Each year, we take the second full week in October to honor the hard-working, dedicated, compassionate professionals who have chosen to become veterinary technicians. Taking some time throughout the week to express your appreciation would surely mean a lot to the tech-tacular techs on your team – and you needn’t hire a marching band or build a confetti cannon to do so. Expressing your gratitude can be as simple as delivering a hand-written note or a small, thoughtful trinket. Looking for some additional inspiration? Take a look at these 10 ideas.
1. Pen a hand-written note
Let your favorite vet techs know how much you appreciate them with a personalized, hand-written sentiment. Everyone appreciates a message that comes from the heart, plus, a card is something techs can pin up and display year-round as a daily reminder of how appreciated they are.
2. Craft a digital shout-out
Does your clinic have social media channels? How about a digital newsletter? Draft a thank you post and shout from the (digital) rooftops how much your techs mean to you. You could even populate your social media calendar all week long by whipping up a profile and a fun fact about each tech and highlighting a different team member each day.
3. Deliver a sweet treat
Have you ever met a tech who didn’t enjoy a sweet treat like a doughnut or a scone? Whether it’s a handmade batch of cookies or a store-bought variety pack, this gesture will be appreciated (and ingested) either way. Picking up a carafe of hot coffee would really up the ante! The idea is just to do something that switches up the usual morning routine and makes your techs feel tech-stra special.
4. Have lunch catered in
Crazy schedules can often mean skipped lunches. Catering something in will increase the odds that your techs will take a well-deserved break and fuel up with something nutritious. If catering in isn’t an option, pick up the tab for their offsite lunch. Better yet – go with if you can! Some fresh air outside of the clinic does everyone good.
5. Create a space for compliments
Set up a “compliment bowl” at the front desk. All it takes is a bowl or other receptacle, some blank paper slips, a writing utensil and a sign that lets your clients know it’s vet tech appreciation week and encourages them to write something nice. Your techs can read the compliments throughout the week either at their leisure, during your morning huddles or at the end of the week as a nice wrap-up. Bonus: any particularly stand-out sentiments could be worked into your marketing efforts as testimonials.
6. Hire a massage tech for a day
Vet techs are often required to remain in odd positions when assisting with patients … this means sore muscles after a long day’s work! Consider bringing in a local massage technician one afternoon this week. Even a 10- to 15-minute massage would go a long way towards making your team feel pampered and rejuvenated.
7. Pick up a gift card
Picking up a gift card to each of your techs’ favorite haunts means they’ll continue to feel appreciated even while “off the clock.” Ideas include gift cards to a local restaurant, coffee shop, movie theater, boutique or nail salon.
8. Share an upcoming CE opportunity
Signing up your techs for an upcoming CE opportunity, industry trade show or workshop is a great way to show that you truly value their professional development. An opportunity like Patterson Veterinary University’s "Veterinary Professional Wellbeing Workshop" is the perfect session to attend as a small group, and we’re continuously adding new development courses.
9. Select a thoughtful gift
A small, personal gift that shows you care is something any tech would treasure. Here are some fun possibilities:
- Fresh flowers in their favorite color or variety
- Adorable hair ties that help animals in need
- A snarky adult coloring book that injects some humor into the messy parts of being a vet tech
- Personalized water bottles that remind the team to stay hydrated
- Pop sockets (more like paw-p sockets 😊) to help facilitate the perfect selfies with puppy patients
- New scrubs
10. Just … say thanks!
Uber busy and don’t have time to make a stop? Tight budget? It’s okay. The whole idea of vet tech week is to express your gratitude, and that (+ a hug) is free. If you have no cards, no flowers and no doughnuts, you can still offer a smile and a sincerely expressed “thank you” to the hard-working techs on your team.
What do you do to show your techs they’re tech-tacular? Stop by our social pages and let us know your favorite ideas, whether it’s from our list or your own brilliant brain!