It is Monday, November 9, 2015 and I arrive at the hospital at approximately 11:30 am. It is not too busy today and I hope to really get some questions in today. It has been almost a month since my last visit and everyone seems to remember me and I am greeting with welcoming gestures. It appears that the staff is becoming more comfortable with my presence here.
I am told that Doc is in surgery and I walk in and am greeted warmly. Doc jokes with me telling me that they thought they had all scared me off. I explain to him that things have just been crazy at college and he laughs telling me that he remembers his college days. We discuss the crosswalks at the college while he is performing a c-section, a pretty common procedure for Doc and one that I have witnessed many times already in my short time here.
Conversation is pretty intense today with a lot of veterinary terminology being used. I am able to follow most of it and question some that I am not familiar with when time permits. I am really observing the literacy taking place today and forming more questions for Thursday when I plan to do my interviews. I have been told by staff members that Tuesdays and Thursday are their least busy days therefore I have chosen Thursday to perform my interviews.
The schedule at the hospital is running smoothly today and the staff goes over some of the scheduling for the upcoming week. Doc exams some animals and jokes with the clients telling many stories of his past. I am thoroughly enjoying his stories and am able to relate to a lot of them through past experiences with my own animals.
Doc discusses some breeding procedures with me and I ask questions for better understanding. We discuss in and out breeding and why it is important while he discusses it with a client also. Today is a very laid back kind of day, one in which I am able to learn a lot.
A possible rabies case comes in. This is an area that I will not observe as it can be a very touchy subject for the owner and also for my safety. I do not know if the animal brought in is alive or already deceased. I am told that the client already has one animal there at the hospital in quarantine being observed for possible rabies. Doc walks out carrying a white bag which I am assuming is the deceased body of the possible rabies case. I do not ask any questions on this very sad subject. In this environment, not every outcome is a happy one and one I must train my heart to accept.
While Doc is at lunch, a dog with a possible broken front leg comes in. One of the other vets is performing the exam on the dog. The dog is brought into x-ray to have it's leg x-rayed. I am able to view the x-ray and find the fracture in the bone. I will include a picture of this below. It is not everyday that one gets to view an x-ray and see the results. This is a very neat cultural artifact that I am able to share with you.
With today being a slower day, I am able to go through the hospital and take a lot of pictures of cultural artifacts which I will share with you below. You will also be able to view my field notes for the day.
 |
| Large Capacity Automatic Autoclave - used for sterilization of surgical tools. |
 |
| X-ray machine and apron |
 |
| microscope |
 |
| Catalyst One Machine - used in Chemistry - used to test chemistry profile, electrolytes, liver function, CBC testing, testing for safe administration of anesthesia dosage, thyroid disease, fructosamine / diabetic testing, phenobarbital levels and urine P:C ratio for renal disease. |
 |
| Procyte Dx - used for hematology - used to test blood count, five-part white blood cell differential, absolute reticulocyte counts, presence of band neutrophils, nucleated red blood cells, body fluid analysis, abdominal/thoracic and synovial fluid parameters. |
 |
| Blood Rocker (on the left), used to mix the blood and keep it from clotting - VetLab UA (on the right)- used in urinalysis - used to test urine samples for pH, LEU (leukocytes), PRO (protein), GLU (glucose), KET (ketones), UBG (urobilinogen), BIL (biliruben), and BLD/HGB (blood/hemoglobin) |
 |
| Mediums used in testing |
 |
| Multipurpose Centrifuge - A centrifuge is a laboratory device that is used
for the separation of fluids, gas or liquid, based on density.
Separation is achieved by spinning a vessel containing material at high
speed; the centrifugal force pushes heavier materials to the outside of
the vessel. |
 |
| Catalyst DX - used in chemistry - comprehensive equine (horse) testing, NSAID therapy, test chemistry profile, electrolytes, liver function, CBC testing,
testing for safe administration of anesthesia dosage, thyroid disease,
fructosamine / diabetic testing, phenobarbital levels and urine P:C
ratio for renal disease. Can test up to 30 slides at one time and results received in 7 minutes or less. |
 |
| Small Animal Warming Unit with Oxygen |
 |
| Medical liquids |
 |
| Gauzes and Medical Tape |
 |
| This is the x-ray screen with the x-ray of the small dogs leg with a fracture. |
 |
| Closer picture of the x-ray showing the fracture. |
 |
| Close-up of the fracture. It is located on the upper bone in the center of the curve. |
No comments:
Post a Comment