To Get That LVT or Not???

19 Mar

We made it.  Maybe we were whimsical and impractical about moving logistics.  After the expensive move (which was hardly a mercurial choice) from Seattle to random Spokane we have resisted the urge to spend money capriciously long enough to catch up financially.  Cool and I willfully avoided any and all expenditures that were not absolutely necessary–and put off some that were way too long.  Our erratic job possibilities in the beginning of our move made this a difficult task to accomplish–but we managed it.  It was by pure chance and luck that I found my (wonderfully, awesome) job and Cool got an arbitrary job at a call center.  That is fickle about keeping people, and has erratic scheduling policies.  BUT even though her job is completely inconsistent, at least it pays the bills!

the flight

After moving so much I would like to gain a little job security.  Also, my salary has been at a standstill for some time now, and an instant pay-raise wouldn’t hurt my feelings.  I think employers are starting to give preference to licensed techs rather than ones with experience–even if that experience is substantial, and the person has a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science for fuck’s sake.  Also, an LVT or RVT doesn’t guarantee a better employee–no technical school (or legit college for that matter) can teach work ethic.  Anyway, veterinary technician jobs reach a stagnation phase pretty quickly–you can’t have upward mobility without more education.  So as soon as I heard that Washington allows people to take a test rather than paying for two years of technical school (which is below my college-level course material) I was all about it!  I may not agree with the inertia of veterinary assistant monetary compensation or the stasis in hiring individuals without a tech license, but that doesn’t mean I can’t “play the game” as Mary advised me to do repeatedly.  I want equilibrium in my career, and I thought showing the veterinary admissions board I had the initiative to take an extra test and get extra credentials behind my name couldn’t hurt.

“playing the game”

The Veterinary Technician National Exam criteria were difficult to discern.  Distinguishing current rules, procedure, and timelines for veterinary technicians compared to whatever else was next to impossible.  As soon as I would glimpse a plausible answer to my questions, I would spot another, contrary set of procedural rules.  Coming to any kind of perception about my eligibility was frustrating!  Detecting the true source of correct information about whether I should waste my time to apply to take the test was damn-near impossible!  As soon as I spotted some rules, I would see other links leading me to different pages and governing bodies and rules to espy.  If I spied something that seemed helpful at all, it turned out to be geared toward something else.  Separating what I needed to know and differentiating between tests proved too much for me.  I could tell they didn’t want people to use the experience pathway anymore because they wouldn’t even let you recognize the material for that application.  I feel it’s pretty discriminatory considering the law still allows people to test-in to their LVT until 2015.  I thought I could better catch up with the info if I called and talked to an actual person.  The help line couldn’t tell me that much either.

camouflage

Oh, and let me back up a little.  I have a natural inclination towards veterinary medicine.  As a child, I had a predisposition towards animals.  I also had a predilection towards science from a young age.  And of course my penchant for hard work, and partiality towards organization didn’t hurt my future goals.  My propensity for responsibility garnered me many leadership positions, and early volunteer and job positions in veterinary hospitals.  That is still my eventual goal–to become nothing less than a veterinarian!

I have been working and working to crest that steep hill of veterinary school acceptance.  It would be the crescendo of my life to get that DVM behind my name!  It has always been the climax of my day to head to the hospital.  Hopefully, working FOR veterinarians is not the capstone of my veterinary experience.  Of course, I would not want the acme of my working life to end at LVT.  I would like to see the culmination of all my efforts end in a veterinary career.

Though I am a connoisseur of the veterinary admissions process, having applied a zillion times, I did not realize my plan might hurt my chances of acceptance.  The veterinarian I work with on Fridays and some Saturdays, an authority in admissions herself (3 attempts) and married to a vet, told me to be careful about getting an LVT.  She said being an epicure tech could make the board think that was all I needed to be happy.  She said, she had known licensed technicians and horse-shoe gourmets who had tried and failed to get into vet school repeatedly.  Even though I think it’s stupis and discriminatory to reject people with proven skills, again, I need to jump through the right hoops and make life easier on myself (for once).

let me in!

And easier sounds good right now.  I don’t even like to bring it up, because I am still putting my whole heart into this project of getting admitted into a veterinary program, but after this year, my efforts will dramatically slacken.  After years and years of trying, my devotion to veterinary school, and especially the tedious application process is flagging.  And no, not because I have lost interest in my dream career.  My motivation has not subsided, but my energy has waned.  Understand the difference?  And who’s spirit would not dwindle after so many close-calls and eventual failures?  Declining vigor and the strength to carry on after this possible failure will have ebbed completely.  A person can only take so much, and wait so long.  I have to start my life some time in the near future because I’m not getting any younger.  I would love for it to be on my chosen path of veterinary medicine, but if it doesn’t happen for me, I need to pursue other interests.

What ARE my other interests?  I’m not certain I know of any concrete and viable jobs that I am truly interested in (and that will pay the bills).  Throwing myself so completely in pursuit of my animal aspirations sort of obstructed any other career paths.  I guess my hunger for the ONE profession blocked out any other job desires, and closed the door on any other career paths.  It’s not like I meant to occlude any possible employment, but focusing so intently on becoming a veterinarian pretty much barricaded some options for me.  Maybe I completely obstructed any other meaningful career by wanting the vet thing too much?

It would be salubrious to have a back up plan.  Bracing myself for another possible failure would be the prudent thing to do.  In the past, I thought doing that was as good as giving up.  I feared it would jinx me to even consider other career options.  Now I see at as a therapeutic, and wise thing to perceive.  Not to mention, having another plan ready just in case would be like tonic for a bad financial scene.  So to start the medicinal process, I have at least entertained myself in other jobs.  I have to say, I haven’t liked my other options thus far, but at least I’m getting slightly more healthful during this application process than the ones gone by.

Since I am by no means prescient, I have no idea what-so-ever what my employement future holds.  Hey if I was oracular, I could also know exactly what would be on my GRE so I could study only those problems!  But seriously, I wish I was inaugural so I could know if Washington will accept me.    It doesn’t take a divinatory person to know another vet school rejection will be devastating.  If I was mantic, I could decide now if investing my soul once again will be worthwhile.  It would be pretty helpful to be premonitory in finding a different career path too.  Having foresight would be helpful in many arenas I guess. . .

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