Calling all small animal and equine VN's!!!

H

Honey Bee♥

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 June 2010
Messages
86
Visit site
Hello,

basically, I'm a student VN (small animal), and wondered if anyone could help me. Horses are always going to be my favourite animal, and once I had qualified as a VN (small animal), I was going to go on to do the equine course. However, my tutor at college said that you're basically just a stable hand. I've been a stable hand since I was 11, (I'm now 18), so I'm quite used to that. But is that it? Or do you actually get to do some fun stuff aswell? If I could have some good and bad points of both -(small and equine) that would be very much appreciated, as I'm very confused!!

Thanks for your time.

Ps, also posted in Veterinary :)
 
Hiya

I'm a RVN but not currently in practice as have set up self employed.

I've only a little experience of working with horses in a VN capacity, as I have always been small animal - Have scrubbed into a few geldings, usually to hold the emasculators lol, but that's about it. I guess as with small animal, there will be a lot of cleaning involved, mucking out, feeding, grooming, general husbandry of the hospitalised patient. But I would imagine REVNs also get to to a lot of the stuff we do with small animals too - theatre practice, anaesthesia, blood sampling, IV line placement and management, bandaging etc.

An RVN in general practice has to be a multi skilled multi tasker, able to do anything from stitch ups and anaesthesia, through to stock control, insurance claims, cleaning (always lots of cleaning!), reception, practice promotion - the list goes on! Its a very wide ranging job, and I imagine it would be exactly the same for a REVN!

How are you training? Have you done any time in practice yet?
 
tankgirl1 said:
But I would imagine REVNs also get to to a lot of the stuff we do with small animals too - theatre practice, anaesthesia, blood sampling, IV line placement and management, bandaging etc.

An RVN in general practice has to be a multi skilled multi tasker, able to do anything from stitch ups and anaesthesia, through to stock control, insurance claims, cleaning (always lots of cleaning!), reception, practice promotion - the list goes on! Its a very wide ranging job, and I imagine it would be exactly the same for a REVN!

How are you training? Have you done any time in practice yet?
Click to expand...



Basically this is the job - its the same as a small animal nurse (though were I work we nurses no longer do the anaesthesia), the patients are just bigger and more likely to not appreciate you helping them !! :D
 
Last edited:
I am an auxilary equine nurse (on duty now in fact!) I just work with horses (the practice does smalls as well, but the vets and nurses are separate) and the job is really varied, feel free to PM me, may be easier to 'chat' that way :)
 
Ah! Thats pretty cool. I'd rather shovel horse poop all day, than dog poop! And I'm a complete newbie!! I've been in practice (4 days a week, and college 1 day), for just over 2 months now, with no experience prior. Quite a few people at my practice think I've been thrown in at the deep-end, but without knowing any different, I don't share their view as much. But I do love it! Although I find some forget that im completely new to it all. I've also had a few days where I've had quite break-downs ;) But thats part of the job, right?! :D
 
Yes, judging by the number of times I've locked myself in the dark room for 5 minutes to have a little cry :o

It is a very demanding job, mentally, physically and emotionally, but well worth it in my opinion. The pay is usually crap, hours are anti social, but you are doing something you love and making a difference! I would still be in practice if I could, but everywhere round here does their own on call and I am a single mum, so just cannot do overnight on call.
 
Honey Bee♥;11240882 said:
Ah! Thats pretty cool. I'd rather shovel horse poop all day, than dog poop! And I'm a complete newbie!! I've been in practice (4 days a week, and college 1 day), for just over 2 months now, with no experience prior. Quite a few people at my practice think I've been thrown in at the deep-end, but without knowing any different, I don't share their view as much. But I do love it! Although I find some forget that im completely new to it all. I've also had a few days where I've had quite break-downs ;) But thats part of the job, right?! :D
Click to expand...

Ahh - but by being a total newbie they can mould you exactly how they want you, because you dont come with any "we used to do it THIS way" type of thinking, it is much easier to get someone how you want them to be...

as tankgirl has said - its a good job, one of the better horsey jobs out there - but its hard.Dont ever let anyone tell you that its easy,because not only is it physically demanding, its mentally demanding as well - but well worth it.

oh - and all vets are the same, and some owners beggar belief - give you a few years and there will be little that will leave you shocked ;)
 
Racergirl said:
Ahh - but by being a total newbie they can mould you exactly how they want you, because you dont come with any "we used to do it THIS way" type of thinking, it is much easier to get someone how you want them to be...

as tankgirl has said - its a good job, one of the better horsey jobs out there - but its hard.Dont ever let anyone tell you that its easy,because not only is it physically demanding, its mentally demanding as well - but well worth it.

oh - and all vets are the same, and some owners beggar belief - give you a few years and there will be little that will leave you shocked ;)
Click to expand...

Ahh yes - very true regarding the newbie thing - I hadn't considered that. Listen to your tutor, ask her advice, and don't allow yourself to be pushed into giving anything less than what you consider five star care to the animals you are nursing.

And yes vets are a breed unto themselves - very strange creatures! And don't even get me started on owners ;)
 
I used to nurse too, mostly equine, and at the practice I worked at we had stable hands and nurses were valued for the demanding job they did. I was main scrub nurse for theatre - bloody loved it!
 
So, (sorry for thread hijack, but intrigued)! In what ways are vets all the same? My ones aren't, other than they are reliable, kind and competent. But I do specify the ones I want to see!
 
tankgirl1 said:
Ahh yes - very true regarding the newbie thing - I hadn't considered that. Listen to your tutor, ask her advice, and don't allow yourself to be pushed into giving anything less than what you consider five star care to the animals you are nursing.

And yes vets are a breed unto themselves - very strange creatures! And don't even get me started on owners ;)
Click to expand...

Hahaha! I LOVE this, Tankgirl1!!! :D So basically, Equine VN's do the exact same as small animal VN's? Just on a much bigger scale?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top