A Day in the Life of a Vet Nurse
Hello, My name is Jo. I’m one of six Veterinary Nurses working at Gladesville Veterinary Hospital.
Vet nursing is a wonderful career because you get to work up close and personal with the animals.
Some animals are patients needing extra love and care, and lots of dedication from nurses. Other animals are boarders needing love, care, feeding, walking, grooming and playtime. Another group of animals is our wildlife which have special needs, such as different types of cages, environments and particular diets.
A day in the life of a vet nurse starts with cleaning the kennels, checking each and every animal in the hospital, making sure they are comfortable, have fresh water, food and clean bedding. We attend to each animal’s special needs and record each animal’s progress.
After the nurses have finished the morning kennels, it’s time to assist the hospital vet with ward rounds. This is where the vet checks the patients and the boarder’s vitals and medicates if necessary.
When all the ward rounds are completed patient procedures and surgeries for the day are started. The vet nurse monitors each animal after he/she has been given a pre-med (a pre-med is a little bit of medication given to a patient prior to surgery to relax her which also has an analgesic, pain relief effect).
While some nurses look after the animals, other nurses set up for surgeries.
When the patient is ready for surgery, a nurse comforts the little one by holding and talking to him while he is being anaesthetised. Then the nurse prepares the little one for surgery. This involves in most cases, clipping the surgery site.
This is followed by a surgical scrub, which means giving a thorough wash to the site and applying antimicrobial solutions. The same nurse follows the patient into the theatre and monitors her during the surgery. After the surgery is completed, the nurse cares for the patient during the recovery period.
The nurse makes sure he is feeling comfortable, receives pain relief, is kept nice and warm on soft bedding with heat mats, given hugs and cuddles (which all the nurses love doing). Vet nurses know it can be scary in a strange place like hospital without family there. Our role is to continue
monitoring the patient for the rest of the day. This involves checking all their vital signs such as temperature etc. keeping them warm, making sure that our patient has everything she needs to feel comfortable.
During the day we assist and monitor our patients during other procedures such as radiographs, ultrasounds, undergoing Nuclear Medicine procedures and grooming.
All and all you can be assured that tender loving care is given to every pet throughout their time with us.
Jo |