Weird comment from a student

RE: Weird comment from a student

jane alexander — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 18:05:12 GMT

Having never been given the option for woodwork at school (needlework has been useful, I do not deny) I enjoy orthopaedics, and am making up for the opportunities missed earlier in my life!

We do seem to have a cohort of young vets/students, where dexterity is considered to be of less importance than mental agility. We are a practical profession but, like the Labrador retriever, have developed into 2 types of vet, those who accept and enjoy the surgical challenges and those who do not.

RE: Weird comment from a student

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:23:31 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]I suspect a bit of DIY dexterity helps when using drills and tools etc.[/quote]I have no doubt this is true and although I'm a fine and adventurous soft tissue surgeon I was useless at woodwork and metalwork at school. I don't mind doing cruciates by lateral suture as they are 90% soft tissue and I did a femoral head ablation on a cat's fracture hip last week. I once had a dog with 3/4 fractured limbs radius+ulnar both front legs and one femur. I really don't know how I had the courage to get on and do it but we did then.

RE: Weird comment from a student

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:02:03 GMT

It's funny in that I do very little small animal work, but I do enjoy orthopaedics. 80% would be cruciates but we have plates in common sizes, ex fix kit and most ortho instruments, drill, reciprocating saw etc. Toggle a few hips, fractures etc.

That said we do very little fracture repair, handful a year max. I'm sure I saw a bit more than that as a student, but not really. We don't generally refer as most are farmer owned and money becomes an issue. Technically most are pretty straightforward if you follow the rules. I suspect a bit of DIY dexterity helps when using drills and tools etc.

Just (literally this weekend) had a lovely review from a client who's Labrador fractured both radius and ulnar and was plated in January back working in the shooting field. Can be really satisfying work.

RE: Weird comment from a student

Utlendigur — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:57:59 GMT

Several of the practices I locum in have no orthopaedic equipment at all (except a hacksaw) - I've ended up buying basic kit myself. If there's no kit, it means that even basic ops will be referred so I'm not totally surprised.

RE: Weird comment from a student

Anthony Dennison — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:30:58 GMT

I guess it depends on the area. We do quite a few orthopaedic ops, but often we're getting our clinical students on with cat neutering and teaching them surgical techniques. They're more likely to be required on their first day to spay a cat than perform orthopaedic surgery.

If there's no surgery for them to be doing then they'll normally watch, but in my (albeit relatively short) experience, give a student the choice between watching an ortho op and doing a cat spay themselves, they'll usually choose the latter.

RE: Weird comment from a student

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:30:36 GMT

The fact is we see very much less traumatic orthopaedic surgery these days, hardly ever in dogs: probably because of improved brakes and soft bumpers on cars. So the sort of ortho work that gets done is conformational or non-urgent and the client has a bigger say in whether they want you to for example do a lateral suture on the ruptured cruciate or refer it for a TTO/TPLO. 20-30 years ago these advanced procedures were not available and we just got on with things ourselves. Now with increased client expectation and fear of litigation a lot more will be referred. For myself, I was never happy doing orthopaedic work and by and large I've glad to give it to someone else.