Celebrating International Day of Veterinary Medicine
Today (December 9) is International Day of Veterinary Medicine. This special day is a chance to recognize the hard work of veterinary professionals who have dedicated their lives and careers to protecting the welfare of animals around the world.
Veterinary medicine plays a crucial role in safeguarding the health and well-being of animals, making it an indispensable field with far-reaching implications.
Beyond its obvious significance in treating and preventing illnesses in pets, livestock, and wildlife, veterinary medicine also contributes to public health by controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
Veterinarians are essential in ensuring the safety of the food supply chain, conducting inspections, and promoting responsible farming practices.
As well as this, veterinary professionals contribute to scientific research, advancing our understanding of various species and improving medical treatments for animals and humans.
In essence, the importance of veterinary medicine extends beyond the individual animal, impacting both the health of ecosystems and the interconnected relationship between humans and the animal kingdom.
To mark International Day of Veterinary Medicine 2023, Book Your Pet caught up with Helen-Marie Pipe, Royal Veterinary Nurse and PitPat's Veterinary and Business Manager to find out more about her 30-year career in the veterinary profession.
5 Minutes with Helen-Marie Pipe, RVN & VBM
Helen-Marie Pipe has been in the veterinary industry for 30 years. She started her career straight from school, where she undertook work experience in a veterinary practice. She immediately fell in love with veterinary medicine and was eventually asked to stay on, following her placement. This marked the beginning of Helen's training and her long and successful career as a veterinary nurse.
Eventually, Helen was headhunted into specialist referral medicine. Veterinary specialists are specialists in a particular area of veterinary medicine or a specific type of animal.
Usually, if your regular vet is unable to provide the level of expertise needed to help an animal, they will pass them along to a specialist to provide the level of expertise or facilities needed to continue to treat the animal in the best way possible.
Helen remained in specialist referral medicine for nearly 14 years, during which time she also worked in other roles including insurance, marketing, and diagnostics, as well as taking on roles at Finlabs working in pathology.
She has always kept herself busy within the veterinary medicine practice and today works as a Veterinary and Business Manager for PitPat.
We asked Helen a couple of questions about her career, how things have changed in the field of veterinary medicine over the past 30 years, and how she feels about the future.
What inspired you to pursue a career in veterinary medicine?
"As a child, right from an early age - I think I was about 8 or 9 - I was always found with wildlife. I was always rescuing animals outside. We lived on a nice big farm with lots of land so I was always out and about in the fields and people would find me with a chicken under my arm most days, or a cat under my other days. So I was quite well known for being into my animals.
"So a career in veterinary medicine is something that just happened. I wouldn't say I was particularly inspired. There was no one in my family that was in the veterinary industry. I did watch a lot of James Herriot and things, but it didn't really inspire me - I just kind of fell into that industry.
"Everyone at my school tended to go onto sixth form, or they joined the army or the police, but I just went straight into practice from a very early age.
"I've always done veterinary nursing. It took over my life, so I wasn't able to have children or settle down at the age I would have liked to. So I just carried on working and I've worked ever since."
What has been the most rewarding part of your career?
"I think the most rewarding part of my career is split into two.
"The first obvious one is patient care. From a patient coming into you in an awful state, really poorly or broken, and for you to take that journey with them and to get them on the road to recovery is just an amazing skill.
"To work with such devoted people - for a team to work together to make that happen is just so rewarding.
"The secondary side is that for me personally, I've always done what I said I was going to do and I've been very dedicated to doing exactly what I set out to do. I think that's really important in the veterinary industry - if you've got a goal that you want to achieve and you set yourself on a path, you achieve that. I think that's just the most rewarding thing for me is to start something and finish it."
What are the most significant challenges faced by vets today?
"I think the most significant change in the veterinary industry is the demand now. Not so much from those above (manager and seniors), but from the clients themselves. They've got this expectation that you should be doing certain things now with the internet and with everything that's available to them.
"Those expectations are extremely high and you've got staff in practice that are going above and beyond and literally putting their lives on hold and doing ridiculous hours to make things happen and to get things done.
"I think the expectation is just well over that and they expect so much from them. And the staff in practice do take it personally. They take it home with them and it bothers them if they're not felt to have done a good job and to have put their all in.
"So I think that is the main challenge - the significant change now is that the bar has been raised which is why it's so so good to have this technology that's come in with apps and phones and with communication improving, and compliance improving because I think that's just taking a little bit of the pressure off and just helped a little bit to even out that expectation of what we can do and what we're physically able to do."
How has the evolution of technology impacted your career over the years?
"I think the evolution of technology over the years has just been amazing.
"When I started my career back in the day we had cards for patient records and we used to stand at either end of a consult table, write on the card if you dispensed something, slide it back to the vet, they'd write some notes, slide it back to you, you'd write some more notes, slide it back to them - it was really old school.
"But now, the technology that's coming in - you've got your new PMS systems in practice and you've got dispensing systems and apps on phones and it's just amazing. I think it's really helped veterinary practice. It is very stressful when you're old school, and you've got vets and nurses who don't want change and don't like change, but I think when it's actually initiated and it's working and it's doing its job, it's amazing.
"I completely embrace it and think it's only going to be for the good of staff. I think there's more to come - more excitement and more benefit to come from technology in the future."
What advice would you give to people considering a career in veterinary medicine?
"I think for anyone considering a career in veterinary medicine - go for it!
"Do consider the demands though. I was very lucky in that I started very young. I was kind of still a child really so I didn't have to worry about relationships and family demands and things. So you do have to consider that if you're later on in life or if you're at uni and you've got a big social life, just think about the demands - the lack of sleep, lack of diet and nutrition - because it is all part of it.
"You do have to be able to be 100% committed and it's not all sweetness and delight and cuddling kittens and puppies. It is very hard. It's very challenging and you're learning all the time, but it's exciting and it's a good role to be in and opens lots of doors.
"If you can do it and you can set yourself on a path of commitment, just for the first few years, you'll be absolutely fine for the future. It will carry you through life and you'll always have a career to fall back on.
"So, if you want to do it - do it!"