Vet Times

Tag: Stress

  • How I finally fell in love with my job

    How I finally fell in love with my job

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    I’m Ami, and I’m a farm vet. I first wrote for Veterinary Times as a new graduate – wide eyed and enthusiastic, with a hint of terror that comes from not quite feeling ready to fly the nest. I’ve been a vet for seven years now, and it’s taken about six of those for me…

  • Extracurricular activities

    Extracurricular activities

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    Even for someone like me, who is introverted and has the social skills of the average nerd, university was the most socially active period of my life. Most of my nights were spent with friends – either at the cinema, hanging around at other people’s houses – or at pubs, scavenging for free food in…

  • Is the grass greener?

    Is the grass greener?

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    My classmates and I recently reunited at our beloved university to celebrate joining the profession as qualified vets around a year ago. While there we attended a CPD event based around managing difficult situations as a new grad, be that with clients, colleagues or bosses. While the scenarios were entertaining, they also highlighted aspects of…

  • IV as a sign of competence?

    IV as a sign of competence?

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    There’s a trend in our industry that has been apparent to me since the early days of my training and I’m wondering if this attitude is prevalent elsewhere. I see, time and again, the placement of an IV being used as a marker of general nursing skill level and competence. Yet, it‘s common for vet…

  • Reflecting on the good moments

    Reflecting on the good moments

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    As me and my (non-vet) partner sat down for a rare mid-week breakfast together, I made an offhand comment about “having” to vaccinate 15 puppies that day. “What do you mean ‘have to’?” was his response. “Most people would love that, and you get paid for it.” I considered this – and, while I’m more…

  • Millennium baby

    Millennium baby

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    I qualified in 1999 and, because I drew the short straw and was a new graduate, I saw in the millennium with a friendly little Yorkshire terrier as it recovered from a seizure. I’ve spent New Years’ in worse company. Although the idea seems almost inconceivable to me, 1999 was actually a long time ago…

  • Mr Management

    Mr Management

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    There’s a scene in one of my favourite TV shows of all time, The Wire, in which soon-to-be mayor Tommy Carcetti is talking to one of Baltimore’s past mayors about what to expect in the job. Being a mayor, the older veteran explains to Carcetti, involves eating “bowls of sh*t”, one after another, day after…

  • Clients who reveal a little too much…

    Clients who reveal a little too much…

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    We can have very close relationships with our clients – and it is lovely when we do. The element of trust means they can share their hopes and fears for their pets, and also share the parts of their lives that help or hinder them in caring for their pets. I appreciate it when a…

  • Corporate vet school

    Corporate vet school

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    The announcement of a corporate veterinary group’s collaboration with the new Keele University/Harper Adams veterinary school struck a few chords, and seemingly opened a figurative can of worms that (like their literal parasitic counterparts) just doesn’t sit well in my gut. A few points to consider here, the first of which I have written about…

  • Pet safety in an emergency

    Pet safety in an emergency

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    It’s almost a year since the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London – an awful event taking so many lives and causing distress to those who survived. You may recall concern at the time for a number of pets there, as some people had tried to move their pets safely and had lost them,…