within the industry
- Equity ownership in the practice
If your current work environment does not meet your expectations, remember change can also happen from within. Do not fall into the trap of complaining about work among co-workers and letting your voice be unheard. Talk to your leadership to incite change. Leaders who care will listen and have an answer to how they are addressing your problems even if the change cannot be made immediately.
If you have exhausted efforts to improve your work environment and steer your career, it is important to remember you have a choice of employers. Looking elsewhere might be the only option, but before you come to that conclusion, get involved, share your perspective, and collaborate with your colleagues and leaders to push for improvements within your practice. Working together can create a more fulfilling work environment, benefiting the animals and pet owners you serve.
David Bessler, VMD, has been a career emergency veterinarian since 2003. Dr. Bessler founded VEG (Veterinary Emergency Group) in 2014 to offer a radically open, holistic approach for the caregiver, customer, and patient. Today VEG has more than 70 locations nationwide, and treats more than 600,000 pet emergencies a year.
Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC), VTS (SAIM), has dedicated his career to reimagining veterinary nursing for over 20 years. Yagi is currently the chief veterinary nursing officer for VEG and passionately works to bring further recognition of the vital role of veterinary technicians and nurses through work with industry-leading organizations. He is also an advocate for the Open Hospital Concept, encouraging veterinary practices to invite pet owners to “the back” as a part of the team.