Keeping up with heavy caseloads

Angela Elia, BS, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC), a training program manager with Pieper Veterinary Group, lectured on time management for veterinary technicians at the 2024 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention in Austin, Texas. During her talk, she discussed ways to increase staff efficiencies, while raising standards of care. In an interview with dvm360, she elaborated on one reason why technicians may feel overwhelmed on the job and shared her personal experience with heavy caseloads.

The following is a transcript of the video:

Angela Elia, BS, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC): I think that a lot of things overwhelm technicians. For me personally, when I was working in the ER and ICU, heavy caseloads were my No. 1 overwhelming thing. There is nothing more devastating to an ICU nurse than the feeling that I can't keep up with my patient's treatments. It literally destroys my heart to be late on a treatment, so that immediately makes me feel overwhelmed. I think in the ER, it's the same story, that busy caseload, feeling like I can't give my best attention to every single patient and handhold every single client that's attached to that patient the way that I really want to and be efficient at the same time. When I do shifts in [general practice], I feel like I'm overwhelmed by just the amount of care and time that each client demands with that relationship that you're developing over the lifetime of a pet. So, I think it varies, but the but the baseline is the same. We're all overwhelmed for one reason or another while we're at work.