From the UK to Australia, a day in the life of a vet nurse

When I’m not working as The Friendly Pet Nurse, I also work as a vet nurse for several other local veterinary practices, but with the pandemic, my regular customer services, such as cat-sitting, behavioural consultants and pet visits have had to change. I also have to juggle work with parenting, as any shifts, I work have to fit in around school hours and after school clubs. So, what better way to work than working the hours when Australia is asleep and we are awake? Using my expertise and knowledge to help those pet owners in need of Out Of Hours care (OOH), via VetCheck 24/7.

Vet Nurse Out Of Hours Care

Similar to how many veterinary practices in the UK cover their out of hours (OOH), many veterinary practices in Australia have signed up to use VetCheck 24/7, a service that allows pet owners to go through to experienced vet nurses, such as myself when their practices are closed. Similar to 111 services over here in the UK, the call is a chance for professionals to asset the situation, advise, reassure and, ultimately decide if further attention is needed, and, if possible, help with any pet trouble until the practice opens again in the morning.

Pet care can look different in Australia

I’ve worked for VetCheck for 6 months now and there are a few things that strike you about the calls, firstly, the wildlife… I’ve taken calls about Koalas recused by rangers, kangaroos with broken legs, a duck strangled by a python, spider bites and paralysis from ticks. Wildlife certainly is more dangerous on the other side of the world! Common themes also include snake bites which can range in size and toxicity, obviously hard to diagnose over the phone. Dogs often ingest usual things and can suffer from canine parvovirus, or PARVO. Another striking difference is the size and space, we are so lucky in the UK as vet practices are only ever a few miles away. In Australia, you can live very remotely and can travel for hours without reaching a town, let alone a vet clinic.

How it works

Worried pet owners call their vet’s if their pet needs attention. If the surgery or practice is closed and the business is part of VetCheck, they can be put through to vet nurses like me. I will take all their details and log the call. I will then try to reassure owners, assess as much as I can about the pet and act as a triage service. This will lead to either advice only, arranging a video consultation with one of our veterinary surgeons, referring them to the on-call vet or nearest Emergency 24/hr centre. On a typical shift, I can make and receive over 70 calls spanning around 15-30 cases. As the cases are logged I can go back and see how a case was resolved. My background knowledge and years of training allow me to bring the best advice I can to worried owners. Sometimes simple guidance on how to make a pet more comfortable or dress a simple wound. Other times a quick email with photos and videos will allow me to see how bad a wound is and again can offer peace of mind and bring some relief.

Learning and encouraging

One of the many benefits of working with VetCheck is the educational classes and, as always, learning on the job. Once a month classes on Zoom cover anything from spider bites to snake bites, most common in the Australian summer months. It also means I get to build on my vet nurse experience, offer practical advice to owners, brining solace and helpful suggestions.

You can find out more about the vet nurses on VetCheck here: https://vetcheck247.com/vet-nurses