Blog: Getting involved, using my knowledge, building my skills

Brogan is studying veterinary medicine at a UK university. Here she talks about her recent EMS placement at a Vets4Pets practice and how receiving an EMS bursary from Vets4Pets has helped her with her placement costs.  

I spent my first clinical placement at a Vets4pets practice. Although it’s always daunting to start a new placement, I was determined to get more involved and start using the knowledge I had gained so far from my course.

I was very nervous about using my surgical skills, but the vets encouraged me to take part whenever appropriate, and it was fantastic to start helping with castrations and stitching up wounds.

I spent most of the days in consults with the veterinarians, which gave me the opportunity to start following cases. Where bloods or imaging was done, the vet would give me the results and ask me to work through them before discussing their own interpretation. This was enormously helpful as it encouraged me to go through my notes and use my understanding of all the bodily systems to make a differential list.

At this time, I was preparing for my first practical exam so I took every opportunity to practice my practical skills. The nurses were always happy to take me through the different procedures. One area I struggled with was using the anaesthetic machine. The head nurse explained why she choose to use the different equipment during each operation and helped me work through the safety checks. I was very nervous about using my surgical skills, but the vets encouraged me to take part whenever appropriate, and it was fantastic to start helping with castrations and stitching up wounds.

I was lucky enough to be awarded a Vets4Pets EMS bursary. After this placement, I was granted two weeks’ worth of funding, and I used this money to buy a textbook to aid my studies and to cover the cost of accommodation whilst in placement.

I returned four months later for a second placement at the same Vets4Pets practice, and I feel I really built my skills whilst working with this excellent team. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity!