When I was 16 years old, I began my first after-school job, working as a kennel assistant in a veterinary hospital. I loved working at the clinic. Every day promised something new to learn, something fascinating to watch or something exhilarating to witness.
For the next eight years, I continued working part time in various animal hospitals as I finished high school, then college. I worked as a veterinary assistant, then office receptionist, then technician. I got to see all the inner workings of a veterinary hospital, including client communication, patient care and advanced diagnostic techniques. I thought the things veterinarians were capable of doing back then were amazing.
I was impressed once again as I read Vet 2.0 (page 40) about the way veterinary clinics are operating in the digital age. From digital radiography and paperless practices, to computerized medical records and touch screens in exam rooms, taking your dog to the vet has become high tech.
I would have welcomed some of that technology back when we sometimes had to search for misplaced radiographs in a dark, cramped closet that served as our X-ray developing and filing room. It would have been nice to just pull them up on a computer screen. Fortunately, some things have really changed – and for the better!