Only those who do nothing never make mistakes - Email #5

Brainy Bilby is your best friend for the AVE journey - Australasian Veterinary Examination

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What you will find in today’s email:

This week I am sharing something that happened to me at work (Natalia), you will also find 5 multiple choice practice questions, finally you’ll find an important resource for the Practical examination of the cow ( video + audio file) + a useful tip from my cattle notes.

Remember to read the email until the end, also you can download the app

I want to share something that happened to me at work last week:  to make mistakes is to be human.

I work in a very busy small animal practice, nurses are very helpful and everyone works like a team ( this surprisingly does not happen in a lot of workplaces sadly).

I started this new job last November so I am super fresh and new. I was working last Tuesday as usual and my boss came and said to me:

Natalia, can you please check the medications you dispensed for this patient please? Once you have checked that, come and talk to me.

This patient is a 13 yr old cat that I diagnosed with nasal Cryptococcosis, he is being managed with oral Fluconazole and oral Meloxicam.

The owner was going to pick up the medications so I needed to get them ready.

When dispensing both medications, I was quite busy in consults, I printed the label and so the nurses got the medications ready for me and left them at reception.

When I went back to that past visit to check as instructed by my boss, I realised I had dispensed the DOG MELOXICAM.

In Australia, Meloxicam has a presentation for cats and dogs,  the concentration is different, this means, the Meloxicam for cats has a lower concentration (0.5mg/ml) as opposed to the Meloxicam for dogs (1.5mg/ml)

When I saw that, I noticed my mistake, then my boss said to me, this patient is in hospital at the moment because of AKI  (acute kidney injury).

By that moment, I had just started my shift, I felt terrible, I just wanted to go home, curl into a ball and cry. How is it I picked up the wrong bottle from the system? It was such a stupid mistake.

As Vets we made an oath on our graduation day, let’s remember it

“ I solemnly swear to practice veterinary science ethically and conscientiously for the benefit of animal welfare, animal and human health, and the community” 

What this means is that we need to do what is right and in this case what is right is to talk to the owner and acknowledge you have made a mistake and that is the reason why the pet is sick.

Apart from being concerned for the cat, I also felt concerned about the owner taking me to the Veterinary board. What this means is that I could lose my Australian Veterinary license.

You guys can imagine the amount of time and effort I put into my AVE process, it took me 3 years to get my full registration as a Veterinarian in Australia and the thought of losing my license was of course killing me. 

The reason why I wanted to share this story is because we all make mistakes, things WILL happen across your career both good and bad and even if you don’t pass the MCQ at the first attempt, second or third it does not mean you are a failure.

Even if I dispensed the wrong bottle of Meloxicam it does not mean I am a failure or a bad veterinarian.

Dust it up, learn from your mistakes, reflect and move on.

The easiest way out is giving up, the easiest way out is to blame yourself, carefully read the following:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal” , it is the courage to continue that counts. Churchill proclaims.

An African proverb announces: “only those who do nothing never make mistakes”

And I am going to write that again:

 It is the courage to continue that counts!

 It is the courage to continue that counts!

 It is the courage to continue that counts!

Just if you are wondering, the cat is still in hospital, the kidney values are improving but they still are above the normal range.

Luckily for me, the owner was kind, this story is still unfolding. Cross your fingers for me.

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MCQ practice - Australian veterinary exam preparation

Find answers at the end of the MCQ practice

1)  Which of the following represents the correct order of stages in wound repair?

a. Coagulation, inflammation, debridement, proliferation, maturation

b. Inflammation, debridement, maturation, proliferation

c. Inflammation, coagulation, debridement, maturation, proliferation

d. Coagulation, inflammation, proliferation, maturation, debridement

e. Coagulation, inflammation, proliferation, maturation