Before the clinic was sold a few years back, the partnered veterinarians who owned the facility prioritized QUALITY of care as well as customer service. It was a great place to perfect the fundamental skills of being a vet tech. The techs & receptionists were pros when it came to interacting with clients and their animals. That started to change, however, when the clinic was sold to VCA. QUANTITY surpassed quality of care. Everyone was constantly stressed out and spread thin. This led to many mistakes being made by even the most seasoned staff members that were just too overwhelmed. The atmosphere was always so tense, and the clients were starting to notice it with how rushed the appointments were becoming. On many days, it was no longer a safe or healthy atmosphere to be working with animals. They’re often terrified to begin with — especially cats. Any seasoned tech will know that trying to handle an animal when you’re stressed out is a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, I have never worked for a company that under-appreciates its staff like VCA. No matter how hard you worked, how much you did to bring in revenue, or how much you did to go above and beyond your normal duties, you’d be lucky if you earned a 25¢ raise each year. Regional managers treated us like we were an inconvenience whenever they were there.
