RVN - Viking Vets - Bristol
(2021-09)
My role as an RVN includes:
- Diagnostics – I am proficient in taking X-Rays, as the vets delegate this to the nurses.
- Anaesthesia – I am confident in all aspects of anaesthesia and analgesia, as the vets also delegate calculating premed doses, placing IVs, giving IM injections and taking blood samples to the nurses. I also regularly intubate patients. I feel very comfortable using formularies for small animals and exotic pets.
- Inpatient care – despite being a first opinion practice, we also hospitalise patients. During shifts in which I'm head of kennels, I medicate, provide fluid therapy for, and regularly monitor these unwell patients. I also simultaneously prepare the outpatients for their operations and look after them on recovery. Infection control and cleaning are a large part of this role too.
- I have a particular interest in endocrinological disorders, disease processes, and nursing considerations for patients with these different requirements. I have recently completed an RCVS small animal medical nursing online CPD course, and I am keen to apply this knowledge to practice.
- Customer facing – I have regular clinic days in which I give injections, take bloods, carry out puppy and kitten health checks, and senior cat health checks by using doppler blood pressure measurement.
- I also have regular reception shifts in which I answer phones, deal with client queries and carry out administration, all with an enthusiastic and compassionate attitude.
- Extra responsibilities – I am head of lab, meaning I have written SOPs for all the new lab diagnostic machines and autoclave, and I am in charge of training all the other veterinary staff in how to use them. I have also enrolled us onto a quality assurance scheme, and I am in charge of organising repairs and servicing of the machines if the reports show trends or biases, as well as carrying out weekly in house maintenance and cleaning of the machines.
Seasonal Living Collections Assistant - WWT (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) - Slimbridge
(2021-04 - 2021-09)
- My role as a Seasonal Living Collections Assistant involved handling, medicating orally and intramuscularly, and providing husbandry for adult and juvenile waterfowl at this conservation centre.
- This included feeding, monitoring their health, and cleaning the juveniles' enclosures diligently to prevent the spread of disease between adults and juveniles.
Full-time Student Volunteer - MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre - Canada
(2020-03 - 2020-08)
- My role as a full-time student volunteer involved rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured wildlife.
- My responsibilities included preparing and providing diets, orogastric tube feeding mammals and birds, creating enrichment, cleaning enclosures, administering medication (orally, intramuscularly and subcutaneously), providing physiotherapy, and participating in wound care, such as changing bandages.
- I grew familiar with handling and restraining aggressive and dangerous animals, such as small and large mammals, a variety of bird species, including raptors, and reptiles.
- I gained confidence with the wildlife species formulary here, as I regularly calculated and administered a multitude of drugs for all the species listed above.
Behavioural Volunteer - Animals Asia Foundation - Vietnam
(2019-04 - 2019-07)
Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre
- My main responsibility as a Behavioural Volunteer at Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre involved conducting behavioural studies of individual bears and creating reports based on my findings.
- In the absence of a vet nurse volunteer, I assisted the vet nurses with preparing the bears' medication.
- Husbandry tasks were carried out daily, such as cleaning enclosures, creating enrichment, and providing food. Assisting the vet nurses with health checks by distracting the bears with food was another duty.
Store Colleague - Pets at Home - Plymouth
(2017-07 - 2018-06)
- As a Store Colleague, I carried out daily husbandry tasks for the domestic species housed here, ranging from rodents, to fish, to reptiles. These tasks included feedings and cleaning enclosures.
- My retail experience in advising customers on products, such as flea and worm treatment, as well as on the care they should give their pets following a purchase, has aided me in the job roles that followed.
