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An unrecognised reliance on technology

It’s surprising how much we rely on the internet and associated technologies. In fact, you don’t quite realise how much it helps until you find yourself without it.

I experienced a weird widespread internet fault. I’m not sure if it was localised to to my geographical area, but, for a few hours, neither my mobile data would work on my phone or the internet on the practice computers (although I’m not sure if they were just being their usual painstakingly slow dinosaur selves) – even the clients were commenting there seemed to be a data blackout.

Regardless, it made my consulting morning surprisingly more challenging.

First appointment

Repeat aglepristone injection for mismating

I go to check the protocol as I know the timings are different to when given for pyometra. The BSAVA app crashes four times on opening before I accept defeat and find a bound copy of the formulary.

I then realise things are listed by drug name rather than brand name and draw a blank. I try to open the NOAH website on the consult room PC, but this inevitably crashes the internet browser. Of course it does.

Suddenly the name aglepristone is dragged from the depths of my brain and I leaf through the formulary once more. That wastes nearly the whole appointment time before I even manage to find the drug, draw it up and give it.

Second appointment

“When your consults are only 10 minutes, that extra couple of minutes in each one adds up and very quickly I found myself getting behind, and, therefore, more stressed.” Image © WavebreakmediaMicro / Adobe Stock

Potential re-admit from the previous day

The computer freezes while trying to print consent forms. Luckily it’s a fairly straightforward admit for fluids/treatment and the client knows the drill. I hand over to the ops vet and leave her to work out doses.

Third appointment

A transfer from the out-of-hours provider

After skim reading the long history (that consists mainly of numerous phone calls back and forward as to whether the owner could get the collapsed dog in the car), I finally get to the point and call the client in.

The dog is bouncing and back to normal, apart from a stonker of a heart murmur. Cardiology is not my strong point and after a lengthy discussion about starting medication, and much faff flicking through the compendium trying to remember various side effects, I manage to convince them to trial medication.

Fourth appointment

Vaccination

Yay, no formulary needed.

Fifth appointment

Medicine check

One client thinks her dog has gained weight since being prescribed a particular medication. I highly doubt this is the cause of weight gain, but say I will quickly (or not so) check the data sheet.

I reach for the NOAH Compendium (when I manage to locate a paper copy) rather than the formulary, because I can’t for the life of me spell the active ingredient. On skim reading the page, can’t find anything about weight gain or appetite, but it’s not as clear cut as the lovely “clinical particulars” or “contra-indications and adverse reactions” tabs on the website. I close the book.

The client seems to be in a rush, but wants to discuss lowering the dose (are you serious? Could you have not said that while I had the page open?). I flick through and eventually find the page again, and work out the dose as they’re practically running out of the door.

Sixth appointment

Pregnant bitch

The owner asks about worming and once again I leaf through the compendium to find the protocol, only to realise we don’t have that formulation in stock.

Of course I’ve shut the book – but, before I find the right page again, one of the fantastic receptionists has materialised a bottle from somewhere and is flashing the data sheet in front of me for reference.

Seventh appointment

As she had no internet, Jordan turned to the NOAH’s Compendium for guidance, with varying results.

Dog bitten by a ferret

Small wound, possibly infected, but the dog is very wriggly. I prescribe Amoxyclav – one of the few things I instinctively know the dose of – and meloxicam (definitely no books required to work out that dose).

Eighth appointment

Puppy diarrhoea

Can you give young puppies probiotic paste? Back to the book…

It’s not listed in the compendium, and the box doesn’t indicate a minimum age – normally I would check the product website… Sigh. I search for the other vet to ask what feels like the 100th stupid question today. So it went on…

No time to lose

The point is, I didn’t realise quite how much using the internet on my phone sped up my consults. A 10-second search on an app turns into a couple of minutes leafing through a book for a drug dose. When your consults are only 10 minutes, that extra couple of minutes in each one adds up and very quickly I found myself getting behind, and, therefore, more stressed.

I can’t retain numerous drug doses in my head – or at least don’t trust myself to rely on memory for many of them except the most common ones – so maybe this dependence on technology is more of an issue for new grads than more experienced vets who seem to be an encyclopaedia of drug doses.

I was thankful this hadn’t happened on a large animal day – as someone with a terrible sense of direction, I would definitely have been stuck in the middle of nowhere with no Google Maps to get me home.

July 18, 2018
How to survive your first weeks as a new grad
You’ve done it – five long years of hard work and study have paid off and you’ve graduated as a fully fledged vet. Welcome to the veterinary community.

And it is just that – a community of people who’ve all been there and had a first day as a vet. You’ll find that everyone (meaning more senior vets than you, which is basically any vet) is happy to offer what I consider “well-being” advice, such as “don’t be too hard on yourself, you will make mistakes” or “don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know”.

Now, while this sort of advice is true, I don’t think it’s practically helpful for getting you through those first few weeks. No matter how much positive encouragement you receive from other vets, you will probably still be terrified for your first day/week/month.

Practical advice

“Familiarise yourself with the drugs in the dispensary. At uni, you learn drug names, now you’re in practice you will have to learn the brands.” Image © JackF / Adobe Stock

Having been there only a year ago, I have some practical tips and tricks to help get you through the day during those first few weeks:

In-practice consultations
- Make sure you know where things are kept in the consult room, so you don’t have to open every drawer in front of the client to find the syringes on your first consult.
- Likewise, familiarise yourself with the drugs in the dispensary. At uni, you learn drug names, now you’re in practice you will have to learn the brands.
- Make a note of the vaccination protocol used at the practice and the most common recommended flea/worm treatments (such as those on the pet health plan, if your practice has one).
- Note down anything you may want to look up quickly, particularly premed doses. Depending on how your practice works, nurses may draw up premeds and have vets check before giving them, which can sometimes just be a waft in the vet’s direction for assertion – don’t panic and agree just because you don’t know what the dose is off the top of your head.
- Keep a health plan or puppy/kitten package leaflet handy for when clients ask about them.
- The stethoscope is one of the most useful tools for allowing yourself time to think without the client bombarding you with questions.
- ALWAYS leave something essential outside of the consult room (a thermometer, fluroscein or tear test strips, for example). This gives you an excuse to leave the room have a flick through a book or ask another vet (don’t do it too many times in one consult).
- If it’s something you want another vet to look at, most owners respond well to getting a second opinion. Alternatively, take photos “for comparison” then go and show another vet (be careful here – you need permission from the owners and check your practice policy regarding GDPR. You may be okay to use a work phone/camera, but not a personal one).
- If you want to remove the animal from the owner – either to get another vet to look or for thinking space – ask if you can go and get a nurse to help restrain.
Being on-call/farm visits
- Open things before your first equine/farm visit (gloves, lube, etc) to avoid awkwardly trying to rip open boxes while the farmer is waiting.
- Save dropped pins on Google maps or your satnav for your main farms or big equine clients. Again, work within GDPR, which may only allow this on work phones.
- Make a cheat sheet for the car detailing drug doses for the most common things you use on farm – to avoid the inevitable mind blank resulting in an inability to do simple mental maths while staring at the bottle of Pen and Strep with the farmer staring at you. I made one for a 300kg/500kg/750kg size horse for quick reference.
- If you need to call a colleague for advice while on farm, make an excuse to go back to the car. I would go to examine the animal first with minimal kit (just a stethoscope, for example) then, if necessary, make a call when I had to go back for a thermometer or relevant meds.
- Make a note of who to contact regarding out-of-hours, door codes and alarm codes – and make sure you have practice keys.
- Be prepared to be tired. It doesn’t last forever, but working as a vet is very tiring to begin with – don’t make too many plans for week nights or weekends for the first couple of weeks to allow you to relax when you get home.
- Plan easy, quick meals so you don’t end up ordering a takeaway every night.
General advice
- Have a pocket-sized notebook and pen at all times, and hold on to that pen for dear life. Pens have a habit of wandering in vet practices.
- Take a look at one of my previous blogs on language (Fake it ’til you make it) for some handy phrases to help assert your ability when you don’t really have a clue what’s going on.
- “Plan easy, quick meals so you don’t end up ordering a takeaway every night.” Image © serguastock / Adobe Stock
  
  Have a couple of books handy for quick reference when you need a memory jog. I use 100 Top Consultations in Small Animal General Practice and Gerardo Poli’s The Mini-Vet Guide for small animal, but I hear good things about the “Nerdbook” as well. For equine, I find the Handbook of Equine Emergencies great for quick reference on the go, along with the Saunders Equine Formulary.
- Make lunch in advance to start with. It may be that you always get a lunch break, but sometimes things are manic, so ensure you have food to keep you going.
- Take part in any work social activities and get to know your team – it will make the working day much more fun if you get on with those around you.
- Book a holiday for three months time. You will need it.
Handy resources

Make use of the vast range of apps and websites out there. Here are some I found really helpful:
- BSAVA app for the formulary (it’s quicker to search drugs than flicking through the paper formulary).
- BEVA apps – which features drug doses, certain procedures and joint blocks.
- NOAH Compendium – there isn’t an app (at the moment), but the mobile version of the website works well. Open the NOAH website on your computer before a consulting session starts – practice computers are notoriously slow and I guarantee it will freeze when you’re desperately trying to do a quick search for doses while the client is waiting.
- Norbrook app – for drugs not on NOAH.
- BHA Vaccination Date Calculator for horses saves a lot of time when working out vaccine validity.
- MSD Vet for the Merck manual.
- Vet Calculator for various calculations, particularly the heart rate counter.
While the word “survive” carries negative connotations about veterinary practice (and I have previously discussed how this sort of language can be harmful), I do think you feel like you’re firefighting in those first few weeks.

There’s no doubt it is a steep learning curve, but I’m confident you’ll come out the other side and thrive on the challenges of being a new grad.

Good luck and enjoy finally being able to say you’re a vet.
July 2, 2018
Being a millennial vet

Millennials are stereotypically considered lazy, entitled and always wanting something for nothing. And having previously discussed the many advantages of employing new graduates (and, therefore, millennials), this sort of labelling angers me.

The choices our generation makes are not due to lack of work ethic and naiveté about the future, but rather a reflection on the hand we have been dealt by society.

Recent statistics show the average baby boomer had to save for 3 years for an average-sized house deposit in comparison to the predicted 19 years it would take for millennials to do the same. By the age of 30, the number of millennials still renting is double that of their predecessors in “Generation X”.

At my age, my mother owned a house, had her first child (yours truly) and had been married. I can’t even comprehend the possibility of being able to afford one of those things at this stage in my life, let alone all of them.

We may prioritise our meagre disposable income in different ways, but, despite all the jokes, our love of avocados and lattes are not the reason we can’t afford to get on the property ladder. (For the record, I can’t stand avocado).

Unyielding abyss

It is excruciatingly impossible, says Jordan, to save enough in today’s financial climate to even consider a house deposit. Image © zimmytws / Adobe Stock

It is excruciatingly impossible to save enough in today’s financial climate to even consider a house deposit, while pouring money into the unyielding abyss of renting.

One of the biggest snags in the rental black hole is the deposit and associated agency fees. Shortly after leaving university, I had to magic £1,500 out of somewhere to rent a place close to my first job (and that’s a lot when your bank account hasn’t been above zero since you started uni).

Six months after that, I was faced with having to do the same again because I quit that job.

As vets, we bang on about being happy, having a supportive first job and leaving if it’s not right. That’s all very well, but what if you’re trapped financially?

I didn’t give much thought to my financial situation at the time because I was too unhappy to carry on. While I think it was ultimately the right decision for my mental health, I would carefully consider my situation before doing it again – two months of no salary left me in a very vulnerable position, and if it had been much longer, I would have been in serious trouble.

Luckily, I was offered accommodation for my second job, which was an enormous help, taking the burden of having to find a deposit again off my mind. This is one of the benefits of being a vet as a millennial – very few other jobs would offer a house as part of the package.

If you have to repeatedly uproot and keep forking out for rental deposits every time your circumstances change, it’s easy to appreciate how quickly you can find yourself in a mess.

And for me and my classmates, this is while holding down a respectable job with supposedly “good pay” for someone of the same age. But is the pay all that “good”?

Non-vet friends

My non-vet friends earn varying amounts dependent on their careers or jobs, but these certainly include plenty of non-professionals earning far more than me. However, multiple factors need consideration here.

Those who didn’t go to uni have six years of “work experience” and climbing their respective career ladders more than me. Those who did go to uni have a two or three-year head start, which is significant in certain industries.

While it’s understandable they have had more time to progress in the world of work, that doesn’t entirely quieten the resentment at having put so much money, blood, sweat and tears into a professional degree without the remuneration to reflect that.

And while we may have a decent starting salary in comparison to other graduate roles, we are very quickly overtaken.

The ceiling salary of the GP vet is a much-discussed topic, with an increase in salary seen early on, but thereafter very little difference is seen, despite further years of experience. In the current financial climate, the traditional partnership route becomes less and less tangible for the millennial veterinary graduate.

I struggled to be approved for a credit card, and with the very real possibility of never owning a house, I wouldn’t dream of asking for a loan for the kind of money needed to buy into a practice – and I think I’d be laughed out of the bank if I tried.

For my generation, the type of career, and therefore salary progression, is just not what it has been for previous generations.

Enjoy life in present

Perhaps this is why we value work-life balance more than our predecessors – for them, they worked hard in their early careers because there was a light at the end of the tunnel, being partnership.

Many of my millennial colleagues don’t even consider that as a possibility, with many of us not really knowing what we want to do long-term career-wise, and so we take each day as it comes, not just trying to survive, but striving to enjoy life in the present.

Millennials are all in the same boat – still young adults driving battered cars with bleak property-buying prospects. Image © Deyan Georgiev / Adobe Stock

It deeply upsets me that vets are still perceived as rich money-grabbers. I am not a rich vet, I’m just a millennial, struggling to make headway in an economy set up to put young people on the back foot.

The difference between me and my desk-bound friends, however, is I have the privilege to do a job that I love, and while it comes with all manner of stress, it’s worth it for being able to care for someone else’s beloved pets.

At the end of the day, though, millennials are all in the same boat – we’re still young adults driving battered cars with bleak property-buying prospects.

We didn’t choose to inherit this situation. We’ve drawn the short straw in the birthdate lottery, so all we can do is live the millennial lifestyle and enjoy our lattes and avocados.

May 3, 2018
Supporting new grads: are you up to the job?
As I discussed in my previous blog post, if you are a boss, partner or practice manager, it’s important to consider whether your practice is suitable for a new graduate, before taking one on.

Perhaps you’re considering taking on a new grad for the first time, or maybe you’ve employed them before, but are struggling to attract candidates for your job vacancies – or it might be your new grads are leaving you after a short spell of employment.

If any of these apply, or you’re simply looking for inspiration on what you could do to offer support to new grads, I’d like to offer some suggestions from the new grads themselves.

Friendly face of support

Every new graduate looks for “support” in his or her first (or, in my case, second) vet role, but what exactly does that look like?

By far the most important aspect of support is communication – we’re all different, and the key to a great working relationship with a new grad is asking him or her the kind of support wanted or needed, and discussing how you can provide that.

This should also be considered a fluid, flexible conversation that continues through the first few months of employment – the rate at which a new grad gains confidence and experience will vary due to individual personalities, but will also greatly depend on caseload.

Being patient, friendly and answering questions are all important when dealing with a new grad. Image © .shock / Adobe Stock

Never assume

If your practice doesn’t see many cats, your new grad’s first cat spay might not happen for several months, and you can’t just assume having performed a lot of other surgeries, he or she will be fine to just get stuck in, when he or she may never have used a flank approach before.

On the contrary, some new grads can be dangerously over-confident, and that’s where your clinical and character judgement will be vital in ensuring the safety of their patients.

It can be a very delicate balancing act between pushing a new grad to improve, and not letting him or her charge in all guns blazing without the right skills.

Suggestions

The answer is not straightforward – no “one size fits all” new graduate induction plan exists – but a number of areas can be considered to help your new grad settle in.

I’m not suggesting you action all of them, or even that they’d all be suitable for every new grad or practice – they’re just ideas to think about.
- Provide a booklet with practice protocols – for example:
  - vaccine protocol
  - neutering advice (ages)
  - treatment protocols for common ailments (as a starting point)
  - what should be included in estimates for operations
- Order uniform or name badges and have them ready for the first day. It may seem trivial, but it symbolises being part of the team. Being asked 10 times a day who you are, or “are you new here?” gradually chips away at what little confidence you have as a new grad.
  Ordering a name badge for your new grad can help him or her feel part of the team. Image © kegfire / Adobe Stock
- Have him or her spend a morning on reception to learn how to book appointments and other tasks, to get used to the computer system.
- Put a nurse or receptionist in consults with the new grad to help him or her navigate charging for consults, saving notes, making up estimates and so on.
- Have the new grad observe some consults or accompany other vets on call-outs to help him or her grasp how the practice runs and to introduce some of your regular clients.
- Allow the new grad to pick up consults from a general list at his or her own pace.
- Book out double appointments for the new grad initially, then shorten these as he or she gets more confident – and, therefore, faster.
- Always have a more experienced vet available (in the prep room, perhaps) to answer those quick questions while the new grad is consulting. He or she need not be twiddling his or her thumbs, but, if performing procedures, ensure your new grad knows he or she can pop in and ask without feeling like an inconvenience.
- Decide on a maximum length of time for a consulting block and allow breaks for the new grad to catch up or have five minutes to gather his or her thoughts.
- Assign a formal buddy or mentor within the practice (not the boss) for him or her to go to as a first port of call for any problems – clinical or non-clinical.
- Provide regular constructive feedback – we don’t know if we’re doing okay unless you tell us!
- Have formal scheduled progress review meetings to let the new grad discuss any issues in a fair manner (the boss informally asking “how are you doing?” in front of half the staff will not always elicit an honest response).
- Have a working list of procedures or cases your new grad wants to gain experience in so all staff know to try to involve him or her if they get one in. Similarly, have a list of procedures he or she is happy to do alone (and an expected timescale) so reception staff don’t book in three bitch spays on day one.
- Supervision for operations – ask your new grad whether he or she wants someone scrubbed in, either in the same room or just within shouting distance, for different procedures.
- Have goals for the new grad to work towards without pressurising him or her.
- Show the new grad respect. Don’t undermine him or her in front of clients, even if he or she is in the wrong – better ways of addressing it exist without shattering the new grad’s confidence and credibility.
  Assigning your new grad a buddy or mentor can help as a first port of call for any problems he or she may encounter. Image © michaeljung / Adobe Stock
- Take on board any suggestions the new grad may have in practice discussions – he or she will have the most up-to-date knowledge, and it can be a huge confidence boost to have your ideas taken up.
- Try not to put your new grad to the bottom of the pile for holidays. In fact, some bosses almost force new grads to book a holiday after two months because they know they’ll need it.
- Give the new grad a Christmas at home (or at least the choice of doing so). Nobody wants to work at Christmas, but is it advisable to have a stressed out new grad – who will likely still need backup in December – on call for the busiest “my dog’s eaten the Christmas pud” poisoning fest of the year? He or she will have likely moved a long way from home and will be particularly lonely at this time of year.
- Have formal second on-call in place for as long as the new grad needs. Don’t assume he or she will be fine after six months – this will vary greatly depending on caseload.
Making a difference

From discussing our varying inductions and levels of support with my university friends, by far the most important thing is just being patient and friendly – even when it’s crazily busy.

Taking 30 seconds to answer a question will make a huge difference for the new grad, rather than letting us spend ages unable to find the answer in an ancient textbook.

If you take an interest in your new grad’s learning and development, rather than just employing us for cheap labour, you’re already heading in the right direction and your efforts to welcome us into the profession will be greatly appreciated.
February 27, 2018
Should you employ a new grad?
This weekend, I helped out with a talk at SPVS-VMG Congress on employing new graduates.

It gave delegates – vets, VNs, employers and new grads themselves – the opportunity to reflect on how wildly different each new grad’s experience can be, and appreciate the challenges employers face when hiring new grads.

The fact those in attendance had chosen to come to a talk on ensuring practice is right for new grads suggested most of our audience were forward-thinking employers who wanted to provide their new grads with a good start to their career.

The others

However, and sadly, not all employers have that at the top of their priority list. I would like to think such employers – who, as a result, are maybe not treating their new grads well – aren’t doing it maliciously, but rather just don’t have the time to teach and mentor properly, but also don’t have a choice but to take on new grads, given the employment crisis the profession faces.

However, that is still no excuse. I should also mention, of course, the minority of employers that will hire a new grad simply for cheap labour – meaning there is little to no interest in them at all. If you cannot provide adequate support for a new grad, don’t employ one – it isn’t fair on anyone.

My generation

Lazy? Or valuing non-work time? Image © Free Photos / Pixabay

Many of the challenges of employing a new graduate stem from the difference in attitudes between different generations. The new grads moving through the system now are of the “millennial” generation often stereotyped as lazy, entitled and needy.

Being a millennial myself, I inherently disagree with these generalisations – they just need looking at differently:
- We are not lazy, we just don’t want to work horrendous hours. We are more than happy to work strange shifts (evenings/nights), but that doesn’t mean working the traditional expectation of five long days, a full weekend on call and a further five days.
- We are not entitled, we just cannot justify the negatives of the profession long-term. The “love of veterinary medicine“ is very idyllic, but just isn’t sustainable in the real world. We could work less hours, be paid more, take holidays when we want and be paid reasonable sick pay in many other sectors, so why wouldn’t we? It’s not about the money, here – it’s about the injustice.
- We are not needy, we just crave feedback. How do we know we’re doing okay unless you tell us? How do we know how to improve if you don’t guide us?
Wake-up call

Some vets of the older generations still have the attitude of “we had to go through it, so you have to get on with it too” – as though the horror of being left to your own devices, being unable to contact anyone in the middle of the night when you are out of your depth, and the sleep deprivation of internships are just a “rite of passage” of being a new grad. It may be news to these bosses, but the new grads of today just won’t put up with that crap.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result” is a quotation often attributed to Einstein. Whether he ever actually said it is questionable, but it has applications in many walks of life. When these old-style partners still expect their new grads to be on call for 17 nights in a row, is it any wonder there is an employment crisis?

If you want to attract any staff, not just new grads, you’ve got to adapt to the present. Veterinary is changing and the modern new grad doesn’t want – and won’t settle – for the same things they did 50 years ago.

Let’s talk

Support… it’s all we need. Image © 135pixels / Adobe Stock

So, what do new grads want? Well, how long is a piece of string? The simple fact is: we are all different. The key to having a successful working relationship with a new grad is communication and flexibility.

The one thing all new grads want is support, but what that support actually looks like can vary wildly. For example, sometimes the new grad themselves will underestimate or overestimate how much support they need, which is why it is important for the learning process to be continual, with frequent check-ins.

It’s all very well saying I’ll only need second on-call backup for two months, but if, after that time, I still haven’t done a caesarean or calving, how can I be expected to be able to handle it alone?

Of course, this works both ways – new grads need to be upfront and honest about what kind of support they think they need, and practices likewise need to be honest about what they can provide.

If either party are overselling themselves to secure a job/vet, the arrangement will not work out long-term and both of you will be on the hunt again much quicker than you would like.

What we can do

So, why should you bother employing a new grad if you have to put lots of extra effort and time into it compared with employing an experienced vet? We new grads have a lot to offer:
1. We are tech-savvy (usually much more than our older counterparts).
2. We have lots of new ideas and experiences from a variety of placements in different practices.
3. We have up-to-date knowledge since we are fresh out of universities undertaking research into the newest techniques and treatments.
4. We are enthusiastic – despite refusing to put up with the poor working environments of the past, we are yet to become cynical about the veterinary profession.
What we lack is experience – and that is what we ask of you. Sure, the harsh truth may be that you don’t really have a choice in the employment climate as it stands, but if you get it right – and your new grad stays with you for years to come – it will be a true investment.
January 31, 2018
New year, new me

January brings with it an onslaught of well-intentioned gym memberships, diets and resolutions that often get forgotten fairly rapidly.

For me, my “happy new year” was tainted with uncertainty, as I had made the scary decision to leave my first job as a new graduate vet – quite literally forcing the “new year, new start” cliché on myself.

This decision was not made lightly. In fact, if I had listened to my gut feeling that things weren’t right, I probably would have left much earlier, but I stuck it out for five months. I had to be sensible – I had rent to pay. But, similarly, I was not going to stay any longer at the cost of my sanity.

Time to take action

Many of my new graduate friends also struggled at their respective workplaces to begin with, so I couldn’t help but think maybe it was just supposed to be hard. But as they all settled, and I seemed to just get more wound up with my situation, I began to accept it wasn’t right.

So, what were my options?

Address my employment concerns

Despite being advertised as a truly mixed practice, I found myself working as a TB tester virtually every day, which became unrewarding and a huge hindrance to my personal development as a vet.

I tried to address the situation, but was met with non-committal responses, such as: “Well, we are very busy with TB at the minute.” No offers of sharing it out were made, considering myself and another new graduate were carrying out all the testing. In fact, I ended up organising the whole practice’s TB equipment, paperwork and bookings.

The other issues I had were also met in a similarly non-helpful manner.

Go above the powers that be

One of the (few) advantages of working for a corporate group is you can go above the powers that be.

Although this provided a friendly listener on the end of the telephone, it didn’t actually achieve much after helping me explore the options of transferring to another practice within the group. As I was still looking for a mixed role, it came to a dead end pretty swiftly.

Hand in my notice

I was very aware my notice period tripled after I had worked at the practice for six months, so I had the choice of leaving before the six months were up or being stuck for at least nine months.

I did try addressing my employment concerns and going above the powers that be first, but I think I knew all along that, in the end, I was going to leave; it was just a question of when – before or after six months, considering the notice period, and before or after I had found another job?

Choice made for me

In the end, some timely external circumstances forced my decision – my landlord informed me he was selling his house, so I would only have a few months left of the lease anyway.

Once I came to the realisation I needed to leave, I felt relieved. This was ultimately short lived as I then faced the question of what to do afterwards – I even started to consider whether I actually wanted to look for another vet job.

But I didn’t have to look far to find some inspiration – my university friends were very supportive of my decision to leave my practice, but their stories of their own experiences were reassuring. The key was finding the right practice and being able to enjoy being a vet rather than seeing it as the stressful, unfriendly job with long hours it’s often portrayed as.

Negative into a positive

I began the job search slightly before handing my notice in – I think as a safety net, as I was still very apprehensive about being caught out with no work. I was also very concerned about how not having spent very long in my first practice would look to potential employers – would they think I couldn’t hack the pressure and gave up too easily?

My first interview this time around, however, was a massive confidence boost – my worries were ill-placed as my decision to leave my practice was only viewed as a positive move; that I was being proactive in my career development and not putting up with an environment in which I wasn’t progressing.

When more interviews and then job offers started emerging, I found the confidence to not only hand in my notice, but also to turn down offers that weren’t right for me.

Disguised desperation

We regularly hear about the shortage of vets in the veterinary press, on Facebook, through word of mouth and, for those working in understaffed practices, via first-hand experience. But nothing confirmed the veterinary employment crisis more than the poorly-disguised desperation some practices exhibited when I enquired about vacancies.

Yes, I was a little more desirable than a new graduate fresh out of university because I had worked for a few months, but I was still virtually a new graduate. If anything, I felt my skills had regressed since graduation because my confidence had been knocked so severely in my first role.

But I did know how to consult, interact with clients, break bad news, and offer and carry out euthanasia with the client in the room. These are the things you don’t really learn until you qualify; the small things that make a difference between being a startled- looking graduate in your first week being asked “is it your first day?” by a client, and a recent graduate who can give a calm impression of confidence and knowledge (even when you’re a little unsure).

It took me a while to convince myself I’d be employable enough to be picky, but with a few offers under my belt, I entered the new year jobless, but knowing so many practices out there were looking for vets.

It did, however, still take a considerable amount of moral fibre to swallow my pride and go to the job centre to sign up for jobseeker’s allowance. This was not without an added push from my ever-knowledgeable other half, who bluntly said: “You’ll be paying into it for the rest of your life, so you may as well claim it while you can.”

Daunting, but rewarding

Although it was daunting to quit one job without having something else lined up, it was the right thing to do and, inevitably, things worked out in the end. With a bit of patience and perseverance, I have now found what I think is the right job.

Although I can’t quite squash the niggling feeling it could all go wrong like the previous one, I like to think I’ve learned something from that disastrous experience, and am feeling much more optimistic.

After much reflection, I think I was just very unfortunate with my first role and a number of factors occurred that I could never have foreseen.

Take advantage

For many people, despite the new year clichés, January becomes a time of reflection. I’m not too sure about “new year, new me” but I’ve certainly ended up with “new year, new job”.

If you aren’t happy in your job, don’t be afraid to take the leap – especially if you’re a new graduate. It is so important your first job is right for you, otherwise it could scar you, and ultimately ruin your entire veterinary career.

It isn’t worth the stress of staying where you are unhappy – so many jobs are out there. It is, as they say, an “employee’s market” at the minute – take advantage of it.

January 16, 2018
Occupational hazards
Before I started vet school, I attended a workshop for aspiring vets where students shared anecdotes about the various occupational ailments they had experienced or witnessed over the years.

Despite having to defer the start my veterinary degree due to a horse-related incident, I got through university largely unscathed by veterinary-related disease. I contracted a skin infection while on placement in Bolivia, but I don’t think that was anything zoonotic.

However, some colleagues were not so lucky…

Illnesses and injuries

The various vet-student ailments that have affected friends include:
- rotavirus caught while on a dairy EMS placement
- an odd reaction to the BCG vaccine we received en masse in the first few weeks of vet school – after investigating a persistent cough, it transpired it was actually latent tuberculosis that would flare up periodically
- a mumps epidemic – while not zoonotic, the disease spread like wildfire through those who attended “Vetski” one year (a number of other skiing-related injuries were suffered on the same trip, including two damaged knees)
- the notorious cryptosporidiosis, which claimed at least one victim on every farm rotation group
- ringworm – despite having been in close proximity to cattle heavily infected with ringworm, I have avoided it thus far (the same cannot be said for one friend, who had to claim she had thrush to convince the pharmacist to sell her the necessary antifungal cream)
Appreciating dangers

TB testing – one of the most dangerous veterinary tasks.

Since qualifying, a good proportion of my work in practice has consisted of one of the most dangerous veterinary tasks – TB testing.

While I remained relatively unharmed for the first few months, I did appreciate how easy it could be to get injured, with some dodgy crushes to contend with and, often, largely unhandled beasts.

Having tested hundreds of cattle unscathed, my final test was quite eventful…

During a previous test at this particular farm, the vet had considered sedating one of the cows because it was so wild – but this time I was prepared, with sedation at the ready in case it was needed and the crush chained so the cow couldn’t go flying out the front door.

Crushed crush

Although a great deal of jumping about took place, I managed to test the cow without needing to resort to xylazine. However, the bull, which could barely squeeze into the crush, decided to stick his head under the front door and bend it nearly in half as the farmer, his son and I watched in horror.

Luckily, the bull seemed to think better of this plan and retreated before destroying the crush.

After the farmer had bashed the door back into some resemblance of its original shape, one calf somehow jumped out of the side of the crush and ended in a neighbour’s field.

First-hand experience

Just as we thought we’d had enough entertainment for one day, one of the six-month-old sucklers managed to squash my hand between it and the crush.

The world went green for a moment and I had to park myself on an upturned bucket.

Having taken a bit of a breather, we got the next calf in and I tried to continue, but the world kept spinning and I didn’t want to take my glove off to look at the damage. Feeling highly embarrassed, I sat back down and telephoned the practice for backup while the farmer went off to fetch a cup of sugary tea.

Not the only ones

An x-ray thankfully found no breaks, but a lot of swelling and bruising.

I joked with my doctor about occupational injuries, saying I didn’t suppose GPs would be likely to get into that kind of situation. However, he said he’d had a couple of knives pulled on him – one from someone demanding a prescription!

So, maybe we’re not the only medical profession at such a high risk of injury, we’re just exposed to slightly different dangers.
January 1, 2018
Breaking away from a vet’s diet of fast food

A while ago, I wrote about anorexia in vets… the stripped down, bare meaning being the clinical sign of “not eating”. As a student, I witnessed vets on placements routinely forgoing lunch or existing on a diet consisting entirely of Pot Noodles or fast food – one vet I shadowed had either a McDonalds or KFC on four of the five days.

Then, I could appreciate the lack of time and energy for cooking, but still couldn’t imagine being able to stomach so much junk food. I could not understand how you could work effectively and remain healthy while pouring so much crap into your body – and, of course, you can’t!

Isn’t it ironic that part of our job is to advise on diet and nutrition for clients’ four-legged friends, yet we don’t take our own advice?

Realisation dawns

Image © miketea88 / Adobe Stock.

As a student, there would be rare occasions I wouldn’t get lunch until 4pm or would just order a pizza through tiredness (or, more likely, from being hungover). But, on the whole, I had a pretty good diet. I exercised a lot and was organised enough to make lunch 90% of the time, so I was never stuck without food.

Yet now, as a new grad, I totally get the unhealthiness; it’s not really a matter of choice, but more a matter of pure exhaustion.

I found myself going without lunch on numerous occasions, mostly due to being stuck on farm all day TB testing, but sometimes due to being swamped with surgeries. Having not been able to stop for food all day, my first exploratory laparotomy was done after inhaling a cupcake – not the most nutritious of lunches.

24/7 shopping

There have been weeks I have consumed more takeaways or McMuffins than I am proud of, purely down to a lack of time and effort. I’m too tired to shop for food, or cook it, and I don’t want to spend all weekend meal-prepping for the week ahead, which is what my more organised, student self would have done.

It also doesn’t help that shops close early on a Sunday in England. I was definitely spoilt in Scotland, where 24-hour opening actually means 24 hours, 7 days a week.

If I cooked like I did when I was a student, my day would literally be work, cook, eat, sleep. But, to be honest, it’s not much better anyway – more like work, pick up takeaway, eat, sleep.

Maintaining a work-food balance

I do manage to get out on the bike at weekends, but not during the week, and as a former gym frequenter at uni, it gets to me sometimes that I’m becoming seriously unfit. Perhaps the answer is to get up early and go to the gym before work, but that’s not in my nature… I tried early running once, and all it did was make the day feel really long by 9am.

Mental health and well-being are constantly in the veterinary media at the moment, and, while I can empathise with my colleagues who lead the lifestyle of fast food, I’m not condoning it. This is no way to carry on. We need to try to achieve an acceptable work-life balance and, at the very least, a good work-food balance, which is something I am apparently not very good at yet.

I’m told it gets easier. Whether that means you get over being so tired all the time or just get used to it and somehow manage to power through, I’m not sure, but I hope it does – and I hope I find the energy to improve my diet.

December 1, 2017
Social media – a blessing or a curse?

An experienced vet warned me to stay off social media as a new graduate, because comparing yourself to others “drains your confidence”. I’m not sure I agree.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to the new age of communication, advertising and sharing information that is social media. Not just in veterinary, but in all walks of life, people are very good at publishing only the positive things, which gives others a very warped perception of their lives.

Bricking it

“Started a new job” or “excited for the future” have been common themes since graduation. But what you don’t see is “absolutely bricking my first day”, “maybe veterinary isn’t for me” or “I’ve moved to the middle of nowhere with no friends nearby and am seriously regretting my decision.”

Social media can fuel the feeling of isolation as a new grad because everything you see is through rose-tinted glasses – everyone else seems to be doing great and achieving so much. Now, the various platforms are not entirely to blame because it can be easy to feel that way just talking to other people in person as well.

While it is a lot easier to gather a more accurate idea of someone else’s experiences in person, you still get a certain level of one-upmanship, which does no one any favours. It’s great to meet up with uni friends to help you realise you’re not alone, provided you understand everyone progresses at different rates and in different environments.

Understanding what works for you

To begin with, I would envy the workplaces of my friends, thinking I’d somehow drawn the short straw, but having thought long and hard about it, would I want to be in their shoes? They may be thriving in their own respective environments, but I know I wouldn’t in some of their situations.

The key is understanding what works for someone else won’t necessarily work for you – and once you come to terms with that, you can use social media without having a sinking feeling every time someone posts about the latest great surgery they’ve done.

What about on a wider level? I have joined a couple of Facebook groups for qualified vets and been surprised by a number of aspects of these.

Can’t we all just get along?

Jordan has been “mortified” by the way some vets speak to their peers in certain online groups and forums. IMAGE: terovesalainen – adobe.stock.com

The motives behind these groups are genuine, offering a forum to share ideas and offer support to other members of the profession. And, on the whole, that’s what happens.

However, I have been mortified by the backlash some members have received for certain comments.

We, as a profession, are continually slated in the media for being money-grabbing insensitive con artists (which, of course, the vast majority of vets are absolutely not) and yet, in a private forum, vets are using very similar vindictive language against each other.

Some of it is barely short of cyber bullying, which is really quite sad. We get enough stick from the public, can we not try to be a little kinder to each other?

I know individual vets will disagree with others, but this can be expressed in a constructive way, not the emotive, anger infused rants we regularly encounter from the public. In this respect, I do think social media has gone sour.

Online awareness

For individual practices, it seems, at the moment, social media really can be make or break. Do not underestimate the power of social media – word travels fast: only too often do practices lose clients based on bad Facebook reviews.

But, equally, practices can try to maximise the interaction with clients through social media by posting facts, photos and offers to help educate and encourage responsible pet ownership, among other things.

While we don’t want to get too hung up on bad comments, which need to be addressed professionally and appropriately, it is important to be aware of our online presence – after all, we need to be proactive and advance with technology to keep in touch with our clients.

But how closely in touch with clients should you be?

Client friend requests

At some point in everyone’s career, the inevitable client Facebook friend request will happen. This can be tough and I have heard conflicting advice with how to respond. Some would recommend a blanket ban on client Facebook friends, which is all well and good unless you work in your home town, where a lot of your friends or family friends will be clients.

Others would recommend creating a bland profile to accept clients that doesn’t have any personal information or embarrassing photos. There’s also the option of changing your online name slightly to make it difficult for clients to find you in the first place – this is what I opted for.

Making sure your privacy settings are strict also helps non-friends see very little. I guess you just have to do what suits you without making a rod for your own back – if any client does try to message you out of hours, be strict and either ignore or refer them to the OOH number.

I think it’s safe to say social media is great in moderation, but too much of it could really get you down. We, as vets, should use it to our advantage, but try not to take it too seriously.

November 22, 2017
What to do when on call

When you’re on call during the week, by the time you’ve got home (if you get straight home without being called), eaten and vegged out in front of the TV, you do not have much time to be bored before heading to bed.

However, weekends on call have a lot more time to fill between carvings and telling the third client in a row we outsource small animal out-of-hours work.

Sleepless nights

I barely slept the first few times I was on call. Even without being called, I would toss and turn, worrying about what could be on the end of the telephone. When I eventually fell asleep, I’d wake up several times in a panic thinking I’d missed the call. I’m not a fantastic sleeper anyway, but always having half an ear open to the telephone makes things so much worse.

Jordan’s new-found feline friends have kept her company while on call.

I had been “on call” throughout university or while on externship EMS, but someone else was always there to do the triage and tell me what to do. Being the person on call is a totally different ball game. Even with backup, being the first one to speak to a panicked owner or farmer is still daunting.

The first weekend I was on call, I was paired with another vet, but fell asleep on the sofa after a morning of small animal consults, and an afternoon spent drenching and injecting sick cows.

Trapped

Since I live almost as far from my practice as is acceptable for being on call, I was scared to leave the house, not wanting to be any further away. I felt trapped, not able to go anywhere and not wanting to start doing anything constructive in case I had to drop it for a call-out.

I couldn’t go for a cycle ride or run unless I essentially stayed within a five-minute radius of home, which would be pretty boring.

I still hadn’t got round to sorting out a gym membership, so couldn’t plonk myself on a treadmill and leave when duty called. Despite having a knack for baking and cooking, I didn’t want to start anything I’d have to leave unfinished and ruin the perfect dinner or cake.

I had, however, gained some on call buddies in the form of kittens, so they provided moral support while I essentially dithered, not achieving anything while waiting for the telephone to ring.

My next weekend on call pretty much consisted of binge watching Grey’s Anatomy (yes, I know, I’m late to that game) and having a catch-up with a couple of friends, who came over to my house with the knowledge I may have to leave at any time to attend to a potential disaster. I was lucky we were not disturbed, but I still had my eye on the telephone and was half-expecting it to buzz at any moment.

Carving out pastimes

To while away the hours, Jordan combined her love of Game of Thrones with a bit of pumpkin carving and produced the House Targaryen coat of arms.

This weekend, however, I thought of something a bit more fun to do while waiting for the telephone to ring.

After a reasonable Saturday surgery and seeing to a horse’s wound, I went shopping (still within a reasonable distance) and found a pair of perfectly sized pumpkins to carve. If the telephone rang, I could stop mid-pumpkin and come back to it later – ideal.

Up for the challenge, my better half and I spent an obscenely long time on our masterpieces. I think they turned out pretty well – mine following on from a line of Game of Thrones-themed pumpkins in previous years, his reflecting the excitement for the new series of Blue Planet in the form of an angler fish.

Last resort

Someone once told me in a lecture weekends on call were good for cleaning and catching up on laundry. I have, so far, managed to avoid resorting to this, but that may well be the plan for the next one.

Before long, I expect I’ll be spending my on call weekend decorating a yet-to-be-found Christmas tree (now that’s a scary thought – how is it already that time of year?).

I’m still looking for inspiration on how to enjoy being housebound. What do you do with your weekends on call?

October 30, 2017