02 | How to do more with your medical patients in general practice
if you’re listening to this thinking that you can’t get more hands-on with your medical patients because you work in a first opinion practice - I’m here to squash that myth today.
How often do we get a CKD cat coming in for a few days of fluids? Or maybe we do a senior clinic and happen to find a hyperthyroid or diabetic patient? And how often do GI disease patients end up in the hospital?!
Exactly - it doesn’t matter what kind of practice you’re in - because in honesty? There will always be more skills you can use with your patients.
And my guest today is going to show us exactly how they did that in their clinic.
I’m delighted to be joined by Cat, a registered veterinary nurse at Oakes Veterinary Centre in Scotland. Cat has spent the last year developing her medical skills, particularly with her diabetic patients - and now has an army of diabetic patients coming in to see her regularly. She’s here to show us all how she did it, and share some words of wisdom on how to start doing more with your own patients.
If you’re looking for more ways to use your skills caring for medical patients, then I know you’re going to love this episode.
Cat’s story is just one example of how we can do more with our medical patients in general practice…
Whether it’s starting diabetic clinics or starting to use continuous glucose monitors like Cat did, or placing more feeding tubes, or starting to place PICC lines, or calculating and administering transfusions… it doesn’t matter the skill. What matters is:
Learning more about the skill you want to perform, so you feel confident doing it (and therefore your vets will feel more confident delegating to you)
Making a plan for how you’ll start implementing that skill in practice (e.g. organising a supplier, creating a cost plan, putting together an SOP, delivering training to the rest of your team)
Bringing this information to your vet and practice management team, so they can see you’ve already prepared everything they need, and come prepared for any obstacles that might crop up
Showcasing the benefits of this new skill/service to your patients, clients, vet team and wider practice team.
In Cat’s case, it was diabetic clinics… and here’s how she did it
To get her diabetic service up and running, the first thing Cat did was undertake some CPD on diabetes. She and I did this together, as she completed my Conquer Your Clinics course and worked with me to fine-tune her clinic SOP.
This gave Cat more knowledge on diabetes, which helped her feel more confident advising her clients about the condition - and helped her vets have more confidence referring these patients to her.
Knowledge is only one piece of the puzzle, though. After this, Cat put together a clinic SOP, which included:
A history collection
A diabetic diary handout and review
Placement of a continuous glucose monitor
Other tests as needed (such as urine analysis)
Discussion on insulin administration
Provision of advice on diet, exercise, medication administration, monitoring, quality of life and any other advice needed
Regular follow-up appointments with the veterinary surgeon as needed, depending on diabetic stability and prescription requirements.
And this was NOT a free service!
We know that our time as nurses and technicians should be charged for - it is valuable, and we provide a professional service that should incur a charge.
This was something really important to Cat - and she discusses how she charges for her time, and how her clients have taken well to this, understanding the value that she provides.
It all comes down to expectation and transparency - so don’t be afraid to charge for your services, and talk confidently to your clients about the benefits of them!
The impact this has had on her patients - and clients - is obvious.
Cat’s diabetic patients have had noticeable improvements in their quality of life, noted not just by Cat, but by their families, too. Cat’s clients all know who she is, understand the value that she, as a qualified nurse, brings to their pets, and in turn, her clinics are hugely increasing awareness of the RVN role.
So, if you’re itching to get a new skill on board in practice, or set up a new nursing service you’re not currently running - go for it! You won’t regret it, and who knows - it might just change the trajectory of your nursing career.
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought - screenshot it and tag me on instagram (@vetinternalmedicinenursing) so I can give you a shout out, and share it with a colleague who’d find it helpful!
Thanks for learning with me this week, and I’ll see you next time!
