Sometimes you have to keep moving

By Dr Tristram Finn

My younger cousin is considering going to vet school, she's asked before what a day is like as a Vet.

I would always reply that every day is different. One day your day may consist of easy clients and patients, the next you’ll have few easy patients amidst a day of people running late, complaining about costs and needing lots of convincing to leave the consult room, and so subsequently running late for the remainder of the afternoon. These days definitely feel pretty stressful.

A couple weeks ago I had a very busy surgery day. The day was already fully booked when I arrived for work, and we were also aware of a few animals that might come from emergency clinics. So I knew things had potential to go a little crazy. By 8:30 we had three emergencies waiting and when I accidently called a very fluffy “Charlie” a he instead of a she, which the owner pointedly corrected to me, I wondered if this was a sign of how the day was headed.

Long story short, our ordered day of a handful of desexing and dentals, now had a caesarean and a stitch up added to the growing list so my surgery nurse and I really felt under the pump. In our industry the expectation is that we keep saying ‘yes’ to each animal that needs help, as our whole moral ethos is we help any animal that needs it. No doubt, some days we can feel the burden of this after an exhausting day on our feet. Fortunately, I work in a team that really lifts and bands together to get the job done, hopefully inflicting the minimal amount of stress. This particular day was no different. We all pulled up our socks and successfully got through that growing list that had another emergency or two added to the list by the end of the day.

I’m not sure how I would cope in a team that wouldn’t band together to get the job done, and I’m very grateful for those who lift to help me. In saying that, sometimes I forget to ask for help and it’s on these days that I REALLY feel the pressure. We get so focused on our own column of consults or line of surgery that we forget that other people are happy to help with the load. A nurse is usually happy to place that IV catheter or call the owner with a quick update, and a Vet colleague who has finished a vaccination is usually happy to help with your next appointment if you have fallen behind with a sick animals.

Make sure to ask for help when you need it and that burden or stress you are feeling is often halved.