Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Sal the 1st — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 09:11:26 GMT

I work on the premise that if I treat people reasonably most times they are reasonable with me - there are exceptions I'll grant you

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Alison Clare Hickman — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 08:58:35 GMT

hahaha Sal the 1st !! You're a talented woman

I did once try to collect a debt from a very well to do lady (always trotted out of her consults without a backwards glance). She left me speechless when she told me she didn't bargain with peasants...

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Sal the 1st — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 23:15:50 GMT

[quote user="Katie Anakin"]

I used ot manage the debtors,

[/quote]

I used to do this at a previous practice. Whenever the boss found us exhibiting what he termed 'a lack of activity' - which wasn't often because we knew what was coming if he did, he would send us out in pairs to 'generate some money'. I found I was actually quite good at it, no need to be nasty or threatening unless dealing with a serial offender and that was what the small claims court was for, I was always very reasonable - and we had the bonus of 10% of anything we recovered. I longed to catch up with Mr C the farmer with the 4k debt and his bounty but this guy was as slippery as an eel. I spent a long time playing cat and mouse but sadly the the grim reaper (old age) caught up with him before I ever got close. I was gutted when I heard he left several millions in his will. We were told we were a lot more effective than a debt collecting agency.

probably wouldn't be allowed now

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Katie Anakin — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 10:40:27 GMT

I'm not an RVN, but when I was working as a VNA the practice I was in only had 2 vets and 2 VNAs so we used to do quite a lot, some off which I'm pretty sure we shouldn't have been.

My vets did intend to put me through training but it never materialized so they trained me to do a few things, so I used to place IV's, take bloods, run in house blood work, monitor anesthesia, set up for X-rays, microchip, admit and discharge, monitor inpatients,. As well as all cleaning, I used ot manage the debtors, the insurance and the accounts. Then as my degree is in Animal Behaviour I used to run Behaviour consults (more expensive than the vet ones) and I designed and ran puppy parties.

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Robyn — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 09:43:36 GMT

Yes! Put me somewhere where I can do a little consulting, a little lab work, a little inpatient nursing, a little management, and about 0% surgery/anaesthetics and I'm happy

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Robyn — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 09:41:32 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

[quote user="Tania Ford"]

Thankfully Veterinary nursing has come a long way since the 1980's when nurses were expected to be a jack of all trades and did everything.

[/quote]

There's still a few of us about - currently I reckon about 50% of my job is reception/dispensing

[/quote]

And there's still a good number of new nurses still doing everything! Sometimes that's the best option - I'd never want to be in a position where a practice I'm working for is hiring a receptionist instead of another nurse (not that I'm dismissing receptionists, they're magical!)

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Sal the 1st — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:08:24 GMT

[quote user="Tania Ford"]

Thankfully Veterinary nursing has come a long way since the 1980's when nurses were expected to be a jack of all trades and did everything.

[/quote]

There's still a few of us about - currently I reckon about 50% of my job is reception/dispensing

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Alison Clare Hickman — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:31:24 GMT

me too Robyn

I love consulting. I live to do Lab work as well. #analyzethatismything

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Robyn — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:24:20 GMT

Something I'm not sure has been mentioned - management? I would never want to stop being a nurse, and inpatient care is massively rewarding for me, but I'm much happier doing stock control and managing rotas than I am doing more intensive schedule 3 things like stitch ups and biopsies!

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Tania Ford — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 13:58:23 GMT

Things i feel an RVN should be allowed to do and are trained to do:

Placing IV catheters, taking blood samples, monitoring anaesthesia, performing enema's (gross i know but very satisfactory lol), placing naso-gastric feeding tubes, positioning and taking xrays, Performing MRI/CT (if trained), administering medication (IV, IM, SC, oral etc), Blood pressure monitoring, Dental's (Only S&P as that is all we are allowed to do at present, but feel that if you undertake a certificate, extractions etc should be permitted), Consultations (with no diagnosing unless a practitioners certificate was available, much like some GP nurses), Some non invasive surgery ie Stitch ups (leave lumpectomies etc to the vets as we are not 'mini vets'), Skin Scrapes/Biopsies, Laboratory diagnostics (such as urinalysis, blood smears, FNA's etc so long as training given), General medical day to day nursing of inpatients.

I am lucky enough over the years to have worked in practices that have utilised me to the best of their abilities and allowed me to practice pretty much all of the above.

Cleaning is just one of the jobs that has to be done by someone. I feel that nurses should be responsible for all clinical area's of cleaning and that if a general cleaner is not employed, Receptionists should be responsible for the non clinical cleaning. I believe that reception duties should be performed by receptionists and it should only be necessary for a RVN to fill in if there are staff ill etc. Thankfully Veterinary nursing has come a long way since the 1980's when nurses were expected to be a jack of all trades and did everything.

Hope this helps

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

monkeybrains13 — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 22:14:59 GMT

i am fully trained in running the CT machine and our MRI scanner- I love imaging! so being able to do it is so fulfilling :)

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Denise Cooke — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 18:29:39 GMT

I have feel that if a nurse can do a consultations e.g nails clip, AG, overweight etc etc. Them it free up the vets time but also promote the RVN. And same questions the client rather asked a RVN then the vet. I at a practice atm which don't have nurse consults and I feel under used. As I want to get know the client and improve my skills. I do like the fact that I haven't been stop to placed iv catheters and take blood. But in my career I have don't any ops. I feel that in the practices been payed well and more then what staff earn in Tesco or shops. At the end of the day I love my job and looking after animals. That what important as long I got enough money to live on I don't care.

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Ellie P — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 21:32:50 GMT

I'm a second year SVN with 10 years on the belt with nursing and admittedly, I am rather spoilt. The moment my registration came in to allow me to practice, I got into as much schedule 3 as possible. So far, I do my own consults, weigh and worm/health visits, 2nd vaccs, id chipping, placing i/v's, taking bloods, skin scrapes and positioning for x-rays and ultrasound. I am allowed to run my own lab work such as bloods and looking under the microscope. I do all the usual nurse jobs such as cleaning kennels, prepping theatre, procedures and packing away at the end of the day, to include kits and shutting down. I do scale and polish's, admits and discharges.

All my work is monitored and feedback always given to include needed constructive criticism. I still have many things to learn and improve.

I'm really looking forward to qualifying and and being able to run my own feline behaviour consults as I have a diploma in that subject. My boss/jvp and team all rally round to ensure someone covers all the jobs that need to be done.

My greatest achievement in practice so far as been sorting out the H&S book to amend it, write up 90% of our SOP's and sorting 90% of our PSS application "D

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

george hunt — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 08:47:49 GMT

This is a really interesting post and I wonder if there are any equine nurses on here to add. I am qualified in both small animal and equine and feel we are way behind you guys in terms of the amount of nursing we do x

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 15:38:40 GMT

[quote user="apache"]

After some recent negativity over the role of nurses and their place in practice, I thought a thread could be useful with a positive slant, so can we have examples/list of:

Things you are trained and qualified to do but aren't doing in your current practice

Things somewhere you've worked let you do, that other places haven't.

Can we try and keep this a thread of things you can/could do under the current rules?

Remember, be positive.[/quote]

Apache, if I could have given you ten stars for that post (and maybe thrown in a moon or two), I would.

This obviously ties in with this thread about career progression, and I'm sitting here thinking there's more I could and should do (through VetNurse and VetSurgeon) to try and help bridge the gap between what you are allowed and want to do, and what you are actually being allowed to do.

A couple of early thoughts about how we might go about it.

First, would it be interesting to run a couple of parallel surveys ...

First, a survey of veterinary nurses to see what your job entails at YOUR practice - in other words how many of you are allowed to do what.

Second, a sort of 'customer survey' of veterinary surgeons asking what tasks performed by nurses are most valuable to them (beyond general nursing). And what they would like them to be able to do in an ideal world.

(Results of the surveys emailed to both parties to help inform each other!)

Then I was thinking of perhaps drawing up a set of agreed best practice guidelines for employing nurses (ChrisRossiter - your post kind of set me off on that one: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/veterinary-nurse-forum/f/5/p/30815/170629.aspx#170629)

Then I was thinking one step further than that. When someone places a job advert on here for a veterinary nurse, they complete a self-certification thing where they are asked to confirm, say, 5 things about the role (like 'do you allow your nurses to place catheters'). If they are able to self certify to a certain level, their job is highlighted in some way (a star rating or a badge).

Whaddaythink?

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

VetNurse Anon a/c — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 23:02:35 GMT

I do think it depends where you work! I am currently working OOH with one vet and a PCA and the vets are fantastic, I do all IVs, bloods, GAs, triage, in-patient hospital care, assisted feeding, IV fluid care so they do let me do a lot. A vet restrained a dog for me last night while I placed the IV and put the dog on fluids, the vets do rely on us a lot as the nurses spend more time with patients. My work is mainly ECC!

Its about finding the right practice and the right fit for you as a nurse, I have been to practices where I have not been used a list as follows,

Taking bloods

placing IVs

Nurse clinics

wound management and bandaging

scrubbing into surgery- not done this since a student

Placement of feeding tube and urinary catheter- not done this since a student

I have not done any schedule three surgery either

I have not scaled and polished either

I do think nurses could do a lot more in clinics as our main role is education but this is an area that is often under used not sure if a staff issue is often the reasons as most practises I have spoken to would like to offer them but short staff on nurses.

I would like to do more as a nurse as we do have a lot to offer

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Sal the 1st — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 22:13:29 GMT

at a previous practice - I did all the ECGs, blood pressure, repeat bloods on thyroid cats, kidney cats, phenobarb monitoring etc. I had diabetic groups,golden age groups and mobility groups and rabbit groups. The diabetic group was very successful as I 'buddied' experienced sensible owners with owners of newly diagnosed pets because sometimes they wanted to hear others experiences as non veterinary bods . We used to have a 'social' every 2 to 4 weeks when people got together and shared any new info they had or discussed any problems. I had busy nurse consults and my own consult room. I like the client care aspect and sometimes I think that is a very neglected area.

I am currently doing some bits with H+S in my current practice and although some of it I find a bit ridiculous it is an area where I have a growing interest.

I have done quite a few stitch ups, small lump removals and a few other bits at various places but to be honest surgery isn't my cup of tea.

I like kennels area too

RE: Lets be positive - What could you be doing that you are not?

Nick Shackleton — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 19:19:46 GMT

I have to say in my current role I'm extending my role beyond anything I've done previously. I am now performing CT Scans, with some assistance from the Vets, usually for anaesthesia, monitoring the patient whilst I scan and injecting contrast. It's easier to use a vet as there aren't enough nurses to take up two of us to perform these roles, but as the service develops there maybe the necessity to have another nurse on board. Often vets and other nurses look to me for advise regarding imaging and the best way to obtain images and reviewing image quality. I real enjoy imaging (if you hadn't already guessed) I've spent several years in the NHS gaining knowledge and skills that I'm now translating back into Veterinary Practice! When I left full time nursing 7 years ago I always planned to come back and do imaging and now I've been given that opportunity. In the near future I will be undertaking RPS training. I hope to undertake more qualifications in Veterinary Imaging, particularly Advanced Imaging Techniques, such as Cross Sectional Imaging. I'm also hope to be trained to undertake AFAST Scans for ECC patients that come to our practice.