General Guidlines of Clinical Year - Veterinary Edition
- Help your rotation mates. Everybody should leave at the same time at the end of the day.
- Just because it’s not your case/patient, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know the basics about what has been going on with it/them.
- Always have a thermometer, bandage scissors, hemostats, suture scissors, extra pens, and a light in your pocket.
- Bring an extra set of scrubs/white coat with you.
- Recommend a parvo snap test for every patient coming in with diarrhea.
- Study up on the cases you’ll be taking tomorrow. Know the history of the patient. Think of what disease processes you may be dealing with. Think of your differentials. Think of how you’d go about narrowing down your diagnosis. How would you treat? Your clinician will ask you these questions & you want to sound competent and prepared.
- Try not to take your frustrations out on others. We will all have shitty days.
- Keep clients updated about their pets. Make sure you have clinician approval to discuss certain things like money, prognosis, upcoming treatment plans, etc.
- MAKE SURE ALL OF YOUR PATIENTS (and everyone else’s patients) HAVE WATER.
- Be on time. Doing your morning SOAPs can take a while. Give yourself extra time at first to get in the swing of things each morning/afternoon.
- Talk to your patients. They’re most likely stressed & scared. Every time someone goes into their cage/stall they’re poked & prodded or taken for more tests. Pet them, brush them, clean them up, make them comfortable.
- Ask for help when you need it. Don’t try to be a hero & do everything alone.
- If you even think for one second a patient may bite you… time to get a party hat (muzzle) on them. Better safe than sorry, regardless of vaccination history or social history.
- Be presentable. Yes, we all will get covered in blood, vomit, feces, etc. Change your clothes/scrubs when you can.
- Be nice/courteous to your technicians. They are your rocks.
- Despite what some clinicians may say, it IS ok to say “I don’t know” when asked about a disease process or clinical question. You’re not expected to know everything. You’re there to learn.
