“It is not the destination, but the journey” is a quote I heard many times throughout university; maybe too many times from those serious socialites who knew how to live in and enjoy the moment. But, for me, it just didn’t register. I often look back at my time in vet school and think I could have socialised a little more and enjoyed the time with my friends.
This is probably the last chance you have to spend every day with your friends. Once you graduate and start working, it is almost impossible to have all of your holidays aligned together.
Making the most of every day
Even if you can, the time you get to spend with each other is always limited. If your friends move overseas or start a family, it could mean you only cross paths very infrequently. Don’t take this time in your life for granted. I was too focused on the destination and not enough on the journey at the time.
Even though it has led me to where I am today – for which I will be forever grateful – I wish I lived in the moment more.
My advice is find a balance that is right for you; be very aware of where you are and who you’re with, and make the most out of every single day.
Client communication is an important part of being a vet, as building a rapport and gaining their confidence will allow them to trust you.
I would encourage all young vets to practice this skill whenever and wherever they can, and develop their abilities from the feedback.
Communication
My year was the first at the University of Queensland in Australia to have any formal lectures and practicals on client communications, and I cannot tell you how underrated this crucial course is.
In fact, I’d argue having good client communication skills is just as important as knowing the science behind veterinary medicine itself.
You can know every veterinary textbook off by heart, back to front, and be the top graduating student of the class. However, if you are unable to build a rapport with your clients and gain their trust within the first three minutes of a consultation, they may still decline every diagnostic investigation and treatment you recommend, and seek treatment elsewhere.
Complaints
Gerardo Poli during his graduation.
Client complaints are every vet’s worst nightmare, and what is the number one reason for a client complaint? Mis-communication. Therefore, it is vital everyone practices their own communication skills.
For some of us, this isn’t innate and second nature, and that is perfectly fine. Knowing your weaknesses means you can work on them. Communication skills are something that can be learned and enhanced over time.
I encourage every student to go into as many consults with clinicians as you can, observe what the vets do well in and watch out for things not so well received. It doesn’t have to be just learning from the vets, either – you can learn a lot from observing nurses’ and receptionists’ interactions with the clients, too.
Practice on your peers, friends, family, lecturers, vets and nurses, and get them to give you feedback.
So far in this five-part series I have stressed the importance of signalment and finding practical work while studying – both of which should be crucial in student learning.
In this third part I decided to focus on the incredible support nursing and reception teams offer vets – both on a professional and personal level.
Lifeline
I did not appreciate how much I would come to rely on nurses and receptionists for support. For me, the support is both clinical and emotional. Not long after graduation, I remember I asked my head nurse at the time for advice on how to treat a hot spot, as I had never done so before.
It was an extremely humbling experience – especially since it had never occurred to me until that point that I may need my nursing staff to offer clinical tips or perspective. Then again, I forget a lot of the nurses have more experience than me, having assisted vets years before I even graduated.
Support
Nurses are also there for you emotionally – they are the ones with you when you treat your patients; so, just like you, they share all the patients’ wins and also the losses. You will not be able to find someone else who can empathise with you more.
Sometimes, when faced with particularly difficult consults, you will be surprised how often you offload your stress by talking to them, and it’s quite a relief to know you have someone to listen.
I don’t think I could possibly explain to myself when starting out just how much I would rely on support teams.
In the first part of this series, I suggested the younger version of myself would have benefited from having more knowledge of signalment.
The second thing I think the young Gerardo Poli could learn is the importance of practical work and how it can build bridges with potential employers.
Practical work is where connections are built
Coming from my experience as a practice owner, I suggest students do as much practical work as they can in the clinics and hospitals they might want to work in.
This could be part of the formal practical programme, in the form of paid work (such as working in veterinary nursing) and voluntary work.
When you are on practical placement, you build relationships with the team and get exposed to the dynamics. It will give you an insight to help you decide if this is the practice you want to work at after graduation, and also gives that practice an opportunity to get to know you.
If the practice likes what it sees, it is more likely to hire you over someone based on the resume of someone it has never met in person.
We all sometimes wish we could go back in time or redo some situations. Often, when looking back with hindsight and more life experience, we wish we could have done things a little differently, or focused our time and energy in a better way.
I have been reflecting and, while I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved and where my journey has brought me, I have five things I would say to the young Gerardo Poli about to start university. Here is the first:
Signalment
When I was writing my study notes at university in preparation for my exams, I don’t recall writing down a lot about the typical signalment for different diseases. At the time I couldn’t see the relevance, nor importance, of it – especially when so many more pathophysiologies were waiting to be memorised.
Fast forward a few years when I started working, and the first thing I want to know – even before I lay eyes on the patient – is its signalment. It is the one crucial clue that helps me narrow down a long list of differential diagnoses and, from there, help develop a diagnostic plan.
Starter for 10
Signalment can be so telling in some cases that my colleagues and I will often guess what the patient presented for.
For example, a young Labrador retriever that presents with protracted vomiting is most likely going to be an intestinal foreign body, until proven otherwise, while a geriatric cavalier King Charles spaniel with dyspnoea is likely in congestive heart failure, secondary to its genetically predisposed mitral valve disease.
Obviously, just knowing the signalment isn’t everything to reaching a diagnosis, but it gives you a place to start.
With age comes wisdom
The difference between an experienced and inexperienced vet is the former is a lot more familiar with the types of disease and illness a particular demographic of patients is predisposed to, whereas the latter is not.
My advice is to read up on as many clinical cases as you can, and don’t forget to look at the patient’s signalment.
Following on from last week’s tips for new graduates, here are my final two tips that resonate the most with me in my practice and as a coach. I hope they help with transitioning into practice.
Systematic approach
In my role as a mentor and coach, one of the most important concepts I instil or emphasise is a systematic approach. Develop a step-by-step process that allows you to look at everything – it’s not only important for finding abnormalities, but it’s the only way you will get used to what looks and feels normal.
This applies to physical examinations, ultrasound, radiograph and laboratory result interpretation, even when developing a diagnostic pathway.
Some may think this is only for new graduates, but it is still crucial for experienced vets who rely on a pattern matching approach, as they can miss diseases by not considering other possibilities.
Be coachable
Some people, once they have graduated, want to prove themselves and demonstrate they know it all, they are not just another grad and have earned their place.
In my experience as a coach and mentor, a humble graduate is more valuable and will learn faster than the ones trying to prove themselves and showing they don’t need support. It is actually concerning for me when new vets don’t ask for help or advice.
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness or lack of knowledge; for me it’s a positive sign that someone is open, wants to be at their best and wants to be part of the team. It gives me real satisfaction to see graduates do things they never thought they could do. So, work together with your team of nurses and experienced vets, and never stop learning and asking for advice or guidance.
The veterinary world is a profession I am proud of, and super passionate about – I cannot wait to see the future of this profession, and the impact every new graduate will make.
Finishing vet school feels like the end of a race I’ve been running for more than a decade. I don’t remember when exactly I started running it, or if there was ever even a conscious starting point, but it’s incredibly surreal to get to the end of such a long journey – and I’m still suffering with a heavy dose of denial.
When will it feel real? When I don my cap and gown? When I first sign my name as “Dr”? Or when I walk in for my first day at work?
The past few months have been both a whirlwind and an anticlimax all at once. There is nothing like stepping out of those final exams, feeling like the gazelles and giraffes blinking at the rising sun in the first scene in The Lion King – except far less magnificent and far more bedraggled because we truly had forgotten what sunlight was.
Time to go
Packing up my last ever student digs was also an emotional experience that felt more akin to dismantling an entire chapter of my life than simply packing boxes.
Eleanor Goad (centre) with her “comrades-in-arms”.
I remembered standing in my bedroom two years earlier thinking how weird it would be to leave this house one day a real, qualified vet. I’d like to go back to past me and let her know she was wrong – it is so, SO much weirder!
It’s hard to be sad, however, when the end of university life opens far more doors than it closes.
If I’m honest, I’ve always felt quietly smug for knowing what I wanted to do with my life since I could draw my first rudimentary cow. Up until this point I’ve been guided down a predetermined path of hurdles in order to achieve a particular goal. Now, rather abruptly, there’s nobody telling me where to go or what to do with my time.
Where do I work? Where do I live? Do I specialise, or just get my feet on firm ground first? It seems very strange to me that a decision I made so early in life has since dictated every decision I have ever made up to this point, and I’m only now gaining true autonomy in my mid-20s.
Not that I should really call them that because, after vet school, they’re more like my comrades-in-arms.
There are a couple of friends in particular who got me through this intense roller coaster of a course, and from late night study sessions to a constant supply of baked goods, I will be eternally grateful to them for keeping me sane (as much as was possible).
I know how grateful I’ve been to have a place to go for home cooked Sunday dinners; comfort on the other end of the telephone at all hours of the day or night.
Mum: thank you for the monthly post cards.
Dad: thank you for the six-hour round trips to bring me home for those aforementioned Sunday dinners.
Obviously, it goes without saying that I’m immensely grateful to all of the university staff for the work they do, but some amazing interns and residents at Langford got me through this last year of rotations. They represent a bridge between where you’ll soon be and the “god tier” level of an attending that seems completely unobtainable – which does wonders for the ol’ impostor syndrome.
A date I will never forget is 6 June. Four years previously on that day I completed the final exam of my master’s degree, marking 11 long and tough years of study.
I vowed at that point to never study again, although my love of learning didn’t allow that to last long.
Then it was crunch and career decision time – which, for a new graduate, is exciting, but also causes anxiety.
I have learned a great deal in my time since, so for all those students who recently completed their studies, firstly, congratulations and, secondly, over the next two weeks I have some tips that will help with the transition into being a new grad.
Finding your first clinic
Does the clinic you are considering working for offer an appropriate mentoring and structured learning?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find the best fit and perfect place, or overthink the process – you are just starting out and it’s likely your focus, passion and direction will change as your career progresses.
Merits in waiting exist for a practice that fits with your wants and needs, but don’t wait forever as you need to start putting your theory into practice.
I think the most important aspect to look at is the team. A practice with an amazing supportive team would be a wiser option compared to a practice with all the bells and whistles.
The next thing would be do they offer an appropriate level of mentoring and structured learning?
Ask if they have trained vets and new grads before, and do they have training and learning resources available to guide your learning?
Perspective
Days will occur where you make mistakes and feel as though you haven’t done a good job. It’s important to be able to put things into perspective – remember, everyone makes mistakes.
I still have days where I feel like I’ve failed. It’s vital you can be clear that you may fail at a task or moment, but that doesn’t mean you’re a failure.
If you have a bad morning, don’t generalise it into a bad day or bad week. It shows much more passion, talent and character to learn and grow from a mistake.
Being a vet – especially in emergency – you have to learn to be able to stop, let go and reset a number of times each day so you are fully present for what comes next.
Understanding perspective on bad days, and asking what can you learn from this, is a skill that takes time to master, but is one that will help you a great deal in your veterinary journey.
It had been an ambition of mine since the beginning of vet school to do some type of work abroad, whether it be preclinical or clinical, a paid position or volunteer work.
A big reason I undertook an intercalated MSc was for the option it presented for a three-month research period in Western Australia. Sadly, COVID-19 put a stop to that and my research never wandered further than my desk – but, if anything, the pandemic made me feel even more passionate about travelling for my EMS.
Gone to Goa
Weekends spent “lolling on the beach” were well-deserved, says Eleanor.
A friend and I both settled on a small rescue centre in Goa, India, for the placement (neither of us feeling quite brave enough to go it alone) and despite planning it almost a year in advance, the date caught up with us quite quickly. Before we knew it, we were there.
Let the record show that the motivation for this trip was not to escape from the harsh English January weather, nor to fill up on delicious curries, although the temperature did make a welcome change and I’m unsure a takeaway will ever cut it again.
The whole reason for the placement was to gain the kind of surgical experience that just isn’t readily available to students in the UK.
Understandably, vet practices can take a while to warm up to students enough to trust them to carve into somebody’s beloved animals, but this makes for generation after generation of new grads who feel completely out of depth with a scalpel in their hands.
Great(er than our) expectations
The placement’s main advertising pull had been as an opportunity to gain incredible surgical experience, but we had gone into it with some trepidation that it wasn’t going to be nearly as busy and hands-on as we’d hoped. It turned out to surpass our expectations and go right out the other side…
Weekends spent lolling on the beach were well-deserved after numerous 11-hour shifts with numb fingers and thumbs from uncooperative clamps and needle holders.
The surgical side of the trip deserves an article of its own – but suffice it to say that, between the two of us, my friend and I neutered almost 50 dogs and cats, including 15 unassisted but supervised dog spays. It was an incredible rewarding feeling when each surgery finished, knowing we were doing even just a small bit in the effort to reduce India’s stray population.
Eleanor found her EMS placement in Goa “incredible rewarding”.
Learning valuable lessons
Let it be said, I am not the most confident of travellers, and 18 hours of travel across three planes and four airports are not for the faint of heart, but neither is India – and while I have entirely fallen in love with the country, its beauty and its animals, there was a lot of disorganisation that made my poor little control-freak brain spin.
I think that learning to take each day as it comes, and constantly adapting to new situations or pressures has taught me a lot of valuable skills in a very short space of time.
In particular, the vet who taught and supervised us was invaluable in making the placement such a success. She gave us an incredible amount of patience and taught me skills in both surgery and how to face a stressful situation that I will carry with me throughout my career.
I’ve written at length about the dangers of heat and the sometimes unforeseen risks of walking your dogs during the hazy summer days, but now the cold has well and truly crept in, it is time to consider how we keep our puppies happy and healthy this winter.
Toxins
With the recent snow, we’re used to feeling grit and salt crunching beneath our feet when walking outside – but have you stopped to consider the effect that has on tiny paws?
Irritation from salt can lead to dryness, irritation and cracking of the skin on dog’s footpads, and ingestion of the salt from excessive licking of those paws can lead to toxic levels of sodium in the blood, which can lead to dehydration and even kidney damage.
Another hazardous toxin incredibly prevalent at this time of year is antifreeze. This product contains the chemical ethylene glycol, which can lead to potentially fatal kidney injury if ingested. Clinical signs range from excessive drinking to vomiting and even seizures. So, if you’re concerned your animal may have been exposed, don’t risk waiting – take them straight to your vet.
Cold snap
The cold is perhaps the most obvious danger to our beloved pets at this time of year, but it can be easy to think that their fur coats make them adapted for this kind of weather. The fact is that, aside from certain breeds like huskies, we have actually been breeding the hardiness out of our dogs for more than one hundred years.
Many breeds – especially those imported from descendants in hotter climates – are not cut out for harsh cold. According to the RSPCA, dogs shouldn’t be kept at any lower than 10°C for long periods of time, and studies have found that walking smaller, older or younger dogs (the latter of which naturally run at a higher temperature) can also be dangerous if the thermometer starts to creep towards freezing. You wouldn’t take your granny out in -1°C in just her cardigan, so maybe don’t take your geriatric pets for a walk either.
Of course, animals still need exercise, stimulation and the opportunity to visit nature’s toilet, but it’s important to be sensible and prioritise walks during the warmest times of the day, and to layer up if your pet will tolerate it.
Finally, overfeeding is something I think many of us actually aspire to in the lead up to Christmas – but while it may seem mean to leave our pets out of the festive fun (because they do have very large, cute “feed me” eyes), abstaining from feeding them human treats can actually be the kinder thing.
This isn’t just because of the dangers of chocolate and sultanas (which I’ve gotten up on my soapbox about many a time), but because even a tiny portion of human food can sometimes double the daily calories for our pets.
Depending on whether you have a chihuahua or an active collie, your animal’s dietary needs likely range from around 150 to 600 calories a day. If the average sausage is around 200 calories, you can see how things can quickly add up. Obesity is one of the leading causes of disease in our animals, and it’s so easily preventable.
Spread the love
I would love to urge everybody to spread a little extra festive love towards their furry friends this festive season and keep them healthy and safe.
Depending on whether you have a chihuahua or an active collie, your animal’s dietary needs likely range from around 150 to 600 calories a day. If the average sausage is around 200 calories, you can see how things can quickly add up. Obesity is one of the leading causes of disease in our animals, and it’s so easily preventable.