Paraveterinary worker

In this podcast episode, we chat with Serena Pudelski, RVT and founder of The Traveling Technician.

We're going to chat with her about entrepreneurship of a veterinary technician-ran business.

We're going to talk about how to get started, how to navigate some challenges, what you might not think of, and what are the real benefits to owning and operating a veterinary business as a veterinary technician- in our industry.

Welcome Serena to the VetGirl on the Run podcast.

Good morning.

Yeah, I'm super excited.

Someone recommended you to us to chat about this.

I think there's probably quite a few people veterinary technicians out there thinking, what's the next step for me? I have an idea.

I, as you said, I'm a MSU alum.

I graduated a long time ago in veterinary technology, then went on and did a bachelor's in dairy science and then a PhD in toxicology and pathology.

Worked here at MSU for a long time and then did a postdoc and then moved into work as a research scientist.

I have always had dogs.

Would you be able to share how entomology and veterinary medicine interact and what you do and how knowledge of both is helpful?

Oh, yeah.

So many, many years ago, after I graduated from the Veterinary Technology, now Veterinary Nursing program, I I got a job in veterinary parasitology, which, of course, is endoparasites and ectoparasites.

And so through the years, I got quite accustomed to working, obviously, with fleas and ticks and that type of thing, plus the surprise bugs that we would have that we would then send over to Dr.

You've been working with dogs in the range of 20, 30 years, right? And you used to be a vet tech.

Now you operate a podcast where you help people how to navigate through issues with their dogs, but also you do virtual lessons and dog training, right? If you could kind of fill the gaps for me.

I started as a vet tech in the early 2000s, and I did that for quite a few years.

And then in 2009, I had a surgery, a brain surgery, where they told me that I would no longer be able to work with dogs in that capacity anymore.

If you know anything about what it's like to be a vet tech, it's not as crazy, I don't think.

It's like working with dogs who do bite suits, but you're still wrangling dogs in a different kind of manner.

And so having your head jostled around and stuff just wasn't going to be an option anymore.

Where they got into it because they thought it would be easy money or, you know, they went and they learned from somebody and so they started their own company and they have no – experience

He was three months old when I got there, so that was really fun.

And then I worked at another zoo in Austin, and then I was at Vet Tech for a while, and then I realized how much I missed rhinos, so I...

Started looking around and here I

am.

If you look back in the mid 2010s, the fashion program fizzled out, but ensuring that we add programs to replace those that are relevant to the community.

The school did just add a vet tech program.

It's the first vet tech program in the state.

While that can be a costly program, I think that it is something that is offering an opportunity to students that they don't get elsewhere.

It makes the school more attractive.

People may say that there are other programs out there similar to that, but those are really more animal science programs at the Aggie schools out there, not a vet tech program in a true career in tech at high school.

Looking at the cost of these programs is significant.

Over the years, people have asked many times, where's the dental program? THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE DENTAL PROGRAMS, THEY THRIVE, BUT THE COST OF A DENTAL PROGRAM IS ASTRONOMICAL.

But Morgan assured me she'd be the one to really come in handy.

She'd been to Vet Tech and told me she'd helped with a million of these types of surgeries.

There's always been dogs and cats, but still, a person's need can't be that different, right? I had all our tools laid out.

This was going to be quick.

You want to do engineering, you want to do science, everything.

And so it just so happened that the Masik Poly had... their veterinary technology course.

Oh, okay, do they? Yeah, their vet tech course that just started.

My batch was like the second or third batch.

Yeah.

When you went to Temasek Poly and you entered that course, what's it called again? Sorry.

Diploma in Veterinary Technology.

Okay.