Learning

I feel like I've picked up a new language.

Here's what I mean. On a daily basis, I shorten all kinds of words. I'm a receptionist at a veterinary hospital, and the appointment notes have to be kept "short and sweet". Here are some examples of abbreviations I've picked up and use constantly:

sx = surgery

hx = history

rx = prescription

lb = litterbox

ua = urinalysis

bw = bloodwork

nwb = non weight-bearing

cbc/chem/t4/lyte = different kinds bloodwork

PAS = preanesthetic screen

wcb = will call back

pc/cb = phone call/call back

Of course there's so many more, but you see what I mean. The best part is every other receptionist at every other veterinary clinic knows all of these. If I send a fax to someone from another clinic with a note "Hx for 'Fluffy' Smith" or something, they'll automatically know what "hx" means, while people in other professions won't.
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Anyway, I got bored last night and didn't finish writing that one. Yeesh. So here I am at 9:30, showered and dressed, and still an hour before I have to leave for work. So I'll try and finish this thing.
It's not easy with a cat on my lap. XD
I'm listening to Owl City - so freaking happy. I quite like it.
Alright so yesterday I got a crash course in treatment room stuff. My coworker, who's a vet tech assistant (kind of like being a student teacher before you graduate school), needed some help getting an x-ray on a dog as they were really busy. So I went to help her, and she asked if I wanted to stick around for a bit longer and help her with taking some blood, urine, and inserting an IV catheter. Thrilled, of course I did. First we picked the dog up and layed him down on the x-ray table (by collapsing his legs at the knee and pulling them towards ourselves, he lays down and can't squirm). Then lined up his chest with the lines of the x-ray light and took what we needed. It took a couple tries cause he had to get one on his side, then one on his back (dogs hate being on their backs). After that we took some blood, which entailed laying him down on a treatment table, I hugged his back and face towards me (so he couldn't turn around and snap at the person taking blood), and pressed on his leg so she could see the vein. She inserted the needle in the back leg and took the desired amount, then I put my thumb over it to stop it from bleeding and allow it to clot properly. We brought him down and ran him outside quickly on a leash to collect some urine (I got the glorious job of holding the pan to try and catch some). We got it right away and that was excellent! I'm glad pee doesn't squick me anymore...the reception is christened at least once per day, so we clean up pee a lot. It's no big deal. After that we brought him back up to the table and let him lie down naturally, on his tummy. I hugged his head towards me again and held off his front paw so my coworker could find the vein and insert the IV catheter. First she shaved the area, then cleaned it with dilute hibitane and then alcohol. Once it was sanitary, she inserted the needle, pressed down the plastic part, then got the IV line ready. He was really good for all of this. She pulled the plastic part back out and inserted the line really quickly so he wouldn't bleed. Then she taped it carefully to his paw so it wouldn't move while he was in the clinic, and wrapped it with vetwrap (like tensor bandage). We lead him carefully to his kennel, but since his paw felt weird he didn't want to move, and I ended up carrying him. It was okay though, he was a little Irish Terrier, so he wasn't very big or very heavy.
So that was my magical experience in the treatment room. I wonder if there will be more today? :)