Profile --Stacey Quinn

When asked how her day was, Lindsay Palmer generally has a good story to share that involved finding out what kind of bacteria or parasite killed an animal she had encountered earlier. Her explanation generally plays out like some type of animal CSI episode, where the bad guy is an exotic sounding parasite.

Lindsay is an Animal Health Technologist who generally works with large farm animals, but also aquatic animals on a part-time basis. She has been in this field for six years. It was a love of animals and a need to educate people about them that brought Lindsay to this job. "I like that it is an active job, one that keeps me on my feet and not behind a desk," explains Lindsay. "I like to be able to have a hand in keeping animals healthy, and find and stop a disease or parasite before it can attack the whole animal."

To become an Animal Health Technologist, Lindsay acquired a two year diploma through Olds College. A high school diploma was required for acceptance into the program, and she must engage in continuing education every year to maintain her certification.

Lindsay's typical day is somewhat unpredictable. When dealing with the health of animals, things can go really smoothly one moment, and haywire the next. Her general duties include; performing physical exams on an animal, running lab tests, assisting with the diagnosis of an animal's illness, performing dental work, administering x-rays and running post-mortems on animals that have died. She also has administrative duties, partakes in client and public education, feeds the animals, and cleans kennels as well as equipment.

Lindsay likes that she gets to work with animals and people, that her job is different every day, and that she is always learning. She finds it difficult when she has to work long hours in the cold, when her day focuses solely on cleaning, or dealing with the sometimes low pay. Animal Health Technologists earn between $25,900 to $51,700 per year, with the average being $32 800 per year.

When Lindsay was asked how location affects opportunity, she responded that pay was generally better in the city, but your location depends on what type of animals you wish to work with. "Generally, if you want to work with smaller animals, you work closer to the center of the city. For bigger animals you will need to be closer to the farms." There are also more opportunities when working with smaller animals, due to a larger population of small domestic animals that require the care an Animal Health Technologist provides. This field is expanding into new areas as medical advancements happen, so the field is becoming more and more exciting.

The general work schedule is also varied. Shift work, Monday to Friday jobs, on-call shifts, weekend and holiday shifts, are all available. It just depends on where you want to work, and the type of animals you prefer in your work.

This job is ideal for those able to work on their own, but can also work in a team-environment. You need to be both a good listener and a good communicator. It's a job for people who can think on their feet, those who have good time-management skills, are willing to learn and who are hard workers. Using these skills as a volunteer is the best way to get your foot in the door for any type of Animal Health related work. "You need to be able to prove that you are a hard worker and that you are trustworthy and capable," says Lindsay. "There are a lot of times when you will be working under a veterinarian as well, so to stay passionate about the work, you need to love to learn from the situations, but also stay true to yourself and the passion that drew you to this job in the first place." This can also be a hindrance. You can only advance so far, and then you will need to leave the position and become a veterinarian before you can advance further. However, if you are willing to work hard and specialize in a certain species of animal, or move out of the clinical setting, there are additional opportunities for advancement.

Travelling in this field depends on the job, but generally doesn't happen. The licence you receive from school can transfer to other countries. There is a call for this type of work in the future, due to a current veterinarian shortage. Animal Health Technologist roles will increase as a result of this shortage.

When asked if she could share any interesting stories about her job, Lindsay left us with this cryptic response. "There are lots of interesting moments when you work with people, live animals, parasites and manure."

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians - Video Profile.

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