Surgical High

For most of us, phase three is the first time we have been allowed to participate in surgery. Some individuals are fortunate enough to have had mentors that allowed them to handle the scalpel, but most, including myself, have been patient observers, craving the opportunity.

At the OVC, we are lucky to be able to perform spays and neuters on local humane society animals. It is a nice symbiotic relationship: we get to work on our surgical skills under supervision while local humane society animals get one step closer to adoption. Win-win!

So why is surgery so enticing? It is a clinical skill that really makes you feel like a veterinarian. It is the ability to make your hands do something useful to make an animal’s life better. Its a more hands-on venture, and gives a very different sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from medicine. It takes persistence, steady hands, discipline, knowledge, and confidence; all qualities that we strive to have as practitioners.

I have now entered into the world of solo surgery. I did the whole procedure, cutting to closing, by myself, with the help of my peers and supervising profs. It felt liberating and terrifying. The first time I had to digitally separate the suspensory ligament I was convinced that I would break something important and blood would go gushing everywhere. But it didn’t. It did exactly what it was supposed to do, rip neatly and allow me to see the ovary. When the suture broke and I dropped my pedicle, I was sure my prof was going to yell and fail me on the spot. She didn’t. She simply reached in, clamped it, and handed it back to me to finish. I had put so much pressure on myself that I felt defeated, but after a post-op discussion I realized that not only was the rest of my surgery well done for a rookie, that I had been handed a valuable teaching moment, one I will not soon forget.

As I proceed in my career I look forward to more surgery. I can’t wait to get better, and faster, and be able to manage with smaller incisions. I also look forward to trying large animal surgery. C-sections, LDAs, torsions, and colics, oh my!

Surgery is definitely a very interesting and fulfilling thing to do. It comes with its own set of challenges and complications, but with persistence, confidence and great support, it is yet another powerful tool in the quest to provide the best care for our patients. 

I want to say a big "Thank you!" to the OVC Junior surgery clinicians and techs, and thank you to my little kitty for being such an awesome patient! This experience definitely has whet my appetite for surgery and I can't wait for more!

Kay