Transcript Slide 1 - kwilkerson

The Veterinary Technician
Office Management
Appointments
 Rooms should be stocked with
daily use items
 Cotton balls (dry and with
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alcohol)
Dry gauze & Swabs
Stethoscope
Thermometers
Ear cleaning supplies, mineral
oil, saline
Nail trimmers, styptic powder
Needles, syringes, blood tubes
gloves
Treats
Anything else?
Appointments
 Once reception checks patient
in you will need to….
 Take a through history
 Why is the patient here?
 What procedures do they need?
 Signs/Symptoms?
 Anything abnormal?
 Diet/Nutrition?
 Weight & TPRs
 Collection lab samples
 Fecals
 OHW or other blood work
 Ear cytology samples
Appointments
 Running/analyzing lab work
 Think ahead & get ready
 Vaccines, pre-meds, meds,
equipment/supplies need for
procedure
 Assist DVM and Restrain patient
 Create invoice for services
rendered
 Fill any prescriptions needed
 Go over discharge instructions
with client
 Schedule any follow up
appointments
The Drop Off
 Take through history when
patient is dropped off
 Ask what the patient is
being dropped off for?
 What procedures to be
completed while patient is
in clinic?
 Get a phone number where
client can be reached if
questions come up or if vet
needs to speak with client
Baths & Dips
 Preferred to be dropped off
first thing in the morning so
procedure can be completed
and patient will be dry before
being discharged
 Check to see when last
bath/dip was performed to
make sure it is due/not
overdue
 If skin scraping is needed,
complete before the bath/dip
Surgery Patients
 Should be fasted the night
before and dropped of the
night before or morning of
surgery
 Have owner sign anesthetic
release
 Verify services to be
performed with client
 Spay and declaw or just spay?
 Get a phone number where
client can be reached
Lab Work-Ups
 Bloodwork
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Presurgical panels
Critical care
Comprehensive
Thyroid
 Blood smears
 Fecals
 Urinalysis
 Cytology
 Ear
 Impression smears
 Skin scrapes
Preparing for Surgery
 Towel/blanket on table for surgery patient
 Monitoring equipment
 Oxygen/anesthetic
 Tubes, reservoir bag, mask
 ET tube (lidocaine if cat) with tie gauze
 Syringe to inflate cuff on ET tube
 Lube for eyes
 Square gauze to hold tongue
 Sterile sx pack, suture & blade (or tissue
glue)
 Put gown, hat, mask, sterile gloves & scrub
out for Surgeon
 Anything else you may need
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Microchip
Declaw supplies
Vaccinations
Nail trimmers
During Surgery
 Monitor vitals of patient
often
 Watch oxygen and anesthetic
levels
 May need to switch out or
refill during long procedures
 Have emergency drugs easily
accessible
 Atropine & epinephrine
 May be required to scrub in
and assist surgeon with actual
surgery
Post Operative Care
 Continue to monitor vitals
of patient until awake from
anesthetic
 Check temperature
periodically & keep the
patient warm
 May need to place E-collar
if pet goes for sutures
Cleaning up after Surgery
 Sharps/Bio Hazardous
 Lab samples
 Biopsy
 Histopathology
 Wipe table/equipment
down
 Clean instruments
 Wrap packs & autoclave
Dentals
 Same anesthetic prep for
surgery.
 Hook up dental machine
 Fill water reservoir
 Have dental equipment on hand
 Ultrasonic Scaler
 Sulcus probe
 Extractors
 Hand instruments for removing
tartar/plaque
 Polish
 Mask, protective eyewear gloves
for you!
Discharging the SX Patient
 Call owner after Sx
 Invoice Sx and Services
rendered
 Prescriptions
 Discharge instructions
 Schedule to go over with
client
 Speak to them in their
language
 Speak professionally
 Take time to answer
questions
The Critical Care Patient
 Place I.V. catheter
 Administering medications
 Monitor
 Symptoms
 Progress
 TPRs, MM
 Assisted feeding
 Cleaning wounds
 Bandage changes
Emergencies
 Know how to assess the
situation
 Excessive bleeding – apply
pressure/bandage
 Difficulty breathing – give
oxygen
 Not breathing – ambu bag,
place ET tube, CPR
 Get DVM immediately
 Administer emergency
drugs
House Calls & Mobile Vets
 Some small animal vets still do
 Large animal vet definitely still do
 Make sure you have all the supplies that you anticipate
needing during the house call.
Kennel
 Walking/exercising dogs
 Cleaning cages
 Boarding
 Administering medications
 Individual meals
 Keeping things organized
 Kennel boards
Other duties as assigned
 Cleaning facility
 Painting
 Babysitting
 Cleaning the Vet’s house
 Picking pecans
 Killing hornets