Can Vets preform any surgery?

[dvmcatdog]

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My veterinarian that I go to said she is able to do any surgery like ortho, soft tissue or anything like that without being board certified. I was always under the impression that any bone surgery was done by an orthopedic surgeon and so on. Does it take just obtaining the skill? Can general vets do amputations?

 

[dyachei]

My veterinarian that I go to said she is able to do any surgery like ortho, soft tissue or anything like that without being board certified. I was always under the impression that any bone surgery was done by an orthopedic surgeon and so on. Does it take just obtaining the skill? Can general vets do amputations?

general vets can do orthopedic surgeries, they just cannot claim to be a specialist.

 

[LetItSnow]

My veterinarian that I go to said she is able to do any surgery like ortho, soft tissue or anything like that without being board certified. I was always under the impression that any bone surgery was done by an orthopedic surgeon and so on. Does it take just obtaining the skill? Can general vets do amputations?

That is a more complicated question than you realize, and getting into all the 'complicated' stuff is beyond the scope of one reply. The short answer is that yes, any vet can perform whatever surgery they like. They would have to be able to make a good argument that they were providing standard of care, though (or at least offered standard of care to the client).

There isn't anything special about orthopedic surgery that prevents a GP from doing it. The most common reasons are lack of training and lack of equipment. But if you were to obtain the training and had the equipment, no reason you couldn't do it.

An amputation is (more often) soft-tissue surgery.

 

[dvmcatdog]

That is a more complicated question than you realize, and getting into all the 'complicated' stuff is beyond the scope of one reply. The short answer is that yes, any vet can perform whatever surgery they like. They would have to be able to make a good argument that they were providing standard of care, though (or at least offered standard of care to the client).

There isn't anything special about orthopedic surgery that prevents a GP from doing it. The most common reasons are lack of training and lack of equipment. But if you were to obtain the training and had the equipment, no reason you couldn't do it.

An amputation is (more often) soft-tissue surgery.

How can someone get training for orthopedic or soft tissue surgery?

 

[LetItSnow]

How can someone get training for orthopedic or soft tissue surgery?

There is Continuing Education (CE) available for just about anything you could want.

 

[DVMDream]

How can someone get training for orthopedic or soft tissue surgery?

They have to do an internship, sometimes 2 and a surgery residency after vet school. Then they have to pass a board exam to become certified.

 

[DVMDream]

They have to do an internship, sometimes 2 and a surgery residency after vet school. Then they have to pass a board exam to become certified.

This is to become a specialist.

 

[DVMDream]

A lot of it is being honest with yourself. I feel ok with the more common things,... spay/neuter, GI surgeries, pyo's, etc.

I'd probably want a bit of guidance for my first amputation, but I'd feel comfortable doing one with guidance.

I'm not going to jump in to a TPLO or crack open a chest to fix a PRAA, or attempt a phaeco,....

Be honest with yourself and your clients, refer to a specialist when you are out of your comfort zone.

 

[that redhead]

How can someone get training for orthopedic or soft tissue surgery?

Outside of specializing: continuing education events. But I think it's important to have a mentor nearby (ideally within the practice) who would be willing to scrub into a few as you build your confidence.

 

[FeenyFee]

There is Continuing Education (CE) available for just about anything you could want.

Does CE cost money? I'm guessing it does but is it usually paid by the employer?

 

[Coquette22]

Does CE cost money? I'm guessing it does but is it usually paid by the employer?

It depends. I think most employers offer some amount of CE allowance, but how much they give can be pretty variable. Some CE is free or included with things like VIN membership, but most CE comes with a price tag, especially CE which would teach hands on training for things like surgical procedures.

 

[LetItSnow]

Does CE cost money? I'm guessing it does but is it usually paid by the employer?

Depends on the CE. There are many free CE opportunities, and many that cost money. For something like a multi-day surgery type of thing; yeah, that's going to cost money. Things like a 2-hr dinner CE are often free from whomever is putting it on. It's fairly typical to have CE paid by your employer; often through an annual stipend of some sort. For instance. I get a certain amount every two years to budget towards CE.

 

[LetItSnow]

It depends. I think most employers offer some amount of CE allowance, but how much they give can be pretty variable. Some CE is free or included with things like VIN membership, but most CE comes with a price tag, especially CE whixh would teach hands on training for things like surgical procedures.

Ninja Coquette.

 

[Coquette22]

Ninja Coquette.

Damn straight.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

My veterinarian that I go to said she is able to do any surgery like ortho, soft tissue or anything like that without being board certified. I was always under the impression that any bone surgery was done by an orthopedic surgeon and so on. Does it take just obtaining the skill? Can general vets do amputations?

Yes, as long as the vet has the proper skills and equipment, they can perform any surgery. They can learn to do different types of surgery through continuing education (with/without learning from a skilled vet who also does it) and practice, just like learning any new skill.

Without board certification they can't call themselves a specialist (or surgeon) but there are now regulations that prevent them from doing it. Good thing, too, or tens of thousands of pets in rural and out-of-the-way locations would really suffer.


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