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Channel: Merck Manual Vet Student Stories

Lab Animal Research: Rats are Awesome

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This semester I have a class dedicated to only lab animals and lab animal health and manipulations. Honestly, going into this class I thought that I would hate it. I was against the use of animals for research, but I also didn’t really understand it.

For this class, once a week we go to a lab where my school has their own rats and mice. There we learn basic restraints, injection sites, manipulations. But also we learn about GLP which is Good Laboratory Practices. These are basically a set of rules created in order to deliver the best care to the laboratory animals in a laboratory setting. Laboratories, if they don’t follow these practices, will not get funded.

The more I learn about laboratory practice the more I realize that the medications and knowledge that we have in the veterinary world would not exist without laboratory practice and research. Research is done in these settings in order to help our companion animals and our human families, by studying diseases and researching medications etc.

Going to the lab with my classmates each week does not feel like a class. It feels like a field trip. It is a joy to work with the rats and the little mice. We make sure they are well taken care of and give them plenty of treats and enrichment.

The best, most unexpected part of this experience is that I learned that rats are so cute! They are super nice, affectionate creatures who are amazing to work with. I had only ever worked with companion animals and farm animals before so this was a fun discovery.

I am really grateful that my school has allowed me to have this opportunity to change my mind about laboratory practices. I know that not every Animal Health Technician student has this sort of opportunity in their school life. So I am grateful that I get to expand my knowledge of veterinary health and practices that happen in the animal health world.


My Super Doctor

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She sits at her desk going over the extensive list of supplies needed for our clinic and searches online for the most cost-effective items so that she can pass the savings along to our clients. She has been awake for 12 hours now when she takes a call with an upset pet owner looking for help and gently talks them through their panic as a mother would speak to a frightened child. She then prepares to interview a potential employee as we are understaffed right now, trying to find a capable, well-trained person who will also be reliable to support the team.

I interrupt her with the announcement of a limping pet in room two, so she asks details and looks over the chart, smiles and goes in. I overhear the conversation, and that client who came in frightened is now laughing with her. She walks out with an adorable cocker spaniel in her arms and orders radiographs to be taken, all the while cooing over the dog cradled to her chest. After the X-rays are complete, she examines them and uploads them to her iPad and takes them back to the client to discuss her findings.

All is well with the sweet dog and after ordering the needed medications to ensure his comfort, I discharge the now smiling woman and her beloved pet. The Doctor sits at the computer to write a detailed medical record, then returns to finish her supply ordering. She has another four hours of her shift to complete when I tell her there is a hit-by-car trauma on the way. The client is understandably frantic and will need help getting her large dog out of the car. I wait by the door watching and call the Doctor when they arrive. We rush out and try to calm the panicked owner while lifting her dog onto the medical cart, trying ever so carefully to cause him no further pain.

In the treatment room, the extent of his injuries is accessed, IV catheter placed, and fluids started to help stabilize him. The doctor goes to speak to the owners while I look over and care for the stunned yet charming patient. Coming back into the treatment area, the Doctor tells me what to order, and I take care of the owner’s paperwork as she begins administering much-needed pain medication to the beautiful dog on the cart. He is being hospitalized tonight and after diagnostic testing, we are all relieved that somehow his injuries will not be life-threatening. I set him up a comfortable bed while she fills out his treatment sheet for the evening.

Each shift brings new patients and new stressors, yet somehow her demeanor rarely changes. No question is ever frowned upon, only answered to the best of her ability, one is never is made to feel small when working with her. At the end of long shifts, when it is finally time to go home, she always thanks her technicians for their hard work. She amazes all of us with how calm she can remain amidst chaos and her knack for making everyone feel needed and special only fuels my desire to work harder. Being kind and supportive only leads to more of the same, and I know how lucky our clinic is to have her.

Surgery Protocols and Communication: Working Together

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Veterinary technicians are required to be flexible and efficient; these are skills that make them integral parts of the veterinary team. Since I am now in my third-year as a veterinary technician I am expected to preform surgical tasks in the same manner as a seasoned veterinary technician with minimal intervention from the instructors. Theory is over; now it is time for the practical.

Each surgery class we follow a protocol created by our teacher, the veterinarian, and control a team of 2-3 students. The leader, or anesthetist, of the group must delegate all tasks that she/he cannot do himself during the surgery in order to be efficient. Multitasking is a great skill in this aspect. I might be in the process of checking for leaks after an endotracheal intubation, but at the same time I am delegating my teammates to set up the monitoring equipment.

In addition, I need to emphasize how important communication is in performing these surgery protocols. As the anesthetist you might be delegating tasks, but it is important to check in on your teammates, to make sure they are comfortable doing said tasks, whether they have any questions, or whether you were not clear enough on your delegation. Also, everyone might already know the protocol, but it is also good to say what you are doing to each other, and say what steps are next. Communication is key because there is an animal’s life at stake and mistakes can be fatal.

During out protocols when we hand over the anesthesia monitoring sheet to one of our teammates, we are encouraged to ask them to notify the anesthetist when values such as heart rate or respiratory rate drop to a certain value, and we say this. By repeating and communicating the values of the vital signs we are also learning them. So that if ever we are in a situation where there is emergency and the values drop, we will know right away because during every surgery protocol we go over the values.

Communication like this when doing surgery protocols is the key to efficacy. This may seem like an obvious thing; however, it is very easy during surgery to become quiet and just focus on what you are doing at that moment and create a bubble of isolation around yourself, but DON’T! Talk to each other. Say what you are doing when you start a task. Ask each other if you are all okay, if everyone is comfortable. Ask what tasks you can do next. Say out loud if there is a change in the vital signs. Say when the animal is connected to the oxygen. Say when you are bagging the animal. Announce when you are administering drugs.

Many things happen during a surgery. If you are the anesthetist there is a lot of things to think about there is a lot of things to do and your brain is constantly multitasking. However, make that job easier by delegating the tasks. You cannot control the situation, nor can you work as a team if you do not communicate. Become the most efficient, flexible, and skilled multitasking veterinarian technician through communication. Surgeries can become much less stressful if everyone is on the same page.

Curveball

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There are times when life throws us unexpected curve balls. These unforeseen circumstances disrupt everything in their path which also includes any plans we have made. Recently I was faced with one of these unexpected events when I suddenly became ill. For a few weeks I tried to ignore it, hopeful that it would go away on its own but this time it would not just go away.

After seeing doctors then specialists I was faced with a very harsh truth, I am out of work temporarily. Talk about a curveball; there are bills to pay, mouths to feed and then school. It is hard not to fall into a dark mind space when everything you have worked so hard for is put on temporary hold — being in this mindset of ‘why me?’ Is certainly not conducive to achieving much of anything beyond depression. And really what good does that frame of mind do any of us?

I will admit I fell into that dark place for a little while; I am human after all and subject to feeling sorry for myself. However, I am reaching a point where I need to be my own coach and pep talk myself out of this negativity. My conclusion is that if it had to happen, at least it has happened around tax time when I have a cushion to be off of work. I have some unexpected time to apply to my studies and towards my love of writing. I can use this time to better myself instead of bringing myself down.

I think it is hard for many caretakers to care for themselves, but this is something we all need to come to terms with. We get sick, we face unexpected sorrows, we get burnt out, and there are times when we need to give ourselves the same level of care, we would show our patients and clients. Unexpected things are always just around the corner; we will never stop them from occurring. The hope is that we can get through them and grow stronger and better because of them.

Keeping Motivated Until the End

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The end of the road is in view for my school career. In my mind, I am already a graduated veterinary technician. I am full of knowledge and ready to go out into the workforce and use it. However, I am not quite done, and that is a problem because my brain thinks I am done. This causes a battle between rational and irrational me it is severely affecting my motivation.

I am currently in the process of doing my final internship and project. I don’t have classes, I don’t have to go to school, but I need to keep telling myself that I am not done.

Motivation is always a hard thing to find as a student. Lack of motivation comes hand in hand with procrastination which I believe every student has been familiar with at some point in their career. In order to get through the last month of my student career, I need to make some changes.

Scheduling: I bought a pretty agenda at the beginning of the semester because I thought it would motivate me to use it. I carry it around with me everywhere. However, I am still jotting half notes and reminders of sticky notes and sticking them in random pockets and places. I need to use my agenda. It will keep me on schedule and more on track. In addition, it will give me a realistic vision of the time I have left to finish my project. Since I have a bit of a problem with time management, using my agenda will help me out a lot. I had better habits about my agenda use, I just need to recreate these habits.

Diet: My time management sucks, and as a result, so does my diet. The food that goes into the body is important, as a veterinary technician I talk about specific diets for an animal’s well being a lot! But somehow, mine has lagged behind. Winter is over, so it’s time for fresh vegetables and fruits to help strengthen my mental state.

Hobbies: A balance between work/school, my project, and my hobbies are important. I believe it is important for everyone to have one. Right now, I am rock climbing. I find it boosts my adrenalin, my energy, my mood, and most importantly my motivation. I am much more likely to stay up late working on my project after climbing not because I have to, but because I feel energized and inspired to do so.

This is the last stretch for me, and I am going to make it. I just need to remember the importance of these three things that have such a large impact on my motivation. My scheduling, diet, and hobbies all affect my motivation. If I work on these, motivation will follow, and before I know it, I will be graduated.

Why I Drove 10 Hours for a Cat

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The bond between a pet and its owner is very special. They are always happy to see us. They are always there when you come home from work or school. They greet you purring or tail wagging. We get so attached to these little beings living in our homes that they become part of us.

When my cat passed away mid-semester it was like I lost part of myself, part of my home. My small apartment felt deserted. I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn’t there anymore. That the creaks of the old building were not coming from him jumping around.

A half-eaten bowl of kibbles remained frozen in time. And I went to school. It was my final semester, I had no choice.

It was obvious how empty the apartment felt, but neither I nor my roommate mentioned anything.

When my aunt posted online a series of photos of cats from her local SPCA I took a look. I wasn’t expecting to find anything so soon. I wasn’t really looking for another cat right at that moment. But then I saw her. A tiny orange and white 8-month-old domestic short hair. She stood sassily looking up in front of the camera.

I’ve seen a lot of cats at school, at work, or just photos online and none of them piqued my interest as she did. I wrote to my aunt, who then visited her at the SPCA, who then concluded that she was perfect. My aunt wanted to know how I knew she was the best cat, but I just knew.

The only problem was that she was a 12-hour drive away.

I had friends and family who questioned my reasoning. Why didn’t I just adopt a cat in the area–there are plenty in the region. I had doubts too. I was hoping that I was making the right decision, that I was ready for another cat.

When the adoption papers were signed, my aunt brought her home to live with her while I figured out a way to travel to them. I had to figure out the time on the weekend, in between exams so that I wouldn’t miss any school. In the end, my aunt met me halfway.

When I first met my new cat, I picked her up and she instantly started cuddling me and I knew that I made the right decision. After an hour of listening to her meow in the carrier, we decided to try letting her out.  We drove home with her sitting on my mother’s lap in the car. The rest of the ride she was quiet.

Now my apartment is not so quiet. She greets me every day at the door when I come home. She is there when I wake up and fall asleep. She is there in the middle of the night singing the song of her people. And it’s perfect.

It is unfortunate that a loss was the reason for our reunion but sometimes it’s the way life goes. Now I can’t think of my home without her in it.

Graduation: Now Onto the Next

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After three of the most difficult but exciting years of my life, I am done school vet tech school. I am now an official veterinary technician. If I could speak to my past self she wouldn’t believe that I finally made it.

But now, life begins. I have all these skills, all this knowledge, all these opportunities, and I don’t know where to go.

I feel completely prepared for all aspects of the field. I am confident in my skills. I am ready to work. But it is the decision of where to work in my field. Do I choose laboratory, clinical, large animal? I am interested in all aspects of my profession and it is the hardest decision to choose. Each path has both pros and cons that I all weigh equally.

I feel like the first job I choose out of school will define my whole career. That will be the type of technician I become. But I don’t want to be just one type of technician. I want all of it.

At school, they teach us to be dynamic, to learn quickly, and to adjust quickly. I have confidence that my teachers and technicians have prepared me, and I want them to be proud of what I become. I just hope that I make the right career choice that will make ME proud.

I am obviously in the right profession if I want to work in all aspects of my field. I am happy to have graduated. I am happy with my accomplishments. I am happy about all that I have learned. I am sure that once I pick a path I will be happy with my decision. If I am not happy then I can change, my program didn’t teach me to be dynamic and flexible for nothing.

I want to make my mentors proud with what I do with my life. They spent so much time sharing their knowledge and teaching me–I will be forever grateful for everything.

So school is over, now onto the next challenge: career.

Study Tips

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I am always seeking out ways to improve my study habits and memory retention. As a person who is often distracted, finding the time to sit down and study can be challenging. I have found some helpful tips, and while everyone is different some of these may prove useful.

Creating an area with little distraction was one of the first tips I had found. This one did not work so much for me as there is nowhere in my home to do so. With a drive to the local library being too far to go to daily, I had to learn to improvise on this tip. If you can set up a desk in a quiet place, by all means, do so!

Listening to classical music while studying is another useful study tip. This is one that I have found to be extremely helpful. I invested in a great pair of noise-canceling headphones and listen to classics at a low volume while I study. I am uncertain if classical music really helps my focus or if the benefit is merely drowning out the background noise in my home. No matter the exact reasoning behind it, it certainly has worked for me.

Tip number three is one I have heard multiple times. When studying a chapter in a textbook, first skim the information and any pictures. Next, I read all of the information in the chapter slowly. Finally, I go over the chapter again while taking notes of relevant details or further researching concepts that I do not fully understand. It is also a great idea to write your notes in your own words instead of simply copying information.

There has been much buzz online that cramming in long hours of studying is counterintuitive. Study times should be blocks of thirty minutes with small breaks in between. I must say that this certainly works for me and helps me to think about what I have just learned during the breaks. Each person will find different tips work for them and I believe that learning about the various study strategies is as important as studying itself.


Bad Days

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There is not one single person that has not endured at least a bad day or two. So, you woke up late and stubbed your toe, or you were stuck in traffic today. You may have just argued with your family, or things are just not going according to plan. This is life; everyone receives terrible news from time to time and endures those dreaded bad days. And to make matters worse, you are scheduled for a long shift at work. You wear a noticeable grimace on your face, your posture is slouched, and you may feel grumpy, sad, frustrated, and on edge.

Does the client know your reasons for being short with them? Absolutely not. Maybe their beloved pet is suffering from something you perceive as minor, so you come off as uninterested and uncaring. This is not your nature, but today is a bad day, and you are always on top of your compassion game so you should receive a pass this one time. Or maybe you take a phone call and do not actively listen, giving short answers in a sharp, annoyed tone. You usually are the best at assuring clients over the phone, but today was a bad day, so this one time you fail miserably at customer service.

Clients will always remember this one time, no matter how wonderful you have been in the past. And when it is a new client, you can be confident they will not return and will talk to their friends about the experience. Long-term clients may give you a pass this one time, but they will never forget the day you came across as callous and uncaring.

But everyone has bad days! We are not emotionless people!

Yes, I know many of us are just the opposite, so full of emotion that we feel everything. However, this is also true when we are feeling sad, angry, etc. Being proactive about your body language is an integral part of compassionate care. Take a quick look in the mirror; how is your posture? What is your tone of voice like? Access yourself as you would examine a patient. Not many people are aware that changing your posture can improve your mood. Take a moment to recall a time that you were thrilled and excited, mimic that posture and smile. It is incredible how much your emotion will change when you change your physical state of being.

5 Tips for New Students Starting Vet or Vet Tech School

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This fall, I am not going back to school, I have entered the workforce as an official veterinary technician. However, now that I am done, it is time for me to spread my wisdom to the new generation. Here are 5 tips for new students who are staring vet or vet tech school.

  1. Classmate friends are everything. I understand that there is a certain amount of competition that can happen in school amongst classmates. However, having some classmates who are good friends is going to be an amazing benefit in the long run. You can take notes for each other if one of you is sick. You can share notes in case one of you missed some information or did not understand it. You can study together when studying alone just won’t do it anymore. Friends are great, if you help and be generous to each other then these friends will last past your school years.
  2. Cue cards are a savior. Write everything on cue cards. Powerpoint slides, class notes, little anatomical pictures, everything. They can easily be brought around anywhere and be pulled out at any moment. With cue cards, you can have a quick study session on the bus, or while at lunch with your classmate friends.
  3. Be observant. You will be working with animals their health can be at stake. You need to take such tasks seriously and be observant with what you and other people are doing. This tip might be an obvious one, but if you are not observant, you will not be able to problem solve and these things are extremely important in the veterinary field.
  4. Everything your teachers are trying to teach you is important. It might seem like you are required to learn topics that you will never need again in your career. This is wrong. All information is precious. In my life now, I have to pull up random facts that I learned in school that I never thought I would need. But, life is funny, and you never know when you will need these skills or facts.
  5. OVERNIGHT OATS! Days are long in the schools of veterinary health. Breakfast might not always be possible due to early surgeries, and time is precious. Making overnight oats before you go to bed the night before takes two seconds. The next day just grab your jar or Tupperware and bring it to school. It is a quick nutritious meal that will get you through the day. It is something that I would often make for surgery mornings so that I could have some during short breaks.

School is rough, there are late nights and high stresses, but school is also fun. So try to enjoy it while you can.





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