vet fears

[largle]

im a vet student with a few concerns. Firstly, I have a somewhat phobia of worms, i dont mind learning about them... but do u actually see them/exposed to them very often in small animal practice? E.g. In surgery. Secondly, are vets in small animal practice on their feet all day? Or can they have a stool to sit on in surgery and consults. Thanks

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[katryn]

im a vet student with a few concerns. Firstly, I have a somewhat phobia of worms, i dont mind learning about them... but do u actually see them/exposed to them very often in small animal practice? E.g. In surgery. Secondly, are vets in small animal practice on their feet all day? Or can they have a stool to sit on in surgery and consults. Thanks

Worms: I can't say that (working as a tech) I actually saw worms more than once or twice. That being said, it is not at all uncommon to find eggs on a fecal float, and know that they are there even though you can't see the adult worms.

As for being on your feet all day, yes, you will be on your feet most of the day, and I don't think I've ever worked in a facility that had stools for surgery or exams. Doctors would usually sit down for consults that were outside of exams (ie. owner is picking up the animal after having been dropped off all day), but not while talking to owners in the exam room during an office visit. I would say if you work from 8 am to 6 pm in a standard clinic, expect to be on your feet at least 6.5 to 7 of those 10 hours.

 

[SilverSpyderGT]

im a vet student with a few concerns. Firstly, I have a somewhat phobia of worms, i dont mind learning about them... but do u actually see them/exposed to them very often in small animal practice? E.g. In surgery. Secondly, are vets in small animal practice on their feet all day? Or can they have a stool to sit on in surgery and consults. Thanks

Our anatomy dog had a gut full of hookworms... ewwww!

 

[Bill59]

You will see tapeworm segments pretty commonly and roundworms occasionally. If you are a bit squeamish it's OK -- I can't stand maggots myself. But if you're going to run out of the room screaming, that will be more of a problem.

Several hospitals have stools in the exam rooms so you can sit while you talk with the client and I know a few doctors that do surgery sitting down. But in general you will be on your feet a lot.

 

[largle]

You will see tapeworm segments pretty commonly and roundworms occasionally. If you are a bit squeamish it's OK -- I can't stand maggots myself. But if you're going to run out of the room screaming, that will be more of a problem.

Several hospitals have stools in the exam rooms so you can sit while you talk with the client and I know a few doctors that do surgery sitting down. But in general you will be on your feet a lot.

Well i could handle seeing them, but if i accidently touched one without know it was there before, i might jump/scream. Im not grossed out by anything else, just internal parasites. For being on my feet, I get a sore back and feel faint if im on my feet too long, particularly standing in one spot. Does this not bother other people? Perhaps i need to work on building muscle in my legs

 

[katryn]

Well i could handle seeing them, but if i accidently touched one without know it was there before, i might jump/scream. Im not grossed out by anything else, just internal parasites. For being on my feet, I get a sore back and feel faint if im on my feet too long, particularly standing in one spot. Does this not bother other people? Perhaps i need to work on building muscle in my legs

I never had too much problem standing for long periods during exams and treatments, only because I found that I actually move around a lot more than I thought I would. During surgery is a little tougher, but the few times I've gotten to scrub in and actively help with surgery, I've been so caught up in what was going on that I didn't notice being sore until after surgery was over. ><

I think I've only had maybe once that I accidentally almost touched maggots without knowing it, and I will say it took every ounce of will power not to drop the dog (it was during a euthanasia....). But having prior exposure to it knowingly, helped blunt some of the shock factor when it happened unknowingly. For me it really was mostly an experience thing. The more often I have to handle wormy/maggoty nastiness the less it bothers me.

 

[bunnity]

The worm thing really depends where you work... those in a nice private practice might not see them much but working in a low income clinic or shelter you will see them all the time.

Also parasitology class in vet school - you have to look at real worms and be able to tell them apart... we had to pick up maggots and tapeworm segments and mount them on slides - so that is another thing you would have to get through.

 

[Ben and Me]

Well i could handle seeing them, but if i accidently touched one without know it was there before, i might jump/scream. Im not grossed out by anything else, just internal parasites. For being on my feet, I get a sore back and feel faint if im on my feet too long, particularly standing in one spot. Does this not bother other people? Perhaps i need to work on building muscle in my legs

I've found that the right shoes can make all the difference.

I'm a huge fan of Merrell's. I can be on my feet for 12+ hours in the ones below and feel just fine.

http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Pro.../Siren-Sport-GORE-TEX-Wide-Width?dimensions=0

I am not a huge fan of Croc's, which I bought to wear in surgery. I find that my feet and back are sore in about 30 minutes.

 

[chickenlittle]

Worms depend on where you are... I'm in a lower-income area, so we see lots of maggots and awful intestinal parasites cases.

As for being on your feet all day, you definitely will be if you end up in small animal practice. I work 10 hour days (usually closer to 10.5-11 hr days by the time I actually get out of there), and typically only get to sit down for a total of probably 1.5 hours of that. I usually get to sit down for a brief lunch break, but other than that I only sit if there are no patients to be seen and I'm writing records.

I also swear by Merrells and currently wear these to work everyday:
http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Womens-Encore-Eclipse/dp/B003R6X4A2

Yes, it's exhausting... I come home every night feeling as though I've had the crap beat out of me and have more spider veins than anyone under 35 should ever have.... but that's what you're in for as a small animal vet

 

[Ben and Me]

Ohhh Chicken! I like those! Might have to purchase a pair for small animal clinics -- I have been wondering what I'll be wearing!

 

[chickenlittle]

I also have these Merrells and lovelovelovelovelove them.
http://www.shoesopia.com/shop/produ...re-Mj-Leather-Shoes-Midnight-Black-Women.html

I wore them to work for almost six months and they were quite comfy, but then I started to worry that the suede finish would get ruined by something gross. The ones I posted above aren't nearly as cute, but their glossier finish makes it easier to wipe off blood, pee, poo, anals, etc. These would be fine for clinics, though, because clinics aren't nearly as gross as general practice!

ETA: And, while we're spreading the Merrell love, I also have & love both of these... although I don't wear them to work because I love them too much to risk ruin
http://www.shoecartel.com/compare/646EC1042500/Merrell-Plaza-MJ-Womens
http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Women...=sr_1_1?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1319505901&sr=1-1

I love Merrells

 

[dyachei]

I also have these Merrells and lovelovelovelovelove them.
http://www.shoesopia.com/shop/produ...re-Mj-Leather-Shoes-Midnight-Black-Women.html

I wore them to work for almost six months and they were quite comfy, but then I started to worry that the suede finish would get ruined by something gross. The ones I posted above aren't nearly as cute, but their glossier finish makes it easier to wipe off blood, pee, poo, anals, etc. These would be fine for clinics, though, because clinics aren't nearly as gross as general practice!

ETA: And, while we're spreading the Merrell love, I also have & love both of these... although I don't wear them to work because I love them too much to risk ruin
http://www.shoecartel.com/compare/646EC1042500/Merrell-Plaza-MJ-Womens
http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Women...=sr_1_1?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1319505901&sr=1-1

I love Merrells

I also love my merrells. I have a different version of the last two you posted and some of their trail shoes for when I am walking.

They are awesome. By far the best shoes for being on your feet for long periods of time. Not that they are the most comfortable all the time, but they make you pay for it less in the long run.

 

[libster06]

For being on my feet, I get a sore back and feel faint if im on my feet too long, particularly standing in one spot. Does this not bother other people? Perhaps i need to work on building muscle in my legs

I feel like this is more of a problem for techs than doctors. As a doctor, you can sit down at a computer or desk and do things like write your notes in between appointments, or make phone calls or clients to report the status of their animal. There's plenty of default "breaks" in the day to rest your legs. Yes, you are expected to be up when needed but you also have certain obligations in which you can obviously take a seat and breathe for a minute. Thus the appeal [for me at least] of being a doctor..... techs do not get that luxury, as it is usually seen as wasting time.

Also parasitology class in vet school - you have to look at real worms and be able to tell them apart... we had to pick up maggots and tapeworm segments and mount them on slides - so that is another thing you would have to get through.

Twas going to second this, but the OP said they were a "vet student".... eother way if you havent had parasitology, you will come pretty close with worms. At my school, its up to you whether you touch them or not (and truthfully it's probably preferred that you don't for many reasons), but you do have to examine them up close and know about them in detail, so I don't know if that will be an issue for you.

 

[Trematode]

Just wanted to say that I had a phobia of most insects. The only way I got over it was to take Entomology. We had to make our own insect collection over the semester. You should have seen me trying to catch bugs. I was screaming, cringing and running. It was quite fun watching me try to get insects that potentially bite into little glass vials. . By the end of the term, I was quite comfortable looking at insects and handling them. It ended up paying off when it came to my research. I went sampling a dozen times in a lake... hello lake larvae, flies, dragon flies and water scorpions! If you are anything like me though, one semester of parasitology should be enough to make you somewhat comfortable around them. .

 

[chickenlittle]

I feel like this is more of a problem for techs than doctors. As a doctor, you can sit down at a computer or desk and do things like write your notes in between appointments, or make phone calls or clients to report the status of their animal. There's plenty of default "breaks" in the day to rest your legs. Yes, you are expected to be up when needed but you also have certain obligations in which you can obviously take a seat and breathe for a minute. Thus the appeal [for me at least] of being a doctor..... techs do not get that luxury, as it is usually seen as wasting time.

This depends a lot on the clinic, but I wouldn't necessarily assume it to be the case. Of my four jobs as a veterinarian:

1) Had my own desk, but there was no telephone or computer. I did get to sit down a good bit on slow days (to write records, look at labwork, look things up in textbooks, etc), but on busy days I typically didn't have time to walk over to my desk and therefore did all these things standing at the counter. Phone calls, VIN research, etc were all done standing at the pharmacy computer.

2) Nine doctor practice, TWO sit-down workstations. When a colleague and I found a stool in the kennel and set it in front of one of the standing workstations, thus making a third seated workstation, the boss became angry and took the chair away, saying "I'm not paying you to sit and write records - I'm paying you to be in rooms making money." So there were occasional times that I could snag one of the sitting workstations, but it wasn't often.

3) VERY slow hospital.... I had my own desk/office and plenty of time to sit down. But, on the downside, my pay was cut 40% after a year of employment because the clinic was financially failing!! Needless to say, I had to start job-hunting with that sort of pay cut. (And no, my boss did not make any corresponding cut to my hours... I was expected to work the same number of hours for 40% less pay.)

4) Current job: There is a sit-down workstation for each doctor, but we are typically too busy to sit. When I come out of an exam room to write a record, I typically stand at the counter to do it (not taking the time to pull out a stool), because there's already another room waiting for me. If I'm sitting, it's because we've had a cancellation/no-show or because it's after closing and I'm doing records/call-backs/etc.

So, that's not to say that there aren't vet jobs where you get relaxed time to sit, call owners, review lab results, etc... but if that's something important to you (or anyone else reading this thread), you'll definitely want to pay attention and watch for that during your working interviews. I definitely wouldn't assume that it will be the case.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

If you need to, you can sit down while you work......though if it's not your own clinic, you will have to discuss the arrangement of desks, chairs, tables, etc. with your boss, maybe even paying for extra furniture yourself if it's important to you. I did relief in one clinic where the owner had it set up so that she could sit doing everything, including surgery. Really, there's no reason why you couldn't sit while talking to clients, or while doing surgery. Just because it's not typical doesn't mean it can't be done. You can also get a tension-relieving mat to stand on, and they make a really big difference (especially in surgery).

 

[megavideolinks]

Another Queensland vet fears for his life after being exposed to a horse infected with the Hendra virus.

Vet Peter Prenzler is among six people who face a long wait to be cleared of contracting the potentially fatal virus after a horse tested positive to the virus at a Mount Alford property, southwest of Brisbane.

This is the second Hendra outbreak in Queensland in recent weeks with the first outbreak happening in the Beaudesert area. There has also been an outbreak in northern NSW.

 

[lostbunny]

Whats hendra got to do with worms and being on your feet all day?

Either way, if your horses aren't anywhere near fruit trees or you don't come in contact with horses, you are in no risk of hendra!

I worked with horses in Beaudesert during the 'big outbreak' this year and I survived. So did all my horses.