The SAVT’s VTS/Mentorship Committee focuses on mentorship, VTNE assistance, and raising awareness of RVT specialties. They are hosting monthly programming that feature different RVTs who have a VTS.
The first session was a Facebook event with Danielle Mierau, RVT VTS (ECC). Danielle shared her story and answered questions on our Facebook page over three days. In case you missed it we have put together the information below. Also included below is Danielle’s biography!
Danielle’s bio:
“I discovered my love for animals, like most of us, in my childhood. I was fortunate enough to grow up in small town Saskatchewan. In the tenth grade we had a work expo at school and that is when I heard about this amazing career, Veterinary Technology. I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a veterinarian; and now I am glad that was my inkling. I did not want to spend my career talking to clients, explaining bills, and looking things up in books. I knew I wanted to actually work “hands on” with the animals. I continued to follow that path and graduated from Kelsey campus SIAST in 1998.After graduation I spent 4 years working at Central Animal Hospital. I became bored in that job, so I moved to Calgary and started to work at Calgary North Animal Hospital. I started in a vacation relief position and was able to work a variety of shifts in different departments. During my stint there I discovered my love for emergency and critical care medicine. There is no “boring” in emergency medicine; every day is different and you never know what may walk in the door. At that point I found out RVTs could specialize in different areas. So I knew what my next goal was.The application process to sit a certifying exam can be quite a daunting process. It involves different requirements, depending on the specialty, but all of them need continuing education, advanced skills, case reports, case logs, letters of recommendation, etc. Between having my application accepted in early 2006 and passing the exam in September of that year, I started working at Calgary Animal Referral and Emergency Centre when it opened. For the next 4 years I worked at the CARE Centre until I started to be homesick for Saskatoon. I moved back home in 2010 and for the past 10 years I have been working as the ICU Team Lead in the Veterinary Medical Centre at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. Working in the VMC I get to teach veterinary technology students as well as veterinary medicine students. I discovered that I enjoy passing on my knowledge and skills to others. It’s exciting to see someone accomplish a new skill knowing that you had a part in teaching them. I consider myself lucky to have a job that I love. I believe you spend way too much time at work to have a job that you don’t enjoy. When you become miserable in your job you become miserable in your life. Life is too short to be miserable. There are so many options available to us as RVTs; find what you love within our field and do it well.”
Registered Veterinary Technologists 