Volunteering at an animal hospital?

[aspirevet]

Last summer I shadowed at this place a few times and I really enjoyed it, but I couldn't really do anything but watch as I was just a shadow. There's a job opening at the kennel and I wanted to apply, but you have to be a year older than I am right now (I'm in high school), but the manager said I could volunteer at my age now (he also said to definitely apply when im old enough).

So I really want to volunteer there this summer. I'm just wondering what exactly I'd do as a volunteer at a vet?

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[pp9]

It depends on the vet. Some vets will only allow you to shadow, literally. When I shadowed, I stood in the corner of the room and watched the vet examine or euthanize pets. The only contact I got with an animal was helping a tech remove a euthanized pet from the room. I was only a kid when I shadowed, however.

Other vets might let you help restrain during an exam or care for boarded patients. It's all about how comfortable the vet is with shadowers, and more importantly, you. If you demonstrate that you are dependable and knowledgeable, you might get more hands-on experience. Some vets do not allow you to touch an animal no matter what, simply for insurance purposes (this is a legitimate concern).

At the clinic I work at, volunteers usually just run heartworm tests or get fecal tests going. We have new volunteers that I haven't gotten to work with yet, so I'm not sure if they are allowed to restrain or not. You will need to let the vet know that you want to see exams and surgeries, too. Not all vets are going to come get you to show you something. When I did shadow, I had to track down the vet because he kept running from room to room!

If you start out volunteering and developing a relationship with the staff, you will probably have a better chance of being hired as an actual assistant where you would gain more experience. However, there is usually a difference between a kennel position and a veterinary assistant position. Kennel positions are not typically classified as veterinary experience unless you are medicating, giving fluids, changing bandages, etc. Either way, you want to get your foot in the door!

 

[aspirevet]

Thanks! Yeah when I shadowed I mainly just observed and asked a few questions. Sometimes the vet would ask me to grab something for them or something, but nothing major. I asked the techs/assistants if they needed help cleaning up but usually they said they were fine. As far as medical stuff or handling I didn't really get to help at all except once in surgery when my favorite vet there let me inject a microchip into a cat. haha but again I wasnt allowed to really do much.

They know I've seen several surgeries and lots of dental work, blood drawings, catheters, etc so seeing that kind of stuff isn't brand new to me.

That's why I'd love to volunteer because I'm sure they'd let me do more than just shadow. Just not sure what they'd let me do.

 

[aspirevet]

Plus I don't mind doing the "dirty work" like cleaning up or doing laundry or something. I don't mind hard work even if i don't get direct contact with the animals because of insurance.

 

[LetItSnow]

At the clinic I work at, volunteers usually just run heartworm tests or get fecal tests going.

Interesting. Not that it's a difficult task, but the last thing I'd let an untrained volunteer do is run/start/whatever a lab test. I want my lab tests to have reliable results, which means I want them run by trained professionals (in this case, typically, a CVT). And, I don't really want a volunteer getting sick because they mishandled a fecal sample.

Not judging or anything (and those are obviously not difficult tasks), but still... I don't think I'd do that.

 

[98cats]

Interesting. Not that it's a difficult task, but the last thing I'd let an untrained volunteer do is run/start/whatever a lab test. I want my lab tests to have reliable results, which means I want them run by trained professionals (in this case, typically, a CVT). And, I don't really want a volunteer getting sick because they mishandled a fecal sample.

Not judging or anything (and those are obviously not difficult tasks), but still... I don't think I'd do that.

That's all I was allowed to do at the clinic I shadowed. Once I watched a couple fecals and they watched me do a couple correctly, they felt confident enough to let me do them myself. I understand what you're saying though, needing those tests to be done properly. .

 

[derwent2052]

Plus I don't mind doing the "dirty work" like cleaning up or doing laundry or something. I don't mind hard work even if i don't get direct contact with the animals because of insurance.

A good attitude and strong work ethic while there will definitely carry you far. We've had high school volunteers at our clinic in the past, and sooo many of them just sat around playing with their phones or, if there was more than one, chatting with each other. One looked absolutely aghast at the prospect of having to clean some poop from a dog's kennel. They didn't want to do anything that wasn't directly treating an animal, and some weren't even interested in seeing anything other than puppies/kittens.
Granted, I don't know if some of them were simply placed with us rather than having a genuine interest in vet med, but those kinds of attitudes made a strong - and negative - impression. Cleaning is part of everyone's role; currently as a vet assistant I spend a significant amount of time cleaning various things in the hospital as well as assisting in appointments/surgeries/treatments, our licensed techs also do a lot of cleaning and laundry, and our vets will help too when they can.

If they see that you're hard working and eager to contribute and dependable, it'll definitely lay the groundwork to progress up from volunteer to vet assistant, or (if you end up going elsewhere for w/e reason) just to seeing more things while you volunteer. If you show you're genuinely interested and eager to do even the 'boring' sorts of things, people will really appreciate it, and they'll be much more eager to teach you, show you things, and give you more to do. (Plus increases the likelihood of good references for the future!)

 

[aspirevet]

If you show you're genuinely interested and eager to do even the 'boring' sorts of things, people will really appreciate it, and they'll be much more eager to teach you, show you things, and give you more to do.

That's true! I have the choice between volunteering at a vet or working somewhere else (retail or something) but honestly I'd rather do unpaid work in something I'm really interested in than get paid doing something I don't really like honestly!

I know that they have one girl who works in the kennel but I guess she's worked there so long that she's often called from the back to help do things usually a tech would do (like catheters and such).

 

[derwent2052]

That's true! I have the choice between volunteering at a vet or working somewhere else (retail or something) but honestly I'd rather do unpaid work in something I'm really interested in than get paid doing something I don't really like honestly!

If you're able to do it without being paid (ie you don't need the money right now), definitely go for it. It opens up the door for future paid work in the field too, whether you end up becoming a kennel or vet assistant there, or simply then have the experience and reference for future places. A girl who started working as a student volunteer at our clinics years ago progressed up to vet assistant and eventually applied to vet school, and she just graduated from vet school last year ^_^

 

[Foxhunter]

If you start out volunteering and developing a relationship with the staff, you will probably have a better chance of being hired as an actual assistant where you would gain more experience. However, there is usually a difference between a kennel position and a veterinary assistant position. Kennel positions are not typically classified as veterinary experience unless you are medicating, giving fluids, changing bandages, etc. Either way, you want to get your foot in the door!

Really? I feel like most vet schools would look on kennel assistant jobs at a vet clinic as veterinary experience. Shadowing counts and you're not medicating, giving fluids, changing bandages, etc. Plus, as far as I know most of the time if you're an entry level hire you're going to have to start as a kennel assistant of some sort. For VMCAS, veterinary experience is work/shadowing that is under supervision of a veterinarian, I would say kennel assistant at a vet clinic falls under that category.

 

[pp9]

Interesting. Not that it's a difficult task, but the last thing I'd let an untrained volunteer do is run/start/whatever a lab test. I want my lab tests to have reliable results, which means I want them run by trained professionals (in this case, typically, a CVT). And, I don't really want a volunteer getting sick because they mishandled a fecal sample.

Not judging or anything (and those are obviously not difficult tasks), but still... I don't think I'd do that.

Well I'm not sure about the other varieties of testing methods, but heartworm tests consist of combining a few drops of blood with a conjugate, then dropping it into the testing device and snapping it when it's ready. It's as easily read as a pregnancy test 😛 Fecal tests consist of just mixing the solution with the sample and letting it sit for 15 minutes. We don't read the stool samples, only the vet does.

Really? I feel like most vet schools would look on kennel assistant jobs at a vet clinic as veterinary experience. Shadowing counts and you're not medicating, giving fluids, changing bandages, etc. Plus, as far as I know most of the time if you're an entry level hire you're going to have to start as a kennel assistant of some sort. For VMCAS, veterinary experience is work/shadowing that is under supervision of a veterinarian, I would say kennel assistant at a vet clinic falls under that category.

That's where we run into VMCAS issues...I was told that unless you are directly rubbing elbows with a vet, it is animal experience. My receptionist experience was considered veterinary because I got to consult with the vet about client questions. So even if you considered basic kennel experience veterinary experience, there would have to be a vet in the building, obviously. I guess it's how each of us choose to interpret VMCAS instructions. I have ALWAYS been told that it is not veterinary experience unless you were told/trained/showed by a vet. A lot of kennel positions have no veterinary experience IMO, even if they are at an animal hospital. You might not be medicating or treating a boarder. Most vet clinics would separate hospitalized and boarded patients, as there is a difference. The kennel position I was interested in had no contact with the vet. I would not have considered that veterinary experience at all, even though there was a vet in the building. It's pretty much up to you and how you choose to describe your experiences, I guess.

Edit: Definitely agree with the working your way up part!

 

[lailanni]

I shadowed for a whole summer, the next summer I was invited to work as an assistant. My advice would be to look for opportunities to make yourself useful. Learn basic tasks and when the regular staff is busy, ask if you can help. My real opening came when a regular assistant called in sick and as a shadow I could make myself useful. Don't try to do anything you're not comfortable or familiar with and don't bother them with too many questions, but always be on alert to learn and help. It will make a good impression! Little things like getting IV lines and tape ready, setting up supplies for bandaging, refilling supply stock, getting vaccines ready - I would feel comfortable with a shadow doing this if they were able. There are legal/insurance reasons you can't do much hands on as a non employee, so don't feel bad if you're not really allowed to touch much.

 

[DVMDream]

Well I'm not sure about the other varieties of testing methods, but heartworm tests consist of combining a few drops of blood with a conjugate, then dropping it into the testing device and snapping it when it's ready. It's as easily read as a pregnancy test 😛 Fecal tests consist of just mixing the solution with the sample and letting it sit for 15 minutes. We don't read the stool samples, only the vet does.

What you described is an old method that we used to do years ago for fecal flotation, but is not near as good as centrifugation. I would not want my fecal float tests to be set up in the way that you just described, but that is just me having seen both that method compared with centrifugation. There are also more fecal tests that can be run besides fecal floatation and a knowledgeable tech/assistant is best for setting those up. Also, a heartworm test requires a tech/assistant to draw the blood and I think that is where LIS was having issues with allowing a volunteer to do that. I have also seen heartworm tests come up without a control dot, due to various reasons and it then has to be re-run (costing the clinic money). If a tech is available to grab a blood sample, they are usually able to spend the extra 30 seconds to set up the test, instead of potentially having a volunteer mess it up. I agree it is an easy test to run, but even simple things can be done incorrectly or give errors. Also, there are many types of snap tests that include things other than just heartworm, for example, a 3 way snap test with heartworm/lyme/ehrlichia; that test can very easily get read incorrectly.

That's where we run into VMCAS issues...I was told that unless you are directly rubbing elbows with a vet, it is animal experience. My receptionist experience was considered veterinary because I got to consult with the vet about client questions. So even if you considered basic kennel experience veterinary experience, there would have to be a vet in the building, obviously. I guess it's how each of us choose to interpret VMCAS instructions. I have ALWAYS been told that it is not veterinary experience unless you were told/trained/showed by a vet. A lot of kennel positions have no veterinary experience IMO, even if they are at an animal hospital. You might not be medicating or treating a boarder. Most vet clinics would separate hospitalized and boarded patients, as there is a difference. The kennel position I was interested in had no contact with the vet. I would not have considered that veterinary experience at all, even though there was a vet in the building. It's pretty much up to you and how you choose to describe your experiences, I guess.

If you are working kennels in a boarding facility then I would agree with you that it is not veterinary experience. However, I was a "kennel" assistant at a veterinary clinic and I was working alongside the vet and vet techs when I first started off. Most of the work was laundry/cleaning/restocking but it often times involved trimming nails, restraining animals, filling prescriptions, putting clients in exam rooms, etc and I do consider that veterinary experience. Also, even once I was moved up to a veterinary assistant I was not told/trained by a vet how to do my job, it was mostly the other already trained assistants or the vet techs. (Where I am from vet tech and vet assistant are the exact same thing). The vet would occasionally teach or show some things, but for the most part it was the other techs doing the majority of the training. And last I checked being a vet tech/vet assistant is most definitely veterinary experience despite the veterinarian not directly teaching you how to do it.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Really? I feel like most vet schools would look on kennel assistant jobs at a vet clinic as veterinary experience. Shadowing counts and you're not medicating, giving fluids, changing bandages, etc. Plus, as far as I know most of the time if you're an entry level hire you're going to have to start as a kennel assistant of some sort. For VMCAS, veterinary experience is work/shadowing that is under supervision of a veterinarian, I would say kennel assistant at a vet clinic falls under that category.

I've only ever been a kennel assistant, and I definitely listed that as veterinary experience, because I am working at a clinic and working for the vets. I was very clear in my description of my duties, and said that a lot of my time is spent cleaning, laundry, feeding, walking dogs, and other things that are not medical tasks. I actually forgot to emphasize that I do interact with the techs and vets a lot (oops...). No one from the schools I applied to said that I had listed it wrong, and I got accepted without ever being a vet assistant. I've done a few vet assistant tasks, and I listed that separately. It was a small number of hours, and I was mostly restraining for the techs and holding things for the vet.

Based on what I've read and what some schools have told me, I understood that the point of veterinary experience is not that you need to learn medical information, but to experience the veterinary field and make sure you know what you're getting into. I'm sure it varies between vet schools, but the ones I applied to said that we will learn all the medical information and skills during vet school, so it's not necessary to be a vet assistant (although it will make some things easier if you already know how to do things).

 

[dalmatiandoc17]

So personally, I didn't count my kennel experience as veterinary even though it was in a hospital. I talked to an adcom at NCSU (my IS so the one whose opinion mattered most when I was doing VMCAS) and she said to not count it as veterinary, but to mention any vet experience I had from it (very little, I only assisted on weekends when the hospital wasn't open so I helped with hospitalized patients...the rest was pure kennel work with some standard medicating) in my description. Some people choose to split their hours at one location (I think especially because of how VMCAS was set up before this year) so they could do either two types of animals categories, or split it between vet and animal. The adcom said not to do this, but to pick the category you did the most and put all the hours there and just have the fact that it was also somewhat another category in the description.

What I think the problem is is that VMCAS can't give standardized answers because each school probably has a different preference. Sure NCSU told me not to count it as vet, but I bet I could have found a school to give me a different answer.

 

[pp9]

What you described is an old method that we used to do years ago for fecal flotation, but is not near as good as centrifugation. I would not want my fecal float tests to be set up in the way that you just described, but that is just me having seen both that method compared with centrifugation. There are also more fecal tests that can be run besides fecal floatation and a knowledgeable tech/assistant is best for setting those up. Also, a heartworm test requires a tech/assistant to draw the blood and I think that is where LIS was having issues with allowing a volunteer to do that. I have also seen heartworm tests come up without a control dot, due to various reasons and it then has to be re-run (costing the clinic money). If a tech is available to grab a blood sample, they are usually able to spend the extra 30 seconds to set up the test, instead of potentially having a volunteer mess it up. I agree it is an easy test to run, but even simple things can be done incorrectly or give errors. Also, there are many types of snap tests that include things other than just heartworm, for example, a 3 way snap test with heartworm/lyme/ehrlichia; that test can very easily get read incorrectly.

We do not draw the blood, only the vet does. The vet does everything with the exception of us assistants giving fluids or meds to hospitalized patients as needed. And we do not have a centrifuge either, so that is why we float. I myself have never had a heartworm test come up positive (or for the other diseases is tests for, as we do a 4-way snap), but if it were to read positive, the vet would surely read it herself as well. Our practice is a bit different than the norm...no techs, everything is done simply to save our clients money, etc. We cannot afford newer equipment such as a centrifuge.

If you are working kennels in a boarding facility then I would agree with you that it is not veterinary experience. However, I was a "kennel" assistant at a veterinary clinic and I was working alongside the vet and vet techs when I first started off. Most of the work was laundry/cleaning/restocking but it often times involved trimming nails, restraining animals, filling prescriptions, putting clients in exam rooms, etc and I do consider that veterinary experience. Also, even once I was moved up to a veterinary assistant I was not told/trained by a vet how to do my job, it was mostly the other already trained assistants or the vet techs. (Where I am from vet tech and vet assistant are the exact same thing). The vet would occasionally teach or show some things, but for the most part it was the other techs doing the majority of the training. And last I checked being a vet tech/vet assistant is most definitely veterinary experience despite the veterinarian not directly teaching you how to do it.

^^Like I said, it depends on the situation. If you are giving meds and fluids to a boarder, that is vet experience in my book. I also agree that a vet tech/assistant position is vet experience, that is obvious. It's up to you to judge your individual situation!

 

[pp9]

So personally, I didn't count my kennel experience as veterinary even though it was in a hospital. I talked to an adcom at NCSU (my IS so the one whose opinion mattered most when I was doing VMCAS) and she said to not count it as veterinary, but to mention any vet experience I had from it (very little, I only assisted on weekends when the hospital wasn't open so I helped with hospitalized patients...the rest was pure kennel work with some standard medicating) in my description. Some people choose to split their hours at one location (I think especially because of how VMCAS was set up before this year) so they could do either two types of animals categories, or split it between vet and animal. The adcom said not to do this, but to pick the category you did the most and put all the hours there and just have the fact that it was also somewhat another category in the description.

What I think the problem is is that VMCAS can't give standardized answers because each school probably has a different preference. Sure NCSU told me not to count it as vet, but I bet I could have found a school to give me a different answer.

This! VMCAS was a pain in my rear this summer, especially for listing research experience. Heard 3 different ways as to how to list it.

 

[Foxhunter]

Hmmmm. I'm at NCSU and most of my classmates who worked as kennel techs in veterinary hospitals counted it as vet experience, no problem. I think the only time I wouldn't count it are if I was working strictly on the boarding side of things. If I was at all handling patients, I would consider it veterinary experience.

 

[Foxhunter]

And we do not have a centrifuge either, so that is why we float. I myself have never had a heartworm test come up positive (or for the other diseases is tests for, as we do a 4-way snap), but if it were to read positive, the vet would surely read it herself as well. Our practice is a bit different than the norm...no techs, everything is done simply to save our clients money, etc. We cannot afford newer equipment such as a centrifuge.

I feel like a centrifuge is a very basic and necessary piece of equipment for even a bare bones veterinary clinic. I've worked at very cheap/low cost clinics and rescues that have a centrifuge.

 

[dalmatiandoc17]

Hmmmm. I'm at NCSU and most of my classmates who worked as kennel techs in veterinary hospitals counted it as vet experience, no problem. I think the only time I wouldn't count it are if I was working strictly on the boarding side of things. If I was at all handling patients, I would consider it veterinary experience.

So it's quite possible that they got different advice than I did....but when I was going over my VMCAS with the adcom I got the impression that how you classify things is really up to you (as VMCAS would say "use your best judgement") and schools will sort through it how they see fit. However the benefit to classifying it the way a school will want it to be is that you will make it easier for them and thus it may help them focus more on how awesome you are. She never said that if I classified it as vet experience they would say I did it wrong and discount me (Ok that was dramatized , but the point is there).

 

[pp9]

Well, I could just be talking out of my bum. If we have a centrifuge, we don't use it for fecal samples. We spin urine and blood samples as needed, if that helps.

VCMAS offers a very vague description of what counts as veterinary experience. "Related to animals" and "supervised by a health professional." I personally would not consider a kennel manager a "health professional." However, a loophole in my eyes is if you work in the kennel, and there is no kennel manager, but your direct boss is a vet who owns the building. Like I said, personal judgement applies here. There is a lot of freedom in how you can describe, list, and classify your experiences if you really think about it.

 

[LetItSnow]

Well I'm not sure about the other varieties of testing methods, but heartworm tests consist of combining a few drops of blood with a conjugate, then dropping it into the testing device and snapping it when it's ready. It's as easily read as a pregnancy test 😛 Fecal tests consist of just mixing the solution with the sample and letting it sit for 15 minutes. We don't read the stool samples, only the vet does.

Like I said, it's not hard. But someone who isn't trained may not understand the importance of each step, or of waiting the entire test period, or ... there's any number of points where they might cut corners not understanding the importance of a particular step, and then you get bad results without knowing you're getting bad results.

Not gonna criticize a clinic that's comfortable using untrained personnel to run lab tests, but I wouldn't do it myself. *shrug*

Anyway, back on topic.... If I worked as a kennel assistant at a clinic, you can bet I'd put it down as veterinary experience. Not a doubt, no second thought ... it's veterinary experience.

 

[Foxhunter]

Well, I could just be talking out of my bum. If we have a centrifuge, we don't use it for fecal samples. We spin urine and blood samples as needed, if that helps.

VCMAS offers a very vague description of what counts as veterinary experience. "Related to animals" and "supervised by a health professional." I personally would not consider a kennel manager a "health professional." However, a loophole in my eyes is if you work in the kennel, and there is no kennel manager, but your direct boss is a vet who owns the building. Like I said, personal judgement applies here. There is a lot of freedom in how you can describe, list, and classify your experiences if you really think about it.

So you do have a centrifuge.

 

[DVMDream]

We do not draw the blood, only the vet does. The vet does everything with the exception of us assistants giving fluids or meds to hospitalized patients as needed. And we do not have a centrifuge either, so that is why we float.

I feel like a centrifuge is a very basic and necessary piece of equipment for even a bare bones veterinary clinic. I've worked at very cheap/low cost clinics and rescues that have a centrifuge.

What foxhunter said. A centrifuge is a (relatively) cheap piece of equipment....am I to assume that the clinic you work at does not do any type of bloodwork at all what so ever? I mean, I understand saving clients money. but you can do that and still offer better tests/treatments/etc to those clients who can afford it. You can still have a relatively up to date clinic that can serve to save costs for clients who can't afford extensive diagnostics but still offer those diagnostics to clients who can afford them.

 

[pp9]

Like I said, it's not hard. But someone who isn't trained may not understand the importance of each step, or of waiting the entire test period, or ... there's any number of points where they might cut corners not understanding the importance of a particular step, and then you get bad results without knowing you're getting bad results.

Not gonna criticize a clinic that's comfortable using untrained personnel to run lab tests, but I wouldn't do it myself. *shrug*

Anyway, back on topic.... If I worked as a kennel assistant at a clinic, you can bet I'd put it down as veterinary experience. Not a doubt, no second thought ... it's veterinary experience.

I understand your point of view. I guess it's hard to understand when you aren't given a description of how my clinic works. The vet is there every step of the way. If someone was cutting corners, she would know. I just don't want it to seem that the vet throws us the blood sample and test and walks away.

 

[pp9]

So you do have a centrifuge.

Haha, yes, we do. I guess there was a disconnect in my thoughts...we do not use the centrifuge for fecal samples. At least not in the last year I've been there. Are there certain cases where you would want to use the centrifuge to diagnose something specific, or is the general preferred method?

 

[WillowLeaf]

So personally, I didn't count my kennel experience as veterinary even though it was in a hospital. I talked to an adcom at NCSU (my IS so the one whose opinion mattered most when I was doing VMCAS) and she said to not count it as veterinary, but to mention any vet experience I had from it (very little, I only assisted on weekends when the hospital wasn't open so I helped with hospitalized patients...the rest was pure kennel work with some standard medicating) in my description. Some people choose to split their hours at one location (I think especially because of how VMCAS was set up before this year) so they could do either two types of animals categories, or split it between vet and animal. The adcom said not to do this, but to pick the category you did the most and put all the hours there and just have the fact that it was also somewhat another category in the description.

What I think the problem is is that VMCAS can't give standardized answers because each school probably has a different preference. Sure NCSU told me not to count it as vet, but I bet I could have found a school to give me a different answer.

I agree. I think it depends on where you apply, and VMCAS gives pretty vague instructions (how closely do you need to be supervised by a vet? Is it enough to be at a vet clinic, or do you need to be given instructions directly from the vet?). I did choose my schools based on how well my experience worked with their requirements. I wanted to apply to Cornell, but I think they would have only counted about 100 of my hours as veterinary experience, so I didn't apply. My IS seems to have pretty flexible requirements, so I never worried too much about trying to be a vet assistant.

Also, my clinic does not have a kennel manager, so maybe that does make a difference. I could see not counting it if I never interacted with the techs and vets, and if I never cared for patients and only cared for perfectly healthy, regular boarders.

 

[Foxhunter]

Haha, yes, we do. I guess there was a disconnect in my thoughts...we do not use the centrifuge for fecal samples. At least not in the last year I've been there. Are there certain cases where you would want to use the centrifuge to diagnose something specific, or is the general preferred method?

It's becoming the preferred method. It is much more sensitive. We had a lab comparing float to centrifugation and you picked up up to 10 times the parasites. For 5 extra minutes or so, it is definitely worth the time.

 

[pp9]

It's becoming the preferred method. It is much more sensitive. We had a lab comparing float to centrifugation and you picked up up to 10 times the parasites. For 5 extra minutes or so, it is definitely worth the time.

I'd like to ask my boss why we don't use a centrifuge, but I don't want to sound doubtful of her. I can't imagine there would be a significant price difference.

 

[DVMDream]

Well, I could just be talking out of my bum. If we have a centrifuge, we don't use it for fecal samples. We spin urine and blood samples as needed, if that helps.

VCMAS offers a very vague description of what counts as veterinary experience. "Related to animals" and "supervised by a health professional." I personally would not consider a kennel manager a "health professional." However, a loophole in my eyes is if you work in the kennel, and there is no kennel manager, but your direct boss is a vet who owns the building. Like I said, personal judgement applies here. There is a lot of freedom in how you can describe, list, and classify your experiences if you really think about it.

So you do have a centrifuge... I would be interested in what you float the fecals in then (tube wise) as you just need cheap tubes that fit in the centrifuge and the test ends up being faster by centrifuging the feces and it is a better test overall.

I have never heard of a kennel manager so not sure what that is. The kennel assistants (when I was one and the ones that I trained after I moved up) were under direct supervision of the office manager of the vet clinic. That same office manager is also in charge of the tech/receptionists and is directly supervised by the vet. Overall, everyone in the clinic was supervised ultimately by the vet. I guess if you were really working in a clinic where the "kennel" meant ONLY working boarded pets and not doing anything with the vet clinic at all, then that would be animal experience, otherwise if you are doing things on the veterinary side restocking meds/supplies/doing laundry you are still getting "experience in a veterinary setting" even if that experience is not medical work. It still makes you realize and recognize that there are other things that have to be done within a vet clinic besides treating animals.

 

[DVMDream]

It's becoming the preferred method. It is much more sensitive. We had a lab comparing float to centrifugation and you picked up up to 10 times the parasites. For 5 extra minutes or so, it is definitely worth the time.

The way I have been taught, it only takes 10 minutes to centrifuge the feces then another 2 minutes to allow some flotation (or the way that we did it last week at school, centrifuge for 5 minutes and float for 2 minutes to get eggs on the coverslip). It is actually faster than the 15 minutes for just floating.

 

[Foxhunter]

The way I have been taught, it only takes 10 minutes to centrifuge the feces then another 2 minutes to allow some flotation (or the way that we did it last week at school, centrifuge for 5 minutes and float for 2 minutes to get eggs on the coverslip). It is actually faster than the 15 minutes for just floating.

I remember it taking slightly longer, but the lab was a long time ago and I haven't done it since.

 

[Foxhunter]

My personal opinion is much like DVMD stated, running a veterinary clinic and being a veterinarian isn't all medical stuff. There's a lot of daily upkeep, oversight of employees, etc. Unless I was working at a huge clinic that had a separate boarding business (I have a friend that works at one on the vet side), I would consider that I was learning what it was like to actually be a veterinarian.

 

[pp9]

We float in fecosol solution for 15 minutes, with the sample being covered by a coverslip. The doctor then places the coverslip on a slide and reads the sample.

At the vet clinic I applied to, everything seemed very separated. The kennel manager was in charge of the kennel attendants. It was a very large clinic. Also, isn't there some sort of classification a vet clinic can apply for that requires every 'department' to be highly separated within the clinic? I cannot recall the title, but it involves not allowing anyone but receptionists to handle phone calls/scheduling, kennel attendants to work with boarders, etc. Again, individual judgement applies.

 

[orca2011]

The way I have been taught, it only takes 10 minutes to centrifuge the feces then another 2 minutes to allow some flotation (or the way that we did it last week at school, centrifuge for 5 minutes and float for 2 minutes to get eggs on the coverslip). It is actually faster than the 15 minutes for just floating.

Interesting. I think we were taught 3 minutes in the centrifgue and then 8-10 minutes floating. Or you can bend a plastic inoculating loop and get a sample right after centrifguing. I preferred floating it still.

I wonder if differences are due to the solution used. In lab, we used ZnSO4, but out in practice its been either a sugar solution of fecasol.

And I've worked at a practice where we didn't centrifuge fecals. We sent them out to antech, but I imagine a lot of it was because we didnt have the counter space to actually set up several of them.

 

[dyachei]

Interesting. I think we were taught 3 minutes in the centrifgue and then 8-10 minutes floating. Or you can bend a plastic inoculating loop and get a sample right after centrifguing. I preferred floating it still.

And I've worked at a practice where we didn't centrifuge fecals. We sent them out to antech, but I imagine a lot of it was because we didnt have the counter space to actually set up several of them.

direct fecals are very good for certain organisms (coccidia, giardia) but centrifugation is almost necessary for lower burdens of certain types of worms/parasites.

I centrifuge 6 minutes and float 5-10.

 

[pp9]

We do not use an external lab service for anything except biopsies or blood tests beyond the 4-way snap that I am aware. Granted, I am only part time so I do not see the full caseload and could be missing out on some things.

 

[orca2011]

direct fecals are very good for certain organisms (coccidia, giardia) but centrifugation is almost necessary for lower burdens of certain types of worms/parasites.

I centrifuge 6 minutes and float 5-10.

Oh I know. I was just commenting on the differences in times for each school. I know that there is a variety of way to do things, but I guess I was still a little surprised but the difference in numbers.

 

[DVMDream]

Oh I know. I was just commenting on the differences in times for each school. I know that there is a variety of way to do things, but I guess I was still a little surprised but the difference in numbers.

Yeah, I don't know what is up with the difference in numbers. Maybe it has to do with the speed at which the sample is being centrifuged at? I don't have the lab we did last week in front of my right now but I do recall that the speed seemed a bit higher than what we used at the clinic that I worked at.

 

[orca2011]

Yeah, I don't know what is up with the difference in numbers. Maybe it has to do with the speed at which the sample is being centrifuged at? I don't have the lab we did last week in front of my right now but I do recall that the speed seemed a bit higher than what we used at the clinic that I worked at.

Probably. I want to say we did it at 5000rpms but that was last semester, so all that info has already been vacated from my brain.

 

[DVMDream]

Probably. I want to say we did it at 5000rpms but that was last semester, so all that info has already been vacated from my brain.

We just did that lab on Friday and I already can't remember what speed it was spun at.

 

[orca2011]

We just did that lab on Friday and I already can't remember what speed it was spun at.

For the practical, I always made sure I grabbed a centrifuge with a bunch of people so I didn't have to remember the speed or duration. Haha