Which category do you fall into: are you more a people
person, or an animal person? If you are
confused, you are probably not an animal person. Most animal lovers know that
they fall into the category of being an animal person. If you are a nurse, and have decided your
love of animals is just too strong to deny, perhaps it's time you consider
being a veterinary nurse. A veterinary
nurse generally works in an animal clinic, with and for a Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine, DVM. There are obviously some
significant differences between a nurse for human patients, and a nurse for
animals; however both are very important, and in both case you have some
important patients depending on your expertise and compassion.
Good
with Animals
Do you consider yourself to be good with animals? If
you are walking down a sidewalk and pass a stranger, do you stop, engage them
in interaction and converse with them because you want to get to know
them? Or if you are walking down the
sidewalk and encounter a dog being walked on a leash, do you stop the person,
and ask if you can pet their dog, then you get lost in puppy world? If your answer to the second question is
“yes”, without a doubt, you’ve got it, you are good with animals. You can’t resist the loving and trusting face
of an animal, regardless of the species, they make your heart melt. Maybe you have a hard time watching a show or
a movie where the animal is depicted as being injured, or lost. That feeling you get when you see sad animal
stories is real, heartbreaking, and sad.
It is also a representation of your love of animals. Many people base their opinions, when meeting
a new person, on whether or not their dog accepts and likes the person, in
other words, “if my dog does not trust you, neither do I”.
Offering
Comfort to Pet Owners
You may be a true animal lover, and consider yourself
an animal person, but to work in a veterinary clinic, you need to have the
talent of working with the pet owners as well.
You must be able to relate to people, and more often than not, people
that love their pets and consider them a member of their family. You will need to maintain a certain level of
professionalism, even though that may be a challenge as you are getting big
sloppy wet kisses, that remind you why you chose this profession. Trust me, a pet owner will overlook your
professionalism if they in fact see that you love their pet, that is truly what
matters to them. Not unlike a nurse
working in a human hospital, you will see, and be expected to deal with some
pretty distressing situations, it's just part of your job. Unlike a nurse in a medical center, there are
many situations that a pet owner must make the heart wrenching decision that
the pet has reached the point of needing to be euthanized. When a dog reaches a certain age, or when a
medical condition makes life unbearably painful or uncomfortable for a pet,
most veterinarians and pet owners agree, euthanasia is most likely the best
gift one can offer a suffering pet. As a
veterinary nurse, your job will be to show extreme compassion to both the pet
and to the owner. You would be expected
to convey your sympathy to the owner, while offering assurance that they are
making the best decision they can, considering the situation. It really is true, you must love a pet enough
to let go when the time comes. It really
takes a unique person to remain strong for the owner, when they are in an
emotional state over their pet; however a good veterinary nurse is able to do
just that.
Putting
Fears Aside
Let’s face it, everyone has fears of certain things,
many including animals. You may consider
yourself to be primarily a dog person, however, as a veterinary nurse, you will
certainly be expected to handle cats with the same level of compassion and care
that you handle dogs. Some people have a
pre-determined mind that small animals such as ferrets are rodents, and may
display a fear when handling them. If
your intention is to work in alongside a veterinarian, you will have to learn
to get over your fear, or at the very least hide it. Of course, animal patients, unlike human
patients can sense your fear, and you may not have the upper hand when working
with them. Consider slowly familiarizing
yourself with any animal species that is likely to visit an animal
hospital. Some veterinarians may be
willing to have a nurse working with them that has some apprehension of birds;
however, most are not going to tolerate a profound fear of their regular
clientele.
Dealing
with Unexpected Accidents
It’s a pretty safe bet, that working in an animal clinic;
you are more likely to deal with a terrified patient that may have an
accident. Unlike a human hospital, if an
animal has an accident while you are taking their temperature, you probably
cannot call on someone else to perform the cleanup. In other words, as a veterinarian nurse, you
really can't' have a weak stomach in the area of potty accidents. You may not be squeamish at all when it comes
to blood, and even operations, but when dealing with animals you cannot afford
to be squeamish with anybody excretions, it's not a matter of if it will
happen, it's more like when it will happen, and it will. You may be expected to clean kennel runs and
cages as part of your job, which really is all part of working with an animals,
regardless of your position within the clinic.
Related: International
Nurses Association - Certified Registered Nurses Anesthetists (CRNA)
Animal
Devotion
There is a true meaning behind “there being a calling
to work with and protect animals”. Dogs
and cats in particular, just like kids can try your patience at times. In the worse case scenario a dog snaps at you
or a cat claws you, it is unacceptable to retaliate. It may hurt your feelings or hurt you
physically, however, as an animal lover, and especially as a veterinary nurse,
you are expected to continue working with the animal and provide the best of
care. You need training far beyond that
of that of a nurse. You will need to
familiarize yourself with how to handle aggressive animals without causing harm
to yourself in the process. A certain
amount of animal behavior knowledge should be acquired as well, so you will
have an idea what to expect and how best to deal with it. If you have valuable nursing skills, and have
a genuine love of animals then it may be worth your time to check into becoming
a veterinary nurse. You may be expected
to take a veterinarian technician course, which would be in addition to your
nursing education. This would prepare
you for dealing with your four legged patients, and teaches you the differences
in human patient care versus animal care.
Training as a veterinary nurse can open doors
for working with animals in many capacities, and you are not necessarily
destined to work in an animal clinic if your interest lay elsewhere. Veterinary nurses are in demand at animal
shelters, and animal training institutes.
Some grooming facilities and even pet shops may employ veterinary nurses;
it can actually be a quite versatile field with numerous opportunities. The main factor for working as a veterinary
nurse is number one, your love of animals, and your desire to help them. If you have that quality, you are already a
good candidate to work in the field of veterinarian care. Providing your clinical nursing expertise and
the knowledge you will obtain to work in animal care, can make you a valuable
asset when working in an animal hospital practice. Do some research online regarding short
courses that may provide an insight to working with animals, many classes are
available online, and you can volunteer at an animal shelter to obtain hands on
experience. Once you have determined a
veterinary nurse is the job for you, search out local animal hospitals and send
resumes based on your findings.
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