November 2017 – What no one told you about becoming a vet
Well it’s been five months of being a real-life vet and while vet school and 38 weeks of EMS does a lot to prepare you for a career in veterinary medicine, there is nothing quite like on the job experience! Chatting with my classmates about their experiences of a newly graduated vet it seems that there are some definite surprises that nothing can prepare you for. And so, I present: What no one told you about becoming a vet – the surprises of a new grad in practice.
There are a surprising number of dog owners who aren’t aware of the functional anatomy of their pet’s reproductive system. This was common to a lot of my friends, accompanied by horror stories of having to explain exactly what that ‘white stuff’ coming out of their dog’s nether regions was. I remember a specific call from a distressed lady one evening when I was last on call, her dog had managed to tie with a teddy bear and it took all my professionalism to keep a straight face and calm voice during the phone call.
The ring tone of the on-call phone will haunt you. At a friend’s for dinner? In a shop? Not even at work today? Don't worry! Hearing anyone else with the same ring tone will give you the fear, and a sickly feeling that only the thought of an under-supervised emergency in the middle of the night can. This one submitted by Zoë is one that I can definitely relate to. Fortunately our on call phone is an ancient Nokia so it’s uncommon to hear that familiar Nokia ring anymore. But one morning after a night on call I mistook birdsong for the on call phone ringing... I think I definitely needed my bed!
Clients will hang onto every word you say. It gets some getting used to being the expert in the room, even when you’re quite clearly an incompetent new grad that barely can tell one end of a hamster from another. As my pal Lucie said, “Sometimes I don’t even believe what I’m saying, I have no idea why they do”
You will obsess about your consults. That kitten with an eye ulcer did not come back for its check-up, hope that means it’s better... but you secretly fear it’s died. The cat with weight loss... did it have lymphoma? You didn’t even think about it at the time! And that horse which you were quite confident had a spasmodic colic... perhaps you should have passed a nasogastric tube just to be safe... Should you phone the owners just in case...? An itchy donkey is in your diary so you spend an hour with all the dermatology textbooks you can find in your practice only to realise there is nothing helpful so seriously considering going online and buying an equine dermatology book for yourself.
The nurses are your best friends. To be fair, this is heavily emphasised at vet school, but it really is true! I try to keep the nurses I work with sweet with a continual offering of freshly baked cakes. Nurses make your life so much easier and efficient; and nothing grounds you more quickly than when your nurse gives you a stern look and tells you in no uncertain way to get your shit together when you have changed your treatment plan for an inpatient three times since it’s been admitted.
Speaking of cakes, my friend Alice is working down under in New Zealand and her submission is: Nothing prepares you for the weight you’ll gain eating all the tea and cake on offer. It’s only the small fact that cows scare me that is stopping me from joining her!
There are a surprising number of dog owners who aren’t aware of the functional anatomy of their pet’s reproductive system. This was common to a lot of my friends, accompanied by horror stories of having to explain exactly what that ‘white stuff’ coming out of their dog’s nether regions was. I remember a specific call from a distressed lady one evening when I was last on call, her dog had managed to tie with a teddy bear and it took all my professionalism to keep a straight face and calm voice during the phone call.
The ring tone of the on-call phone will haunt you. At a friend’s for dinner? In a shop? Not even at work today? Don't worry! Hearing anyone else with the same ring tone will give you the fear, and a sickly feeling that only the thought of an under-supervised emergency in the middle of the night can. This one submitted by Zoë is one that I can definitely relate to. Fortunately our on call phone is an ancient Nokia so it’s uncommon to hear that familiar Nokia ring anymore. But one morning after a night on call I mistook birdsong for the on call phone ringing... I think I definitely needed my bed!
Clients will hang onto every word you say. It gets some getting used to being the expert in the room, even when you’re quite clearly an incompetent new grad that barely can tell one end of a hamster from another. As my pal Lucie said, “Sometimes I don’t even believe what I’m saying, I have no idea why they do”
You will obsess about your consults. That kitten with an eye ulcer did not come back for its check-up, hope that means it’s better... but you secretly fear it’s died. The cat with weight loss... did it have lymphoma? You didn’t even think about it at the time! And that horse which you were quite confident had a spasmodic colic... perhaps you should have passed a nasogastric tube just to be safe... Should you phone the owners just in case...? An itchy donkey is in your diary so you spend an hour with all the dermatology textbooks you can find in your practice only to realise there is nothing helpful so seriously considering going online and buying an equine dermatology book for yourself.
The nurses are your best friends. To be fair, this is heavily emphasised at vet school, but it really is true! I try to keep the nurses I work with sweet with a continual offering of freshly baked cakes. Nurses make your life so much easier and efficient; and nothing grounds you more quickly than when your nurse gives you a stern look and tells you in no uncertain way to get your shit together when you have changed your treatment plan for an inpatient three times since it’s been admitted.
Speaking of cakes, my friend Alice is working down under in New Zealand and her submission is: Nothing prepares you for the weight you’ll gain eating all the tea and cake on offer. It’s only the small fact that cows scare me that is stopping me from joining her!
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