Why is it annoying? After school, u r a RVT (registered vet tech), it goes on ur badge, & u get paid more. I've not been to school, but put me beside a someone from school, & I will be able to teach u something.
I mean I agree that there is a difference between a schooled person & most people who just work in an animal hospital. I've met people on both ends of the spectrum that do not need to be labeled anything. I've met people who say they r technicians but do not even know what vaccines they give their own dogs. However, I've met a slew of people who have learned through work & bustin' their tails & who, if allowed to take the exams, would pass without a hitch. Of course, most of these people have been working in the field for 7+ years if not more. So, I do not believe in misrepresenting myself, but I do not feel like I am.
Not to be harsh, but school wo not change the amount of experience that u have over someone who has bust their butt in the field for many years. Here in NC, people who go to school r called registered/licensed technicians to separate them from others who don't, & they may get paid more. However, I've worked with people who went to tech school & there is not difference between me & them, other than they sat in class to learn how to do a fecal & draw blood, & I learned from doing it a few times at work.
Not to say it is not an accomplishment, but I've worked my a** off too to learn the things that I know & develop the skill level that I have. Here in NC, I do not have to go to school & I've decided not to yet b/c I want to go to Vet school. Of course, now that I can do school online, it could be easier for me. Unfortunately, I've had to work through college, & I decided to jump into the field & learn that way.
Also, my best friend who was a ''tech'' for 14 years, never went to school but there is no way that she would not have kicked a*s if she would have been allowed to take the RVT exams. Why, b/c sometimes years of experience can beat out schooling. I've met & trained many people who r straight out of school. A lot of them could not compare their knowledge to the knowledge that my friend had. No schooled tech could hold a stick to her, even after they've worked in our clinic for a few years.
I am sorry if this sounds harsh to all of u who have been in school, but I've worked hard too. I've gotten a little annoyed by people who've come from school & thought that they were better than me. Especially, when they have to learn their job from me b/c I am gonna be the one training them or because my knowledge of veterinary is not too far off from theirs. I've been disrespected too many times by someone who has been to school thinking that they know more than me, & when they challenge me, I can spill back all the technical terms & knowledge that they can & a lot of times, then some.
Of course, I am impressed that they've went to school & I will never down size the hard work that they've done, but why do u have to downsize the hard work I've done. I am way aware of the difference but I chose my path.
At the end of the day, we r all doing the same work. Yes, u would come to the clinics that I have worked at, & do the exact same thing that I do everyday. Under the table, u may get paid more than I do which is what should set u apart. Everyday I work with people who can not draw blood, put in catheters, anesthetise animals, stitch up a wound, restrain properly, know a thing about treatments, diseases, etc. They have the same title that I have even though I know a lot of these things. It do not bother me a bit b/c it does not belittle what I know, & I get paid more than they do. Also, everyone around u knows how much u know & what u know. These people r not allowed to talk to clients with problems, & r made to go to someone with more experience & knowledge to deal with owner problems or concerns. Clinic dynamics show the differences in indiviuals.
I am not trying to shoot down ur title & hard work in school. I guess I've got some anger about the issue b/c I've met so many people from school who r stuck on themselves & treat others like crap. These people were the ones that turned me against the whole difference in the 1st place. There was one guy who tried to work in our clinic that had just graduated from school. He almost killed a few dogs & caused a few other problems b/c he thought he was too good to ask questions from us who knew & was trying to teach him, but had not been to school. Instead of trying to learn, he tried to prove that he already knew it all.
Edit later:
It works both ways on knowing ur limitations. Just b/c u call yourself a tech does not mean u can do it all, & know what u r doing. That goes both ways (for schooled & unschooled). Just b/c u go to school does not mean that u qualify to restrain this aggressive dog/cat better than I can (most likely u can not b/c that is one of my things). School does not automatically make u an expert. It is all relative. You should be humble when u need it.
I do not believe in posing/posers either. As far as answering questions on here, I do not think there is a guarantee. I've been trained at an emergency clinic where answering the phones & what u can & can not say is really stressed. There I've learned that what an owner may say is happening, may not be exactly what u perceive to be happening from their description. There r no guarantees without taking a look at the animal & seeing for yourself.