TechLife: Specialized Tech Training Continues
March 31, 2023
Our team members are known for focusing on their professional growth and we are wagging our tails with pride to support their ongoing education. TechLife continues to grow their in-person regional training to meet the needs of our veterinary technicians. Sarah Farina, LVT, at Goosepond Animal Hospital, NY led the inaugural regional training last year and since then it has expanded to include other technician trainers who have extensive tech experience and a passion for teaching.
In 2023 TechLife helped orchestrate the outreach to other technicians in the Virginia/Maryland region interested in providing training similar to what Sarah achieved in the New York area. Liz Brooks, Regional Manager, brought on Kristen Moran, Hospital Manager at Ashburn Village Animal Hospital, VA after learning she had an interest in training and development. They worked alongside Rachel Cramer, LVT at Merrifield Animal Hospital, VA, and Natalie McVey, LVT, at Emmitsburg Veterinary Hospital, MD to bring this training to life.
Liz explained, "We met monthly, created an agenda from the feedback I had collected from the teams, and developed presentations and content. Kristen was a rockstar and put together a binder full of additional resources we simply did not have time to present on but felt important the attendees should have. Every attendee left with a binder to take back to their teams." Kristen added, "Organization, teamwork, problem-solving (with caffeine of course) were all critical touchpoints of making our training day for assistants a success."
The first training in the region was on January 28, 2023, and included 10 techs from across four area hospitals. Hosted by Ashburn Village Animal Hospital, there were four sessions total, the final one covering all of the important resources available as a VetCor team member. Rachel referenced a big difference between this type of training and what happens on the job, "I hope the techs felt like they were getting training in a setting where they could focus just on learning and not have to worry about being pulled in different directions as so often happens with on the job training."
It wasn't just the techs that sharpened their skills either, Natalie shared, “I've never trained in this facet before. Mostly on-the-job training new hires, but this experience was great. For me, it highlighted a teaching/presenting aspect, which I found I enjoy more than I thought I would!”
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Liz and Kristen are currently in the process of creating another series of training sessions starting at the end of April. This series will be geared toward experienced techs interested in learning more about dentistry and will feature Chief of Staff Advisor, Dr. Salber. Liz, Sarah Farina, and Nicole Frank, Regional Manager, are also putting on a dentistry training in NJ for May.
As part of TechLife, Sarah has been in touch with experienced techs interested in being trainers in other states with the hopes of continuing to grow this training program. She adds, "I'm happy to see the regional training expand. I'm delighted with how far we've come in only a year, and I'm excited to see what the future holds."
Tech training and education is one of the priorities of TechLife and we are excited to watch it grow and impact more techs in our network. If you are a VetCor tech and are interested in finding out more about mentoring in your practice or about the regional training initiative, connect with your teammates on the TechLife Facebook group.
