Rachel

A Day in the Life of a Veterinary Nurse:

Rachel

Rachel is our surgical technician and dental hygienist. She recently received a certificate for completing a veterinary technician anesthetic course. She helps Dr. Susan anesthetize patients and she monitors them during surgery or anesthetic procedures. (Most surgeries, dentals, and anesthetic procedures are performed from 8am-1pm M,T,&Th, so you may not see her up front very much.) Her job is extremely critical and requires intense concentration as well as skill. She must constantly watch the patient's breathing rate and depth and monitor the heart, mucous membrane color, and depth of anesthesia. She uses her expertise as well as electronic monitors to adjust the anesthetic. Once the procedure is completed, she removes the breathing tube and takes care of the patient as he or she awakens.

As the dental hygienist, she cleans and polishes the teeth, performs a fluoride treatment, and applies a protective sealant to the teeth. If dental work (such as removing a tooth) is done, she assists Dr. Susan, much as would be done in a human dental office. The health of the teeth and gums are recorded in the chart. Once the procedure is completed, she removes the breathing tube and takes care of the patient as he or she recovers.

It is very important and helpful to have a good surgical technician/nurse anesthetist who can work with the doctor to develop an efficient and consistent workflow to benefit the patient and make the patient's experience as safe as possible.

Cleaning a patient's teeth.

Preparing a pre-surgical CBC (complete blood count) as part of the pre-anesthetic lab work. The blood tests are checking for abnormalities of the kidneys and liver and well as diabetes, anemia, infection, and disturbances in electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride). If there are abnormalities that warrant further evaluation and work-up, the procedure can be postponed.

Running a test for feline leukemia and FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus...like HIV in people)

Maintaining diligent records of anesthetics

For certain controlled substances such as anesthetics, Rachel must keep a very detailed log (for each bottle) of exactly how much was given, route of administration, patient name, client name, diagnosis or why drug administered/prescribed, which doctor prescribed or administered, and the date. It requires extreme attention to detail.