veterinary technician

veterinary surgeon

veterinarian

customer service representative

veterinary neurologist

Northstar VETS

This is definitely a place to bring your pets but working there is questionable. Upon hiring you are required to take a test to show your skill level and then are placed at different rank's according to how you answered the questions which isn't fair cause they didn't give you a chance to show your capabilities. I really wanted to learn so much more but other people with greater skills were those who learned more to advance. You can also make a simple mistake and then people would treat you like you knew nothing about your job and were constantly overlooking you. The people were not very welcoming and always kept within their cliques. Having people treat you poorly and be over judgemental was enough for me and several other people to leave. They played favorites alot too. My coworkers made me uncomfortable because I didn't want to be looked down upon when I had questions and many of them were very hard to approach. The
vets however were amazing. The vets always wanted to help but I could never get guidance or help from other techs which caused me to struggle in my position because I had no one to go to for help when needed.

I’m going to start this off by saying that I absolutely LOVE working with about 95% of the doctors and technicians. Seriously the staff is helpful, kind, and I have never been made to feel dumb for asking a question or for help. And when it comes to being paid they do pay extremely well compared to other places I’ve worked.
Having said that- management is awful. You will be told whatever you want to hear to get you in the door, and then all of that goes out the window. This place is not departmentalized so expected to be rotated a lot even if you are told you will only work in one department, unless you are deemed a competent surgery tech in which case don’t expect to go anywhere else. 
The training program is a joke, the 2 in charge are trying to make it better but so far it doesn’t seem like there is any improvement. 
They don’t take employee concerns seriously and we are all drowning. The owner seems to care more about company image then about employee concerns. Communication is a joke.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I love the people I work with I would have already left. 

I received an excellent schedule (four 10-hour days) immediately, I've had opportunities for growth, both laterally and vertically, and any complaints I've reported to HR/management have been addressed and (mostly) corrected. As in any vet hospital, the culture can be uneven but I do my best to avoid the drama. The most enjoyable part of the job is the opportunity to make pet's and client's lives better through excellent medicine and thorough communication. I do wish that our compensation would be better, as human nurses make twice what we make, despite us being able to handle multiple species and do everything from taking a history to monitoring anesthesia. The hardest part of the job is seeing suffering animals, despite knowing that we can make the choice to humanely euthanize. Seeing clients cry makes me sad, but I do my best to give them the comfort they deserve at this terrible time. I would love to work at NorthStar until I retire. 

If you’re considering working for NorthStar Vets, I would suggest that you truly question the interviewer of their expectations and the work environment. While I loved the mission and work NorthStar did, it seemed to be overshadowed by the workplace attitude and middle management. While the owner and CEO are truly a joy to work with, middle management under them are not. Not all, but some have unrealistic expectations, lack accountability for their shortcomings, and to be quite frank, can be bullies. The doctors and techs are for the most part a pleasure but in my opinion, are burnt out and seemed to be enraged by middle management, making it a tense work environment to be in. The work you’ll do will be great but unfortunately may come with a cost at the expense of your own boundaries, priorities, and respect. They have initiatives to repair their “culture” but the ones putting the initiatives in place are the ones poisoning the culture. 

Pay was fair. Commute was fine. 

NSV is the greenest grass on the other side. Is it perfect? No….But what place is perfect to work at? What I learned at NSV is courage, to “Be Brave”, do things that make you uncomfortable, take the hard cases, and have confidence in yourself. The work in veterinary medicine is hard everywhere!! NSV is family. No matter where I go in life, NSV goes with me. 
If you have issues, go talk to the APPROPRIATE people in a respectful manner and tell them how you are feeling and have a solution to the issue. That’s how your voice is heard and how change happens. Just like any relationship, you must talk through issues…no matter how big or small. Don’t complain, speak to those who can make a change with respect. 
NSV is the best family I’ve ever worked for. I encourage anyone to have the same experience that I did. Blessings!!

Northstar vets is a great 24 hour emergency and speciality veterinary office that is fast paced and very busy. I have learned a lot of medical information, improved on my phone skills, and time management. Management is very hard working and do a wonderful job at keeping the facility and staff happy. The hardest part of the job is making sure that every client is happy and satisfied with our services. We do a great job at this, but you must be consistent with it. I enjoy meeting new clients and making a connection with them to reassure them that they are in good hands and that we will take care of their pet to the best of our abilities.

Our hospital is often understaffed.  When management hires new applicants, they have not acquired the skills and experience necessary to adequately meet the needs of the job description.  This results in experienced technicians being stretched thin and attempting to fulfill the needs of two technicians.  Continuing education and training is not consistent across the board for all employees.  Employees often stay late at the end of their shifts and are called in almost every time that they are on call.  

I am an ER doctor at this hospital.  We are often the shortest staffed of all the departments (almost as an afterthought), but often the busiest service.  Our technicians are leaving because they can get better salaries/benefits/work-life balance elsewhere and management does not see this as a problem.  Feel very supported as a doctor if there are client complaints.  Able to practice amazing medicine using the latest tools available.  Most specialists are willing to help and teach.

Typical day at work is being micromanaged by several supervisors and an abusive manager. What I’ve learned is the more you get paid the less you do. 
We have a new CEO, so now there’s several new titles of people getting paid more when the support staff hasn’t gotten a raise since 2021, with no explanation. Prices increasing every day it seems. 
Workplace culture is unless you work in the surgery department, you don’t matter 
The hardest part of my job is knowing that there’s techs working 18 hours in a department because the management didn’t plan ahead. 
The most enjoyable part of my job is I work With my best friends. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
None. It is a toxic environment 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There are not enough support staff and patient:tech ratios are unsafe, even at the best of times

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic. The practice manager gossips about staff and the tech manager spends her day doing nothing 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Overworked and micromanaged from when you clock in till you leave (often long after you were scheduled to leave)

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Veterinary technician 31 salaries reported	$30.16 per hour
Veterinary surgeon 2 salaries reported	$225,000 per year
Veterinarian 10 salaries reported	$172,750 per year
Customer service representative 6 salaries reported	$20.17 per hour
Veterinary neurologist 7 salaries reported	$242,857 per year

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