the term "animal nurse"

I thought this might be of interest to some of us...

http://www.livejournal.com/community...ch/201785.html
Well, where do I begin?????? I guess if they want to call themselves "animal nurses" then I don't care, however, what an arrogant bunch of people. I was shocked at the derogatory things they said. They were downright mean. I wouldn't want to get confused with people who say that. They certainly are not nonjudgemental are they???

Quote from Clarvina StreisandI thought this might be of interest to some of us...http://www.livejournal.com/community...ch/201785.html

Interesting...I don't know where they are, but I do know that this nurse can and does draw blood without requiring help from a phlebotimist...this nurse knows emergency drugs and actions....must be the country they're from. I have heard that in some areas of the world nurses are more the handmaiden types than we are in most western countries.

and - i don't know about you...but last time i checked my head was certainly not up my arse....LOL

Ok, I was a veterinary technician before I went to nursing school... So I do understand there side of the debate.. They DO nursing care, just because the animals can't speak doesn't mean that they don't need hollistic care. And Vet Techs are the surgical nurse, recovery room nurse, radiology tech, lab person, anestesialogist (sp).... They do all those things... If they want to come up with a title that has nurse in it, I say go for it.... Not like you will get VN and RN confused... But they are very hateful in the way they are discussing it..

Most of the planet doesn't really understand what a nurse does on a daily basis, and how complex and "technical" our jobs are. If one of these techs could spend some time in a human ICU observing the nurses -- heck, even the med-surg floor where I work! -- they would be ashamed & quickly eat their words. I have a biology degree, have done countless animal dissections and worked in a genetics/molecular laboratory for several years -- none of which is as complex on so many levels as the job of a human nurse! People really don't understand until they or their loved ones are in a life-and-death situation & receive critical care from a nurse.

That link was a fine example of the pot calling the kettle black. I think i'll email them with my opinion about removing the stick that seems to be up their butt.

Quote from cyberkatInteresting...I don't know where they are, but I do know that this nurse can and does draw blood without requiring help from a phlebotimist...this nurse knows emergency drugs and actions....must be the country they're from. I have heard that in some areas of the world nurses are more the handmaiden types than we are in most western countries.

here's my basic deal: if you're not licensed to use that title, you shouldn't be using it... i understand that, for convenience sake it's sometime easier to just say "i'm a nurse"... but that doesn't mean you are one... i find it laughable that one of the comments made was "Veterinarians can call themselves Doctors, right? You don't see MDs getting their panties in a wad over that. *****"... guess what, chica! that vet may not be a "human" doctor, but he certain went through vetrinary medical school and allowed to call himself/herself a doctor because he/she is LICENSED to do so...basically, i just see a lot of misinformation and uninformed opinions flying around in their comments... ah, to be blissfully ignorant and full of myself again! beth

Oh GEE the setting are for "friends only" to post messages. Probably afraid of the burns from the flames.What a shame that those such people that think so little of human beings that are nurses, are taking care of animals. Animals deserve care from people that are a little more caring and heartfelt than THAT.

What a bunch of ignorant people! I'm talking about the comments I read on that link, not about you guys (just thought I'd clarify). It bothers me when people judge others with limited knowledge of the truth. I respect vet techs for the position that they hold. Being an animal lover and mother to 2 cats and 1 puppy, I want them to receive the best care from intelligent people. HOWEVER, while I don't have a major issue with vet techs being called nurses, I have wondered at times why they call themselves that. I have no idea what their job entails so I'm not going to act like I do. I know what MY job entails though and I know that for what I do, it requires a HUGE knowledge base. We have to know practically everything, especially when you work with first year residents who don't know their a** from a hole in the ground so if you want to keep your patient alive you've gotta know what to ask for and when to say "what the heck are you doing!". Anyway, I would have to see their job description before I can say that I have to do more than they do. However, I do draw my own labs and on my floor we can do art sticks if we've been signed off. It all depends in the institution you work in. I'm not all picky about my title of "nurse", but I do know how hard I worked to get it and the fact that, like someone said earlier, the majority of the planet doesn't know what we do, that bothers me. I wish somehow they could get a glimpse of one of my shifts and then maybe they'd think twice about thinking nurses don't do anything.

OK have to put in my two cents on this one, as I am still a licensed vet tech (have been for 12 years) and am 2 semesters away from my BSN. The techs posting those messages have absolutely NO IDEA what human nurses do on a daily basis. They complained that they have to do it all, i.e. radiology, OR tech, phlebotomy, etc etc. That is because, generally speaking, vet med is way lower tech than human med is. They can do more things because each tasks is much less involved. Example - the techs said they functioned as "anesthesiologist", among other things. This is true to a point, as the tech will start the IV, take the pre-op vitals/bloodwork,EKG/, etc. administer the induction (ketamine/valium, propofol, whatever), insert endotrach tube, hook up to anesthesia machine, hook up to monitoring equipment (may vary from just pulse ox to BP/EKG/ end-tidal CO2, depending on quality of hospital) prep and scrub for surgery, position and tie-down, open packs, perhaps scrub in and assist with procedure, monitor anesthesia and adjust level of inhalant prn, recover animal, extubate, monitor for post-op complications. Now, that seems like a lot, but like I mentioned, things are much less complicated. Take intubation for example. It is much easier to intubate a dog or a cat than it is a person. You don't even need a laryngoscope, once they are induced and relaxed you just open the mouth, pull the tongue, visualize the epiglottis, pull that down with the end of the tube, you can (usually) easily see the cords, and slip the tube in. Cats may require some lidocaine for laryngospam, but that about sums it up. Much easier than in people. Yes, they monitor anesthesia to a point, but the DVM is right there in the OR, and has the say on the level of anesthesia. If the doc wants it turned up or down they say so, the tech just does it. The tech may notice the animal is too deep while the doc is busy doing the surgery and make minor adjustments, but again, the doc is right there and has the final say on everything, so it's not like the tech is really an "anesthesiologist", as they love to say...I can say this b/c I have much experience in the field, and have worked my a** off in busy emergency clinics with "ICU" settings as well as regular day practices. Having a critical care veterinary patient is NOWHERE NEAR as involved as a human one, and if you put the best vet tech ever into a busy human ICU their head would spin. I am not trying to brag here, but I am excellent at what I do in vet med, and I am constantly educating myself about new and different protocols and therapies. Just the number of drips alone on some human ICU patients is enough to keep me busy for an hour, trying to sort everything out. To be sure, my vet experience has helped tremendously in nursing school, most of the meds we use are the same with a few exceptions. However, there are waaaay more meds that are used in human medicine that aren't used with animals, and there are many more side effects that one has to watch for in people. Another good example of things a human nurse is educated in is the whole psychosocial aspect of patient care, one that is never dealt with in vet med, as you can see from the content of the postings on the tech message board. I am also tired of hearing about how "much more" a tech has to know because they deal with different species. So what, you learn what you need to know for the test in school, then you basically forget everything you don't use on a routine basis anyway, just like a nurse, just like an MD or DVM, etc. Yes, you know where to draw blood on different species, different methods of restraint, where to give injections, etc. It's not brain surgery by any means, so what if you know not to give a turtle abx in the hind leg d/t the renal portal system. I know that too, doesn't make me a genius or allow me to degrade the human nursing profession.There are TONS of things a human RN knows about caring for people that vet techs don't have the slightest idea of. As for the title of "nurse", who cares if they want to be called "vet nurse" or something like that. No big deal to me, I honestly would hope people (general public) would realize that they are working in an animal clinic and are therefore not human nurses. Then again, that is probably giving too much credit to the public =). And, as far as them saying that human nurses are "the worst clients / worst pet owners", I can vouch for that being prevelant throughout vet medicine. Not that it is true, but that most vets and tech I have worked with have rolled their eyes when the receptionist tells them that "heads up, Mrs. so and so in room one is an RN."Vet techs work very hard for no recognition and pitiful pay, often with little or non-existant benefits. These are the reasons why I left the field. There is no way you can survive on a tech's salary and have a decent house and car, I'm not talking about anything fancy either. Sorry this got so long, but techs really get on my nerves when they say they know so much more and do so much more, when they actually have no clue what human nursing involves on a daily basis. I think there is always a level of intimidation in a vet hosp as well when a human healthcare provider is the pet owner, especially M.D.'s - I've seen it many times.