Professionalism: You at Your Best

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ProfessionalismYou at Your Best!
Denise Mikita, MS, CVT Executive Director
Supporting Quality Veterinary Care
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Overview

• Success
• Professionalism
• Salaries
• Obstacles and Advancing your career
• Enhancing your own career

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Veterinary Technician Oath
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Success

• Define Success
• Your personal definition
• Are you trustworthy?
• What is your integrity?
• Define your boundaries and dont cross them

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Professionalism

• 1. First impressions
• 2. Behavior
• 3. E-mail / phone
• 4. Dress for success
• 5. Attitude

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1. First Impressions

• You never get a second chance at first
  impressions.

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First Impressions

• Youre making a first impression every day
  every time you meet a new client or a new person.
• Its not about the ability to
• express yourself, its about
• the impression that you
• give to others as a
• professional.

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2. Behavior

• The CACVT office has received some complaints
  about certain inappropriate behavior. One example
  is of an employee who just didnt show up for
  work one day (no medical problems or accidents).
• Calls about people not showing up for scheduled
  interviews.
• Small community news travels.

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Good Behaviors?

• Timely (ideally is to show up early)
• Reliable
• Honest
• Respect co-workers, clients,
• yourself
• Caring for animals and people
• Identify them and live by them because they are
  yours and yours alone.

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3. Bad E-mail Habits

• What message are you sending?
• With a society of text messaging and high speed
  communication, make sure your fast impression
  isnt a bad impression.

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Actual e-mail received in office

• Hey XXX,
• It is XXX person's name who wrote this and i
  spoke to XXX about XYZ a veterinary clinic and
  she told me i have been accepted so i just wanted
  to let you know that i feel better being there
  because it is closer to home and i do not have to
  relocate and so i want to let you know that XXX
  emailed me some concerns and i believe that she
  was more concerned that i might not relocate due
  to my situation saying i am not professional
  enough. The only thing i can say is that i do not
  plan to stay in Colorado and want to make my
  internship fun and have a great time learning the
  trade of a Veterinary Technician.

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E-mail / Phone Tips

• There are actual seminars being given on
  e-mailing (e.g., www.CareerTrack.com)

• CACVT Newsletter (pg 5, Dec. 07 issue)
• Search the Internet for ideas many sites
• (google phone etiquette 2,110,000 hits)

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4. Dress for Success

• Clothing is an external indicator of the internal
  attitude, and should be that of a professional.

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Personal Appearance

• Hygiene look and smell clean (breath mints)
• Clean/non-stained ironed scrubs
• keep a change of clothes at work (having a blood
  stain or fecal matter on your scrubs is not a
  status symbol, its just sloppy)
• Roller brush (in the back) to remove animal hair
  before going into the next exam room
• Minimal jewelry / piercing / make-up
• What is cool to you, may or
• may not be cool to someone else.
• Nail care

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5. Attitude

• Have you identified it?
• Are you able to recognize your personal bad
  attitude and change it?
• Avoid Career Landmines.
• Rumor mills
• Boss/co-worker badmouthing
• Attitude mood swings
• Conflict Resolution
• Interpreting and handling conflict
• Conflict checklist www.crnhq.org/freechecklist.htm
  l
• Attitude is everything.

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Representing the Profession

• You are not just promoting yourself, you are
  representing the entire veterinary technology
  profession.
• You are representing me!
• Have a good professional reputation
• Skills, Attitude, Dress, Proactive, Demeanor!

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Phils Technician Philosophy

• As a Veterinary Technician, I promise to
• be punctual and reliable.
• support the decisions that are made for the
  betterment of the hospital.
• obey the rules of the hospital.
• be supportive of my coworkers and leaders.
• be honest with the clients, staff and leaders.
• maintain my professionalism treating clients,
  patients, coworkers and leaders with dignity and
  respect.
• be diligent in the performance of my duties and
  take pride in my work.
• keep technically proficient and continually
  strive to improve my personal and professional
  skills.
• be responsible for my own actions.
• accept responsibility and use initiative when I
  can contribute positively.

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Phils Technician Philosophy

• From my leaders, I expect
• the opportunity to prove my talents - give me a
  chance.
• to be treated with the dignity and respect that I
  afford others.
• honesty about the practice and my position within
  it.
• recognition for my accomplishments and
  contributions to the practice.
• a challenging work environment that will make me
  grow professionally and personally.
• support and redirection when I make mistakes.
• fairness in compensation and responsibilities.

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Salaries

• Web sites e.g., Monster.com or salaryexpert.com
• Negotiate your wage
• Reach for more Pay article in Firstline
• 1 Ask for a raise Do your homework - know what
  is appropriate.
• Think uniquely what else do you need to be
  happy? Other compensation

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Salaries (cont.)

• Think you need a raise?
• Before you ask for that raise, make sure it's
  because you deserve it your performance and
  contributions have exceeded the normal
  expectations. Never ask for a raise because you
  need it - you may be seen as unable to manage
  affairs on a budget or living over your means.
  This can sometimes hurt your credibility in the
  eyes of others.
• Philip J. Seibert, Jr., CVT, www.safetyvet.com

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Salaries (cont.)

• Before you can ask for anything.
• You need to have confidence to show you deserve
  what you're asking for in the first place. You
  have to constantly prove your worth.
• How do you do this?

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Obstacles in your careerHow to overcome them

• If you desire long-term success, youve got to
  commit to life-long learning (continuing
  education)
• Step out of your comfort zone from time to time
• Set specific goals (with a time frame) for
  improvement and work hard to achieve them
• Teach pass along your knowledge to make others
  better as well
• Utilize professional associations they can only
  help you if you ask

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Advancing your career proving your worth

• How do you personally bring in more money for the
  clinic?
• Finding your niche make yourself indispensable
• Specialties
• Understanding the laws
• Understand more than just your job
• Understand how veterinarians are governed
• State Board of Veterinary Medicine

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Future of Veterinary Technology

• Up to you individual efforts do
• make a difference
• Are you by yourself?
• NO!!
• Associations such as CACVT
• Resources magazines (examples Veterinary
  Technician, Firstline, Veterinary Economics),
  CE, Websites (VSPN has a professionalism and
  ethics class)

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CACVT Enhancement Areas

• New Web site
• Will have opportunities listed where you can be
  involved in your professional association.
• Check under
• about cacvt
• committee areas

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CACVT Enhancement Areas

• 2007 Survey
• You can directly enhance the CACVT organization
  and your profession by filling out the 2007
  Survey
• Results available in the members only section
  on the Web site

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CACVT Enhancement Areas

• PR Committee
• Booth chance to talk to the community and
  explain what you do
• 2008 National Veterinary Technician Week task
  force
• Membership Committee
• Fun upcoming event
• Office see behind the scenes and understand
  how the association is run

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Professionalism

• This is when you are at your best!
• Step up to the challenge.
• Understand how you can excel.
• Educate the community as to what you do (CACVT PR
  Committee).
• Represent your profession (veterinary technology)
  in the best possible light every day.
• It matters to everyone because you represent
  everyone!

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Thank youfor being Professional

• Questions? Or to receive a PDF copy of this
  presentation by e-mail,
• please contact me in the CACVT Office.
• Denise Mikita, CVT
• info_at_cacvt.com

Happy Holiday Season!