Not much clinica skills as a vet student

[Mrow]

I am a 2nd year vet student and have little clinical/technical skills. Most of my veterinary experience has been purely shadowing, with no hands on experience to practice skills like blood draw or IV catheterization. I just want to know if I am in a bad spot at this stage of the game (especially since I want to pursue a rotating internship after graduation)? I want to work at my schools’ ICU to gain more experience this summer, but is there anything else I should do to practice?

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[battie]

but is there anything else I should do to practice?

Does your school have a skills lab or center you can practice clinical skills in? My school has a specific area where we can go to practice a ton of different skills whenever we want

 

[Mrow]

Does your school have a skills lab or center you can practice clinical skills in? My school has a specific area where we can go to practice a ton of different skills whenever we want

It literally just opened up. I am not certain what the rules are or what is actually available there, but I hope it’s set up that way! I’m not even sure if I can go up there right now.

 

[supershorty]

Is there a clinical skills class incorporated into your curriculum?

 

[battie]

It literally just opened up. I am not certain what the rules are or what is actually available there, but I hope it’s set up that way! I’m not even sure if I can go up there right now.

Go check it out or ask your student affairs office about it. You won't know till you ask.

 

[Mrow]

Is there a clinical skills class incorporated into your curriculum?

We’re doing a PPE lab in our preventative medicine class, but that’s all i know of at the moment.

 

[Mrow]

Go check it out or ask your student affairs office about it. You won't know till you ask.

Thank you, i will definitely do that!

 

[SocialStigma]

You'll be fine. I didn't place my first IV catheter until I was a 4th year on clinics. As a rotating intern, I never placed IV catheters or drew blood (unless I wanted to and specifically asked the tech if I could).

 

[CalliopeDVM]

a PPE lab

??? Personal Protective Equipment?

There are some people who will say vets don't need clinical skills like IV catheters or bandaging, but I think it's short sighted -- the vet will always be where the buck stops in getting those things done. You don't need to be good at it because you won't do it often, but you do need to know what you're doing.

You should be able to get experience either officially (through a skills lab) or unofficially (on your own or with friends, using ideas from your instructors)

 

[twelvetigers]

Raise your hand if you placed a catheter today in practice!

*raises hand*

Took me three tries too. Heart dog.

I didn’t have much experience with it until 4th year. You’ll have a chance to figure it out. Other skills too - they come with time.

 

[DVMDream]

Raise your hand if you placed a catheter today in practice!

*raises hand*

Took me three tries too. Heart dog.

I didn’t have much experience with it until 4th year. You’ll have a chance to figure it out. Other skills too - they come with time.

*Doesn't raise hand*

I wasn't working...

 

[DVMDream]

Honestly, the best thing you can do is learn how to use a syringe with 1 hand. Learn how to pull the plunger down with your pinky or ring finger. You don't need a patient, just take a few syringes and practice the holding/pulling plunger down with 1 hand.

 

[Trilt]

I graduated having put in... iunno... a couple catheters. Prob around a dozen.

Two years out, I've been 5/5 on my last guinea pigs and rabbits which all have tiny ass PITA veins, so eh, it'll come to you eventually anyway. Just keep doing it and acknowledge your technicians as superior beings when you can't.

 

[DVMDream]

Most of the IV catheters I get to place now are the ones that the techs can't get in. The ones where every tech in the building has tried and every vessel is blown and now it is my turn.

Still, I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll get to practice and you'll be just fine.

 

[twelvetigers]

I got one in a dying cat the following day.

Died anyway, but not without some IV steroids and lasix first...

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Died anyway, but not without some IV steroids and lasix first...

No animal should die without the benefit of steroids!

 

[Mrow]

Honestly, the best thing you can do is learn how to use a syringe with 1 hand. Learn how to pull the plunger down with your pinky or ring finger. You don't need a patient, just take a few syringes and practice the holding/pulling plunger down with 1 hand.

That’s a really good idea. Thanks! I’ve noticed how awkward that was for me when I was first practicing blood draws.

 

[Beagle-Brigade]

I think it all depends on when your program builds in the hands on skills. Some do it right from year one and some pack it in the last year or two. As long as you feel comfortable with what has been taught so far (like PPE I guess) I would trust that your school has a plan to teach you the hands on skills. You could also talk to final year students or recent grads from your program about their experience and where they were with their skills at your stage.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I am a 2nd year vet student and have little clinical/technical skills. Most of my veterinary experience has been purely shadowing, with no hands on experience to practice skills like blood draw or IV catheterization. I just want to know if I am in a bad spot at this stage of the game (especially since I want to pursue a rotating internship after graduation)? I want to work at my schools’ ICU to gain more experience this summer, but is there anything else I should do to practice?

Besides taking a syringe home and practicing the motions, if you have access to catheters (skills lab, ask whoever is in charge if you can take a few) and old IV tubing, you can practice the motion of placing a catheter as well as drawing blood. Way back when, a tech taught me how to place draw blood with IV tubing filled with water under a towel. Granted, a plastic tube is going to be a lot more obvious in terms of feeling/seeing, but I really benefited from being able to lift the towel and see where my needle actually was (compared to where I thought it was).

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Way back when, a tech taught me how to place draw blood with IV tubing filled with water under a towel. Granted, a plastic tube is going to be a lot more obvious in terms of feeling/seeing,

That was much like the models we had in our clinical locker labs, when I was in vet school (way back when)......actually, the IV tubing was placed over a rolled towel (filling in as the patient's leg), and it was wrapped with vetwrap to keep it in place. Adding more layers made it harder to palpate, as we got better.

 

[Bayar]

Does your school have a skills lab or center you can practice clinical skills in? My school has a specific area where we can go to practice a ton of different skills whenever we want

Which school are you going to?

 

[battie]

Which school are you going to?

University of Illinois

 

[Devastating]

If any of your school clubs offer wet labs, I recommend taking advantage of as many as you can! I just had one last week where we learned cystocentesis techniques (ultrasound visualization on live dogs, then practice ultrasound-guided stick on jello molds). Other extracurricular opportunities might give you a chance to practice venipuncture or other clinical skills on either live animals, cadavers, or models. I second the syringe pulling and tube/towel IV cath practice suggestions.

 

[Minnerbelle]

If any of your school clubs offer wet labs, I recommend taking advantage of as many as you can! I just had one last week where we learned cystocentesis techniques (ultrasound visualization on live dogs, then practice ultrasound-guided stick on jello molds). Other extracurricular opportunities might give you a chance to practice venipuncture or other clinical skills on either live animals, cadavers, or models. I second the syringe pulling and tube/towel IV cath practice suggestions.

Even better, anytime you see a cat or small dog, practice palpating the bladder. Unless the bladder is tiny, you should be able to hold it steady in your nondominant hand to do a stick without ultrasound. You don’t know when you will or won’t have ultrasound. And it can be more stressful and time consuming to go ultrasound guided if it’s going to be an easy stick. It’s good to be able to do both, but don’t be a diva and torture your techs and make them set up the ultrasound with trough and a second person to hold the cat who doesn’t want to lay dorsal for every friggin cysto (esp when the tech could have just have done it 5 min ago without any issue without any toys). I see a bunch of students/new grads who do this and it wastes everyone’s time.

 

[Devastating]

Even better, anytime you see a cat or small dog, practice palpating the bladder. Unless the bladder is tiny, you should be able to hold it steady in your nondominant hand to do a stick without ultrasound. You don’t know when you will or won’t have ultrasound. And it can be more stressful and time consuming to go ultrasound guided if it’s going to be an easy stick. It’s good to be able to do both, but don’t be a diva and torture your techs and make them set up the ultrasound with trough and a second person to hold the cat who doesn’t want to lay dorsal for every friggin cysto (esp when the tech could have just have done it 5 min ago without any issue without any toys). I see a bunch of students/new grads who do this and it wastes everyone’s time.

I had previously only learned/attempted non-ultrasound-guided in tech school, this wet lab was for our Diagnostic Imaging club! If I had to perform it for real and pick between the two, I'd honestly be more comfortable going with palpation-only first, but it was great getting some more practice with ultrasound and guided "aim". That club in general has been hugely helpful for me so far in getting a deeper understanding of radiographs, ultrasonography, etc. beyond just the basic opacities and positioning and "this organ would be here" stuff.