My god, I am working at Sketchy Vets.

[wolfcaroling]

When I worked at Bedford Vet, I had a running joke going with my co-worker Megan that we were going to start our own clinic which we could call "Sketchy Vets". It was our way of complaining about clients who seemed to put money ahead of their pet's well being - owners who complained that our high quality food was far too expensive for them, or who

Comments

[paintedkirin]

Wow. That's really sketch. I'm obviously not a tech, but I have worked in vet's offices before (as a kennel assistant and then a tech assistant) and...all I can say is I'm sorry and I hope things improve. Or that you find somewhere else.

Good luck.

[wolfcaroling]

Thanks. If things get too bad, I could probably ask the company that hired me to move me to another location. If things don't change, I seriously don't think I can last more than a month or two.

[grinning_dagger]

You have my sympathy. Be thankful that your background and experience can actually allow you to know sketchiness when you see it so you can make informed decisions about what conditions are acceptable for you to work in

[wolfcaroling]

That is EXACTLY the kind of person she is.

The funny thing is that they're all clearly so desperate for help, and vaguely aware of the fact that their work environment is undesirable. They all expressed joking surprise that I even showed up for my second day. And BCW even pulled me aside yesterday and said that sometimes she lost her temper, but to please not leave because she is a bitch.

That amused me, but also annoyed me, because if you KNOW that you are a bitch, you should really work harder on your attitude, rather than simply begging your coworkers to tolerate it.

[bromache]

Wow. Appalling. Truly appalling. You know, I've seen close to the equivalent at nursing homes here and there, so I know what you mean. But at least in human health care, there are basic standards that have to be met so it never gets quite that bad. Anyway, sounds to me like the very first thing they need to do is cut their clientele in half so they'd have TIME to do things right, then get properly organized so they know HOW to do things right. But that means less money coming in, so probably won't happen easily. I agree with Corinne that changes there are going to be long and painful, so you'll have to really think about whether or not you can handle that process. In some ways, I'd want to run away as far and fast as possible. In other ways, I'd want to stay to make them change for the sake of the poor animals. Both obviously have distinct disadvantages. I wish you luck figuring out what to do. Whatever happens, I know you'll never compromise your ideals or lose your horror at such conditions, so you'll be okay unlike BCW. I can't see

[wolfcaroling]

Yes, I feel both of those things. If I can actually be a HELP in sorting this place out, I will be willing to stay. In other words, if I feel like I have someone (the regional manager or the new vet boss when that person is hired) who back me up when I want to do things right, I could tolerate it. I need someone to say "Actually, BWC, Carol is right and you are wrong." It would validate me and make me feel like I was valued, instead of feeling like I'm the only sane person in the whole world.

[jeanniecee]

Yeah, wow, what a rough situation! I don't know how they can still be opperating! I know that the standards aren't the same as for human healthcare but still! That's appalling! I'm glad to hear the manager seems to want to change things but as everyone keeps saying, it will take time. People hate change, especially if they're stubborn and can't see the benefit for going through all the trouble to do things properly. It happens in restaurants all the time. Hopefully with time, and with getting all registered and official you'll have some more authority to help impliment some changes. I find with teaching it's really hard to suggest to more experienced teachers that there may be another better way of doing things. I generally try to do it in a round about way. I say something like "I was reading something about this other teacher who tried doing this to organize their classroom and it seemed to work really well, I'd like to try it someday too." Or something like that. Totally lame, but it at least sews the seed of thought. I hope things

[wolfcaroling]

Actually, in good veterinary clinics, the standards are EXACTLY the same as for human health care. I've never worked in a clinic with quite that much money, but there are clinics that do absolutely everything the same - same equipment, same procedures, same quality of care... My clinic in Bedford kept to those standards as much as our equipment would allow - our x ray machine was in the treatment area, when it should have been on its own in a lead lined room, for example. But for the most part, they do everything that you should expect of a good doctor.
This hospital... not so much. It's more... third world standards of care.

[jeanniecee]

So what you're saying is I really have to look into the vets we take our kitties. No sketchy vets for us.

[wolfcaroling]

It tends to relate fairly directly to prices, I'm afraid, but you can also tell by the degree to which they nag you to vaccinate, deworm, do bloodwork etc. More nagging = better quality care.

[orenda]

Ugh ugh ugh. I'm so sorry, Carol. At least it sounds like the owner really is interested in fixing this stuff and if he's new and has money, he might even succeed. Good luck. But don't stick it out without a good reason.
This post makes me glad I've left my job.