Introduction
According to Matt Davies Harmony Communities, you can only learn so much in veterinary school. Even after a ton of practical experience, there’s a lot that needs to be addressed. Moreover, dealing with difficult pet owners and taking care of your mental health isn’t part of the curriculum. Let’s check out things you didn’t learn as a vet specialist.
The Details
- Spaying isn’t simple – You may have performed one or a couple of ovariohysterectomies at the vet school before graduation. Most newly graduated veterinary specialists think that’s what most spays are like. While the procedure is identical or at least similar, every spay is very different in other ways. For instance, spaying a pediatric cat is radically different compared to spaying a cat in heat.
Similarly, spaying a small and immature dog is much easier and doesn’t need external help or restraints. On the other hand, spaying a large breed that’s overweight is quite a challenge. That’s why when you’re a student, it’s important to seek as many opportunities as possible for spaying all kinds of animals in different conditions, across different life and reproductive stages. Otherwise, you won’t be as comfortable while doing it at the clinic and have to gather the experience and comfort the hard way.
- Hone your technical skills – As a soon-to-be veterinarian, there’s so much to learn. Apart from learning about all kinds of animals, you also need to learn about technical skills and hone them as much as possible. Many clinics and practices have amazing technicians who can draw blood, place catheters, and perform other such duties seamlessly.
However, everyone isn’t the same. Sometimes, you may have to work with inexperienced technicians or people who are very new to their job. In those cases, you may need to jump in and take over at times for certain technical skills. That’s why it’s important to expose yourself to technical skills during vet school and after it.
- You need to like humans too – Apart from the animals you dedicate your life to caring for, you also need to like and actively engage with their humans. Pet wonders always want to take an active role in their pet’s health and would prepare all kinds of information from the internet before bringing their pet to you.
While some of them may come off as rude and impatient, all of them are just trying to ask more informed questions so that they can be more informed about their pet’s health and provide them with better care. That’s why you need to be patient and educate the pet owners so that they can make informed decisions.
Conclusion
Matt Davies Harmony Communities suggests that you make yourself about the above-mentioned things and prepare for them. You may want to get those technical skills down to the tee to cover for inexperienced staff. You’ll also need to develop a love for dentistry since a lot of cats and dogs often need to get dental work done.