It has been a couple of weeks since I wrote anything on the blog…So thought it was time to catch people up on what’s been going on.
I really, no really, enjoy my job. Not only do I learn something new daily, I have all sorts of “adventures” that are amazing and funny.
Currently, at work, we have expanded our hours to include adding an extra day during the week, Wednesdays, where we are open with a Vet in the office. We also have a Vet in the office every Saturday now rather than every other Saturday. This change has allowed the practice to hire another Vet to “fill in” the extra hours. The past two weeks have been “learning experiences” getting used to the ways of the new Vet when she is in the office.
The new Vet’s first two weeks with us have been rife with things that are out of the “norm” for our everyday office procedures. Right from the start on her first day with us, we have had more of our odder clients come in with their animals. She has already had to send at least four of our clients’ animals to “heaven”, not something you want to have to do any time much less when you first start with a practice.
So, a little about her. She is kind and compassionate, a pleasure to work with and to get to know. She has looked to the staff to give her the information she needs to meet the client and treat the animal. That she has in common with the other Vet with which I have worked.
Her first day, we had one client who would not let go of her animal. We had to examine the pet on the floor in front of the owner. Yep, down on the floor, listening to heart and lungs, drawing blood and giving vaccines. Being a little “anxious” about drawing blood for the first time in a while, we had planned on taking the dog out of the room to drawn the blood. Nothing doing, the owner said she would come too…. So, the new Vet had to comply.
That first day, we also had a pet we could not calm enough to draw blood. The three of us, the Vet, me and the receptionsit, tried to corral the animal…Again nothing doing…
To top off the day, we had a rescue do come in. We have a client who takes in and fosters rescue animals. This dog was a huge, and I mean huge, Mastiff. He was old and was having problems walking. We had to use a sling to support his rear end to get him into the office. So, once he got into the exam room, he plopped on the floor and pretty much did not move except to wag his tail.
Imagine four women (including the foster parent) trying to manouver a dog that weighed over 100lbs. Yep, a comedy like the Keystone Kops! It is a wonder that someone did not come out of the room with a wrenched back. The dog was sweet and tried to be cooperative but when your back end does not want to obey, not much you can do. We crawled all over that dog on the floor to give him and exam. I felt like I was playing Twister…rigth food red, left foot yellow… I was also the human turnequet trying to get blood which we were never able to draw. We stuck that dog so many times….poor puppy!
Through all of this the new Vet has been a real trooper. She has had to express anal glads because the owner would not let a technician do it. She has been growled at hissed at…forced to crawl on the floor to do exams. Yet, she has come back every time she is scheduled to be there. To me that show dedication. I know she will have plenty of stories with which to regale her family and friends.
I have to admit that I am kind of glad I am no longer the new kid on the block. But, I also know the things she is going through. The fear that she is being judged and rated by others who have come before her. The hope that she “gets it right”. The ability to “jump in” feet first and come up for air and start swimming.
She has been living her a whole 4 weeks now. I have tried to make her feel welcome. I have invited her to church and have given her tips on where to go for good food. Hopefully, she will soon feel at home and comfortable.
