SmartFlow Blog

Veterinary professionals tend to stick together; there's an unspoken bond between those who dedicate their lives to this profession.  Who else can you vent to about awesome abscesses, challenging cases, and interesting client interactions?

However, there's also another group to keep in mind.  We're talking about family members, friends from high school, friends from hobbies you may have in your (super abundant) free time. You know the ones; friends with animals that they love dearly, but when it comes to questions about their babies - they ask you first rather than going to their regular veterinarian.

In some cases that’s okay, but what happens when it’s something serious? Or what happens when they rely on solely on your advice and never go to the vet?

Here are some things we wish we could tell them:

It's not surprising that many veterinary professionals feel more comfortable around pets than people. Let's face it, we are in a customer service field and we need to take care of the human counterpart of the equation just as much as the animal part! It can be a struggle for some us, but here are some key ways to win over your veterinary clients.

Often, there are misconceptions and preconceived notions about what veterinary technicians are, what they do, and how vital they are to the veterinary practice. Here are our top ten misconceptions about vet techs: 

"It's for your own good." The sentence unconvincingly uttered by countless well-meaning parents to their children. I don't have kids, but have found myself repeating this phrase to my furry children while attempting (usually successfully) to complete a multitude of medical and grooming procedures.

I'm sure my pets wish they had been adopted by an owner who wasn't so anal retentive about vet care. Instead, they got me. Here are some reasons why my pets are less than thrilled with my career choice as a vet tech.

Heading into a professional job interview can be incredibly intimidating and nerve wracking. There are many simple keys to nailing your next interview that shouldn't come as a surprise. Remember that you are interviewing for your career, not just your next job. So, you should...

Our least favourite phrase to hear is "I'm just a vet tech".  Vet techs are crucial to the practice running smoothly and successfully, but we know sometimes the day-to-day can get a bit monotonous.  Often it can feel like there's nowhere to go in the career, and unfortunately this is a big reason people leave the field.  Here are 6 ways to help keep current and grow personally and professionally (and no, one of them is not to become a vet!).

They say most of what you do in life is based on knowledge you received in kindergarten.  We think this theme carries over into your career in vet med. That being said, here are some lessons from the playground that we hope you'll carry into the clinic.

I was recently inspired by an article from Dr. Andy Roark about Dolley, one of his beloved former patients who passed away from cancer. It got me thinking about my past patients, and made me realize just how much we learn from them and their people.

After sitting through countless classes in elementary school, high school, and college, I've come to realize that some of the greatest lessons I've learned have come from the canines in my life.  Those slobbery, ball-chasing goofballs have a lot to teach if you pay attention.

No other part of your job should be more rehearsed, studied, and in tip top shape than your anesthetic monitoring skills. In the past we've mentioned lazy anesthetists and doubling up with monitoring and dental cleanings, but let's focus now on the priority: the patient. Here are basic ways to improve patient care under anesthesia and make the entire experience less stressful for everyone.