Episode Details

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In this week’s episode of That Vet Life Podcast host, Dr. Moriah McCauley is joined with veterinary technicians, Peter Carlos and Jaycee Leonardo.  

Over the past 2 years, the dynamic duo has been utilizing social media (in particular TikTok and Instagram) to educate both pet owners and people within the veterinary industry. On their TikTok account, which has over 2 million followers, Peter and Jaycee have created a space to educate all on what Veterinary Technicians do and offer up their best tips and tricks when caring for their patients.

The duo’s entry into vet tech took slightly different routes and offer an important reminder that no one way is best. Whilst Peter’s career in the animal and veterinary industry began at Petco – which he started working at during his junior year of high school and continued after graduating – it wasn’t until later when Peter decided to pursue veterinary technician courses. After becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician, Peter began working at Taylor ER Veterinary Emergency Hospital. It was here that he first met Jaycee. 

Aforementioned, Jaycee’s journey into veterinary medicine, took a different route. Jaycee aspired to be a veterinarian from a young age, however, once at high school Jaycee enrolled in local veterinary technician classes and Jaycee decided to pursue a career as a veterinary technician. Jaycee joined Taylor ER Veterinary Emergency Hospital as a volunteer aged 16, before being offered a full-time job there 2 years later. 

Since then, the pair joined forces to create educational content through social media.

In this episode, Dr. Moriah, Peter, and Jaycee discuss the role of a veterinary technician, how clients view them differently, and how we can push for veterinary technicians to be seen as having the same level of importance as veterinarians. 

Outline of this episode:

• [01:06] The episode begins with Dr. Moriah introducing her guests and discussing the different time zones they are all in.
• [02:02] Peter discusses what kind of practice they work in and what their role is in the practice.
• [04:03] Moriah asks Jaycee and Peter how busy the practice has been and if this has changed since Covid-19.
• [05:00] Jaycee and Peter discuss what they see most commonly at the moment.
• [08:52] Peter and Jaycee talk through how clients perceive them differently being technicians rather than vets.
• [11:25] Peter, Moriah, and Jaycee talk about how there is a vet shortage at the moment.
• [13:39] How can we get more people joining the veterinary industry?
• [14:29] How can we get more people to stay within the profession?
• [18:12] How can we change people’s view of veterinary technicians?
• [19:10] Ad break, join Thrive.
• [20:17] The episode continues with Peter, Moriah, and Jaycee discussing social media and how veterinary technicians should be utilizing it.
• [23:47] Peter talks about how veterinary medicine has changed in the past 10 years.
• [29:25] Peter tells the audience where to find them online.
• [30:50] The episode comes to an end. 

To access the extended version of the episode, join our Thrive community. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Instagram 
• Tiktok

Connect with Peter and Jaycee:

• Instagram 
• Tiktok
• Facebook