At Pets Best, we recognize that the veterinary industry is largely powered by the hardworking and dedicated certified veterinary technicians across the nation. To acknowledge their tireless efforts, we created the Why I Love Being a Vet Tech contest, now in its second year. In partnership with the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), we are pleased to announce the top eight finalists for 2015.
Meet Deanne Pawlisch, a vet tech who got her start as a kennel attendant in the early '80s. She became a technician in 1986 and now works at Midwest Veterinary Dermatology Center in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Deanne's “furry family” consists of “Frenchie and the Flying Terrier Brothers!”—a posse which includes Riddick the Frenchie and three terriers: Derby, Rubgy and Wilbur; Julio Hiver and Diego del Fuego, two cats which Deanne is convinced “eat tapas and listen to Flamenco music when no one is home”; and her horse, Flash.
In her spare time, Deanne enjoys riding her horse, taking her dogs on adventures, FURminating her cats, and scrapbooking.
Read on to learn more about Deanne and her contribution to the veterinary community.
Why did you choose to become a vet tech?
I always wanted to work in the veterinary profession. As a small child I would “doctor” the family pets with my Dr. Doolittle bag (a plastic purse with Kleenex, Band-Aids and Scotch tape inside).
If you could improve upon or change one thing about the veterinary industry, what would that be?
It would be how our profession is perceived. Most veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants are well-trained and very dedicated to the profession and the animal community around them. But nearly all are underpaid. I understand that hardly anyone goes into the veterinary profession for remunerative reasons, but most leave for meaningful and interesting employment that affords improved long-term financial benefits. I think it is a crime that the majority of certified technicians are out doing "something else" in about five years. This is a drain on expertise, experience and compassion that the profession can ill afford not to address. I would want “veterinary technician” to be recognized as a career choice (like nursing) with the respect and salary that accompanies that distinction.
Does your clinic talk to clients about pet insurance? And do you see the value of such coverage?
The clinic where I work does talk to clients about health insurance. According to founder of Pets Best, Dr. Jack Stephens, "Insured pets have more visits and greater spending on their care than non-insured pets." In my experience I have found this statement to be true, especially during emergent situations; clients who have pet insurance are less stressed regarding the financial aspects of their pet’s care and more likely to follow the prescribed medical treatment.
Tell us why you enjoy being a vet tech.
It affords me the opportunity to experience something different every day while I live the dream!
We invite you to stay tuned to our blog, where we will be sharing the in-depth Q&A sessions we held with the contest's remaining finalists. To learn more about the Why I Love Being a Vet Tech Contest, click here. The contest winner will receive a one-year NAVTA membership and a paid trip to the 2016 North American Veterinary Community Conference. You may vote here for Deanne or any of the other finalists once a day through Thursday, September 17th.