The Wicked Bitch of the West

Friday Lana had me perform a jugular blood draw on a cat for my school practicum requirement. Just as I inserted the needle into the neck, the other Technician, the wicked bitch of the west who I will name Evila, noticed and screamed, "What are we doing here?!" We ignored her and she screamed even louder, "What are we doing here?!!" Lana calmly told Evila it was alright. Evila, with an extremely angry expression went running out of the treatment area.

She spent the next hour ranting at the receptionist about having to work with incompetent people and a mere Vet. Asst. doing Technician duties. Evila has known for a year that I would be doing my practicum and would be performing blood draws. Who knows why she freaked. She didn't run to the Medical Director with her complaints, maybe because she knows I wouldn't be performing blood draws with the MD's approval and she wouldn't get any sympathy there.

As background, Evila is a person with an ego problem; she feels everyone is incompetent, including the Drs. and she is the only one who knows how to do things and is the only one who does any work. In reality, Evila uses techniques that were okay fifteen years ago, but are now archaic. She learned one way to do things, hates change and refuses to change her techniques even though the modern way is gentler on the animals.

Anyway, the rest of my shift was spent with Evila totally avoiding me. When I asked questions about a patient's medication or care, she turned her back and walked from me. She avoided me completely, actually moving to another part of the clinic if I was in a particular area.

The next few weeks Evila will probably speak to me only to tell me about poop or vomit that needs cleaned up as her way of telling me I am just an Assistant in her eyes. No big deal, I have the support of the other Technician and the Drs. and they will make sure I get the training I need regardless of Evila's tantrums.

Evila is a person unhappy no matter what. If she won the lottery she would bitch about the taxes. When it rains, she complains about the wetness. When it doesn't rain, she complains about the dryness. She is very moody and is a difficult person to work with.

On a happier note, Whopper has been adopted. He came to Kitty Haven at four months old and has been living at the clinic for eight months. He had free movement in the treatment area and we had to step over him to walk dogs because he had his favorite spot on the rug by the back door and would not move even though some of the dogs were very large and vigorously pulling at their leash. He played in x-ray, slept on the counters, stole food from the kennels. Whopper will be greatly missed by us, but he now has his own lifelong home.