I am so grateful for the Paul Manning EMS fund which covered my transportation for two weeks at Medivet 24-Hour Enfield. Covering bus fare to and from Enfield may not seem like much, but as an international student without a driver’s licence in the UK, this helped tremendously for me not to worry about the daily bus fares. It’s hard to get placements near the RVC because there are so many students booking EMS in the area, so I was very grateful to have the financial means to pay for public transport every day.
Both weeks I spent in Enfield were very different to other practice experiences I have had in the past. I’ve never been interested in corporate vet work or exclusively small animal practice, however this was a good way to experience what that world is like to better decide if this is or is not something I would consider doing as a new grad.
Since MediVet Enfield is a 24-hour hospital we received lots of interesting emergency cases from other practices in the area and from day one on my first week I was actively involved in two CPR events and witnessed the triage of two RTAs. I feel much more comfortable and confident in emergency situations because of this placement.
I also found that I learned a lot of MediVet’s protocols which are very different to those of the independent mixed practices that I have I’ve spent most of my time working with in the US. But even if I found some protocols added too much expense for clients, the strict standard protocol for everything helped me get into a routine for any practical skills I was hoping to improve on.
I came out of this placement much more confident in my basic clinical skills and theatre procedures and in my second week there, I was getting good experience leading basic consultations. There were several new graduate vets working there as well who were good sources of information to talk to about their first couple of years in practice. I can’t say I’d likely find myself working for a MediVet upon graduation, but I am grateful for the learning experiences from this placement.
Even more importantly, because I was able to stay in the Potters Bar area, I found I could still attend my local church and midweek homegroup for the weeks I was working in Enfield. This is a huge blessing to me as I foresee a lot of traveling and weekend working hours over the upcoming rotations year, so whatever time I get to spend with my church family here is very much appreciated!
Rachel.