October 2017

Month

Wed
25 ^th

Dear Clients: Please Be Honest

Posted by Rose - 4 Comments

[No one, least of all the pet, likes the Cone of Shame. But it’s necessary…and up to you to make sure your pet keeps it on]

A common conversational topic among any group of veterinary personnel in any setting – work, conferences, even dinner – is clients. It makes sense. Although our work is nominally all about the animals it’s nearly impossible to have an animal without a client attached. A huge part of my job as a technician is interacting with clients in a variety of circumstances, good and bad. I take an initial history when you come in for an exam, discuss estimates for care, review medications and some test results, discuss homecare, and generally act as a resource and go-between for you and your veterinarian. I understand that our experiences together are not always easy; we see you during the panicked and stressful times of emergency, during financial hardship, family troubles, and at the end of your beloved pet’s life no matter when that time comes. I will never judge your sadness, your anxiety, your frustration. My job is to advocate for your pet. But with that said, there is one thing that comes up again and again in discussions, one thing that I hope all clients can keep in the back of their minds as they interact with their local vet services…

Sat
21 ^st

The First Three Days (And Three Hours)

Posted by Rose - 3 Comments

[A birds-eye view of our recovery corner showcasing the classic Africanis dog; form, function, and tanned!]

In the spring of 2017 I spent six weeks in Botswana volunteering as part of a joint project between the Canadian Animal Assistance Team and the Maun Animal Welfare Society. It was an incredible experience that touched me deeply and it is not an exaggeration to say that I think of it every day, counting down the days until I can return (and hopefully one day on a more permanent basis). MAWS does an unbelievable job of offering sterilization and veterinary services not only to their home city of Maun, but also to uncountable villages up and down the Panhandle. Their resources are few but they have truly learned how to make the best of whatever they have! Working their definitely made me a better technician, able to problem-solve (and often by the seat of my pants), MacGuyver equipment, and monitor and maintain anesthetic on complex surgeries with nothing but my stethoscope and a syringe of thiopental.

“The First Three Days (And Three Hours)” is pretty self-explanatory, detailing my first experiences at the MAWS clinic and the lessons I had to learn quickly!

Mon
16 ^th

Small Things and Large — Vet Tech Week Bonus

Posted by Rose - 1 Comment

[using an anesthetized Great Dane to warm up pediatric surgical patients in the MAWS clinic, Botswana]

During my time in veterinary medicine and animal care, I’ve worked with many sizes of patients; from elephants, cattle, and horses to hummingbirds, guinea pigs, and mice. There is something strange and special about the difference in their normal parameters, how a heart rate of 30 beats per minute is to be expected in the adult Asian elephant while the mouse’s can vary from 250 to almost 800 beats per minute. And yet, both are essentially the same — an evolutionary template of form and function that matches the one inside our own chests. And both need the same care under anesthetic.

“Small Things and Large” tells the story of routine surgery on our smallest patients.

Mon
16 ^th

National Vet Tech Week 2017 – Welcome to Stethoscopes and Sunsets

Posted by Rose - 72 Comments

Hello, and welcome to Stethoscopes and Sunsets, a blog focusing on creative nonfiction and essays about life as a veterinary technician and my work with animals both on and off the job. The perspective of a vet tech is a unique one; our job is vital to the running of the hospital and comes with huge responsibility, yet is often overlooked as the clients deal mainly with the veterinarian and all too frequently brush us off as “just the tech.”

I want to change this. I want to shed light on an underappreciated profession and, more than that, I want to offer a new view on life in veterinary medicine. In these days of frequent misinformation and the dreaded Doctor Google, I want to educate and foster the trust between clients and their veterinary teams. I would like to humanize the faces behind the surgical masks, and speak honestly about not just the great joy that comes with animal medicine, but also the great pain. Our profession is a roller coaster, and I’d like to take you along on the ride.

Sunsets and Stethoscopes will update every Wednesday, alternating between educational essays and creative nonfiction about my life in vet med, my experiences volunteering with veterinary charities both in Canada and overseas, and the animals and humans who have touched my life.

So to kick us off…

“What Isn’t A Veterinary Technician” — in which we discuss the myriad ways your vet tech contributes to your pet’s care