Top 20 Things I Learned: Day in the Life of a Veterinarian
As explained at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to protect public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals. If you are interested in exploring this career and are wondering what happens in a typical day, here are the top 20 things that are likely to happen in a day in the life of a veterinarian.
Catching up with any work that is pending
For most veterinarians, the day starts with tying up any loose ends as far as any work that is pending goes. As per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, this includes following up on any cases from the day or week before, as well as finding out which pet or animal owners need to be contacted with pathology results, etc.
Physical exams
Every animal that a veterinarian sees, whether it came in for surgery, or because of an illness from the previous night, undergoes a physical exam so that the vet can create a treatment plan and note any findings.
What does a physical exam entail?
If you are wondering what such an exam entails, then, according to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, a physical exam includes obtaining the animal’s medical history from the owner, taking a pet’s vitals, listening to the heart and lungs, and feeling along the body for anything abnormal, such as a lump or mass.
Pre-surgery bloodwork
Animals that will be having surgery that day are typically admitted early in the morning. After being admitted, pets have blood samples drawn for pre-surgery bloodwork. Analysis of the bloodwork gives the doctor information on the animal’s internal functions, which cannot be learned through just a physical examination.
Surgery in the morning
Typically, when it comes to the day-to-day life of a veterinarian, surgery is conducted in the morning. Conducting surgery procedures in the morning allows the patient to recover throughout the day, with plenty of staff to monitor progress.
What appointments are usually scheduled for the late morning?
While surgery is usually penciled in for the mornings as already mentioned, late morning appointments range from new puppy/kitten visits, vaccinations, sick visits for pets who aren’t feeling well, and everything in-between as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Euthanasia
An essential, yet difficult and heart-breaking, appointment all veterinarians conduct is helping pets die peacefully through euthanasia. While these appointments are usually scheduled throughout the day, they may also happen in an emergency.
Making the most of the lunchtime break
Many veterinarian clinics pause appointments during the lunch hour, not only for nourishment, but also to play catch-up as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. A bustling clinic has employees use this time to return phone calls, check on animals that are hospitalized and recovering from anesthesia, and hopefully find time to eat some lunch too.
Be prepared for emergencies
As a veterinarian, you must understand that anytime during the day, emergencies can come through the door and require immediate attention. This is something to expect during the day-to-day as a vet, which is why veterinarian team members must practice good time management.
Lunch break may be staggered
Still, on the topic of time management, it is worth pointing out that if an office has multiple veterinarians, then the office may remain open during lunchtime and each doctor will take his or her own staggered break to ensure that all patients are served and emergencies are attended to immediately.
Lab work and x-rays
Sick pets and animals are seen during appointments by the vet typically have lab work or x-rays performed to rule out or refine the list of reasons why a pet may be sick as covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Explaining findings
When the results of the lab work or x-rays come back, a large part of the veterinarian’s job is to explain the findings to the pet owner and create a treatment plan. Communicating with and to concerned owners over the pet’s illness is a large part of a veterinarian’s day, which is why empathy and good communications skills are important in this line of work.
Prescriptions
As the day ends and appointments ease, a late afternoon break is typically available for returning phone calls, authorizing prescriptions, and finalizing medical notes before the day ends as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. These activities form a key part of the day-to-day schedule of a veterinarian.
You will work with both common and uncommon pets
As a veterinarian, you might work with common pets like dogs and cats, as well as some uncommon ones such as turtles, chameleons, or even exotic species such as snakes. This is why you should always be prepared for anything and everything when working as a vet.
Different work environments
As a veterinarian, you have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings. You might work in a private practice setting, which is where most vets work, or you may also be appointed by animal shelters, NGOs, and zoological centers to care for their animals. Working in these settings can allow you a lot of diversity in your veterinarian work schedule.
Dangers of working as a vet
While working as a veterinarian has got lots of pros, it is important to note that some of the challenges you may experience during your day-to-day life as a vet include being exposed to bites, scratches, and bruises from pets that panic or are frightened as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.
Visits to farms
On top of working in the office, veterinarians typically make visits to the farm to attend to animals there. Such visits may be necessitated as a result of a need to treat the entire herd, give a large group of calves vaccinations, or asses a large animal that would not be able to be safely transported because of illness or injury.
Equipment
When making house calls, vets come prepared with everything they need in their work truck as revealed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Such equipment includes calf pullers to assist calving, syringes, a variety of medicines, and many others.
Surgery in the field
While vets would prefer conducting surgery in the safety of their office where everything is controlled, emergencies happen, and sometimes one may have to conduct surgery on an animal in a field, particularly when making house calls. This is why veterinarians ensure they carry all equipment needed for such procedures when making house calls in case they need them.
Surgeries often extend into the afternoon
While veterinarians usually prefer to schedule in-office surgical procedures on animals and pets during the early morning, it is important to note that surgeries often extend into the afternoon. Tumor removals, tooth extractions, spaying, and neutering are the most common surgeries that populate this time.
These are some of the things to expect when it comes to a day in the life of a veterinarian, with more on this topic, and then some, to be found over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.