Newbie at an Emergency Clinic? Don't Panic! (pt. 1)

First 5 HUGE tips to equip you for ER survival as a pre-vet student.

First gig at your dream job is exciting, but also daunting.

Trust me, I’ve been there.

The first time I ever worked in a clinical setting was at an animal emergency clinic in Burlington, Ontario.

I was exposed to the gory stuff from the get-go. I saw chaos daily: On-call veterinarians stabilizing a hit-by-car dog on the table while simultaneously guiding technicians treating a respiratory distress cat in the corner, and juggling difficult euthanasias and time-sensitive toxin ingestions in between.

sorry (not sorry) for the memes. i am an unfortunate victim of brain rot culture.

Despite the intensity, I loved it. Through the chaos, through the pressure, I was learning and growing so much. Working at this clinic ignited my passion for veterinary medicine, specifically emergency medicine.

But I still remember how hard it was starting with limited clinical experience.

So, I’ve put together 10 tips to help you survive (and succeed) at your first job in a veterinary emergency clinic.

This will be split into 2 parts since I want to share as much as possible! I want you to carry these tips through every shift, not just at this job, but into all the new experiences coming your way (and just you wait, there will be many!)

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1. Learn at least one thing per shift.

Make learning one thing your goal of the day (I’d recommend aiming for at least 3). This is SO important if you want to level up quickly! You can always improve yourself, and that’s also how your coworkers start trusting you with more responsibilities.

Remember to WRITE IT DOWN. Notes app, Google Docs, or a notebook, whatever works for you. Organize them into sections if you can (e.g. Drugs, Procedures, Animal handling, Diseases, Customer service/Communication, etc.). Sometimes I literally scribble on my hand or a small piece of paper at work, then transfer it to a bigger document at home.

Note: This also helps familiarize you with many “hard to pronounce, hard to remember” medical terms early on. I still struggle with “Levetiracetam”. That still sounds like a spell to me. Want seizures gone? LEVETIRACETAM!

2. Know your role inside and out, and do it well!

For example, as an animal care assistant (ACA), your role is to help vets and technicians handle the patients, provide nursing care, and keep the hospital clean and organized.

I know cleaning doesn’t sound…thrilling. But it matters so much! A clean hospital means nobody trips or slips on anything, or worse, spreads anything infectious. Organized carts ensure that when emergencies come (which is literally every day here DUH), you’re not running around in panic mode looking for supplies. YOUR work is keeping the hospital running smoothly!

Focus on mastering what’s in front of you, and you’ll quickly earn trust with more tasks!

Note: If you have never handled an animal before, or are struggling with this, I’ll make a separate post about how to improve on that. Stay tune!

3. Know the protocols!

This is especially important at an emergency clinic when things get hectic all the freaking time.

Note: Protocols will vary by clinic, but for example: Client walks in => Get number + name to make a kennel tag => Take pet in for technicians => Call client for history to book them in the system => Print clipboard info and hand to vets.

As well, know the protocols for some emergencies, especially the clinical signs that point you to something very serious. For example, if it’s a “straining to urinate male cat”, get the name/number quickly, then bring the cat straight to the vet to feel the bladder. This could mean the cat has a urethral blockage, and that’s BAD BAD BAD.

Note: I’ll make a separate post breaking down common clinical signs, what they could be, and what to do, so keep an eye out for that!

4. Destress ‘n’ Debrief after every shift.

Emergency shifts can be 6-12 hours, often late nights or overnights. And unless you have perfected the ability to exert healthy boundaries, you’ll probably stay later a few minutes to an hour when things are busy.

It’s A LOT, physically and emotionally. This is emergency medicine we’re talking about. You’ll see tough cases, and you’ll feel heavy things. That’s completely normal!

So make a relax-routine after a shift: shower (hot, cold, or none, whatever floats your boat), eat something good, and PLEASE get enough sleep (blackout curtains, earbuds, melatonin are your new BFFs).

If you have energy, reflect a bit. Ask yourself, how did that shift go? What did I learn? What can I improve? Anything I need to clarify with a coworker or vet? Write down just a few sentences.

Note: If you have a great memory or if you are too exhausted after a shift, reflect the next day. I usually just jot it down quickly before passing out so I don’t forget.

5. This one is special, because I love you all so much:

Never EVER, and I mean ABSOLUTELY NEVERRRR, say the word “quiet”.

As in “Wow, it’s so quiet today”.

If your coworkers don’t take you out immediately (pretty high chance), you probably will wanna die in the next few minutes anyway when 6+ emergencies come through the door AT THE SAME TIME (100% will happen).

I don’t make the rules. I just suffer the consequences.

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This is it, your “starter pack”: learn, do your job well, know protocols, destress, and avoid the Q word.

In the next part, I’ll get into how to really grow into your role and become a person others can rely on!

Until next time…