The 26th of April marks World Veterinary Day, and the theme chosen this year is “animal health takes a team”.
So, do you know what your veterinary team do behind the scenes to look after your furry family members? Read on to find out a bit more!
Veterinary receptionists:
Likely the first member of our team you will meet! They don’t just answer the phones! They are essential to managing our busy diaries and identifying which patients may need to be seen more urgently.
So when they ask you what is wrong with your pet, a good description of any signs they are showing is vital so they know which patients may need to be seen sooner. For example, open mouth breathing, not urinating, excessive bleeding or loss of consciousness are always an emergency.
Behind the scenes they also carry out important administrative tasks such as processing insurance claims, managing prescriptions and sending and requesting medical records for us and referral practices.
We couldn’t do it without them!
Veterinary care assistants/auxiliaries.
In some workplaces large enough you may see veterinary care assistants. They are involved with the day-to-day care of patients and ensuring the practice stays clean and tidy amongst the busy procedures of a typical day in veterinary! They ensure your pet gets lots of cuddles, yummy food and toilet stops to make them feel as comfortable as possible during their stay with us.
They also have talent for knowing where absolutely everything is in the practice …!
Veterinary Nurses
Many people still don’t understand how important and vital our veterinary nurses are to our team. They undergo 3-4 years of training with lots of practical experience along the way. Working face to face with you and behind the scenes with your pets, there wouldn’t be a vet without a nurse! You may see them for consultations such as repeat injections for arthritis and allergy, post operative care and dressing changes, nail clips and anal gland empties and weight management clinics to name a few. They are highly skilled at recognising the normal and although they are not able to diagnose and prescribe, they are vital to signposting to a vet when something isn’t quite right.
In the hospital setting, they are highly trained in anaesthesia, patient recovery and care throughout their stay. They can administer medications under the direction of a veterinary surgeon and have great pharmacology knowledge. They will gently restrain animals for procedures such as ultrasound scans, are able to obtain x-rays (radiographs), clean an animal’s teeth under veterinary direction and process diagnostic samples such as blood, urine and fine needle aspirates. Most of our nurses have different areas of interest such as cytology, emergency medicine and exotic medicine.
All of our qualified nurses are registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), our governing body, which is good to be aware of as currently anyone can call themselves a veterinary nurse without being registered.
Veterinary Surgeons
We are what most people think of when we say ‘the vets’. But we are just a part of a multifaceted team!
All vets have to undergo 4-6 years of training depending on the course (4 years for an accelerated course, 5 for the standard course, 6 if going to Cambridge or undertaking an intercalated [additional] 1-year degree in between). At university this encompasses both small and large animal species as well as some on exotic species (although variable in depth depending on the university). Whilst there are still vets that see small and large animals generally now the 2 fields are separating due to the depth of knowledge required and ability to do so much with all species currently.
Vets are the first port of call when your pet is unwell. A big part of our training is spent learning the normal workings of animals before learning about pathology (when things go wrong!). Our studies include anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology, legislation relevant to animals, public health and zoonotic disease and much more! Legally, we must examine your animal before we can prescribe any medications, especially considering that we are able to prescribe human medications where appropriate.
Often diagnostic tests are required for more information if your pet is unwell or if they fail to respond to a medicine trial. However, animals don’t always read the textbook and that is where experience and interpretation skills come in. Sometimes for the trickier cases, we put our heads together as a team or ask for advice from our specialist colleagues all of whom are happy to help!
Outside of the consultation room we can perform surgery from routine neutering procedures to more complex procedures such as limb amputation and BOAS surgeries (nostril widening and palate resection in short nosed dog breeds such as the Pug). The list is endless!
There are also vets working outside clinical practice such as for pharmaceutical companies, in food hygiene and public health, research, pet food and for the Government.
A day in veterinary medicine is never the same! But we all do it because of a shared love of animals and wanting to do the best for your pet. So please join us in thanking all our veterinary professionals for all they do for animals everywhere!
Lucy Travers BVSc CertAVP MRCVS
Highfields Vets