Job Security with Stress, Anxiety and Evil Overlords - Technician VCA Employee Review

1.0
May 14, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Job security, they are always hiring due to extremely high turn over. Availability to transfer to other areas/states when moving. Good pet discount for 4 of your pets, if you have more you're screwed, you can't even purchased the packages offered to clients. Get to do good work, get to know clients and their amazing pets. Making a difference in pets lives. Able to bring your pets to work. On site management is good.

Cons

Corporate and regional managers are so far removed from actual clinics that they have no understanding of how the clinics function. Regional managers don't respond to requests, phone calls or emails, but they come running if your profits drop. Unable to get help from corporate office when needed. Extremely low pay, you will make more at a fast food restaurant or waiting tables. Extremely expensive health care benefits with very high deductibles, if you get sick you're going to be in debt. Overtime is expected, not appreciated. Extremely high turnover. Pet discount is great for 4 pets, but if you go over there is nothing you can do. Most employees have more than 4 pets, many go to Banfield to get care for the additional pets, just for the lower costs. As an employee you can't even purchase the packages offered to clients. Promotions into management are based on who can blow smoke the best, skills and hard work make no difference. The more you lie and don't do your job, the better your chances of moving into a regional position. Based out of CA, no matter what state you are in you have to do everything by way of CA, doing a basic coaching can take 2 to 6 weeks to get approved - by then no one remembers why someone needed to be coached. Too profit oriented - profit is important, but shorting hospitals because you refuse to pay reasonable wages, or purchase basic necessary equipment, or replace staff puts pets at risk. And this is acceptable to the corporate overlords, because it saves money in the short term. Being forced to provide free day care to the on staff doctors - expect the doctors to bring their children to work with them 4 out of 5 days, and while they are working, their children are running around the hospital, disturbing post-op patients, interrupting critical patient care, disturbing clients, and having chair races in the treatment area. Okay for the doctors, but not allowed technician or other staff members, the rest of us actually have to pay for child care. No work life balance. After all if they can make you work 13 hour days, why should they hire more staff? If you are short staffed and you don't fill the position quickly enough (because you are looking for someone who fits into your facility) be prepared to lose it. After all if you didn't fill it you must not need it.

Explore other reviews about VCA

5.0
Apr 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Perfect team for learning and mentorsip

Cons

New manager made 13 of us leave for the best

4.0
Jun 12, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company offers many opportunities for doctors and techs to grow in their careers. They provide tons of support and they've been making HUGE changes to veterinary medicine on a whole. I have never known another company to offer so many benefits and perks for staff (especially techs), and they're even making lots of effort to invest in the veterinary receptionists-the front line associates of the hospital. They're also making great strides to acknowledge some of the feedback we've had for many years. They're savvy and smart, making business decisions that build on a company that will be around a long time (and has.)

Cons

There have been times where transparency and communication are lacking, and sometimes to the point where hospital-level employees feel left out or unheard. Some bigger topics like onboarding and navigating what support comes from where could be more clear. It feels like they've been fusing on new concepts/policies/features to the company, making it feel like a clunky machine rather than building something new and streamlined. Maybe it's in the works, but how do we know down here?

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