LVT vs. Assistant

I wrote this at least 5 years ago, so things may have changed since my experiences (I doubt it) so remember that as you read.  I still stand by my assessment of LVTs.

In the modern schools, veterinarians are being taught to only do tasks that require their license.  Staff should do EVERY thing else, in order to be most efficient and practice at the top of the profession.  This philosophy is fine in theory.  In practice (they call it that for good reason) most vet hospitals do not PAY well enough to entice skilled employees to work for them.  With skills and licensing comes demand for better pay–and most vet hospitals are small, privately-owned operations that just can’t make that scenario work.  So what you get is what you pay for a lot of the time.  And that can be very scary if your vet sticks with the same mentality they were instructed to have in school.  Most of the vets I worked for did way, way, way more then just what was required by their license.  Because it’s ultimately their business, and because they cared about the animals and their clients.  They wanted things done right (and sometimes quickly).  When I worked for vets that didn’t do things that their license wasn’t specifically required to do, I thought they didn’t really give an eff.  And I looked down on them.  And I’m sure their clients wouldn’t have loved what they saw many of the times.

Back in the late 90s when I started volunteering in vet hospitals, most of the help were just on-the-job trained.  That’s who vets could find, and that’s who most vets could afford to pay.  As things have slowly tried to go the same way as the human side (and for-profit technical schools started popping up), there were more and more LVTs on the scene.

-Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT).  It’s veterinary medicine’s effort to standardize care. Which in theory is a good thing. In practice, I’m not sure how great those 2 year tech programs ARE. For example, teaching how to calculate anesthetic doses seems to be a primary portion of programs, but is certainly NOT a primary duty for the majority of teching jobs. If the vet trusts the tech to do it at all (many don’t) it’s like 5 minutes out of an entire day.  There is a big discrepancy between what the technical programs are teaching and what veterinary employers want in a tech (and are able to pay that tech).

I think mostly vets want someone who:

1)  they don’t have to train (there’s no time, they’re probably already short-staffed by the time they get to the hiring process)

2)  someone will will show up.  Availability during peak times (weekends, +/- holidays, +/- nights, and mostly full time (or more) hours.  Willingness to come early, miss breaks, skip lunch, and stay late is a bonus, and sometimes necessity.

3).  Someone self-motivated that they can trust and don’t have to baby-sit.

And the daily skills commonly required on the job are things like:  Restraint times a billion, autoclaving packs, vitals, blood draws, ie simple, repetitive tasks that have to be done with competence, but don’t require any sort of genius.  And CLEANING *pet-peeve alert*.  Always the cleaning.  And everybody in the building needs to help with cleaning–don’t you dare tell me any position in a vet hospital is above cleaning.  It’s one of the most necessary and frequent parts of any of the jobs.

-I think the technical schools have their ideals in the right place, but they also need a substantial program.  If people are PAYING to attend, they have to teach something that requires skill and support it with theory.  And so to make a more legit course-load and take up a decent 2 years, they teach unnecessary things.  Things that aren’t all that useful in the real world.  Unfortunately, the schools also (either directly or indirectly, I’m not sure) teach that LVTs are PROFESSIONALS.  And as such they are 1) superior to “unskilled” assistants 2) anything that doesn’t require their license is beneath them.  Both very, very untrue sentiments.  And detrimental.

Vet hospitals need to rely on EVERYone.  And at the same time everyone is just a body and easily replaceable.  Also, everyone from the vet to the techs to the receptionists need to be able to step up (or down) to do what is needed at that moment.  That means–(again) everyone cleans.  My personal joke:  What is the difference between an LVT and an assistant?  An assistant is willing to clean.  And that comes from direct and varied experiences in multiple types of vet setting and in multiple states.

-Another problem with distinguishing licensed and assistant techs (and the resultant pay-discrepancy) is:  1)  You can’t account for on-the-job experience, nor can you teach all on-the-job skills in a 2 year span.  2)  You can’t TEACH motivation or work ethic.  I would say I was easily the hardest working employee at (at least) half of my jobs–and the ones where I wasn’t the hardest working person, it certainly wasn’t tied with any LVT.  This isn’t a brag, it’s the truth.

Do I think assistants are as good as LVTs?  Mostly.  Sure, missing a formal education taught by accredited instructors may leave gaps in knowledge.  Assistants may not know the whys behind a task.  But I would argue, the LVT often has a shaky idea of what goes on in real vet hospitals.  Often, they have an idealized view of what should happen, verses what actually happens because of realities, and also because of limitations to client money and willingness.  I think vets themselves probably go through this as well, studying what should happen then seeing what really happens.  And I do think assistants come out on top as better employees than LVTs overall because they are trained on the job so you don’t have to un-train any bad habits/expectations, they are more willing to commit longer hours and forgo breaks and come in early, etc… which is a very desirable trait to vets.  And assistants are more willing to jump in wherever necessary (phones, lugging dog food, cleaning) because they don’t have allusions that their license somehow makes certain tasks beneath them.

But it’s beginning to be a new time in the field and the LVTs have saturated the market (and set a precedent for accepting lower wages) so it’s beginning to be easier and easier for vets to require this license for hire.  I would just say–don’t forget the assistants.

“I cain’t quit you.” [Part 5]

Written 6 years ago, but I read it today and thought, ‘go me!’  It’s funny how things may come to fruition easily when you don’t want it or don’t care.  I was not intentionally playing hard to get or anything like that, I really wasn’t invested.  But it seemed to help.  Also, having a strong background in negotiation skills from my parents making me haggle for spending money or on chores, etc… is really a priceless, valuable skill set to have.

During the dental yesterday, my boss teased me (in a half-serious) way about how she wished I would re-consider and keep cleaning.  It’s a difficult position to fill because it requires trust to let someone come in during off hours.  I told her I had made up my mind and wouldn’t be pressured!  Also jokingly.  And she talked about how it seems like an easy job, but she is having trouble finding someone to work few hours, on off-times, and trusting said person would show up, work, and do a quality job.  Which I told her were all traits I was excellent at, but I didn’t want to have any crutch with this new move of mine.  I had explained how I didn’t test into my LVT (even though it would garner me a job anywhere, be an instant, raise, and “legitamize” me in any setting.  If I had my LVT and failed at any new career endeavor, or couldn’t get a job–it would make sense to use that and work in vet hospitals.  And that’s not what I want for myself.  If I can’t be a vet–I don’t wanna ever be satisfied with a thankless, dead-end, menial job.

And that’s why I couldn’t work for my current job–in any capacity.  It would be just too easy to get scared, and back-slide right back into my comfort zone where I have most experience and where I have an “in.”  Because I know if I wanted it bad enough my work would be happy to have me back.  They know the quality of work I deliver, and vets never want to trust anyone new–and they can always use the help.  So even though I could make the TIME work, I didn’t want to keep even one finger in my past.

But my boss said don’t give a negative answer hastily–just think about it.  And just that little bit of (half-joking) pressure got in my mind.  I thought it would be some income for me.  And I could easily do it.  There would be a flexible schedule and I wouldn’t SEE anyone so nothing could irritate me.

But I really didn’t think about it that much because I didn’t think my boss would press the issue.  And before work I told Cool that IF my boss brought it up, I would just ask how much it was worth to her.  Because I didn’t really think it would come up, and if it did I was almost certain my boss wouldn’t agree on a sum I’d be happy with.

But at work, my boss made a quip about it, then quickly said she was kidding–so as not to be terribly obnoxious.  But I said I had taken her seriously and thought about it.  And she practically scampered across the room asking if I would really be willing to do it.  But I wanted to know the expectations.  And she started saying every day (which is MORE then I currently do). . .  to which I was like–no, no never-mind that won’t work.  But I could see she was desperate because she asked what I was thinking.  And I told her 2, 3 times a week max, on a flexible schedule.  At this point I showed her my checklists that I date as I accomplish things.  I pointed out the frequency in which I currently do things is not as often as she thought (proving vets really don’t know who does what or when just as long as it doesn’t directly affect them).  She said she’d have to think about it–and I figured she wouldn’t go for it and oh well–no loss to me.  But 2 minutes later she came up to me and said that would work.

But I persisted that I needed to know expectations–just to make sure the cleaning I’m doing now is what they want.  Because my work isn’t the greatest at communication, and I didn’t want anyone disgruntled in the future.  So all these talks were loud and in front of everyone.  Which I am normally not a fan of–but I wasn’t all that invested in this.   I had already planned to quit all-together and if I could help without too much headache on my part, great, but if not, great.  But once the ball got rolling, and it looked like I WAS going to keep cleaning, I got a little worried I had not mentioned the financials.  That was the thing that this decision would be about.  Because it did go against what I had decided, was because I bent to pressure, and would hold me back from my future field just a little).  So I wanted to feel like I wasn’t totally being a push-over.  I needed to get MORE out of the deal–and I apparently had leverage.  That is not a very familiar place for me to be.

I tried to deviate from my normal ultra-serious talk and keep it light.  I told my boss we would have time after the dental to talk 1:1.  And she was like, more?  And I was like of course.  So we get up there, and I told her I broke the cardinal rule and told her what she wanted to hear FIRST so she stopped listening.

I said any monkey off the street can clean–you are not paying me to clean.  You are paying for the trust, my dedication, my work ethic, and the fact I already know her expectations.  But of course I was getting nervous–despite having nothing to lose and coming from a position of leverage.  And she was like, calm down you’re just talking to me. Why are you getting worked up?  And I was like, I don’t know, I’m just putting myself out there I guess.  You make me nervous.  And she said, I’m that way too–I wonder why it’s so hard to ask for what you think you’re worth?  And I was like yeah it’s a funny thing because I KNOW what I’m worth, but the asking is awkward.  So I still felt like I had to put out the disclaimers, and included that she wouldn’t be paying a new person what she had paid me so it would save money.  I also said I would be working less hours, but still had to account for the gas, the time, and going back on my plan.  She asked how much I made now.  $12.00.  I think it’s $12.25 she says.  No, $12–and believe me, I know–b/c it’s been more then a year (even after my stellar evaluation) since I got a raise.  Then she put the ball in my court and asked how much I wanted.

Fail!  I hadn’t really thought that far ahead, because I honestly didn’t think the negotiations would get this far.  Always have a number in mind ahead of time!  But I didn’t. . .  And I was nervous, and too flustered to do any math in my head.  So I said I needed a calculator.  Maybe I could clear my head and walk away from the table for a second to gather my thoughts.  She handed me her phone.  With shaking hands (remember I’m nervous and completely unprepared) I plugged in my anticipated monthly fuel cost and my highest utility bill.  Then divided that into an hourly amount for the cleaning hours.  I know–totally random!  It came to $12.66.  But even in my nervous state, I know you aim high in negotiations so you have somewhere to go.  But for whatever reason $13 seemed scary.  I didn’t want to see some sort of horrible expression on my boss’ face or hear that my work wasn’t worth THAT much.  So I went for a nice round quarter-amount:  $12.75, with the expectation we’d go down a little.

Without batting an eye my boss said they could make that work.  And immediately I was regretful I didn’t go higher.  Both people should feel just a little uncomfortable if you arrive at a good number, and my boss had answered all too readily–apparently I had underestimated how much the cleaning position meant to her.  Damn–it was a 6.3% raise!

But I will just consider the extra 25 cents I should have asked for as the benefit of a flexible schedule.  They did try several times to get me to commit to certain days.  But I resisted for study/school/future commitments/vacation purposes.  So I will consider that my “benefits-package.”  Which I guess for janitorial is pretty good, and better then I would have done had I readily agreed to keep on cleaning.  And better then no income at all.  So everyone IS a winner?!  Maybe.

In summary:  Working at veterinary hospitals falls under the heading “I can’t quit you.”  Also, everybody needs to have some negotiation skills at the ready, because you could need to use them at any time.

Related articles

• Why Your Boss is a Jerk
• Bend but don’t break under pressure…..
• Trusting peers=no pressure…
• Peer Pressure – When Did I Bend?
• Boss Works Long Hours, Must We All?

Wasatch Cleaning List

Or–how we spent Thanksgiving 2016.

 

—-BATHROOM:
_________________________
-trade bathrm light bulbs
-wash top of med cabinet
-wash mirrors
-wash shelves indie med cabinet
-wash window
-clean window ledge
-clean baseboards
-shower walls
-bottom of bathtub
-scratches in bathtub
-top of door jam
-top of door
-both sides door
-floor
-fill in pin holes

LAUNDRY RM:
______________________
-trade out light bulb
-top of door
-both sides of door
-laundry shelves
-base boards
-especially under laundry shelves on floor/walls
-clean drain
-clean floor
-fill in pin holes

BEDROOM:
_________________
-change out light
-clean light
-clean top of closet
-clean closet mirror
-clean closet shelf
-wipe closet walls
-clean closet floor
-clean window
-clean window shelf
-clean wall below window
-fill in pin holes
-clean baseboards
-clean floors
-clean window

KITCHEN:
_______________
-change out light
-clean fan blades
-clean top of cabinets
-clean inside cabinets
-clean both sides cabinet doors
-clean inside freezer
-wash fridge shelves
-wash walls inside fridge
-wash out fridge drawers
-wash shelves in fridge door
-wash bottom of fridge
-wash fridge/freezer handles
-wash top of fridge
-wash outside freezer/fridge
-wash side of fridge
-backspash
-soak over burners
-wipe top of stove
-wash stove door
-wash counters
-clean sinks
wash front of cabinets
-wash inside drawers
-wash outside drawers
-clean cupboard shelves
-wash both sides cubbord doors
-wash window
-clean window cill
-clean wall under window
-clean kitchen floor
-fill pin holes

LIVING ROOM:
_____________
-fill pin holes
-clean baseboards
-wash window
-clean window shelf
-clean wall under window
-clean living room floor

 

–>  And yes.  Against all odds we DID get our deposit back.  The entire thing!

2016 Goal-Plan

I have to be in a certain mood to really write, and though I want to be–today I’m just not.  Tuesday is my most tired day of the week, so maybe that had everything to do with it.  I’ll try though, because I do see the new year as a perfect time for new beginnings, and per the usual I want to grow as a person and be better.  I’ve catagorized my goals and plan to MAKE plans of actions to attack them.

BODY

things I’m already doing, or kind of doing

-running.  I’ve certainly been running and it’s a good stabilizing force, and probably the most healthful thing I do.  Though I’m not going to lie–nearly every single day (and this is day 733 in a row) I want to lazy out.  At this point it would take a LOT to make me break the chain, because that many days in a row is spectacular, but it’s pretty hard to get the motivation to put on that sports bra.  I’ll continue on, for who knows how long.  [time-line:  daily]

-water.  I’ve been drinking it daily like I never used to.  I’m trying to get all 12 cups per day (to account for sweating in heat/working out/eating salt/drinking caffeine) and it’s hard.  They key is drinking as much as I can early in the day.   [time-line:  daily, and early in the day]

-flossing.  It seems a constant battle.  Obviously, I want to do it, but it’s just a matter of DOING it, which is often easier said then done.  I think I’ve been pretty successful at doing it before I brush my teeth for work.  In the afternoon, before I’m really tired.   [time-line:  daily, and before I brush my teeth for work]

-Appearance is just one of those things that isn’t SUPER important to me.  I’m a very low-maintenance gal when it comes to grooming and beauty.  But, in the interest of just feeling more motivated for work and looking mature and everything, I’d like to continue wearing makeup on work days (except Sunday, when nobody really sees me and I’m there for 10+ hours).   [time-line:  daily, before work]

things to start

-Going to the dentist!  And this is for sure happening this year.  I’ll get insurance through my work, so just as soon as it kicks in, I’m making the call.  I’ve already research dentists here, and plan on getting the full cleaning, and all x-rays, then setting up a regular 6 month schedule.  What a relief!   [time-line:  call Tuesday, the 12th of January]

-I need to pain my nails more.  It’s an easy thing to do and I have a lot of pretty colors.   [time-line:  Fridays, during the day]

-And I should wear my beautiful jewelry more.  Those are really easy things that add an extra touch of niceness.   [time-line:  Monday, Wednesday, +/- Thursday]

-I’d also like to take more care fixing my hair.  Instead of a pony-tail, maybe a braid or rows, or a nice barrette.  And, as a more expensive, and long-term thing, this year I’d like to start permanently dying my hair.  To cover all those grays cropping up.  I need to schedule a consult to see what the EASIEST color would be so I can just go as far apart as possible and get my roots touched-up after the initial appointment.  Which won’t necessarily be a color I like, but it will get the job done and be cheaper and lower maintenance.   [time-line:  Monday, Thursday to start]

MIND

things I’m already doing, or kind of doing

-I am such a different person than I used to be.  I have learned not to make work my life.  I’m not centering everything around it, or letting myself get stressed out over it.  I don’t even check what color tasks I will be responsible for the next week when I’m there on Sundays.   [time-line:  daily]

things to start

-reading more for pleasure.  I want to do the book challenge that specifies different types of books.  The trouble will be finding the time in the week to just sit and read.  I think on a daily basis, between work, tiredness, it’s difficult just to get my run in.  But on my days off and especially on Sundays I think I can make time.  And three days a week of reading is still more then I’m doing now.   [time-line:  Friday, Saturday, Sunday]

-read/outline my undergrad textbooks and notebooks.  This will serve 2 purposes:  1)  it will utilize some of that money I’m paying in school-loans and not make my degree seem quite so pointless.  I feel like I’m paying all this money back, yet I never USED my education for anything.  2)  I might learn the material better without the pressure of multiple classes, regurgitating info for tests, and papers and projects.  I can learn the stuff at my pace and the stuff I find interesting/important.  And a surprise 3rd advantage–I might be able to clean some of it out and get rid of it once I’ve looked at it.   [time-line:  Thursdays during the day?  Try it and see if this day works, then reevaluate]

SPIRIT

things I’m already doing, or kind of doing

-be more consistent about adding a weekly item to my positivity jar.  I do it, but not that frequency.   [time-line:  Sunday night]

things to start

-I newed to re-start thinking of all the things I’m thankful for daily.  I really liked it, and it was an easy thing to do, which also had the benefit of re-focusing my attention from worrk to gratitude.  I just sort of fell out of the habit the less stressed and the happier I got.   [time-line:  daily, before sleeping]

-painting for enjoyment.  It’s a nice hobby that Cool and I can do together.  I want to paint light switch covers and finish my totem painting series.   [time-line:  Friday or Saturday, twice a month]

CLEAN/ORGANIZE

things I’m already doing, or kind of doing

-keep up on apartment cleaning schedule.  This should be OK and easy, because I can’t live with the mess.  Also, I have calender reminders set up in a routine I like.  This will be helpful to keep on everything around home so there need not be any huge cleaning days and at move out we hopefully will not have a Riverton Terrace clean-up/fine situation.   [time-line:  follow calender]

-make a shopping list.  I always do this, but lately it’s been more of a long-term list then is really helpful.  I need to buy the items at least twice a month and start a new list.   [time-line:  as needed]

 

things to start

-scan all my photos and back them up on my external hard-drive to cut down on albums.   [time-line:  tomorrow–get it done ASAP]

-Also consolidate my scrapbooks, and make power-points or DVDs of some of the materials to save space (and future moving hassle).   [time-line:  next Wednesday, January 13th]

-set a consistent grocery shopping day!  Problem is I hate it.  But in order to cook, I need ingredients on hand, so this has to happen.  I think every other Sunday after work will be a less-busy convenient day (relatively) to go.   [time-line:  every other Sunday, starting January 17th]

SOCIAL

things I’m already doing, or kind of doing

-I have also learned not to place the expectations I have for myself on people at work.  Through experience, I realized that only creates social problems and makes me stressed and resentful.  People aren’t going to have my drive or dedication, and it’s not my problem.  So a huge goal is to keep that up, because I really am bunches happier for it.   [time-line:  continuous]

-make a firm cooking date with Cool.  We love to cook together and it makes the following week a lot smoother.  Friday or Saturday depending on what else is going on will work well.   [time-line:  Saturday, January 9th]

 

things to start

-2015 was AWFUL for blogging!  I didn’t do it, when I did it felt like an obligation, and it wasn’t too technically great of writing either–much like that last sentence.  Partially, it was because 2015 was such a transitional year.  Partially, I was too tired and adjusting to a new work schedule.  And it didn’t happen a lot, because I was happy hanging out with Cool, and didn’t want to “step away” to write by myself.  This year, I aim to be better than that, though I don’t know if I will go so far as to impose deadlines or post-numbers on myself.  After all, it supposed to be fun.   [time-line:  write again Thursday or Friday this week]

When It Rains, It Pours: April [clean-queen]

The packing and moving phase happened so quickly there was no time for simultaneous cleaning of the SpoKompton (referred to from here on out as the “old” apartment) which was a major bummer now.  Because Cool got to be in the NEW apartment and new city, working, while I had to clean all by myself.

It was a much bigger job then I anticipated–and it sucked.  The old apartment still had utilities–thank goodness I had the foresight not to shut them off.  But it was echoing, dusty, and cold inside.  And we had no TV, bed, or anything, really to keep me occupied or comfortable in any way.

Also, there had been a lot of messes made, wear & tear, and damage done over the prior 4 years and 7 months in there:  Cool spilled a bottle of bleach AND a bottle of laundry soap on the carpet the first week we had moved in.  Sloppy had sand-crabbed litter so much that tiny sand was embedded in the carpet, in the seam between the carpet and wall, and dusting the walls.  My daily tread-milling had left black marks on the carpet at each of the 4 points of impact.   There were about 800,000 holes in the walls.

And stuff that wasn’t our fault, such as mold growing from the walls, grease on the kitchen ceiling from no ventalation, and grout deterioration lended to an overall feeling of grossness, and panic.  We certainly were not going to get our deposit back as I initially hoped–but would they charge us for damages??!

And I had Sunday from 10-ish AM to Monday at 6AM before my house-sitting job started.  And the work sucked, I was alone with it, and to tell the truth, I no longer cared so much about the OLD apartment.

But I gave it a good effort.  Oh yeah, I forgot, there were remnants (more then I knew!) that hadn’t been packed on the first go-around.  Like, the fridge and freezer had been untouched.  So I’m cleaning, I’m trying to stuff things in Rusty, and I’m throwing a TON of things away.  So many things.  Perfectly good items, or items I would just have to re-buy in the new state but would keep or didn’t fit.

My friend from work came over (in a skirt?) to help for 5 hours, and I’m glad she did, because I might still be there otherwise.  She spackled for a fill 70 minutes, and there were still holes in the walls. . .

I slept on the dusty, cold floor that night, and was pretty well mentally finished the next day.  But I pressed on for my of my first day into house-sitting.  And I could have spent the whole 10 days cleaning and it still wouldn’t have looked nice.  So I made the choice to be finished Monday then focus on my house-sitting job.  Because the animals were lonely, I was getting paid GOOD money to do it, the apartment wasn’t going to look nice no matter what I did at this point, and it wasn’t fair that 100% of the job fell to me anyway.

But I fretted that we were going to get charged.

Still, the lure of warmth, the animals, a mattress, kitchen, and most of all–a TV–made me finish up.  I turned in our keys and left Riverton Terrace forever.

Next:  House-sitting, the NEXT long drive, and (more) unpacking.

A Look Ahead–2015 Goals, Not Resolutions

Last year, having a monthly post with my goals already written out was really helpful.  I liked doing a monthly accountability check–even if it was boring for you to read.

This year, I think I’m going to have less goals, but no less important.

2014 Maintenance Goals–keep these going!

The key is to be specific, but not box myself in a corner.  And to be mentally prepared to do it, have a plan, and establish a routine.

A]  run at least 1 mile 1st thing in the morning every day.

B]  For school I would like to read and outline all my textbooks before school begins in the fall.  Additionally, I think it’s worth mentioning (to myself) that I want to keep up on making my flash cards and study sheets as close after class as possible–for every class.  All semester.

C]  I want to be better about collecting my positive moments in a jar (minimum of 2/mo), as well as listing (in my head) what I’m thankful for daily.  As part of this, I want to appreciate nature, love, and things I already have.  Worrying can only take up a maximum of 15 minutes/day.  EVERY day.  Also, I need to remember to do my very best, but not stress out and look for perfection.  It’s a fine line.

D]  Dental health.  Floss daily, brush twice daily for an adequate time, and find a way to make the dentist happen at least once in the next year.

2015 Aspirations (in no particular order):

#1:  Get the money.  Make it, keep it.

a)  I would like to do the 365 day money challenge where you save a dollar +1 every week of the year.

b)  Sell a minimum of 1 item on Craigslist per month and have one yard sale.

c)  Apply for every funding opportunity at UU, and go for scholarships once I’m eligible for them.

#2:  All about the AuD.

a)  read the journals, e-mails, forums–and the national news (minimum of average of 1/wk)

b)  practice and prepare for the interview (at least 1 question/wk)

c)  really follow-up on observing an AuD.  I need at least 3 hours for admission to UU, and of course it’s important that I get more.  It would also be ideal to get it in a variety of settings, but I’ll start with the minimum of 3 hours and scale the goal up from there if I can accomplish it.

#3:  Cool.

This is highly dependant on Cool’s bipolar, anxiety, and medications.  I want to be more affectionate, dare I say, sweet and less judgemental.  I will look at this as a continuum though since this is very dynamic area.  I’ll try to be one level more than the responsible that I always am then Cool’s current mood state.   I define this as:  tolerant = overlook silliness, don’t engage or poke the bear.  Affectionate = say random I love yous, introduce touching (nuff said, and you get the idea).  Sweet = make a spontaneous grand gesture, do something for her, that I maybe don’t normally like or do.  So if she’s having a terrible month, being a real jerk, irritable, mean, and lazy–I’ll try to be both responsible AND tolerant.  If we’re having an awesome month without problem, I’ll try to not only be affectionate, but go the extra mile to sweet.  So I’ll rate Cool’s behavior on a level of 1 (awful) to 3 (beautiful) and try to be tolerant, affectionate, sweet in accordance with that.  This way the goal is more in my control and works with whatever is happening to Cool.  Mental illness complicates things, but I want to rise above it.

#4:  Make a menu, do a grocery list, grocery shop, and cook. I think if I start out simple in order to establish a routine, this will go better.

a)  I thought of the 7 easiest meals I know how to cook:   quesadillas–>tacos, spaghetti–>fancy pasta, mac & chee–>add-ins, PB&J–>grilled chee, oatmeal–>add-ins, eggs–>scramble, pigs in a blanket–>snake bites.  We can start with the easiest version, then move to the more complex as we get into the groove.  If we really find success, we can branch out with new dishes.

b)  I’d like to start with 5 days of cooking per week (with opening a can of chilli, stew, hash, soup, or bag of salad for a cheat day) and hopefully grow it to all 7.  So that takes care of the menu and helps the cooking.

c)  We can grocery shop once weekly, let’s say optimally Sunday morning, but if that’s not possible Sun-Tues (to save time).  I WANT this one, it’s just hard to make it a habit.

#5:  Prepare, but don’t stress out.

I want to do everything in my power to set myself up for the move, for school, and excelling throughout the school year.  I want to work continuously on this one, doing at least 1 thing every week towards the future.  I’ll start with a big 3:

a)  Starting all these goals

b)  Completing my taxes and FAFSA just as soon as I receive my paperwork.

c)  Finally cleaning, organizing, and packing (pick one new area every non-work day).

d)  Then set a monthly deadline for at least one additional task.

To help me accomplish these 5 new goals and maintain the 4 older ones, I’ll do a monthly accountability post like last year and make a poster I can see daily.

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My First Week of Work

I mean, not work exactly, but my first non-veterinary/animal-related and non-school job.

It was strange.

The pace is substantially slower.  Like, I could do the whole thing in a very maximum of 3 hours (really getting into details) yet there was 6 of us scheduled and I was there for 8 hours.

It’s a lot of wandering around wondering what else there is to do.  Everyone is in that boat, and we’re on top of each other.  But mostly everyone is good natured about it.  They all know the story.  And I guess better this way then short-staffed like I’m used to.  I’m not used to it, but it’s WAAAAAAY lower stress.

Everyone was nice to me right off too.  They were nicer to me, and included me more on my first day, than some vet hospitals ever had (Emergency, Seattle, Cat’s Meow I’m talking to you).  Which is sad for those past jobs–shame on you.  The gal showing me the ropes said she wished we could normally work together (I’m a good worker, and a nice person if you give me half a chance).  That was something nice.  It’s not like I care what people think about me, and normally the people that don’t like me–well I don’t tend to like them either.  So it’s not that I fret or dwell on the opinion of sheep or $hit-heads as the case may be.  But constant negativity coming towards you eventually drags you down a little.  And that had been happening.  This automatically feels a lot better!

The gal working with me was like, “there’s no way you did a good job–that was too fast.” when we were squeegeeing the floors dry.  But what they didn’t know is I know my way around a squeegee, having cleaned dog runs, cow stanchions, and hogs my entire working life.  So I pretty much immediately became the squeegee super-star of the group 😀

When I showed up on my 2nd day, nobody I knew was working.  So I pretty much had to figure it out and go it alone–I guess 4 hours of training was all I got.  So that was weird, because I still didn’t know a lot of anything.  I wasn’t sure where all the supplies were, what times we were allowed to do certain things, or even what jobs needed to be done.  But I’m used to that story–vets never have time to appropriately train anybody so I’m used to being thrown in the deep end.

My supervisor’s last day was my 2nd day of work.  Which is also a weird way to start a job.  And everyone was so nice to him and made him feel important and special.  I decided on someone’s last day, it’s not only a nice thing, but an obligatory etiquette to, at the very, very least have a card for them.  Which Cat’s Meow didn’t for me.  Nor did Aurora or emergency.  And Noah’s Ark didn’t, but my employers gave me a nice necklace and everyone (important) seemed legit sad to see me go.  And that’s totally on those past jobs, and their bad karma–it has nothing to do with my that they acted so $hitty.  It was nice to see these current coworkers get a card and sign, long messages in it, bake a cake, and invite him out for drinks after work.  All on their own accord.  It wasn’t mandatory or reminded–they just stepped up and did the right thing.  They invited me along too, and it would have been a great bonding opportunity, but there was ZERO chance I could have said no to drinking, so unfortunately I had to decline the invitation.  I’m not a night person anyway so I would have been yawning into my soda.

Here’s my 6th day (2nd week) of work:

-supervisor said I don’t have to do all the work in the 1st hour “pace yourself.”

-supervisor told me I was doing a really good job, going above and beyond and it’s being noticed and appreciated!

-everyone left me and the other new girl (on her 12th day) alone to do the closing tasks.  Which entails clean 3 locker-rooms, by spraying soap on the floors, scrubbing it in, rinsing with water, and squeegeeing it dry.  Then finishing last minute things that require empty rooms, and locking up.

-But the hose only reaches 2 of the rooms, so you have to move it in the middle of the task.

-I couldn’t twist the hose on the nozzle in the 3rd room b/c it wouldn’t thread right.

-Coworker got ready for his date in the locker room so he bent down and hooked it up.  Then he left for the night.

-we couldn’t remove the hose to finish the last 2 rooms.  Wasted 40 min trying to untwist it.

-called co-worker on his date to find out story–left VM.

-That’s OK, I had a plan B and I went to just get another hose.

-2nd hose wouldn’t attach to spout either.

-tried different hook-ups for additional 20 min before my coworker said that hose had been broken.

-That’s OK, I had a plan C, and we used the shower water to rinse (but the hose was still in room 3).

-Finished rm 1 with shower heads and buckets of water.

-Randomly saw big boss who usually leaves at 10 PM, and asked for help.

-Squeegeed floor in room 1 while big-boss worked on stuck hose in room 3.

-he ran in room 1 saying he got the hose off, but the water was on (the nozzle was in my pocket)

-He turned off the water and said the hose pops on and off, it doesn’t twist. . .  Ugh.  Nobody had mentioned that.

-It confused me, because when I tried to put the hose on, I was definitely twisting–it was a twist one and my coworker used that exact same hose. . .

-We felt stupid, embarrassed, annoyed.

-At midnight we set the alarm, and walked to our cars.

-There were 3 additional cars in the parking lot.  Uh oh.

-We had maybe(?) locked the big boss in the building, and alarmed it so touching any door or using a key would set it off.

-BUT we only knew how to arm the alarm–I don’t have or know the disarm code, so we couldn’t turn it back off.

-We couldn’t use our keys to go inside b/c we’d set off the alarm.

-The phone tree is inside the building so we couldn’t call to warn him or ask him how to disarm it.

-The building is too large to knock on doors/windows.

-So we just went home. . .  Oh well.

They may never leave us alone again, I’m not sure.  But I guess that’s not the worst thing.  I don’t always have to accept maximum responsibility at every job I have.  I can just be a worker on the team.

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Objectives-Writing Mad-Libs

I have my 2nd “quiz” Monday.  And I’m pretty worried, because I feel very under-prepared for the thing.  We only get 2 tests in the class, so these are pretty much our entire grade.  And last week, I had to keep dressing professionally and showing up to observe my required clinical sessions–only to have people cancel.  So instead of only having to go twice.  I went three times, and all three didn’t go-through.  So I finally went to the 4th AND actually saw it.  But that wasted SO much time–which I hate.  And I couldn’t even do other studying, because you aren’t allowed to bring anything into the clinic observation rooms and you’re in your pocket-less dressy clothes.  So I couldn’t even study flashcards while I went on 4 round trips, and sat for 3 hours just waiting.  Then, the rest of the week was wasted because back in January, I had signed up to conduct hearing screenings in the community as learning/volunteer.  So that took up 7.5 more hours during the week.

And I’m just waiting for Cat’s Meow to complain that I haven’t cleaned since Wednesday morning.  I only agreed to keep cleaning if it was 3 days a week AND I got to decide the days so I had flexibility.  But I’m sure they will complain, which is going to make me INSANE.  And they just better not, because I’ll go in after I finish doing the hearing screenings this afternoon.  But I’m just waiting for that ugliness.

The point is, I’m trying to study for this thing.  Sometimes studying for exams gets (more) boring.  There’s only so many flashcards and examples you can look at before your mind rebels.  Objectives are the foundation of a session.  They are the vehicles of your main goals, their clarity dictates behavior management, organization, and skill-progression.  The performance, or target behavior is the most important part of the objective.  Because it has to be a countable action.  In order to take data.  Which let’s you write the SOAP, and also shows the treatment is evidence based practice for billing/laws/parent-justification.  To practice, I was writing objectives in pieces (performance/condition/criterion), then in an effort to get Cool to quiz me I tried to make them more interesting.  I wrote them about our little family.  Then had her pick numbers to put the pieces together and make funny final objectives toward our goals.

Example:

The characters:

1.  Choco-Luv (our little kitty)

2.  Goose (the big boy)

3.  Cool

4.  LL

Performance-measurable behaviors:

-1.  will produce

-2.  will clean

-3.  will match

-4.  will take

Condition-context in which behavior will be performed:

1.  with one reminder

2.  in the kitchen

3.  in front of others

Criterion-accuracy level of behavior:

1.  in 7 out of 8 opportunities

2.  for 90% accuracy

3.  10 times in a row

4.  on 6 out of 7 consecutive days

 

So if Cool picks, 2-2-3-4 the resulting objective is:

-Goose will clean, in front of others, on 6 out of 7 consecutive days.

 

You can make the parts as funny as you want!  Maybe I should market this as a study-tool!

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I Have Nothing to Say

But I looked at my pending drafts and wasn’t feeling them.  Also, I wanted to post something more reflective of my current mood than the post at the top:  Hopeful, motivated.

Since school got out I have been striving to re-organize the apartment.  The ultimate goal is to rearrange the living room (plus weird “dining room” cove).  Sloppy needs her litter box, food, and water closer to her home-base–the electric throw blanket.  As she is going potty anywhere she sits, because of the long (unprotected) walk she must take across the room.  It’s not her fault, it’s mine.  I know she’s a hyper-handy, and scared of the baby and I put her stuff waaaay over there (out of my site) anyway.  It looks a lot better, but poo on the carpet doesn’t.  And as a lessor motivation, Cool has some serious cord chaos issues that need my touch.

BUT in order to rearrange, I have to get some things out of the living room.  We never really fit well into this 1 bedroom apartment, and have only accumulated more things since we got here.  So it is mission–get rid of things.  And organize what’s left.  And in order to do THAT I have to clean the towel closet.  But in order to do THAT, I have to get the clothes and camping and bags out of it.  And in order to do THAT I have to clean the coat closet.  But to accomplish THAT, I have to get the clothes, luggage, snow shovel(?), out of there.  So in order to do THAT I have to clean Cool’s closet and finally, the hugest job (I have the most clothes in the house), MY closet.  So to help Sloppy, I have to clean 4 closets, rearrange the bedroom, take things out of the living room/dinning room, and finally, move furniture in the living room.

Got all that?  So I’m finished with 3.5 of 4 closets so far.  And of course, you can’t just organize–cleaning should be done while you go.  Note to self:  Never, never, never stick duct tape to glass while taping plastic and blankets to the single pane sliding glass door in the winter, because you will then have to stand there scraping it off millimeter by millimeter for a thousand hours.  Why did I EVER think that was a great idea in a rental?  Also, as a second note to self:  Do not volunteer to clean the crummy, 5 years of accumulation of crap that no one ever looks at, dusty, dirty, cluttered basement at work when you are in the midst of a huge spring cleaning project at home.  It will quickly wear you out and make you feel burned out and lazy.

So the process has been hard work!  But I’m still not ready to sit and study yet.  I am, however, past ready to go outside into the delayed, long-awaited summer weather and run and play.

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No April Progress Report

I don’t want to talk about missing the mark again this last month. Looking at failures over and over can bring a person down and make you want to give up.  So in light of REALLY wanting to achieve the goals I have set for myself this year here is how I can set myself up for success in May, through the summer, and in the long-term:

-I will floss my teeth earlier in the day.  Even if I feel tired, I will at least run the floss quickly through my mouth.  Even if I feel I’m not doing an optimum job.  Because somethimes I don’t because I feel too tired to give my best effort so I think–why bother.  BUT  It’s the repetition that will turn this into a daily must-do.

-I will look up recipes I want to cook, list those ingredients, and go Sunday morning to the Grocery Outlet and get the ingredients.   This will keep me excited to eat at home–and it will ultimately be cheaper.

-As a hybrid eat more economically, and do nice things with and for Cool, I will try to have a theme once a month.  This first weekend off of school is camping.  We will sleep in the living room, make microwave s’mores, banana boats, and maybe fondue some brots in cheese.  And shish-ka-bobs!  Those are awesome and festive and I like to look at them and eat them.  Next, is spa weekend retreat (at hotel C-LA-ul) can be a brunch, breakfast for dinner, homemade facial masks, sauna, massage, foot soak, and manicures.  Fun at home.  On the cheap.  And together time.  Festive!

-Cool and I will make a list of outdoor activities, crafting, projects, and pseudo-events (faux-Labor Dave Weekend with DVDs and dancing at home) we want to actively engage in.

-Instead of trying NOT to drink, I will try to drink a variety of things.  This will fill me so full of liquid there will hardly be room for alcohol.  Part two of this is to increase beauty, crafting, and cleaning so there isn’t the TIME to fill either.  I think it will be a lot easier trying to fill my belly and my day rather than trying to avoid food/drink/activities.  What’s left will all be in moderation, and special, and cheaper.

-I will do all the volunteering, organization, cleaning, DIY, gifting, moving preparedness, and studying tasks over the summer.  And cleaning and organizing.  And consolidating.  Operation:  Get rid of $hit, down-size, and make for a manageable one-bedroom apartment living and moving scene–commence!

-I will read magazines, and one actual book (for enjoyment) a month.  I can read every night prior to sleeping, and also at lunch (when I’m not getting ahead for school), plus some park-reading.  I will utilize my library card!  Hopefully I’ll read a bunch.  And I will begin blogging more frequently again–and maybe even edit.  Maybe.  Let’s not get carried away.

-I will brush shave the cats when we get a shedding situation and play with the kitties more, as well as put my best effort into the litter-box situation. I have a drawing of the living room and I cut out scaled furniture items and am working on the game-plan.  Sloppy needs a straight shot to her toilet and food that is near her electric throw blanket and protected from the baby–but away from MY electronics, books, and special items.  And kitchen.  And I will pay off their bill and update their vaccines–people that work at vet hospitals are THE worst about keeping up with their pet’s routine things!

-Obviously, I will hit my running goals, get back into the Wii Fit, and try circuits more whole-heartedly now that I have a little time.  I will do a little each day, early in the day, and whether I feel like it or not.

-I will try to get into a schedule that addresses each of these areas daily to establish a healthier, more goal-oriented routine that is easy to maintain once time is short again.  I work best from a routine, so I just need to establish one early on in the summer.