W L W L
THERE IS NO ' I ' IN TEAM
BY DUGIE GEMMILL , PARKSIDE VETERINARY PRACTICE
There are occasions in life when you repeat yourself . There are occasions when this is merely forgetfulness – sadly , a malady I suffer from increasingly these days – or days when one is tired and it is easier to rely on tried and tested , pre-scripted conversations , and risk the accusation of being boring rather than striking for originality . There are those times when it is necessary in order to get your point across – the schooling of one ’ s children or battling with bureaucracy spring to mind . Then there are those times when there is a point that is worth making – the cry from the rooftop , preach from the pulpit points , that should be shouted with enthusiasm .
The veterinary profession has seen huge advances in the thirty-plus years since I left the hallowed halls of Glasgow University . In the Parkside we have a diagnostic imaging suite with a digital x-ray and an ultrasound machine , with another designated dental theatre equipped with a specific dental x-ray . If our patients need arises , we have ready access to MRI and CT scanners . When I first qualified , we were plunging acetate x-ray films into open chemical baths ! We have an extensive inpractice laboratory that gives us complex test results in twenty minutes . In the world we inhabited so many years ago , our tests were posted and if one was remarkably high tech , the results appeared by fax two or three days later ! The knowledge base that is available to us is now vast , and today ’ s young veterinary surgeons are trained to the highest level – I will happily admit that they probably know a lot more than I ! However , years of investment in time , training and equipment leaves the older graduate able to perform surgical techniques in general practice that years ago , would only be available in a hospital environment , or in the case of our laparoscopic surgery here at Parkside , would hardly have been imagined in the veterinary world .
However , I have drifted from what was my chosen subject . If I were to write a sermon , the subject would be the team and teamwork . The we , and not the I . The reception , client care team ; the nursing , patient care team ; the veterinary surgeons ; the administrative team ; nothing would happen if each wheel did not turn , in harmony with others . There is a joy to be had in being part of a well-oiled machine . There is
a drive for excellence , that is greater than that of an individual . There is comradeship too , in the fraternal care and support of one team member to another – we work in a profession with one of the highest rates of stress and burnout .
May is Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month . So , if you are of a mind to look , then look for # VNAM or # whatVNsdo on social media . Every client knows the veterinary surgeons in a practice . Every client knows the reception team – the smiling , helpful voices , and face of the practice - but how many clients know the nursing team ? The nursing team – the Registered Veterinary Nurses , the trainees , and students , aspiring to be RVNs , the patient care assistants – are the glue that binds us together ; the hands that help heal , the hearts that care . The nurses hold our patients with care , they monitor the general anaesthetics , assist with surgery , change the dressings , and clean all the mess that the animals ( and vets ) make . They pick up things I drop , them remind me of what I have forgotten . They share the smiling highs and the crying lows of our work . Veterinary nurses are highly trained medical professionals with detailed knowledge of drugs , laboratory techniques , surgical techniques , and surgical equipment , wrapped up in a caring , compassionate package . They provide support – medical , surgical , and emotional – to the clients and to the vets ! I would not get through an hour , let alone a day , or a week without my team .
Human beings are social animals and we have thrived as a species through aspiration and working together . As we see so often , when we fall from grace it is often from individualism , separatism . May is a month to sing the praises of veterinary nurses , but perhaps we should all remember that in all things people are better together and express both gratitude and respect for those who help us through our days .
Dugie is a graduate of Glasgow University and has worked at Parkside Veterinary Practice since 1990 and has been the Clinical Director for the last ten years . He has a keen interest in laparoscopic and orthopaedic surgery .
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