At BluePearl, we live the philosophy that every moment matters, so you should spend your time doing something you’re passionate about. For us, that’s making a difference for pets and their families.
As a veterinary technician, assistant, or other patient care associate, you are a critical part of the care team. We want everyone at BluePearl to feel valued and welcomed, so we invest in our Associates to foster their career goals.
This article highlights five resources BluePearl Associates can leverage for career advancement, professional growth, and learning and development:
- Penn Foster
- CareerTrax
- The BluePearl Library
- Continuing education
- Digital learning ecosystem
“We [BluePearl] are not only committed to providing the highest quality of care to pets, but also to fostering a culture of innovation and growth through meeting the personal and professional needs of our Associates. By contributing to our Associates’ development and helping them reach their education and career goals, we hope to create a more sustainable profession and support the careers of veterinary professionals across the industry.”
James BarrChief Medical Officer, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital
1. Become a credentialed veterinary technician with Penn Foster.
If you’ve thought about becoming a credentialed veterinary technician, BluePearl can help you achieve your goal through the Penn Foster associate degree program for veterinary technology. With the partnership between BluePearl and Penn Foster, eligible BluePearl Associates can receive a 90% reimbursement on the cost of tuition for the comprehensive, self-paced program. The Penn Foster scholarship program gives you a way to advance your education and gain relevant skills while working full-time in your chosen role at BluePearl.
What does the Penn Foster program entail?
In the Penn Foster vet tech program, you’ll learn the critical skills needed to succeed in the role. The AVMA CVTEA-accredited curriculum is four semesters of online learning plus two hands-on externships to gain practical experience. Program graduates earn an associate degree in veterinary technology and are eligible to sit for the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). These are critical steps needed to become a credentialed veterinary technician in many states.
2. Upskill to the next level with CareerTrax.
We heard our technicians, assistants, and other care team associates’ desire for a clear pathway to increase their knowledge and skills while gaining practical experience working on the floor.
To address that need, we created CareerTrax, a unique skills verification and tracking platform. CareerTrax is designed to promote career advancement through structured skill levels to match the scope of responsibilities for patient care and client service job families.
There is no standardization of vet technician credentials or translatable skills across states, so CareerTrax was created to clearly define roles and associated skill sets. This system, which is exclusive to BluePearl, offers full transparency into requirements for each job function, level, and specialty. This transparency means you’ll know exactly how to take your career to the next level.
Your options before were to be either a non-credentialed assistant or a credentialed technician. Now with CareerTrax, you have multiple pathways to expand your skills and land the role you aspire to, whether that’s an assistant, technician, or another patient care role.
Choose your professional track.
The tracks are based on:
- Veterinary specialties
- Patient care standards
- Client service principles
Each puts you directly on the path to achieving your desired career goals in your field of interest. While the program is structured, it also leaves room to explore your interests and develop new ones.
For example, you could work in emergency and critical care and continue along that pathway from kennel attendant to Veterinary Technician Specialist. Or you could change paths after deciding you love oncology and want to pursue that track.
How CareerTrax makes a difference.
No matter what you choose, each track offers clearly defined skill levels to place you in the role that fits you best with a purposefully designed path for growth.
Thousands of BluePearl assistants, technicians, client service associates and other support team members benefit from CareerTrax, now having a direct and organized path to advance their education and careers. Our organization is continuously developing and refining resources like CareerTrax and other initiatives to give our Associates the means to accomplish goals and achieve their desired careers.
3. Gain knowledge at your fingertips with the BluePearl Library.
We’re proud to offer Associates access to a comprehensive online library of clinical research and professional development tools, including prominent journals and publications from the industry.
BluePearl Associates have convenient access to the platform, which allows you to perform advanced library searches and download articles from thousands of medical and business journals.
Integrated within the library is PubMed, a comprehensive online database containing journals, books, and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The PubMed database is maintained by the United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.
4. Remain on the cutting edge with continuing education (CE).
In addition to the hands-on experience gained by working in a BluePearl hospital, Associates receive a dedicated stipend to attend continuing education sessions and can get licensing costs reimbursed.
On top of that, free subscriptions and discounts are available on leading CE platforms like:
- VetFolio
- AtDove
- VETgirl
5. Never stop learning with BluePearl’s digital learning ecosystem.
In addition to external sources, Associates have access to continuing education materials through our learning management system (LMS), including BluePearl University (BPU) and the Mars Center for Veterinary Excellence (MCVE).
BluePearl University.
BPU is an in-house, online learning and development platform where you can find top resources for building functional skills, annual compliance training, CE opportunities and professional development.
Throughout the BPU community, you can find:
- Webinars
- Job aids
- Online classes
- Events
- Videos
- Tests/knowledge checks
- Articles
- And other resources
The library contains a wide range of subjects with content in a variety of formats that complement different learning styles. From RACE-approved presentations on modern chemotherapy practices to online classes about medical terminology to client communication curriculum, there’s something for everyone and you’ll always have something new to learn.
The Mars Center for Veterinary Excellence.
In addition to BPU, Associates have access to the MCVE. Launched as a collective effort by Mars Veterinary Health, which is made up of 2,500 veterinary clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic labs across ten businesses and 21 countries, the MCVE provides on-demand access to innovative, relevant, and timely information. The MCVE resources help you continue to provide unrivaled care for pets and thrive in a fulfilling career.
You’ll have access to new and exciting resources such as:
- Communities
- Curated learning playlists
- Third-party learning content
- Podcasts
- Courses from other Mars Veterinary Health businesses
Combined, the MCVE and BPU have thousands of resources contributed by members of the BluePearl community and beyond to boost your knowledge.
Reach your full potential.
At BluePearl, we’re committed to providing sustainable career pathways and elevating the standard of care throughout the profession. In turn, that means we invest wholeheartedly in our Associates and take measures to support your growth and development – every step of the way. We’re continuously looking for new ways to remove barriers and pave the way for our Associates to succeed so we can build a thriving culture of growth and satisfaction among our team members.
