23 May 2023
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Guest Writer: Morley Jones, Royal Veterinary College EMS Student
This was my first clinical EMS placement and I was extremely lucky to be allocated in a hardworking dedicated team of staff who were extremely helpful and further increased my knowledge through their teaching and guidance.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Vets4Pets Merthyr. Over the 2 weeks I gained an invaluable insight into a wide arrange of things from triage & consult skills to Surgery & everything in between!
The practice caseload was primarily companion animal with some extremely cute rabbits & hamsters! During my time I got an opportunity to develop my laboratory skills such as interpreting haematology and biochemistry tests and performing blood smears. Furthermore I got to develop key practical skills such as inserting intravenous catheters and taking blood samples via various veins such as the Cephalic & Lateral Saphenous. The wonderful team of nurses also got me actively engaged in their duties such as calculating drug dosages and administering pre, during and post-surgery medication under supervision.
"I found the Vets4Pets Pre-Placement Questionnaire extremely useful"
I found the Vets4Pets Pre Placement Questionnaire extremely useful as it focused, not only my educational aims for the EMS placement, but also aided the staff in being to facilitate these various areas. Throughout my time I was able to supervise and under supervision partake in surgery with Cats & Dogs. I successfully completed my first Cat Castrate which was a big tick in the box for the veterinary career bucket list! Throughout each surgery and during appropriate consults Katie Miller, the Clinical Lead and the team explained and questioned my understanding of individual cases which further motivated me to do some further reading and motivated me to broaden my knowledge.
"Another big tick off the veterinary journey bucket list!"
A highlight of my time was assisting in a Bitch Spay with the team guiding me through each stage of the process, another big tick off of the veterinary journey bucket list! The team regularly checked how I was doing and if they could be of any help which I deeply appreciated. Another educational highlight was that of a cat that came in with discharge around the tongue and bad smelling breath. Through the triage it was deduced that the owner had mistakenly introduced a toxic house plant into the home. After learning that Hyacinths are toxic to cats this has further motivated me to create a resource to educate what house plants are toxic to pets at university.