{"id":2333,"date":"2017-06-29T14:08:06","date_gmt":"2017-06-29T18:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phosdev.com\/todaysveterinarynurse\/?post_type=articles&p=2333"},"modified":"2022-01-10T20:26:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-10T20:26:57","slug":"career-success-the-long-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarynurse.com\/personal-wellbeing\/career-success-the-long-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Success: The Long Run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melissa* has been a licensed veterinary technician for over 30 years. She came to me for coaching recently because she \u201cjust wasn\u2019t feeling it.\u201d She felt like she had nothing left to give and was deeply concerned about that. Here was a career she once adored, but now she was thinking about leaving it.<\/p>\n

Much of the work I do with veterinary technicians is reminding them who they are and the power they have in their own lives. Many of them have given their power away to coworkers, managers, clients, and others.<\/p>\n

Does this phrase sound familiar? I\u2019d be happy in my job if only _________ would change.<\/em><\/p>\n

I have wonderful news for you. The only thing that has to change to make you happy in your job is the way you are thinking. Your thoughts create your feelings, and you<\/em> can choose what to think.<\/p>\n

I have another client who works in a newly acquired corporate practice. There has been a fair amount of change in the practice\u2014software systems, client pricing, standard operating procedures, leadership, staffing, staff attitudes, etc. This technician felt overwhelmed, so she reached out to me for help. I told her that she gets to choose how to think about the situation. One option is to think what many of the staff are thinking: This stinks! Everything is changing, and I hate it.<\/em><\/p>\n

But why dwell on your disappointment and hatred?<\/p>\n

Once my client became more aware of how she was thinking, she realized how sad they all sounded, complaining nonstop while feeling miserable and hating their jobs.<\/p>\n

This client worked on how she wanted to think about the situation and came up with, I can still take really good care of our patients; that hasn\u2019t changed<\/em>. She modified her mindset, and that changed how she felt about it all. She told me, \u201cNothing at the hospital has changed. There\u2019s still this acquisition going on, the software systems and fees are still changing, some people are leaving and some are joining the practice, and there\u2019s still this air of negativity among the staff. But I have changed how I\u2019m thinking about it all. Because of that, I feel better than I\u2019ve felt in a long time!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.\u201d <\/span>
\n \u2014Dr. Wayne Dyer <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Being successful and having longevity in veterinary medicine is absolutely connected to how well you choose to think about it, and also how well you are taking care of yourself.<\/p>\n

Create a paradigm shift.<\/strong> We think that we are either taking care of others or we\u2019re taking care of ourselves. But those efforts are not mutually exclusive. In order to take care of others, you have<\/strong> to take care of yourself. There\u2019s no way around it, unless you don\u2019t want to do this work for long or you want to harbor enormous amounts of resentment and anger. I don\u2019t want that for you, and I know you don\u2019t want that either.<\/p>\n

How are you creating space for yourself in your life? It\u2019s time to connect to the part of you that is who you really are. Not you the human doing<\/em>, but you the human being<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This space might look like quiet time, time in nature, exercise, creativity, unplugging from technology, meditation, journaling, playing music, reading inspiring books, etc. It\u2019s anything that connects you to yourself and makes you feel replenished.<\/p>\n

Have a plan.<\/strong> What are your aspirations? Do you want to be a supervisor, teach, or secure a job in industry? Do you want to work in lab animal, shelter, emergency, or specialty medicine? Do you want to become board-certified in a certain specialty or stay exactly where you are, doing exactly what you\u2019re doing (which is totally fine, by the way)?<\/p>\n

If you want a new challenge, then reach out to someone who is doing what you want to do and ask questions.<\/p>\n

As a veterinary assistant, I knew I wanted to get into industry, so I went to conferences and talked to the manufacturer representatives and eventually landed some interviews. This led me to working for a veterinary distributor.<\/p>\n

Increase your value.<\/strong> How else would you like to serve your patients and clients? Maybe you want to offer nutritional or grief support. Look into ways to become certified in areas that pique your interest. Dog training, dental care, and weight management are specialties in which technicians can truly excel and that are often neglected within many practices. Search out those areas where you can take ownership of a niche, and make it yours!<\/p>\n

Step away from the negativity.<\/strong> You don\u2019t have to look hard to find people complaining. It\u2019s everywhere: at work, on Facebook and other social media outlets, even on the nightly news. Just opt out, walk away, close the page, or change the channel, but do what you need to do to shield yourself from it. We think we\u2019ll feel better if we all get together to complain about something or someone, but if you pay attention, you\u2019ll most likely find that you end up feeling worse. Negativity breeds negativity. Protect yourself from its toxic web (BOX 1)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>BOX 1<\/strong> Escaping Negative Thinking<\/div>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you find yourself stuck in negative thinking, then start a gratitude practice (for some tips, see \u201cAttitude of Gratitude<\/a><\/strong>\u201d) Training your brain to find the good things that happen every day and appreciating them can shift the way you experience the world. Start with identifying 3 things every day for which you are grateful, and try to not repeat them. I recommend this practice at the end of your shift on your commute home, especially as a way to help you transition from a work mode to your personal time.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maintain your passion.<\/strong> How you feel about your work is 100% up to you. You can work in a hospice practice, animal shelter, vivarium, emergency practice, or anywhere else and completely love it. It\u2019s all in how you think about it. Your thoughts create your life.<\/p>\n

Deal with people.<\/strong> I became a veterinary technician so I could work with people<\/em>, said no technician ever. Yet, in all of our roles, we must deal with people. I\u2019ve always seen interacting with people as a technician\u2019s superpower. Clients value your opinion and skill set. You may often be the touchpoint between them and the veterinarian. When my dog Virgil was going through chemo, it was the technician who called me every few days to check in on him. I came to really appreciate those calls and her knowledge. She was such a valuable asset to me when I had questions for the oncologist.<\/p>\n

Consider taking on more of a liaison role to help support your clients and veterinarians. The more value you can provide, the more job satisfaction you will have. It also helps at yearly review time to show all the value you bring to your organization.<\/p>\n

Be an emotional adult.<\/strong> Being an emotional adult means taking full responsibility for how we feel. Other people are not responsible for how you feel; that\u2019s an inside<\/em> job. Your feelings come from your thoughts about circumstances (the facts), not the circumstance itself.<\/p>\n

And ask yourself\u2026<\/p>\n