Whether this is your first time here or you've been with us since the beginning, welcome! To kick off this blog, I wanted to share my story with all of you.
Like many who get in the field,
I knew I wanted to work with animals from a young age. My parents grew up with animals and thankfully they shared their love for them with me. We had dogs, cats, chickens, but the ones that had my heart were horses. Don’t get me wrong, I love all animals, but horses are such amazing creatures. I rode competitively until I moved to Florida in 2019. Don’t worry, I plan to get back into it ASAP!
When it came time to apply for college,
I thought the only route was becoming a veterinarian. As you know, this isn't the case and after a semester at University, I came home. It definitely wasn’t for me.
After a semester off and some research, I got a job as a veterinary assistant at a small animal general practice. This was what I was meant to do… care for the voiceless. Being my first job in the field, I didn’t know any better but the clinic was old school and did a few things I didn’t agree with. This resulted in me leaving only after a couple of months.
The following semester, in 2016, I began at a local community college. Looking back, it is crazy how toxic this school was and how similar it was to clinics I've been in/hear about in Facebook groups.
My favorite part was the lab portion of the Farm Animal course because who doesn't love some cows and the smell of manure?! Other than that, the professors despised one another and most of them had the "sink or swim" mentality. This way of teaching unfortunately didn't allow me to thrive. Not all was bad though, during this time, I was working at my unicorn clinic. It was a small integrative practice that taught me every chance they could. What I loved most was that they showed me every aspect of the business, caring for the patients and the how a clinic should be run. I was thriving at work, applying what I was learning in school and using it in real time which was very satisfying. Everything was going great but school, on the other hand, was very bumpy and one day I had enough.
I was venting to my boss and manager about how hard I was trying in school; going to office hours, tutoring, and one professor, in particular, was just so tough to work with. After some back and forth, my boss & manager recommended Penn Foster, a school where I could complete my veterinary technician degree online.
It was a game changer and I began to✨flourish✨
Is Penn Foster College accredited you may ask? Keep reading to find out.
I was able to work at my unicorn clinic full time, complete my school work on my own time and at my own pave. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some hard times juggling school and work. Staying motivated was tough some days but you just have to remember what happens after you complete the degree- you get to take the VTNE and become a Veterinary Technician. I truly believe working at a clinic willing to mentor me while in Penn Foster’s program helped tremendously and was the reason I succeeded. I was able to apply what I was learning at work and ask questions when I needed from amazing co-workers.
My path was definitely not the straightest, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I learned so much along the way, have met amazing colleagues/mentors, and became the technician I am today because of it all. Stay tuned for my next blog post as I share my experience working at a specialty clinic! In the meantime, check us out on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok