I interviewed Mitzy Zavala about her career as a veterinarian assistant. Learning about her experiences starting her career and why she decided to pursue it could help others who want to pursue a similar career. 

Mitzy is a veterinary assistant who studied at Renton Technical College. She did a 9 month program and a 3 month internship afterwards. She gets to work with different types of veterinarians, cardiologists, sonographers, etc. She gets to see the ins and outs of all cases, which she loves doing. 

I asked her why she decided to pursue this career. She replied, “I’ve always had an interest in both animals and medicine. It wasn’t until my mom was doing a GED program and told me about a VA program that it clicked that I could combine both interests.” I also asked if she always wanted to be a veterinarian. She answered, “It’s a sense I did always want to work at a vet hospital. Growing up I always had all sorts of animal encyclopedias and watched all the Animal Planet shows with grandma. I didn’t know there were other positions besides a veterinarian doctor, so it didn’t occur to me as a career option.” 

Mitzy likes being a veterinarian because of the animals of course, but she also likes it because she likes seeing the animals thrive, especially when they have been sick. She also said, “I do have a few patients that at one point we weren’t sure they were going to survive, so to have that pet come in all nice and healthy is very rewarding.” However, there are also parts she doesn’t like. For example, the emotional and physical toll it takes on you, plus seeing animals in pain is hard, and seeing the owners be non-compliant (when they don’t do what needs to be done). She says, “Physically lifting 50+ lbs dogs can get very exhausting. The world in general has a very negative view towards vets that can be emotionally taxing to hear on the regular. A big part of the vet field is learning how to manage the hard and emotional aspects of the job.”

Some advice she would give the younger generation wanting to be veterinarians is, “I would encourage the younger generation to go for it and not be afraid. If you’re unsure, you can always start as a kennel tech or a receptionist just to see what things are like. It’s intimidating to start, but vets are worth so much more than they are given credit for. Even if becoming a veterinarian isn’t for you, there’s still so many other opportunities within the vet field.”