text: The prep veterinary case assistants work closely with our prep nursing team and are integral to the efficient and smooth flow of patients through our prep area, where animals have investigations performed and are prepared for surgery. They are also friendly faces to our patients, providing them with some reassuring comfort and fuss before they are prepared for their procedure or investigations.
  I love spending time getting to know the patients, sitting with them, giving them love and letting them know that everything we be okay, and that we are just here to help them to feel better so they can go back to their families.
  Prep Veterinary Care Assistant Emily
  Every morning, the team sets up our theatres for the morning surgeries, opens our x-ray and consult rooms, cleans touch points, and stocks up consumables, such as sterile gowns and gloves for the surgeons. They also ensure harnesses and leads are ready for the consults.
  The prep VCAs prepare the patients for their surgeries, which includes clipping their fur and skin scrubbing, providing support to the patient while IVs are placed, during the administration of medication and while images are taken via MRI, CT or x-ray before taking the patient into theatre with the general anaesthesia nurse and helping position them on the surgical table. They will complete a final skin scrub under sterile conditions using sterile swabs and gloves. During surgery, prep VCAs are on hand to provide assistance to the vets and nurses.
  We work very closely with the nursing team, and we also work closely with the vets, helping them to prepare their patients. You begin to get an excellent bond with everyone you work with, we are like a family; we are so lucky to all be able to work together so effortlessly.
  Prep VCAs develop a thorough technical knowledge of the equipment and how the surgical theatres should be setup prior to each surgery. Maintaining a clean environment in the operating theatre is crucial at all times. Infection control is the most important part of their role and a thorough cleaning protocol is adhered to. Due to the advanced nature of Fitzpatrick Referrals’ surgical techniques (particularly with the use of implants and prostheses), an excellent understanding is required in infection control to safeguard our patients.
  The VCAs help keep our prep area tidy. They sweep the floor, disinfect tables and monitoring leads after use, clean theatres after each operation, and set them up for the next surgeries.
  At the end of the day, the prep VCAs carry out a full clean of all the operating theatres, x-ray rooms, consult rooms, and prep area. All touch points are cleaned, bins are emptied, dirty washing is taken to the laundry room, the prep floor is scrubbed, and supplies are restocked for the next day.
  Our prep VCAs also assist our laboratory team in important research by running Tekscans for patient gait analysis, as well as assisting with PRP. They are an invaluable part of the patient care team at Fitzpatrick Referrals.