First Few Days @ Hagyard...

Wow…what a week so far!! It’s been jam packed of paperwork, power points, training, protocols, tours, and a WHOLE LOTTA INFORMATION!!! Talk about a brain over load!! Haha Don’t get me wrong though I have a good feeling it’s all going to be worth it. So here is a little about each day….

Monday: 8 A.M. Every one met in the HR/Main office to begin all our paper work to become an official employee. There are 13 vet tech interns, all girls. Nine come from Colorado State University but all are from different states (Texas, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Arizona,) then there is one from Idaho, one from Australia, one from Ireland, and last ME from UUUTTAAHH!! The girls are great!! We all get along really well. While we were filling out paperwork we were showed how to clock in/clock-out. So we all get an employee number which we type into the machine, then the machine scans our hand and then we are either on shift or off. How cool huh? So high tech!!  But the rest of the day was filled with protocols, tours, and power points. They basically made sure we knew to wash hands, put on gloves, booties, do our treatment, take off gloves/booties, and wash again. Nothing NOTHING ever gets touched without gloves or washing your hands. I’m telling you this place is cleaner than a human hospital.

These are the Hagyard 2012 Interns <3

Tuesday: We did more in depth touring around the clinic, learning where all the supplies, equipment, etc is. Discussed how the computer programs are run, how to fill out different paperwork, tour of our amazing laboratory, taught how to check vitals, and observed a treatments. We’re finally getting to know faces, names, and more about each other. The doctors and senior techs are very intense. But everyone you talk to seems to be very nice. Again most of the day was going over protocols.

Oh and on Monday night the boshop of my new ward brought me a bed to use.. WA-HOO!! No more air mattress!! These people out here are great.

 Wednesday: We started out with learning how to do “rounds” for in between shifts. Next were more tours of the dispensary drug office, each unit offices, and restraint demonstrations. Today was a good day because we kind of started to participate in things like setting up for treatments, procedures. We helped/observed a blood collection for a transfusion. Very cool. They performed 2 collection/transfusions today. They showed how to use the slings for lifting down horses or neuro horses. It’s very interesting because sometimes they use fire hoses as hoists. We also had a huge lesson on fluid therapy of the different types, additives, lines, sizes, locations, etc. So we got to prep and hang various fluid bags and lines today. Today also was a big day because we got to tour and see how the ICU was run.  Then the last event of the day was a scavenger hunt to test us to see if we remember where things were. Hahaha wow SO MUCH TO REMEMBER!! The best of all of it was the very last item assign to one of the interns was hoof testers. She walked out with a various amount and sizes of work pliers and said, “Are this what you guys use for hoof testers out here?” Oh man we all just started laughing. It was way too funny. We finally just showed her where they were. Poor girl…

Liz and her crazy socks!

Dip Pans! Gotta stay clean!

 Well the next couple days will be more orientation and protocols. They also mentioned a few more power points.  Yipee!! Hopefully I will retain it all and not forget it all over the weekend. But on the plus side Thursday we get to go on a tour of one of the fancier farms out here in Lexington. I will post more pictures for sure.

Eating Lunch an Small Talk!

Every one just getting to ICU for Fluids!

  Of course I am the only LDS/Mormon of the group. Which is great because they ask questions; my favorite so far is “So do you know how to bake really well?” or they like to tease me and say, “Is that a Mormon thing? Is that what a Mormon would do?” I just laugh most of the time. So at lunch a few of us got talking religion and I asked the international girls if they even knew who the Mormons were and if they had religions. And all throughout the random conversations my friend Orla (Irish) called me a “Norman” hahaha so basically it has stuck and some of the girls call me Norman!!

This is Orla!! LOVE LOVE HER!!

Another great story is the head guy of primary care names Tony, he is from Connecticut. Teasing me one day he asked me if I knew where that was. Of course I do that is where I used to get on the ferry in New London to go out to Fisher’s Island when I was a nanny. He totally knew what I was talking about. He said he has a lot of memories from his childhood going to the Island. It was so fun to talk about the different beaches and country clubs. Like people say –What a small world!!

Just Going through more protocols Penny and Hannah

I’m having an absolute blast. Definitely my brain is already fried but I’m going to survive. I just can’t even begin to express of how different things are here. And even so it’s very very different from the cattle industry. It’s going to be a blast learning from such an amazing facility. My boss Lynn is so amazing, we get along very well. I know this is going to be very hard work, just have to remember to take it all in one day at a time. Love to all and God Bless…

Love, Norman!!