What really happens behind the doors?
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Imagine being 19 years old and learning a new job. Only to have life or death emergencies in front of you, time and time again. Georgie explains how rewarding it is when they get to reunite with their owners after emergencies like these.
Hi! My name is Georgie Paton and I’m 19 years old.
I’m currently a trainee vet nurse with YVV, I have a beautiful dog named snatch and I love working as a vet nurse here at YVV.
I started doing placement here 6 months ago when I was offered a job 1 month into my placement (BEST DAY EVER!!!)
I started doing placement here 6 months ago when I was offered a job 1 month into my placement (BEST DAY EVER!!!)
When I got this job I thought OMG this is going to be amazing! Puppies and kitten all day every day! Wrong! It is maybe 10% of the animals/cases we deal with and no two days are the same ever….
So within the first couple of months I realised that my life was not just about puppies and kittens. In my first few months the thing I dealt with most frequently was snake bites.
Let me tell you that snake bites are an EMERGENCY!
So I was pretty much thrown in the deep end and I had to swim and I mean really swim. It’s always quite emotional time when snake bite victims come in and no amount of schooling can prepare a nurse for some of the stuff they go through when these animal emergencies come in. It takes a strong person to be a nurse and be able to remain professional in horrific, crazy and emotional times.
When a patient comes in for a snake bite and you spend so much time dedicated to saving it's life, they become so important to you and all your focus is making sure they survive and are going to go and see their loving families again. It truly is a rewarding feeling.
So yes, I had to deal with some really emotional and crazy days but the good days defiantly outweigh the bad. Especially when at the end of the day your patients get to go home and live their best lives with their families. I wouldn’t change this job for the world, it’s a very rewarding and satisfying job. No matter the outcome good or bad there are always lessons to be learnt.
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Sadly, we have had some staff changes recently at Yass Valley Veterinary. After 3 years, Dr Issy Card has taken a small animal position in Canberra. Our recently married Dr Anne Cusack is relocating to Wagga for her husband’s work, and Dr Natalie Flew is also leaving us to work in an emergency afterhours clinic in Canberra with more suitable hours for her new family. We will all miss these three amiable, dedicated and competent veterinarians and wish them well in their future pursuits. Dr Stuart Williams, after almost 33 years at Yass Valley Veterinary (15 years as a partner with Dr Peter Gibbs and 15 years as sole principal), is resigning from his full-time position at the end of February. He is looking forward to having a break away from afterhours on call and managing a large staff across two hospitals. Working as a volunteer veterinarian in Australia and overseas, travelling with his wife Cath and spending some much needed time at home and in the garden, is on the agenda for Stuart in the short term. Dr Tamara Butler, who has been with the business for 17 years, will be promoted to the Lead Vet role when Stuart resigns. Dr Nicole McKenzie will take on the Tamara’s Veterinary Manager role, while Ms Carrie Luckie will retain the Practice Manager role. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and care that each of our departing veterinarians has given to our clients and patients, and their departures will mean a temporary change to our service availability. Be assured that we are actively and enthusiastically recruiting veterinarians to join our team. We’d like to introduce Dr Josh Tannen, a small animal veterinarian & surgeon, who will be with us until April. This experienced and easy-going locum will be very welcome by the team. However, in the short term, we will be operating with a smaller team, so there may be occasions where we are unable to provide the full range of services that are currently provided. What does this mean for you? • At times, we may need to rotate Saturday clinic closures. • There will be evenings or weekends when we do not have an after-hours veterinarian available. We will always do our best to keep you informed. Any changes to opening hours or services will be communicated via our social media pages and through notifications on the Yass Vet App. As always, if you require after-hours assistance when a veterinarian is not available, please call us on 6226 4444. Your call will be answered by a team of qualified nurses who will triage your situation and direct you to the closest appropriate emergency hospital if needed. We truly appreciate your understanding, patience, and ongoing support during this period of transition. Our commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care for your animals remains at the heart of everything we do.
