Transcript Understanding Veterinary

Understanding Veterinary
Practice Roles
Objective 1: Identify the type of work performed
within a veterinary practice.
• I. To get an understanding of the type of work that is performed, list
and describe job positions and specific duties within a vet clinic.
• A. Job titles within a veterinary clinic:
• 1. A veterinarian is a highly qualified individual who provides
veterinary medical care to animals. The veterinarian diagnoses
disease, prescribes medication, and performs surgery. In order to
practice veterinary medicine a person must have receive a Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and pass a state examination.
• 2. A veterinary technologist is a support professional in veterinary
medicine that may be employed as a research associate, sales
manager, clinical technologists, or teacher. Vet technologists
typically have a four-year degree from an American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) accredited veterinary technology
program.
• 3. A veterinary technician performs a wide range of supporting
tasks in a vet clinic. A two or three-year program at AVMA-accredited
school is required to become a veterinary technician.
• 4. A veterinary assistant performs general tasks such as cleaning
cages, restraining, feeding, and exercising animals, collecting blood
samples, assisting with surgeries, and countless other
responsibilities. Veterinary assistants are typically trained on the job
and require no college education.
• B. Other duties within veterinary clinic:
• 1. Client communication such as answering the telephone, making
appointments, answering questions, receiving mail and packages,
etc.
• 2. Financial activities such as preparing invoices, sending bills,
receiving payments, making bank deposits, paying bills, etc.
Objective 2: Identify proper restraint
techniques to ensure patient and caregiver
safety.
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II. Restraint is the act of controlling movement and activity of an animal so
that it can be examined and treated. Animal restraint is sometimes
necessary to prevent injury to the animal or to the caregiver.
A. There are several ways to restrain animals:
1. A feline bag is used to restrain cats to reduce the likelihood of scratches.
2. Physical restraint involves physically holding an animal in place.
Squeeze chutes,
nose snares, ropes, halters, or other instruments may be used to physically
restrain an animal in order to safely treat the animal.
3. Chemical restraint is the use of tranquilizers, sedatives, or other
anesthetics to sedate or immobilize an animal. Use of chemical restraint
should be monitored closely. An overdose or adverse reaction may occur.
4. Diversionary restraint is often times used with large animals to divert
their attention away from the procedure. For example, with horses you may
hold an ear tightly to draw attention away from the insertion of a needle in
some other part of the body.
Objective 3: Identify hazards in the
veterinary workplace.
• III. Working in a veterinary clinic can be rewarding yet the
employees are exposed to several potential safety hazards. In order
to avoid these hazards, they must first be identified.
• A. Safety hazards in the veterinary workplace can be placed into five
categories.
• 1. Physical hazards may include the following: cuts from sharp
instruments, being stepped on or kicked by large animals, bites or
scratches from small animals, high noise levels, x-ray radiation, and
others.
• 2. Chemical hazards involve the exposure to drugs, pesticides,
anesthesia, and others. Special care should be taken when handling
and administering chemicals.
• 3. Biological hazards include exposure to vaccines, laboratory
procedures, and medical wastes such as blood, needles, and
syringes.
• 4. Zoonotic infections are infectious diseases
that can be transmitted between animals and
humans. Examples include: rabies, tuberculosis,
brucellosis, anthrax, ringworm, and others.
• 5. Parasitic hazards involve the potential for
parasites to transmit disease from animal to
human. Flies, mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas can
all transmit disease from animals to humans.
Exposure to internal parasites such as the
hookworm or roundworm can also be
considered a parasitic hazard.