Ep 114: Not 'Just a Vet Tech' with Peter and Jaycee
In this week's episode of That Vet Life Podcast host, Dr. Moriah McCauley is joined with vet techs, 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 techniques 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.