I heard from the vet!

[Catch91]

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Okay, I heard from the vet's office yesterday! They basically said that, first of all, they were extremely impressed at how professional my letter was. They told me that they get those types of letters weekly, but many times there are spelling errors and they are very unprofessional. So, I definitely felt good about that! Anyway, he told me that what they typically do is allow people like me (he got the okay from the vet, this was the office manager I was talking to) to come in on Wednesday mornings. This is when they do the majority of the surgeries for the week, and I would be allowed to shadow the surgeries and the vet would teach me and explain what she was doing.

This particular vet who I would shadow with is very good, and she's pretty new out of vet school too. I'd say she's probably around 30 or so. The guy I talked to told me shes GREAT and she loves to teach, so I will probably learn a lot from her. So what I'm going to do is go in a few Wednesdays (miss school! 🙂 I had to talk to my principal about that one...) and shadow the surgeries. I'm SO excited! I think this is a great start.

The only thing is that it's not really a permanent volunteer job. He said it's not me or anything, its just that they don't do that sort of thing. Its also a pretty small practice, so he said they don't need a whole lot of extra help.. they have plenty of vet techs. So what I'm going to do is contact some other clinics in the area and see if I can still get a more permanent deal worked out. Either way, I'm still SO excited that I got feedback and that they invited me to come in.

I'll keep you posted!

 

[pressmom]

Congratulations! That's great!

 

[bclover]

Congratulations, good luck and enjoy this!!!

 

[168135]

Congrats! And if you haven't seen surgeries before... if you start to feel faint, don't ignore it. I was very nervous my first time watching surgery, which was a spay, and my vison started getting fuzzy halfway through. I had a rest, came back, and had no problem the rest of the morning. The vets encouraged that I sit out if I started feeling ill.

Have fun, learn lots, and good luck!

 

[david594]

My first day observing surgeries I got to see a C-section on a large breed dog that had 11 puppies. It was a very exciting morning!

You will have an interesting time I'm sure.

 

[Catch91]

Congrats! And if you haven't seen surgeries before... if you start to feel faint, don't ignore it. I was very nervous my first time watching surgery, which was a spay, and my vison started getting fuzzy halfway through. I had a rest, came back, and had no problem the rest of the morning. The vets encouraged that I sit out if I started feeling ill.

Have fun, learn lots, and good luck!

Oh my! I hadn't even thought of this. Now you have me worried...

😱

 

[MelliSpirit]

Sounds great, congrats! This is a great start, and I wish you luck in finding a more permanent position as well.

 

[bakaduin]

CONGRATS! Your going to have a blast!

 

[thereservoirdog]

good job! and have fun, I'm sure you'll love it

 

[clawsbeatskin]

Oh my! I hadn't even thought of this. Now you have me worried...

😱

Don't worry. It happens, usually during one of your first times, and then it's all over. I almost fainted during an ear crop. The vice wasn't on tight enough and there was soooo much blood squirting everywhere. I've never had that feeling again, though, even after seeing far more invasive procedures.

Definitely gave me an opinion about ear cropping, though!

 

[168135]

Don't worry about it... I'm just telling you this so you don't end up flat on the floor. We have a tech that has been there for 30 years... his first surgery was bone surgery... he didn't listen to the doctors and he ended up on the floor. Everybody is still laughing about it. Just take it easy 👍

 

[jdavis590]

I've been shadowing for the past two summers and breaks, and I've never felt sick during surgery. The doctor told me that you usually get sick for the first time at the worst possible moment. He got sick his senior year during one of his most important surgeries. By the way, amputations are awesome. If you can get in on one, you should. If they're really cool, they might actually let you do something during surgery. The doctor I work with lets me scrub into every surgery. He usually has me work catuery or hold organs out of the way if it's really invasive. It's fairly simple, but it's fun. If he doesn't need direct surgical assistance, then he has monitoring oxygen levels/heart rate/breathing rate/etc. I'm usually the only surgical tech in there, so I get to do pretty much everything. If you ask, they'll probably let you do it.👍

 

[lailanni]

Don't worry about it... I'm just telling you this so you don't end up flat on the floor. We have a tech that has been there for 30 years... his first surgery was bone surgery... he didn't listen to the doctors and he ended up on the floor. Everybody is still laughing about it. Just take it easy 👍

Yep, it's good to know ahead of time : ) It didn't happen to me, but one of the assistants there (who has been there 6+ years now) fainted when she saw her first surgery. She ignored feeling faint and also ended up on the floor : ) so she tells all the newbies not to ignore that feeling. It's good advice.

Really, it's not a big deal. I was expecting surgery to be messy like on TV (don't trust TV!) and actually it's all very, very neat with just a few exceptions. I wasn't even remotely faint, and it was all very interesting. At some point if you get to scrub in - the whole gown, cap, mask, gloves deal - it does get a bit hot. At least for me, I'm always really hot when I scrub in/gown up.

And soon enough, you'll be going through something "gross" and you'll find yourself thinking about lunch - when's lunch? what did I bring? I hope it was tuna. I'd say that's when you know you're used to it : ) Just run of the mill, everyday vet stuff.

Have fun! And congrats on finding a place!

 

[168135]

If they're really cool, they might actually let you do something during surgery. The doctor I work with lets me scrub into every surgery. He usually has me work catuery or hold organs out of the way if it's really invasive. It's fairly simple, but it's fun. If he doesn't need direct surgical assistance, then he has monitoring oxygen levels/heart rate/breathing rate/etc. I'm usually the only surgical tech in there, so I get to do pretty much everything. If you ask, they'll probably let you do it.👍

I would KILL for an opportunity like that. I sent a letter to my old vet and put my resume in at a new vet... I'm just waiting for a response... it's hard though, because for them to call me, it would be long distance, I have to keep checking the mail, ect...

My first time was nerves... I didn't know what to expect and got very nervous... I had a seat, came back and was fine for the rest of the day. My first bone surgery bothered me a little bit... I felt a bit weird, so I left twice to get a drink, but I pretty much saw it from start to close. Bladder stone surgery I also had to leave twice... thinking of peeing out a bladder stone and how painful it must be gives me the chills... and the doctor had to flush some stones out of the urethra and him talking about it made me cringe... I accidently got the opportunity to hold puppies while they were getting their dew claws removed... I'm not sure how I feel about that situation, but having them scream and squirm around... and, on my first puppy, on one of his feet, one stitch just didn't do it, so the puppy ended up bleeding all over my hands... my second puppy, I was okay... and then I had to hand off my third puppy to someone else because I just got all hot. That situation bothered me a lot... the doctor said that numbing them can sometimes be as painful as removing the dewclaw... somehow I was not convinced...

Haha, all of this should really be in a separate thread.

 

[DrKsomeday]

Enjoy your days of observing... take them for what they are a first step. It is good though to offer up your volunteer time to the office manager to walk dogs, scoop poop whatever it takes to get you back their again.... I have an internship with a zoo vet thanks to scooping elephant poop.... Let me tell ya IT WAS WORTH IT! I will scrub in on a procedure on a male lowland Gorilla on the 16th!

Oh and while you watch surgery... just remember the blood will be red... don't know why this caught me off guard... to many dissections I guess. I mean it is something you know but until you see it... well it is just something I remember distinctly. Also, don't lock your knees, that is a sure way to pass out!

 

[Kara31191]

Ohh YAY! That's super exciting! 🙂

Honestly, watch the fainting thing. That's the BEST advice anyone could give you for sugeries. They MUST have job openings as an animal caretaker somewhere! (AKA poop picker upper!)

One of my coworkers used to pass out if she didn't eat, so make sure you eat enough before you go also! Good luck.

Ps. The first surgery I saw was a spay on a REALLY FAT rabbit. And all during the spay chunks of FAT were just spotted on the table from the incision. It was disgusting. I just wanted to share! 😉

 

[banditalfi]

Hmm... all this has me thinking about the first surgery I saw and I honestly do not remember... that being said, here's a super gross story for those interested:

My dog has a lot of masses. He used to get them and then they'd go away and then maybe they'd come back, but we didn't think too much of them and the vet said not to worry unless they got bigger. Anyway, one day we noticed that he started scratching his shoulder (where a mass was) and he cut his skin, so my sister called me over to look at it. We eventually decided that the best course of action would be to squeeze it and see what happened. BAD IDEA. This little ball of what looked like hamburger meat rolled out and down my sister's leg. She was freaking out, but the dog barely realized anything was going on. Since then our vet has removed the remainder of the mass and then another one was removed from his back leg, but he's still a lumpy old man. (Side note: this brings up other issues, such as the fact that we never got the masses biopsied. Generally, my school of thought is that he is an old dog - at least ten and a half years old now and he's a basset - and we would not treat him with chemo, but I also don't want to know if anything's wrong and then feel guilty for not treating him, so now he's just on a really good diet and we make sure he's still chipper).

And the only two times I really thought I was going to vomit was when we had a rabbit that came in and was completely infested with maggots. I had never heard a rabbit cry before, but it was the saddest thing ever and we ended up euthanizing. The other time was for a St. Bernard whose condition had deteriorated within fifteen minutes. The owners noticed something was wrong and by the time they brought him in we quickly started him on fluids, oxygen, the works. Anyway, the poor boy was filthy and his eyes were crusted over with junk, so I cleaned them for him to try to make him just a little bit more comfortable. It was so disgusting I can't explain it - the muck never ended and it was a combination of it smelling horrible and me hurting for this dog.

OK - time for a good story! We had a basset hound puppy (and I have a soft spot for these guys) come in on Sunday night who ate a rock and we had to go in and take it out. Anyway, the surgery went well, but I just got to hold her, which is good enough for me 🙂

 

[zpinkpanther]

Observing/assisting surgery is so much fun! The first few times I monitored anesthesia, I was pretty much freaking out thinking, OMG what if he stops breathing, what if his heart stops, etc... but I've assisted with at least 100 surgeries now, and that's never happened. If the vet lets you hold the spay hook or something like that, that's awesome, but just make sure you don't touch the top of the drapes!

This one girl I used to work with fainted when she was helping with tails and dews and I had to take over. The smell is a bit nauseating, especially when he uses the cauterizer, but it's really interesting and definitely worth it.

Have fun with surgery! 🙂

 

[Catch91]

Wow, thanks for all your responses and stories! I'm now even more excited (if that's possible) than I was before. I must admit, now I am a bit nervous, though. Sounds like a lot of you fainted/got sick, or knew someone who did. I can definitely see myself being prone to that! Eek.. we'll see. What if the doctors don't say anything about it, and I start to feel sick or faint? Should I just excuse myself for a minute? I don't want to seem like I can't handle it, but I don't want to throw up or pass out in the room, either.

😀

My first one will probably be next Wednesday (the 16th?), but it's tentative.

 

[VAgirl]

What if the doctors don't say anything about it, and I start to feel sick or faint? Should I just excuse myself for a minute? I don't want to seem like I can't handle it, but I don't want to throw up or pass out in the room, either.

Yes, just excuse yourself!! It's worse passing out in the middle of the action. Plus, a good tip is that if you're feeling faint, lie down (sitting down is better than standing, but lying down is better than sitting--easier to pull off lying down if you excuse yourself and go to the bathroom, though🙂). It's much less likely that you'll actually pass out in either of those positions. And if you do pass out then, you won't smack your head on anything as you fall. (Smacking your head is really bad, believe me!)

👍

 

[lailanni]

Wow, thanks for all your responses and stories! I'm now even more excited (if that's possible) than I was before. I must admit, now I am a bit nervous, though. Sounds like a lot of you fainted/got sick, or knew someone who did. I can definitely see myself being prone to that! Eek.. we'll see. What if the doctors don't say anything about it, and I start to feel sick or faint? Should I just excuse myself for a minute? I don't want to seem like I can't handle it, but I don't want to throw up or pass out in the room, either.

😀

My first one will probably be next Wednesday (the 16th?), but it's tentative.

You should excuse yourself for a minute and, if you're feeling really dizzy/faint, then you gotta tell someone : ) They can help you out!

Like VAgirl said, lie down or sit down and just take a breather.

Besides, everyone in the clinic has been a newbie at one point, so they'll all be very understanding. But really, I don't think it'll be a problem. You'll be too interested and excited to feel queazy. I didn't think I'd get to see a surgery my first day, but I did! So I was totally unprepared for it, but I was fine.

Let us know how your first day goes! 👍

 

[Catch91]

This is going to sound insane, but...

I was online at this cool website which was obviously a veterinary clinic of sorts, and they had step by step pictures of all the surgeries they do. So I was flipping through them to see how I reacted to the pictures, to maybe give me an inclination of how I will be when I shadow, and it wasn't that bad. I'm okay with the blood, it's just more of the organs that gross me out. I start thinking of sausage links and other choice disgusting things. That probably sounded so stupid!

I hope they will be very understanding. If I feel sick and have to leave, I don't want to give them the impression that I can't handle this.

 

[lailanni]

This is going to sound insane, but...

I was online at this cool website which was obviously a veterinary clinic of sorts, and they had step by step pictures of all the surgeries they do. So I was flipping through them to see how I reacted to the pictures, to maybe give me an inclination of how I will be when I shadow, and it wasn't that bad. I'm okay with the blood, it's just more of the organs that gross me out. I start thinking of sausage links and other choice disgusting things. That probably sounded so stupid!

I hope they will be very understanding. If I feel sick and have to leave, I don't want to give them the impression that I can't handle this.

I'm sure they'd totally understand. At the places I've been, they've all been very understanding. I'm sure your place will be too, especially if they have taken several students in for shadowing. And usually it's just a one time thing.

Personally, I think the pictures are much grosser than the real life surgery.

 

[168135]

And the only two times I really thought I was going to vomit was when we had a rabbit that came in and was completely infested with maggots. I had never heard a rabbit cry before, but it was the saddest thing ever and we ended up euthanizing. The other time was for a St. Bernard whose condition had deteriorated within fifteen minutes. The owners noticed something was wrong and by the time they brought him in we quickly started him on fluids, oxygen, the works. Anyway, the poor boy was filthy and his eyes were crusted over with junk, so I cleaned them for him to try to make him just a little bit more comfortable. It was so disgusting I can't explain it - the muck never ended and it was a combination of it smelling horrible and me hurting for this dog.

The girl I volunteered with (kennel attendent) and I went around one night asking the vets and techs what the grossest thing they ever saw was. One of the vets and quite a few of the techs said maggots... and told us their stories. The other vet that was on that night said that he and a friend had to do autopsies on a bunch of half-rotten dogs. They got halfway through one and said the heck with it.

The second story reminded me of this one time... we had a young cat on oxygen and fluids that was going through heart failure... the vet was injecting him with medication... he started to get better, but suddenly took a turn for the worse. She called the owners. The owners were on the way, and they wanted to be there when the cat was put to sleep. The vet said, "Please hang on kitty, and then it will be all over soon" and went into her next appointment. The kennel attendent and I were doing random things around the clinic, and keeping an eye on the cat's condition. I was at the opposite end of the room when I hear, "Sam... is it just me or is this cat not breathing?" I rushed over... the poor cat had passed... I believe he was less than a year old... we went and got the vet, and they wrapped the cat up in a pretty blanket for when the owners arrived... I haven't been bothered yet by euths... this cat was suffering, and it just made me happy that he didn't have to suffer any more. I got to assist with a euth once... it was on a severely anemic Newfoundland dog... she was so ill that she could not get up and walk on her own... we rubbed her ears as she passed... I wasn't upset... I was just relieved that she was no longer suffering.

 

[Catch91]

Personally, I think the pictures are much grosser than the real life surgery.

That could be... I know what you mean. Something about the lighting on the pictures or something about them made me feel like I had to sit back from the screen to look.

Anyway, I know I've probably rambled on about this enough. I'm a drama queen, and I know it. I really don't want to my first experience to go badly. I am going to do my best to hang in there and I don't want to have to leave the room unless absolutely necessary. Meaning, if I feel a tad queasy or lightheaded, look away from the surgery site for a moment, take deep breaths, and make light of it before fully having to excuse myself. If worst comes to worst though, and I feel like I'm going to be ill, I'll definitely take the advice of everyone here and exit the room.

 

[Angelo84]

A bit of advice on symptoms. The first and so far only time I have passed out the first thing I noticed was that I couldn't feel my hands--I remember this because I looked down to make sure I still had a good grip on the cat. A few minutes after that I noticed my vision was blurry and told the vet I didn't feel so good and then promptly hit the floor. So make sure you eat and drink at work doing otherwise in the summer with no a/c and a very small exam room with four people in it is not a good idea!

But I'm sure you'll be fine!

 

[MelliSpirit]

Early in my shadowing career, but not the first surgery I saw, I felt very dizzy and needed to be excused. Everyone was very understanding. I feel that it had very little to do with the fact that I was watching a surgery. Animal blood and organs just don't bother me, but if you stick me in a gown, mask, and cap, and have me stand in one spot (I made the mistake of locking my knees) in a hot room, it's not surprising that I will get dizzy. 🙄 I sat down outside the OR, drank some water, ate some cookies, then returned to see the end of the surgery. No worries if it happens to you. Good luck, and enjoy!

 

[168135]

With me, my vision started to go fuzzy. I started blinking to see if it would go away, but it just got worse, so I excused myself and had a seat. I have also gotten really got really quick. And with the more "ugly" surgeries... I can't remember what I was feeling at the time... my stomach felt odd I think, and getting some water and walking around made me feel better... the second I was feeling fine, I was back in there.

 

[smhrd]

Ooh, I'm another fainter! ::raises hand::

I passed out the very first time I watched a surgery, too. It wasn't even particularly gross (cruciate ligament surgery on a dog), and I watched the first half of the surgery, passed out--whacking my head on a cat carrier full of siamese kittens, no less--and then got up and watched the rest of the surgery. It was so embarrassing, but the vets were all very understanding and decided to share all of their own stories of the things that made them pass out as techs or in vet school or whatever.

Of course, from that moment on, several of the vets decided it would be funny to see if they could make me pass out again. They liked to ask me to help out with all the truly gross stuff, and one in particular thought he was pretty funny...brought me a "gift" of an amputated sheep's leg, left a llama eyeball on the surgery table after an enucleation and arranged surgical instruments around it in a smiley face because he knew I'd be cleaning the room, etc. 🙄 (Incidentally, no, I never passed out again, and I've seen much grislier surgeries since.)

If you're really worried, here are a few things that can help: make sure you EAT. I'm prone to fainting when I skip even one meal, but my first day at the clinic I was afraid I'd be grossed out, so I hardly ate anything. Big mistake. Also, if you're like me and have some warning before you actually pass out, you can try a few things to feel better. If you cross your legs while you're standing and squeeze them together you can sometimes reduce the feeling (and no, no one can tell what you're doing). Also, if you have just a slight feeling of light-headedness, counting backwards from 500 by 7s or something like that can help you get over it. These things only work if you really take notice of the way you're feeling and start right away. If you've already reached the point where you're thinking, "Gee, I don't feel so hot," GO SIT DOWN.

Have a great time and don't worry! You'll really enjoy yourself.

 

[david594]

Personally, I think the pictures are much grosser than the real life surgery.

Pictures in no way can convey the smells or sounds of a surgery. The smell from the cautery of burning tissue is one of the worst. Most of the bad sounds I have heard have been with ortho surgeries.

 

[heyday]

At some point if you get to scrub in - the whole gown, cap, mask, gloves deal - it does get a bit hot. At least for me, I'm always really hot when I scrub in/gown up.

It does get hot. I think that the heat, along with it being an invasive orthopedic surgery, was the reason I had my only near-fainting experience.

It's not a good feeling.

Drink some water and take a breather if you feel sick! Good luck and remember to note the number of hours you shadow for your VMCAS application in the future!

 

[lailanni]

Pictures in no way can convey the smells or sounds of a surgery. The smell from the cautery of burning tissue is one of the worst. Most of the bad sounds I have heard have been with ortho surgeries.

You know I was actually thinking about that after I wrote it : ) That is one bad smell!

For me, dental sounds are a little worse than ortho surgeries. Either way, both aren't good.

But the pictures just have a bunch of shock value for me. Maybe it has something to do with going through the ECC books in the office and picking out the grossest stuff we could find. (It was a slow day)

 

[Catch91]

Ooh, I'm another fainter! ::raises hand::

I passed out the very first time I watched a surgery, too. It wasn't even particularly gross (cruciate ligament surgery on a dog), and I watched the first half of the surgery, passed out--whacking my head on a cat carrier full of siamese kittens, no less--and then got up and watched the rest of the surgery. It was so embarrassing, but the vets were all very understanding and decided to share all of their own stories of the things that made them pass out as techs or in vet school or whatever.

Of course, from that moment on, several of the vets decided it would be funny to see if they could make me pass out again. They liked to ask me to help out with all the truly gross stuff, and one in particular thought he was pretty funny...brought me a "gift" of an amputated sheep's leg, left a llama eyeball on the surgery table after an enucleation and arranged surgical instruments around it in a smiley face because he knew I'd be cleaning the room, etc. 🙄 (Incidentally, no, I never passed out again, and I've seen much grislier surgeries since.)

If you're really worried, here are a few things that can help: make sure you EAT. I'm prone to fainting when I skip even one meal, but my first day at the clinic I was afraid I'd be grossed out, so I hardly ate anything. Big mistake. Also, if you're like me and have some warning before you actually pass out, you can try a few things to feel better. If you cross your legs while you're standing and squeeze them together you can sometimes reduce the feeling (and no, no one can tell what you're doing). Also, if you have just a slight feeling of light-headedness, counting backwards from 500 by 7s or something like that can help you get over it. These things only work if you really take notice of the way you're feeling and start right away. If you've already reached the point where you're thinking, "Gee, I don't feel so hot," GO SIT DOWN.

Have a great time and don't worry! You'll really enjoy yourself.

That must have been so humiliating! I can only hope that something similar doesn't happen to me. Hopefully my first shadowing surgery will be something mild and non-gory, like a neutering or something.

 

[smhrd]

That must have been so humiliating! I can only hope that something similar doesn't happen to me. Hopefully my first shadowing surgery will be something mild and non-gory, like a neutering or something.

Well, of course I was totally mortified at the time, but it's just funny now. 😀 One of the vets I worked with who had also fainted as a student suggested that we don't "pass out," we take "spontaneous naps." Sort of like how we horsepeople don't "fall," we have "unplanned dismounts," LOL!