#veterinary assisting

Hi there!

Most places have a specific ways of cleaning and sterilizing their instruments. Common ways that I have seen and done myself follow these general steps:

- Most instruments are stainless steel so this helps!

-Right after surgery (if the patient is ok) I open all the open-able instruments and place them in a metal bin with warm water with our instrument lubricant and cleaner liquid.

- Let then soak for about 10 min (but let’s be real, on busy days, they can sit for hours in the water), but dont let them sit overnight!

- After soaking, I use a stiff tooth brush and make sure there is no visible debris on them and place them (still open) into the ultrasonic cleaner. The type of liquid inside will depend on the make and model, but ours is tap water that does through a degasing cycle, then a pump of the same cleaner from earlier. Again the time will matter depending on brand, but it’s usually no more than 20 min.

- Then I lay them out on a towel, grouped in their packs, open with plenty of air around to dry fully. Once layed out, we have a spray bottle with the same lube and give them a light spray down.

Hi! So a main part of veterinary medicine is that it is much more than just loving animals. It's hard and demanding (physically, mentally, and emotionally) work. If you got to school, assisting, tech, or dr, school SHOULD be grueling. If not, you may not be at the right school. There is so much to learn, even at a basic level, that if you are not studying vet med constantly, check yo self. Now if you are good with all that, I recommend exploring the many paths within vet med and know that one case may make you change your entire plan when you are halfway through it. Try not to settle on one idea, but have a few that interest you. Once you have an idea, figure out if you can or cannot do school right now. If not, try to volunteer at shelters, work as a kennel attendant, and/or shadow vets (preferably in your field of interest). This will give you some basic animal knowledge and a bit about how it feels to work in those settings. I also recommend reading all that you can find online, but stick to academic websites. If school is a possibility, figure out to what level you want to go vs what is plausible. Then research schools that fit your life style. Now, I have a hard time saying vet med wont take over your life, but it definitely did for me (in a good way) and will for you, especially if you are in school and studying what you love. Try to work in the field while going to school, this will help you apply what you learn and have knowledgeable coworkers to help better your understanding of concepts. If at any point you loose interest in studying, dont see the animals as real living, feeling patients, or fell to overwhelmed, it is safer for everyone of you dont continue. This can be seen as harsh, but if you lack care in any sense and continue on, you will be miserable and may end up killing someone.