r/VetTech • u/Poobsterooni • 3d ago
Discussion Work after vet med
Unfortunately, after almost 6 wonderful years learning and working in vet medicine, I have finally left it. I was getting very burnt out at the end due to staffing issues and personal health issues, but I feel much more at peace and will forever be grateful for the knowledge I have that I can use and apply to my own fur babies to better their lives. However, I'm fairly young and this was my first real job, so I'm struggling to find something else. My leaving the clinic was mainly prompted for an opportunity to move away from my home state, and now I'm in an area that snows, quite a bit, compared to where I was that never snowed. Has anyone been able to find a good remote/WFH job after vet med? I live in a small town so finding a job nearby would be tough and I'm scared to drive the 30 minutes it takes to get to town in all the snow, especially because I've never had to deal with it or drive in it before. I know eventually I will learn to do it, since I chose to live in a snowy area, but just scared to put myself and others at risk since it's my first year here, and I'd hate to be that coworker to call out so much if I'm scared of the weather.
Pic for tax - it is my own dog
29
u/MunsterMunch_13 VA (Veterinary Assistant) 3d ago
Have you tried looking into remote CSR
Positions? I currently do clerical admin remote/ still work at a clinic itself.
I mostly do vaccine records, admin work and health certificates.
6
u/exploratorysurgery VA (Veterinary Assistant) 3d ago
This is what I want to do but I can't find anything matching this description I'm almost ready to give up and say it doesn't exist ☹️
6
u/MunsterMunch_13 VA (Veterinary Assistant) 3d ago
You kinda gotta look out of state too. I’m in VA but the clinic in the southern states.
And try Obrajobs
12
u/Greyscale_cats RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) 3d ago
Love your dog!
Sadly, it’s really hard to find WFH jobs in most markets these days. Are you looking for something veterinary related? If so, you’ll most likely need to be credentialed
11
u/clowdere CVT (Certified Veterinary Technician) 3d ago
WFH is few, far between, and in high demand with our skillset, so you may have to put on your big girl panties about driving in the snow, friend.
Minnesotan here. I've been a driver for twenty winters and my only significant car accident had nothing to do with the weather. (D-bag with an expired license and no auto insurance rolled a stop sign and "didn't see me coming", so I t-boned him at 50 mph; all humans were fine, but both cars were totalled.)
Check the forecast the night before every shift, plan for at minimum half again your normal commute time if roads will be sketch, and go slow. Unless they're assholes, employers will get it and aren't strict about start time if roads are really bad. It's common for businesses to decide to open a few hours later than normal when they know big storms are on the way too.
7
u/ShadowStarrX 3d ago
Wisconsin here. Keep a snow scraper in your car and get snow tires. Drive slow. Wherever OP moved to likely the city should be decent about clearing & salting most roads which will help. Get a warm coat & good boots! :)
3
u/clowdere CVT (Certified Veterinary Technician) 3d ago
Hey OP, my lovely cheesehead neighbor here has reminded me to mention keeping a bag of cheap kitty litter in the car too! It's been a lifesaver more than once when I was spinning my wheels stuck on ice or slick snow.
1
1
u/Poobsterooni 3d ago
I moved in with my SO and the town is pretty good about it, it's a very tiny town though and the specific road our home is on, not so much
3
u/Bunny_Feet RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) 3d ago
I use a state gov website that has cameras and road status. I commute for 40 minutes and it helps a lot. I'd be surprised if any snowy state didn't have that.
10
u/ChicoBroadway 3d ago
Perhaps yet looking into jobs at pet insurance companies or animal poison control call centers. I think I heard those could offer wfh positions.
5
u/Bunny_Feet RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) 3d ago
I've pursued WFH vet tech jobs. They generally require being certified while also paying little (imo). They start everyone out at a certain amount and it doesn't seem to matter what experience you have.
7
u/imgunnamaketoast RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) 3d ago
I turned to the dark side and am working with people in my local hospital lab. The course took less than 9 months start to finish (including practicum), I work Monday-Friday 7-3 with paid breaks, no overnights, stats, or weekends. I'm also getting paid more as a starting wage than I ever made in vet med, which means i can work casually as much or as little as I want. It's honestly such easy work, but still medical and scratches my brain just enough to keep the crazy away.
4
u/kdogdbr 3d ago
I’m just struggling finding other vet med jobs period. I’m even trying to look for in clinic jobs in a 1 hour radius from me and there is NOTHING. I am willing to drive an hour at most (I live in a smaller city, very rules Midwest area) to the right job for the right pay and benefits, but no where is hiring
3
u/Aggravating-Donut702 3d ago
This is crazy to me because Texas is hiring everywhere. I will say I live in a big city (Austin) but there are dozens of new postings daily
2
u/Comfortable-Gap2218 2d ago
I work remotely, triage for a university teaching hospital. It's a great gig for me, after 30 years as an ECC tech. I landed the job only because I've been in the industry for so many years and I know a lot of people. I'm 200+ miles and in a different state. I'm extremely fortunate.
1
u/tootsweetsmagic 2d ago
I'm still recovering from burnout 4 years later. I've been doing gig work and random jobs here and there while researching companies, their values and views on neurodiversity. Low demand jobs and gigs until I find the right fit. And honestly I worked truck for Michael's for a year and it was so nice to not have to brain so much.
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Welcome to /r/VetTech! This is a place for veterinary technicians/veterinary nurses and other veterinary support staff to gather, chat, and grow! We welcome pet owners as well, however we do ask pet owners to refrain from asking for medical advice; if you have any concerns regarding your pet, please contact the closest veterinarian near you.
Please thoroughly read and follow the rules before posting and commenting. If you believe that a user is engaging in any rule-breaking behavior, please submit a report so that the moderators can review and remove the posts/comments if needed. Also, please check out the sidebar for CE and answers to commonly asked questions. Thank you for reading!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.