Hello, so now that my first year is done, I have taken the last two months to relax.
HAHAHA nope.
Ok so let us start by saying CONGRATS TO THE OVC CLASS OF 2016!!!! I am so excited to meet all of the new "first" years!!! Which means that I am now considered, a "second year"!!! Has a year really gone past? geezus.
Now lets get into the nitty gritty about my summer job. Working at the OVC has it's benefits and disadvantages.
Pros:
- Lots of my friends are working here too! I get to see them all the time!
- I get to know the facilities and softwares better
- I get to bond with the clinicians, residents, ordelies, techs, and agriculture assistants...
- I am learning the "OVC procedures and protocols" so that in fourth year, when I do rotations, I will not look like a fool!
- The BF works here so we get to spend lunches together sometimes
- I am learning some good technical skills
- I have gotten to work with a pig and some goats!!! (as well as allllll the horses and cows)
Cons:
- I spend WAY to much time in this building
- Night shifts are the worst
- I get minimum wage
- The caf is closed for the summer :(
- This kind of work is not "field" friendly... meaning you do not three step prep and follow sterile gloving procedures when you are standing in a field!!!! I am not learning anything that will help me with herd health.
- Sometimes I get sent home early... then on days that I would like to go home early, I cannot...
- Each tech that I work with is VERY different and I have to be careful how I respond/act in front of each one
But over all, I am very fortunate to have this job. I am learning ALOT and this is going to make my fourth year rotations SOOOO much easier. I am glad I did this, this summer, so I have some decent skills and experience so maybe next summer I can get a job in a mixed animal practice!
I mentioned "technical" skills. You may be wondering what those imply.
Things I have performed:
- Aseptic jugular catheter placement
- Equine/Bovine/Neonatal TPRs
- Spiked fluids
- Bottle feeding calves/foals
- Hanging/Changing fluids
- Jugular blood sample collection
- Facial crest blood sample collection
- Tail vein blood sample collection
- Running a Blood Gas test
- Running a Packed Cell Volume test
- Running a Total Solids test
- Plasma transfusions
- Tubing fluids through a fricspeculum
- Tubing fluids through a nasogastric tube
- Drawing up medications such as Flunixin, Sodium Penicillin, Procaine Penicillin, Ceftifur, Omeprazole, Phenylbutazone, TMS, etc
- Administering intramuscular injections
- Administering intravenous injections
- Administering oral medications
- Administering eye medications
- Complete isolation procedures
Some cool things I have gotten to watch:
- Urethroplasty
- Castrations (on Stallions and on a Jack!)
- Lameness work up
- Fetlock injections
- Injections into the cervical intervertebral spaces
- Hip joint injections
- Bronchiole-Alveolar Lavage
- Nasolacrimal duct flush
- Equine teeth float (Dentistry)
- Equine euthanasia
- Eye surgery (they removed some cysts from the eyelid)
- TVEC procedure to correct atrial fibrillation
- Cecal torsion surgery
- Spinal blocks for flank surgeries
- Porcine spay (ovariohystorectomy)
- Arterial blood sample collection
- Ultrasoundography
- Radiographs of legs, neck, thorax, and head
- Joint and belly taps
And so on. I wish I could show you some of the pics I have, but it is all confidential so tough cookies.
If you have any questions about those procedures, please ask and I can walk you through them.
I should get off this darn computer now and go enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather we are having in Southern Ontario this summer. :)
Until next time!
***Sorry about this weird highlight thing... can't seem to get rid of it!!!
