Tips for your first Clinical EMS placement by a 3rd year student

I’ve spent two weeks with the lovely team at Bright Side Vets in Swadlincote who have also recently opened their new branch in Tamworth. As I’ve only recently finished my second year of vet school it was intimidating at first, but I quickly warmed up to the routines of veterinary general practice. At Bright Side, I have got to witness the importance of routine procedures such as castration, spaying, diagnostic imaging, and dental whilst also seeing some more unique referral operations such as an anal gland sacculectomy. Brightside has vets that specialize in soft tissue, orthopaedics and ophthalmology so you will be able to get a glimpse of what referral medicine and surgery can look like as well. I was at first worried about feeling out of place or in the way but I was paired with an EMS buddy vet who was there for me if I ever wasn’t quite sure what to do with my time, I also joined the vets during consults which was an amazing way to build my confidence talking to clients and dealing with more difficult scenarios I may find myself in as a new graduate. You will also be set up with an EMS booklet which helps the staff know your confidence in different skill areas and what your aims are for the placement so they can help tailor how your placement will be.

So how can you make the most of your first clinical EMS? I found the best thing for me was to go in with an open mind and confidence in myself to ask questions, the staff won’t mind if you don’t know everything or aren’t sure about all your clinical skills what matters is you go intending to improve your abilities and learn! No question is too silly, and you will find the more you engage with the procedures and consults the more the practice will be confident with you to try new things when appropriate. I found bringing a little notebook and pen was helpful as I could write down notes on cases and any questions I had that I might not thought of at the time of the appointment, you can split your notebook into body systems and make notes on presenting symptoms, medications, and treatments the vet suggested and what kind of questions are good to ask to get a well-rounded history when I might see similar patients in the future. Any diseases or medications I hadn’t heard of before I would spend a little bit of time researching in my downtime. A notebook is also great for tracking how you have improved each day even if it's only something small, it is a good way to show yourself how much progress you’ve made and what you can practice on your next placement.

My next tip is no job is too small! Does some washing need doing? Do it! Does a room need vacuuming? Do it! The more involved you get with the team the better, it means you're not standing around looking lost and you will also get to know the staff so you feel more comfortable, which can be difficult when you’re a new student. The more little jobs I did the easier I found it to pop into a procedure and ask if I could watch or get involved.

My last tip is don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be amazing at everything. It is easy to walk away from a placement and look at all the things you didn’t think you did well, but it is so important to focus on how you can improve instead and all the things you got to see and learn. It is a massive privilege to go and watch the behind-the-scenes so enjoy yourself!

Written by Autum Foster 3rd year student at the University of Nottingham