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Shanice Scatliffe

Dr. Reno

Veterinary Technician Program

February 25th, 2020

A spot into the program

We’ve all heard the story of how since we were a little girl or boy, we’ve had a

love for animals and wanted to work in the veterinary field. My story is not any different. I

grew up in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, a small beautiful island where everyone is

treated like family. Growing up on the island, you would see roosters, chickens, cows,

goats, dogs, and cats roaming the island freely. As the adventurous kid I was, I always

wanted to go up to those animals to play and pet them. I had a passion for animals and

animal care from a very young age and was always so fascinated by each animal’s

lifestyles. I always knew that I wanted to do something with animals, and that was to

work in the veterinary field.

At first, I had my mindset for years that I wanted to become a veterinarian; but

after working at a veterinary clinic, I realized I had more of a passion for becoming a

veterinary technician. While I know that veterinarians can do everything technicians can,

the technicians do a lot more physical hands-on work in the clinic. At the same time, the

doctors make the crucial decisions and use more of their mental energy. I am the type of

person that loves to work with hands-on things, and for me, being a veterinary technician

sounded like the perfect dream job.

As I am applying to get into the vet tech program, there are a few expectations

that I want to have for myself and the program. I expect to be able to go into the program

with a strong head and mind, giving it all I got, even when times get hard. I hope to be

able to bounce ideas and receive feedback from my classmates as we are all here to
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guide and lift each other, and; I expect to learn as much information that I can from my

professors and classmates as much as they can learn from me. Going into the vet tech

program, I want to be able to use the knowledge that I was already given and apply It to

hands-on or written situations in the program. I am determined to be a dependable

person, a team player, have a positive attitude, and take the initiative of anything that

comes my way, whether if it’s good or bad.

As I look ahead into my future, there are personal and professional goals I would

like to accomplish in 1, 5, and 10 years. In one year, just around the same time as

completing the cohort, I would like to be able to have a good general idea of what kind of

veterinary technician I would like to become. I have been in-between either working at

an all feline clinic or becoming a rehab technician. These are two completely different

roles, but I have such passion for both professions as I love cats and would love to work

in a clinic specifically for them. I’ve gotten to enjoy the whole process of physical

rehabilitation and underwater treadmill for canines as we have a rehab technician at the

clinic I work within.

For my goals in 5 years or less, I would like to move from Ohio to Florida. I

always knew after I finished my schooling, that Florida was going to be the place I

wanted to live. It's only one trip away from flying home to Tortola, BVI, and I have tons

of family and friends all over the state of Florida. It would be a significant boost, as a

veterinary technician, as they have lots of different creatures to learn and work on if I

wanted to advance my technician skills. For my goals in 10 years, hopefully, I would be

an accomplished successful technician, doing what she loves, working at a thriving feline

clinic, becoming a rehab veterinary technician, or doing something with exotics and

reptiles if It went down that path. At the same time, I would love to start a family who

would be just as crazy animal lovers as I am.

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Being able to work in the veterinary field is the right gift. You get the joy of

working with people who love animals just as much as you do, and you get to tend to the

care of pets. It's not always full of rainbows and sunshine, but when it is, it's a never

missed moment. Hopefully, if I get into the program, I can't want to put my knowledge to

the test and use it for the greater good as well as learn just about what it takes to be a

great technician. I can't wait until what the future holds for me and my journey of

becoming a successful veterinary technician.