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| Bladder stones removed from a staffordshire terrier. I removed these but they look very similar to the stones Sarah Goldsmid removed on Vet Talk TV. There is an indescribable satisfaction in removing these things. You just know that bladder will be so relieved to see the end of them. |
It sounds strange, but one
thing I find relaxing is kicking back and watching a surgery video. There is
something very mindful about surgery – you’re focused on a specific task, you
problem-solve as you go, and it’s one activity you have to complete from start
to finish every time.
So I found myself watching
Sarah Goldsmid doing a cystotomy on Saturday evening. If you’re a vet you can
sign up to Vet Talk TV and watch these and other videos for free. View here.
They also interviewed me, though
I have to say Phil stole the show (again!!! He is incredible).
Heard of frugal innovation?
Doing more with less is a big way to make a difference, especially in
veterinary and health care. At the moment performing a CT scan – which is
really helpful – is quite costly due to the expense of equipment and specialist
training required.
“Frugal innovators” have
developed a cheaper, more user-friendly CT-scanner. I want one. Check out the TED talk on Frugal innovation here.
Despite being on an online
news blackout this week in an attempt to ensure that every potential minute is
spent working on projects, this sea lion managed to slip through. It popped
over to a public pool in New Zealand and proved that clapping hockey sticks is
ineffectual when herding (or trying to herd) marine mammals.
Finally I absolutely loved this
post by blogger Rebekah Brown. She gleaned some awesome tips on getting better
(i.e. improving vs recovering) from the surgeon and author Atul Gawande, and
they’re relevant whether you work in human or animal health or an unrelated
area.
This is one of Rebekah's posts (there are several) that I've printed out and pinned up. See here.
Point number three is
particularly important and forms the basis for Gawande’s fantastic book The Checklist Manifesto where he argues
that counting improves outcomes and saves lives. And just to show how there's always six degrees of separation...I actually think about that book everytime I perform a cystotomy (or other major surgery).
