This week is an important week- ‘I Love Veterinary Medicine’s Vet Tech Appreciation Week’.
For anyone not sure what a vet tech is, it’s another way to say Veterinary Nurse, and from experience I can tell you that they are your BEST FRIEND in practice, whether you’re a vet or a student!! In fact, “Do Not Upset Your Nurses” was pretty much the first thing said to me on my first day at vet school. And yet, it seems to be one of the most underrated, under appreciated careers I’ve ever come across.
Imagine you are a vet nurse for just a minute, and this is your day:
You got to work well before 8am and set off straight away feeding, cleaning and doing paperwork for all the inpatients, making sure you give each one the love and attention they deserve. You then open the surgery door before you’re meant to so that your clients and their fur babies don’t have to wait outside in the cold. You’re in theatre today with the new vet, who has only been qualified a year and half. They are nervous and unsure but you’re there to reassure them and tell them not to panic, whilst at the same time making sure somebody’s beloved pet on the table in front of you is comfortable, warm and not in danger throughout the operation. You lift the dog down from the table after the operation and carry them to their kennel, hurting your arms in the process, then return to start clearing away ready for the next surgeries. You manage to eat a sandwich today, you never take that for granted anymore! After lunch you’re on consults: you smile and greet Mrs Morton, with her newly adopted cat; you hand tissues to the owner who has just been told their cat has cancer; you cuddle and love an old dog at the end of his life, who’s owner was too upset to stay with him. There’s a gap in the consults, so you go through to the kennel block, where a puppy has got scared and couldn’t control his bladder, reassuring him you take him and wash him and give him clean blankets so he looks and smells nice for when his owners pick him up. Back through to reception and someone is shouting at you because they don’t want to pay a consult fee, and someone else wants to be seen now rather than wait. It’s the end of the day now but an RSPCA inspector turns up with a neglected puppy. Everyone has gone home, but you stay to cradle the puppy while he’s examined by the vet and give him the love he’s never before had. The vet goes home but you stay to feed the puppy and make him a nice bed with clean water and blankets. Finally you get to lock up and go home for food then bed: utterly exhausted but ready to do it all again the next day.
That’s a lot of effort to be called ‘just a vet nurse’.
As a student, vet nurses are great people to follow and ask questions to! They may not be ‘a vet’ but, that operation you’re watching? Chances are they’ve assisted in it over ten times! They really know their stuff and usually love to share their knowledge with students who take an interest!
I have been exceptionally lucky in the time I’ve been seeing practice and have shadowed amazing veterinary nurses who are always cheery and friendly and made me feel so welcome. Not once have I been told my questions were stupid or made to feel like I don’t matter and I have learned so much from their experience and patience. All in all, I’m very proud my first proper blog gets to be a shout out to some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met: Veterinary Nurses.
Barking Mad 