It’s that time of year again. No, not biennial inventory counts or holiday scheduling. I’m talking about Veterinary Technician Week, often known as Vet Tech Week. There was a big conversation online recently about title protection and the terms “technicians,” “licensed professionals,” and some of the other support staff titles. Then the conversation turned quickly to the awareness and appreciation weeks for the individual departments within the practice. There is Vet Tech Week, Boss’s Day, World Veterinary Day, and Receptionist Day, but we don’t necessarily have other days to celebrate the other departments, like kennel assistants, groomers, or veterinary managers. There are a lot of people working within the practice who don’t get their day unless we create a day or week for them. In advance of the event, I thought I would share some of the insight I gathered digging into the aspects of Vet Tech Week. Seeing all the strong emotions shared about Vet Tech Week online, I considered how this one week affects the overall practice culture. There are so many conversations on social media around this topic, and it was definitely a heated debate last year. When you consider the added stress of COVID restrictions, staffing, long hours, burnout, finances, bonuses, and other Vet Tech Week expectations, it is no wonder people got engaged in the discussion. During Vet Tech Week, there are so many posts asking about “how they feel about” and “what they do” for that week. There were so many responses and an overwhelming amount of great ideas shared. I can’t include them all here, but I wanted to list some of the standout ideas I noticed got the most appreciation or acknowledgement. Some fell flat despite best intentions, like gifting plain everyday pens. Sorry, but most of us steal those from work anyway. Just kidding, not really. The big debate continues, one or all? Does your practice celebrate Veterinary Technician Week or all the departments within the same week? There are many opinions on preferences. Several practices responded they celebrate one week for the entire hospital because they don’t want to alienate other team members. Other practices celebrate them as separate weeks and further within those the variety of reasoning for it. One interesting perspective was budgetary and emotional; they opted to dedicate specific weeks to specific departments, which allowed them to budget and spread out the expense throughout the year. The gifts and celebrations got to be a little more elaborate than if they bought and prepared gifts and events for the entire team all in one week. That is a great point for splitting up the holidays and making the expense more affordable while recognizing the departments individually. One assistant I spoke with, named Tiffany, shared this about having one singular week for all departments: “I personally am working in a practice now that does the all-in-one week. I do understand without each department, such as reception, we would not have appointments to see. Same goes for kennel. They make sure everything is clean and stocked for the hospital. As a four-doctor practice that, at times, has surgery and rooms going all at once, doesn’t provide much time for the extras. It’s a team effort and ensures everyone feels loved and appreciated without having to wait for our specific week.” Gifting wins from 2020 As I got deeper into this discussion, I began looking at which types of gifts were appreciated and which were not. This always seems to be such a hotly debated topic when October rolls around. What kind of gifts are people giving? What kind of effort are they putting into it? What are some creative new ideas that we haven not done or seen yet? I am sure Pinterest and Etsy website traffic numbers greatly increase during this time of year. Some of the big wins I noted from this past year were custom tumblers created for the technicians, jackets and hoodies, customized stickers, stethoscopes with custom name tags, and key chains with veterinary charms. Daily breakfasts and lunches brought in either by the reps or sponsored by the practice itself were also very popular. Some practices also reported bringing in coffee trucks, snow cone trucks, and taco trucks for their teams to enjoy throughout the week. One practice reported they host a large catered meal for technicians and their families. They believe technicians would not be able to do what they do for their patients without their family’s support. One savvy practice manager shared how they got clients in on the action. They sent out a mass email, letting the clients know it was Vet Tech Week and to be sure to go onto their social media channels or stop by the practice and share their appreciation for the technicians. They got a huge response, and all it cost was a little bit of time and an email. Anytime we can find a way to positively connect with our teams and clients right now is a huge win. This is also a great way to remind teams the clients really are there as a partner in the health care of the pets. We have so many negative interactions with clients these days, and having opportunities to share the positive and share the appreciation for one another really helps strengthen the relationship. The dark side of Vet Tech Week Vet Tech Week does not pass without some negativity or angst for many managers and owners. There were several who expressed frustration and stress over creating what they think will be a very special week to celebrate their technicians. I found it eye opening how many managers reported they spent a great deal of time really trying to figure out what will resonate and what will be truly special for their teams. They reported spending their own money and preparing these treats themselves because there was not a budget for it otherwise. A couple of the same managers later shared they were not thanked, nor felt appreciated for the effort and money they put into it. One manager shared, “Vet Tech Week stresses me out every single year. There, I said it! I never feel like I have done enough.” The sense I got from this was managers do try and want to show their appreciation, and many times feel less than adequate. Technicians and support staff also reported disappointment with the efforts or lack of efforts made during Vet Tech Week. Reading deeper into what they were (and were not) saying, I noticed those in this camp were not complaining about the gifts or the effort; they were sharing their frustration it only happens during Vet Tech Week, or the managers do the work and ownership isn’t as involved or engaged in the celebrations. They shared feelings of an overwhelming sense of unappreciation from the ownership year-round and Vet Tech Week is like this big week where ownership gets to make it up through the hard-working manager’s efforts. Ouch. Look in the mirror Do you fall into the camp where you go all out for Vet Tech Week and the other groups in the practice might not be shown the same appreciation? Owners, do you wait to see what your manager has planned? Techs, are you in the group that overlooks the efforts, gifts, thought, and time that goes into pulling off an amazing Vet Tech Week? Be sure to thank your owners and managers for showing you love during Vet Tech Week. Owners and managers, be sure to share some of the love year-round. Don’t just save it up for one week out of the year. Our practice culture is developed year-round in every moment we interact with one another. Most responses about Vet Tech Week from both sides of the discussion were very positive. I invite you to go online to some of the groups you are in and do a search within that group for ‘Vet Tech Week’ and read some of the responses. It may give you some insight into how Vet Tech Week is received and perceived, and maybe help you decide what kind of changes you can make for your practice and your practice culture. AND THE WINNER IS… The idea I thought was the best is incredibly clever. It involved hosting an auction each day during Vet Tech Week. Team members earned Monopoly money throughout the year for doing good deeds, excellent care accomplishments, completing CE, and other tasks this practice included. Then during the auction, they could use the money to bid on really nice prizes like iPads, stethoscopes, speakers, time off, and more. This is a great program where you can incentivize positive culture efforts and teamwork throughout the year and have a fun game at the end during Vet Tech Week. These prizes could also be sponsored by vendors or be purchased throughout the year by the practice, so the expense is spread out. Rhonda Bell, CVPM, CCFP, CDMP, is founder and co-owner of Dog Days Consulting, a social media and brand management company. She spent 15 years as a practice manager working the day-to-day challenges of the veterinary practice and experienced firsthand the stresses, joys, communication dilemmas, and wonders of working in veterinary medicine. She now dedicates her work and energy to helping practices succeed online and to coaching team members with the skills that will, hopefully, prolong their careers.
