This week on Dr. Molly Says (and on round 2 of my world tour LOL), we’re coming to you LIVE from Vegas with veterinary nurse and chaos coordinator extraordinaire, Ashley Farmer (aka @ashleythevetnurse 💛).
Ashley and I are diving into the world of veterinary technicians, emergency medicine, and what actually happens behind the scenes at your vet clinic… because trust me, it’s a LOT more than people realize.
We talk about how Ashley went from dreaming of working with animals to feeding sharks at the Pittsburgh Zoo, becoming a licensed veterinary technician, working emergency medicine, and eventually helping run hospital operations at VEG (Veterinary Emergency Group).
We also get into:
- What veterinary technicians/nurses actually do all day (spoiler: basically everything)
- The difference between vet techs, assistants, and veterinary nurses
- Why the “vet nurse vs vet tech” debate is way more complicated than people think
- How emergency vet hospitals really work behind the scenes
- Why open-concept ERs are changing veterinary medicine
- The relationship between pet owners, vets, and veterinary nurses during emergencies
- Why efficiency and teamwork matter so much in emergency medicine
- The emotional reality of caring for hospitalized pets
- How veterinary assistants can grow into long-term careers in vet med
PLUS: Ashley shares her hottest takes in veterinary medicine (including owners helping restrain pets 👀), we discuss the absolute chaos of emergency rooms, favorite and least favorite dog breeds in the ER, and why veterinary nurses are truly the backbone of every hospital.
And of course… we end with important conversations about Pomeranians, doodles, Great Danes pooping everywhere, and what dog breed Ashley would be if she had to choose.
LOVE YOU GUYS 💛
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Welcome from Vegas + why we’re recording from a hotel room
00:01:00 Ashley’s journey into veterinary medicine
00:03:00 Working at the Pittsburgh Zoo + feeding sharks
00:05:00 What it takes to become a licensed veterinary technician
00:07:00 Vet tech vs veterinary nurse explained
00:11:00 Why people don’t realize how advanced vet med really is
00:12:00 Inside VEG emergency hospitals + open-concept ERs
00:17:00 Why collaboration between ERs and general practice matters
00:19:00 Dr. Molly’s new “open-ish” hospital concept
00:20:00 Hot take: should owners help restrain pets?
00:22:00 What veterinary nurses actually do during ER shifts
00:26:00 Surgery techs, inpatient care & emergency teamwork
00:28:00 Why Ashley moved into operations & leadership
00:30:00 Veterinary technician specialists (VTS) explained
00:34:00 The complicated relationship between vet assistants & licensed techs
00:38:00 Advice for assistants considering tech school
00:39:00 Favorite pets, breeds & ER patients
00:42:00 Emergency cases Ashley actually loves treating
00:44:00 The adrenaline of emergency medicine
00:45:00 Meet Ashley’s pets: Miss Kitty Meow Meow & Linda
00:46:00 Outro
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Listen to the pod on YouTube/Spotify/Apple:
https://www.youtube.com/@drmollysayspod
https://open.spotify.com/show/7xmKqrXGPJXpsbDbtCMgfe?si=17148ddc74604cb1
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dr-molly-says-podcast/id1800302028
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