Veterinary Technician

All of us have fond memories of a beloved furry friend. Being forced out of bed at the crack of dawn to feed your demanding cat. Trying to stop your dog friend from stealing your snacks when you’re sitting on the couch. The wonderful feeling when you’re greeted by your furry friend after a long, busy day at work. The bounce in their step as they welcome you home, as though you’re the most important person in the world.

We all cherish these wonderful memories, but what about the memories of your furry friend visiting the veterinarian? While some of these may bring you joy, like your puppy or kitten’s first visit, other memories may bring you sadness or anxiety.

What if you could be part of a team that works towards making the veterinary experience as comfortable and as reassuring as possible for both families and their animal companions?

Our furry friends are part of our family, part of our home. It stands to reason that as veterinary care professionals, we would want the warmth of home to continue when they are visiting us at the hospital.

From that first phone call from the family, to the examination at the hospital, to the return home, we are always striving to create an environment where our patients feel safe and their families feel informed, welcomed and heard.

We strongly believe the Fear Free philosophy will help us attain our aforementioned goals. For this reason, all of our team members are Fear Free certified. Any new member joining our team will have the opportunity to partake in the essential Fear Free online training, all paid for by the hospital. All annual membership fees will also be paid for by the hospital.

There are many ways in which our team promotes Fear Free techniques. These include Adaptil sprayed bandanas for our canine patients, Feliway sprayed blankets for our feline patients, separate dog and cat waiting areas, specific canine and feline exam rooms, longer appointments to give ourselves the time to utilize Fear Free techniques, and the use of oral pre-visit medications to help reduce fear and anxiety.

Fear Free ideas do not stop with our animal companions, they also carry through to their families and our team.

We believe in helping to reduce families’ fears and anxieties when it comes to caring for their furry friends. One of the best approaches is through effective communication and education. By providing families with the knowledge to look after their animal companions, we make them more confident and empowered in their decisions and in caring for their animal companions at home.

Our hospital’s initiatives are designed to help our patients live better lives. Examples include the Get Leaner, Live Longer weight loss plan and the Happy Nail Trim Initiative, to help our furry friends accept nail trims.

We are always looking for new opportunities to improve how we help our patients and how we educate their families. Perhaps you have ideas you would like to share with us?

Of course, all of this is only possible if the team members at the Mer Bleue Veterinary Hospital feel safe and confident in the workplace.

To help build your confidence, you will have an extensive two week training session where you will become more acquainted with the Mer Bleue Veterinary Hospital culture and philosophy. You will also learn about our software and protocols.

Every week, our team meets as a group. At this meeting we encourage all team members to share ideas and concerns. Every two weeks you will sit down with one of the hospital owners. This one-on-one meeting gives us the opportunity to hear your thoughts and feedback.

As a new and growing hospital, we are always eager to receive constructive criticism on how we can improve the hospital.

It’s vital that each of us have the chance to express ourselves and truly be heard without the fear of judgement or rejection.

A key to maintaining mental health is to ensure each of our team members are paid a living wage.

A registered veterinary technician’s initial pay at our hospital is $23/hour.

Everyone is provided with health and dental benefits, paid uniforms, paid dues (including OAVT), substantial staff discounts (plus discount for one family or friend), three paid sick days and three weeks paid vacation.

Our hospital participates in WSIB, an organization which provides paid benefits relating to workplace injuries.

As our new hospital grows, every member of our team, including Registered Veterinary Technicians, will be provided with a continuing education budget.

As a fully equipped veterinary hospital with full body radiographs, ultrasound, in-house blood and urine analyzers, and dental radiographs, our RVT’s will have the opportunity to utilize the skills that they’ve been trained to do.

This includes, but is not limited to, blood collection, cystocentesis, taking full body radiographs, placing intravenous catheters, intubating patients, monitoring during anesthesia, scaling and polishing teeth, taking dental