I squeezed a bum today.
So that is probably not the best way to start this blog. Apologies to all the nurses out there who are reading this, not very original huh? It is the truth though, and without the truth what is the point. Right. Let’s try again.
A day in the life of a veterinary nurse. What do I even do all day?
When I was little, I used to dream of working with and helping animals. I wanted to be like David 
Attenborough. Travel the world. Teach the masses about wildlife and conservation. I’d take to the seas after studying Marine Biology. Tag, track and record population densities. Raise awareness for pollution, cut turtles out of netting and release animals back into the wild. Captain Planet was my idol and to this day I can still recite the entire theme song off by heart. I would spend all my time watching documentaries, reading animal books and annoying everybody I could with my fun fauna facts (Brenda, I am still not sorry about that 3hr roundtrip to MovieWorld. I was 13 and obsessed).
Now none of the above has actually happened. Well, not in the way it is written anyway, but I think that it is important to note that veterinary nursing is not just a job for the majority of us. It is a passion that has been growing and developing, since any of us can remember. We genuinely love what we do.
Okay, so where was I? Oh yes, I squeezed a bum today. It wasn’t the first thing I did (thankfully) but it’s worth a mention. My day starts like most peoples. The alarm goes off and I try to (gracefully) untangle myself from a cocoon of blankets. Winter is coming, and the cold is not my friend. Within 15minutes I am up, power showered and in the car. Breakfast never seems to happen for me, but I do manage to dress myself so that’s something I guess.
Before the doors open, the nurses get the clinic setup and ready for the day. Preparation and preplanning is key. We’re often here well before our actual rostered start time, just to get a head start on the day. We’re okay with this too, as it puts the team (our friends) in the best position for whatever the world decides to throw at us.
Inpatients are walked, cuddled (lots!) and brushed. Medications are given if required and a physical examination is performed. We know how much you miss your fur babies when they stay with us overnight, so we try to call you with an update as soon as possible!
We hold rounds (yes, just like a human hospital) prior to opening. This gets everybody up to speed with the patients of the day. Allows us to go over any fine tuning and organise our workload across the team.
The doors open and it is go time. The first hour is usually pretty full on. We often have 5-8 animals being dropped off for their day procedure within this 60minute window. It is the nurses job to admit each patient, perform a thorough pre-admission consultation and go through any relevant paperwork with the owner. The day admits can be anything from routine desexing to radiographs, ultrasonography, dental work, complicated lump removals or a combination of the above. Good thing we’ve all paid attention during rounds! At times we will also have extensive orthopaedic procedures to perform. These patients will stay with us overnight following their surgery. There truly is never a dull day at the vet clinic.
Once admitted, the nurses need to place intravenous catheters in every patient. These catheters are multipurpose and allow us direct access to the blood stream for the collection of blood and the administration of IV medications and intra-operative fluid therapy. In some cases blood may need to be drawn from the jugular vein, and the nurses will do this as well. Has anyone seen that YouTube clip of a large dog taking off down the hallway with the nurse still attached? If you haven’t, you should, because somedays it is almost accurate. Like yesterday. I felt sorry for her anyway.. well, after I stopped laughing of course. Floor burn is real.
The nurses are then responsible for keeping your fur babies stable but more importantly, alive(!) throughout their anaesthetic. We check, monitor and record heart rates, respiratory rates, systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean BP, mucous membrane colour, capillary refill times, core body temperature, muscle tone and pain response. Inhalation anaesthetic levels are tweaked where required, and fluid rates are adjusted as necessary. Although uncommon, emergencies can occur during anaesthesia and again it is your nurse who administers life saving medications and commences CPR to the crashing patient.
After the procedure is done it is the nurse who wakes your animal up from anaesthesia. We call this the recovery period, and we will sit with them until they are swallowing, lifting their head and looking at us. Sometimes a pet will cry during recovery and we are right there to provide comfort and cuddles.
Other than monitoring and recovering surgical patients, the nurses also take care of the hospital patients. Some days all cages are occupied, with all fluid pumps beeping and a chorus of animals singing. Does anyone else feel a headache coming on? Diabetic patients are in for their glucose monitoring, the dumpster diving Labrador is in with pancreatitis (again), the Burmese won’t poo, Molly the Moodle has a bad case of gastro and the poor puppy farm Rotti has a hookworm infestation. A multitude of medications are required to be given to a multitude of patients and the nurses ensure that this is done correctly, at the correct dose, at the correct times.
It’s not all diarrhoea and desexing though, we love our puppy and kitten breaks. Unless that puppy happens to be a Beagle that has eaten a block of Cadbury. In which case (okay we still love him, he’s adorable), but we do need to give him an injection to vomit back up all his chocolate delights. Now catching the vomit is a game you really don’t want to lose and puppy breath never really smells the same after that…
After little puppy chunders has recovered from his ordeal (and yes, we hope he’ll make better life choices in the future), it is time for a well deserved lunch break. Remember how I said nurses are great at preplanning? I meant solely for work stuff, not life stuff, like remembering to bring yourself food. Maybe some nurses are (and my hat off to you), but truthfully I am terrible at bringing lunch. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised though as I don’t seem to remember breakfast either… So off to the bakery I go to pick up my staple work diet, a feta and spinach roll. I don’t know what I’d do if they stopped selling those. Probably cry and then starve, in that order (I hope you’re reading this Brumbys, because I need you).
Somehow we’ve made it into mid-afternoon. By this time of the day, the nurses have recovered all their surgical patients, prepped their cases for discharge, are up to date with the hospital patients, and have started their nurse consults. Now how did I start this blog again? Oh, yes, I squeezed a bum today. Isn’t it nice when things come full circle. Veterinary nurses, as you’ve probably guessed by now, are multi-skilled. We will perform anal gland evacuations, nail trims, ear cleans, suture removal and post operative checks in consult. Some of us run puppy preschool classes, whilst others hold weight management clinics. With the right training and a can do attitude there really is nothing we can’t do. Well, apart from of course, actual vet stuff and we’re very aware of that line.
Cleaning hasn’t been mentioned yet, but the nurses take care of that as well. Surgical kits are soaked, scrubbed, wrapped and sterilised. Floors are swept and mopped, and the never ending pile of washing is rotated through. It’s like a sad version of the Tim Tam add, minus the calories. Equipment maintenance is done on a weekly, monthly, quarterly schedule. Clippers are cleaned and oiled, consult rooms restocked, benches wiped over and bins emptied. There is always something to do as a nurse and you’re constantly moving, lifting, carrying, restraining. I personally don’t own a Fitbit, but some days I would like to know my step tally.
The sun has dipped over the horizon, the cold is setting in and my stomach has woken up. It must be time for close. Inpatients are checked one final time and given a cuddle. We all say goodbye and head to our cars. Hopefully someone remembered to lock the front door (I’m kidding Rob, it’s definitely locked… maybe?).
After 12hours I pull into my driveway. The stars are so very bright tonight and I almost walk through the fence whilst staring up at them. Personal note; remain stationary when looking at the sky, or you will end up with bruises. I’m greeted by the familiar meow of my cat Cera who is waiting for me in her usual spot, by the door. 
I’d like to think she’s happy to see me, but lets be honest, she is probably just hungry. I feed her, feed myself and then unfold into bed. It is freezing and I decide to invest in a hot water bottle. Not tomorrow though, tomorrow is another day at the clinic. I make a mental note to remember lunch in the morning. It’s unlikely to happen, but I try.
Like most nurses, I take some work home with me. I hope that Beagle puppy has learnt a lesson, I hope my surgical patients are comfortable, I hope the in-patients aren’t too lonely in the clinic overnight, and I hope that Burmese has finally pooped.
Tomorrow is a new day and I can’t wait to see what new challenges are headed our way.
LouiseS