The Scenic Route Still Ends Up In The Right Place

Submitted by Daniel O’Hara, Second Year VT Student at Sask Polytechnic

Like a number of people who become RVTs, my initial dreams and aspirations when I was younger were to become a veterinarian. The thought of become a tech never crossed my mind at first, and so I explored some other career paths when the length of schooling to become a vet discouraged me from taking that route. Nothing I tried felt like the right fit however, and I started to consider becoming a vet tech as an option when going back to the drawing board.

Even at the point where I initially toyed with the idea, I didn’t fully understand the role of an RVT in practice. As I started to look into it more, it was enough to make my decision to pursue becoming an RVT a concrete one. Doing my volunteer hours to prepare for school, school itself, and working as a Tech Assistant on the weekends have all reaffirmed that decision as the right one to make and given me a new level of respect for all of the RVTs out there. Until the last couple of years I hadn’t realized how much they truly form the backbone of veterinary medicine.

Coming back to school again as a mature student with post-secondary experience has felt like a boon to this point in my education. Although in a way I feel as though I wasted the years before applying to the Veterinary Technology program, it also has given me a solid foundation to work from. I came into the program knowing how I learn best, how I need to study, and with a hunger to succeed that I hadn’t previously felt. The program has still been a challenge and there’s more to come yet, but I appreciate rather than regret the time it took me to start on this path.

The farther along I get in the process of completing my education, the more my time in practice and on the board of the SAVT makes me proud to have chosen to join the ranks of this profession. There’s a plethora of experienced RVTs on the board and in the province that are more than happy to share tips and tricks they’ve learned over the years and answer questions students and recent grads have. The SAVT has also shown lots of support for students throughout the chaos Covid-19 has caused with our education. It’s encouraging to have those reminders that as students we’re a welcome and wanted addition to industry in the future.

Despite the challenge of the program, and the extra challenges that the current pandemic has added on to an already difficult program, I couldn’t be happier with my choice to go down the path of becoming an RVT. I’m excited to continue forward, especially with practicums coming up in the new year. Looking ahead, I’m excited to get the chance to do more in a clinic setting and the opportunities for further learning and improvement that come along with that. It finally feels as though we’re more or less in the home stretch of the program, and I’m excited to see what the future holds after graduation and the VTNE.