How to survive vet school placements!
So Iâve been on a lot of placements (or externships, as I know some of you call them) and I thought Iâd share what Iâve learnt about how to not end up crying in a corner 3hrs in
1. Drink water. Like, loads of it. You will likely not feel all that thirsty, but you need to drink water. I quickly discovered that the reason I felt like sitting down and having a good cry some days was that I had not had enough water, and apparently thatâs how my brain thought I should deal with said dehydration.
2. Ask questions. This is coming from someone who is remarkably bad at asking questions. Every single one of my school reports would somewhere include the comment âLizzie is a good student, but should ask more questionsâ. I get that you donât want to seem annoying, or like you donât know anything, but hereâs the thing: YOU (the student) ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE LEAST KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSON IN THE CLINIC. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO BECOME SLIGHTLY LESS CLUELESS. Asking questions shows whoever youâre working with that you are paying attention, thinking about whatâs happening, and (above all) you are interested in what they are doing. It is the key to vets liking you. Iâve been trying to think of one question for each animal we see. It can be something complicated about the minutiae of the case, or it can be as simple as double checking what the vet used for sedation and why. That being saidâŚ.
3. Never ever EVER question the vet in front of clients. Especially not with âwhyâ questions. To you, âwhy are you using penicillin for this case?â sounds like you trying to understand how to choose antibiotics (a mysterious subject that I am still trying to grasp). To the client it sounds like you, currently at university and learning the most up to date information, cannot fathom why the vet would choose the drug they have. Questions are for after the client has left the consult room or once you are back in the vetâs truck.
4. Have some study to do in your bag. Not every day/week you are on placement will be the busiest, most interesting week at that clinic ever. There may be down time, and itâs best not to be playing phone games in said time. I am personally fond of having âThe Small Animal Veterinary Nerdbookâ (Sophia Yin) in my bag. Not only is it small and light, it is an easy to search reference book that covers HEAPS of topics. In my down time, I will look at the sections in this book relative to cases Iâve seen that day (recent cases gets you bonus points because it shows youâre looking deeper).
5. Be nice to nurses. This should be self explanatory but just in case - nurses are a wealth of knowledge (they do know more than you. Always) and if you are nice to them they will share this knowledge and help you thrive in the clinic.Â
6. Be honest. You will always look dumber by claiming to know something than by admitting you do not. Nobody will thank you for pretending to know how to do something you have never done before, and you learn nothing if you say you understand a concept when you do not. You will get far more respect by admitting that you donât know or canât remember than by trying to seem smart.
7. Take the breaks you are offered. You donât need to work until you drop. If someone says you can go take 10 mins for a coffee, take 10 mins. Sit down, drink some water, rest. Just because it seems like there will be plenty of time for that later does not necessarily mean there will be.
8. Say thank you. I always leave or send a thank you note at the end of a placement. It doesnât have to be long or eloquent, just say thank you somehow. You should do it just because itâs polite, but also remember that clinics will probably be filling in evaluation forms about you, or you may want a letter of reference from them when applying for jobs etc. Youâll fare better if you say thank you.
In short: donât be a dick, remember you are there to learn, and make sure you are feeding your body as well as your mind. And have fun!
