Mini Vets?

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:56:06 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

The other problem is that workmen find out what I do and instantly double the bill...afterall....all vets are rich you know!!!!!

[/quote]

I'm SICK of clients saying "I should have been a vet" when you hand them an invoice or tell them their bill.

I posted a while ago but I always point clients when they complain about the bills to this part of our website http://www.simplycats.net/information-sheets/81-how-expensive-is-a-trip-to-the-vets/163-how-expensive-is-a-trip-to-the-vets

Re: Mini Vets?

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:48:43 GMT

I try to keep my profession a secret if i can. It really is amazing how long someone can talk about their own pet - and not notice that I really don't care that you got Fido from X rescue centre, and that he was maltreated but is happy now, and that he does this funny thing with his noseand that he got a sore on his toe once and the vet did so and so and on and on and on and on...............

The other problem is that workmen find out what I do and instantly double the bill...afterall....all vets are rich you know!!!!!

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:32:17 GMT

[quote user="STRVN"]

I hate it when you go out, and on meeting new peeps, they ask what you do...., i have learned to lie...lol I cant be bothered with the constant questions about their pets!. One women, who I did not tell, but my friend had, asked me for behaviour advice for her dog, I gave her basic advice, and got the usual, ye I have dont that...when clearly she had not... to yes I have tried that..... to which i knew she had not... I told her she would be best consulting a behaviourist to which she said......oh my mums had dogs for years, she can probably help me out!! yes you do that love!! and leave me in peace!!

[/quote]

Yep, I lie now too. I also get the "yep I've done it" when they clearly havent grrr

Re: Mini Vets?

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:28:35 GMT

Re: Mini Vets?

Sally Seddon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:22:52 GMT

[quote user="Claire BearRVN"]

Yup.

Although bless I recently had a guy I went to school with ask me where I worked as he really would like to go somewhere where he knew the staff and he travelled over an hour to get here and sang our praises. Nice that he actually took the time and understood what I did! him and his gf were lovely so that made my day a bit ago

[/quote]

ye, thats nice of him

there are one or two people who i have helped (well referred to the surgery) via facebook that have actually been really grateful but most just take to the p*** out of me really

Re: Mini Vets?

Sally Seddon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:18:02 GMT

[quote user="Dippy"]

Erm, that'll be £13.50 please if I tell you....

[/quote]

lol

Re: Mini Vets?

Dippy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:56:44 GMT

A lady asked me in the park the other day why her dog sneezes every time it gets excited. When I stood there looking gaumless at her (was shocked cos have barely spoken to her before and it just seemed a random question out of the blue!), she said, in a very accusing tone, "Well you're a veterinary nurse, you should know shouldn't you?!" Erm, that'll be £13.50 please if I tell you....

Re: Mini Vets?

Sally Howe — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:01:58 GMT

[quote user="mrs mac"]

[quote user="icklesal"]

its so annoying! Even more annoying is when they then ask if you can get them a discount!!

[/quote]

Haha! Thats familiar! Its the people that dont ask out right but drop sooooooo many hints and then eventually they say ' so can you not just me some of that for cost price/discount etc'

Erm how about 'NO!!!!!!!!!!!!'

[/quote]

Thought it was only me that got asked that.

I've had people knock at my door for advice from my road, never even spoken to them before......... they get "go to your vet. I am a veterinary nurse not a vet." Had one present me their rabbit saying they wanted his back teeth trimmed, offered to pay for the equipment until I told them the cost of dental machine, equipment and hiring a vet for the day

I love my clinics especially my golden oldies clinics, the clients know me by my name and they know I am there for them. Had one of my golden oldies pass away today, they nearly had me in tears too. But they had a familar face that could spend time with them during the difficult time.

Re: Mini Vets?

Mac Feather — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:35:51 GMT

[quote user="icklesal"]

its so annoying! Even more annoying is when they then ask if you can get them a discount!!

[/quote]

Haha! Thats familiar! Its the people that dont ask out right but drop sooooooo many hints and then eventually they say ' so can you not just me some of that for cost price/discount etc'

Erm how about 'NO!!!!!!!!!!!!'

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:01:56 GMT

[quote user="icklesal"]

its so annoying! Even more annoying is when they then ask if you can get them a discount!!

[/quote]

Yup.

Re: Mini Vets?

Sally Seddon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:30:41 GMT

its so annoying! Even more annoying is when they then ask if you can get them a discount!!

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:22:56 GMT

[quote user="icklesal"]

[quote user="Claire BearRVN"]

I am sick to the back teeth of people I went to school with messaging me

"Hi Claire just after some advice as you're a vet"

cue long response back explaining I AM NOT A VET

[/quote]

sooo many people on facebook send me messages asking me questions about their animals, im not even a flippin qualified nurse never mind a vet! they just seen where i work and assume i am a vet! It really annoys me becasue these people wont even speak to me if i see them in the street!

[/quote]

SNAP!

Facebook chat will pop up with some familiar face from high school and I think, hmm long time no speak, wonder what they're after..

Usually consists of

"Hi Claire, just wondering if you can help..."

"My dog/cat/rabbit is not eating/vomiting/has diarrhoea" (delete as appropriate)

"what do you think?"

Me -

Re: Mini Vets?

Sally Seddon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:20:42 GMT

[quote user="Claire BearRVN"]

I am sick to the back teeth of people I went to school with messaging me

"Hi Claire just after some advice as you're a vet"

cue long response back explaining I AM NOT A VET

[/quote]

Re: Mini Vets?

Shelly vn — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:02:48 GMT

I had a client ask me once if i was too stupid to be a vet! I would never dream of asking a human nurse if they were too stupid to be a doctor, so why do our clients think its ok to ask us! (sorry about the post above, i'm a bit new to this posting thing!!)

Re: Mini Vets?

Shelly vn — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:52:06 GMT

[quote user="mrs mac"]

Have had one charmer ask if I was too thick to be a vet!

[/quote]

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:28:48 GMT

[quote user="Rainbow"]My own family think I am a vet now I'm qualified!!!![/quote]

Yep some of my family think the same. I am sick to the back teeth of people I went to school with messaging me

"Hi Claire just after some advice as you're a vet"

cue long response back explaining I AM NOT A VET

Re: Mini Vets?

Sarah Nicholas — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:11:01 GMT

My sis is a nurse and noone ever says this to her. She says she is respected as a nurse (ie a professional in her own right) I long for the day I can feel that way. My own family think I am a vet now I'm qualified!!!!

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:35:02 GMT

[quote user="mrs mac"]I doubt nurses in the human side get asked when they are going to go on and become a doctor[/quote]

EXACTLY!!!!

Re: Mini Vets?

Mac Feather — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:03:27 GMT

[quote user="STRVN"]If I wanted to be a vet I would have trained as one[/quote]

Exactly!

Have had one charmer ask if I was too thick to be a vet!

I doubt nurses in the human side get asked when they are going to go on and become a doctor.

Re: Mini Vets?

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:40:24 GMT

I hate the term Mini vet!!! I am not a vet!!!!!!!!! I hate it when people say, so you're a vet?? !! NO!!!! I am a vet nurse there is a difference, I could not do their job and quite frankly they could not do mine either!... I really wish people would stop trying to compare or aliken the two. I sat my exams and passed to gain my qualifications to become a VN not a bloody vet. If I wanted to be a vet I would have trained as one. I am lucky that my practice values and utililises their nurses to their full potential. We dont prescribe, we dont dispense, but we do take bloods, and run them we give advice to clients, including blood results after consulting the vet, we set up and calculate fluids, we monitor anaesthesia, we do nurse clinics, we set up at take radiographs, we do the odd stitch up, we take care of patients overnight, and during the day,we triage emergencies... that is what I trained for, and would not work anywhere that offered less simple as! I have had an RTA in ,triaged and Iv accessed before the vet has checked it.. ,it saves them time and personally can save the patients life ! if the vet happens to be out of the practice when that call comes through.

Thankfully we are moving away from old school vets who see the vet nurse as nothing more than a skivvy who does their bidding... anyone who still sees us as that are quite frankly still in the dark ages and need to retire! not only for the greater good of the profession... but for the animals too!

Re: Mini Vets?

Tracy Windler RVN — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:41:52 GMT

This is what I don't understand about so many private practices that I have worked for! It makes economical sense to have your nurses doing as much as they are allowed to, thats why charities, like PDSA, use their nurses so well! Why are private practice so reluctant to follow suit?

I have been in private practice before when there has been no reception staff available, so I have been called out of theatre to cover reception and a vet has been asked to cover my theatre duties (needless to say, they didn't clean up after themselves, just did ops nd went home!)

Re: Mini Vets?

Rachel Beedle — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:18:13 GMT

Having worked in private practice for 8 years i recently started working for a veterinary charity. Here the nurses are expected to use all of their nursing skills, not just the floor mopping ones! We run a nurses consultations alongside the vets and are also asked to triage cases for the vets. I would never dream of diagnosing anything but am glad that our vets treat us as nurses rather than glorified cleaners.I like the rapport we build with the clients in our consultations and in a busy hospital like ours it take the pressure off the whole team when the nurses triage and do consultations. The clients appreciate us a lot more because we are mostly the first point of contact before they see the vet too. In private practice there was always a reluctance by the vets to let us do clinics and a lot of the clients there used to ask me when I was going to train to be a vet!!! Where I work now, the clients have a lot of confidence in the nurses and this should be promoted by all practices and vets. I am proud to be a veterinary nurse and def don't want to be a vet!

Re: Mini Vets?

Claire Cameron — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:09:08 GMT

I have to say I strongly disagree with nurses being 'Mini-Vets' I would never diagnose, and nor would I want to.

I am still failing to realise why this does not occur in human medicine, No-one would dare ask a human nurse when he/she was going to be a doctor or that they were acting like 'Mini-Doctors'

We are a profession and a role in our own right. I do not want to be a vet, nor to I ever act like a 'mini-vet' I will offer my opinion when asked.

I thought half of our battle was the public understanding and appreciating our role but sadly I feel that the main problem is vets not understanding our role or what we are capable of. I have worked for far too many vets who think we are glorified cleaners and kennel maids. I worked damn hard to qualify and am proud of it.

Re: Mini Vets?

Sarah Nicholas — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:44:34 GMT

I totally agree with everything said - I am a VN and proud of it, never wanted to be a vet. I think it's a shame that some vets don't appreciate the work we can do, if they can't see it how will the clients?

Re: Mini Vets?

Mac Feather — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:43:55 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

There are more replies that are positive about the nursing role than negative ones.....

[/quote]

Well thats encouraging.

I just feel its a sad state of affairs when vets and V.Ns arent working together for the common good of the pets and the practice and its sad that theres a huge variation in the way V.Ns are perceived.

I loved being able to do nurse clinics- I enjoyed them, I got huge job satisfaction from them and I never felt like I was a mini vet, nor did I want to be a mini vet.