Managing Other Vet Techs
If you have been a vet tech for a while, odds are you will soon get a supervisory role over other technicians and assistants. This can be hard if you all worked in the same clinic for a long time. Managing people who are your friends is probably the toughest thing a veterinary technician has to do.
The most important thing is to be able to set your friendship aside at work and maintain a professional relationship. One where you feel you correct a mistake or tell an employee that they are not performing up to the standard.
Once the other techs know you take your supervisor role seriously they should fall into line quickly. It is the first couple of weeks that are the hardest.
Employees are always testing the boundaries at work, so you need to establish firm ones and stick to them, even if your closest friend at the vet clinic is breaking the rules.
The Vet Clinic owners put trust in you when they give you a supervisor role, so make sure you do not let them down.
There are more and more management courses offered at veterinary conferences these days, so find one of these and go.
Remember, there are other people who have had the same problems your are having. Find them and ask how they solved their management problems.
