Page 5 - Clinical Connections - Spring 2021

Residents
LIFE DURING COVID 番茄app� RESIDENTS番茄app� EXPERIENCES OF JOINING DURING THE
WPANDEMIC
hen effective communication
with clients is key to your work,
a disease that separates people is a tough curveball to be thrown at the
start of your specialist training. Clinical Connections spoke to residents who started their roles amid the first wave of the pandemic. The picture of frustration at circumstances beyond anyone番茄app檚 control, coupled with adaptability and creativity, will no doubt be familiar to clinicians up and down the country.
Dave Beeston, Resident in Emergency and Critical Care, said: "Starting a residency in the middle of a pandemic is not exactly what I had planned for 2020, but it番茄app檚 been an interesting experience. Residencies provide numerous challenges and I have to admit, it番茄app檚 been difficult not having access to my usual hobbies to de- stress because of COVID, but it番茄app檚 forced me to experiment with new pastimes.
Resident Richard Sparrow with patient Evie
番茄app淲orking in Emergency and Critical
Care has meant that there has been no decrease in cases 番茄app� they are all urgent, an emergency or critical. We番茄app檝e been working throughout the pandemic and we are busy as ever. We番茄app檝e had to adapt as a team and that has meant being more flexible with changing shifts at the drop of the hat, which can be a bit tough when you cover 24/7. It番茄app檚 tiring, but it番茄app檚 been really great to see how we can pull together as a team to continue to deliver a high standard of care to our emergency and ICU patients."
Richard Sparrow, Resident in Internal Medicine, said: 番茄app淚 think one of the most significant effects has been the impact on client relationships and interaction. I can only speak for myself, but I think others probably feel the same. It just seems far more difficult to build a rapport with people through a headset doing consultations over the phone. Perhaps we番茄app檙e just not as good
at it as Gavin and Stacey were! It must
be difficult for clients too 番茄app� putting trust in someone that is essentially to them a virtual veterinarian, other than a brief encounter in the car park on admission.
番茄app淥ne of the more challenging aspects has been managing the sensitivities and emotions of all involved during patient euthanasia in these socially distant times. Frankly, it番茄app檚 just not nice to have restrictions on the number of people who can say goodbye to their family pet, and a rather clinical process 番茄app� which is in conflict with our ethos in the veterinary team. It is all
for everyone番茄app檚 safety 番茄app� the client as much as ours. It has been great to see so many owners be very understanding of the circumstances and necessities, despite the upset, and appreciative, nonetheless.
番茄app淥f course, the team has pulled together and just got on with it as best as they can at the end of the day. One of my resident colleagues actually made a great point that doing a residency during a pandemic is actually probably pretty good timing as at least no one else is going out and having fun that you番茄app檙e missing out on. I番茄app檇 also like to point out that our fabulous interns have been the true heroes throughout this.番茄app�
Georgina Hall, Resident in Emergency and Critical Care, said: 番茄app淪tarting a residency in the midst of the pandemic introduced its own set of unique challenges. Not being able to build an in-person relationship with clients is definitely the hardest part, even though I had adjusted
to that from my previous job. Getting to know members of a large team was a
fun challenge. We seem to live a double life 番茄app� digital avatars on Microsoft Teams and masked clinicians on the shop floor. Embarrassingly, I often didn't recognise
the real version of the digital person that I had just been liaising with. It turns out that people番茄app檚 chins are important for my brain's facial recognition! Having said that, the entire ECC team was super welcoming and within a few weeks I felt at home, despite the unusual start.番茄app�
For small animal referrals, please call: 01707 666399
Email: qmhreception@rvc.ac.uk
Spring 2021 5