Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Partner Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center? For example, what does a veterinary specialist do and how are they different from your primary veterinarian? What is a Fluoroscopy and how will that help your pet? Maybe you’re wondering what the difference is between a Hospital Concierge, Client Service Coordinator, and a Care Advocate.
Welcome to DID YOU KNOW? … a new series by Partner Veterinary. In this series, we will explore all things veterinary medicine and all things Partner. In each episode, we will answer some of the most common questions we are asked. From Neurology to Emergencies and everything in between, if it happens at Partner, we’ll cover it.
If you have a question that we haven’t answered, please let us know and we’ll ask it for you! Email your questions to [email protected].
Episode 7 – What Happens if My Pet Needs CPR with Dr. Rachael Boyd
Emergency veterinary hospitals see a lot of critical patients who are in need of two types of immediate care. Stabilization is the first step—an early intervention that helps reverse a critical patient, while resuscitation or CPR is for pets who are imminently dying and medical intervention is needed to revive them.
Dr. Rachael Boyd, Partner’s Lead Emergency Veterinarian in our Richmond location, has been practicing ER medicine with a focus on Trauma Medicine for more than 10 years. In this podcast, she explains what’s involved with both stabilization and resuscitation, what training our teams go through to provide these medical interventions, and the overall success rate of both.
What You’ll Learn?
- The difference between stabilization of a pet vs. resuscitation.
- What’s involved with both and how successful are they
- The training our team undergoes to make these life-saving efforts available to your pets.
- What you can expect when your pet needs to be resuscitated.
- What is a veterinary DNR and why you are asked to sign one
It can be really hard to make the DNR call; you might feel like you’re giving up on your pet. We urge you to talk to your doctor and medical team—they will be honest about your pet’s chances and will help make these difficult decisions so you’re not alone. In the end, our team is here to support you and help you make the call that’s best for your pet and your family.
Episode 6 – Partner’s Triage Process with Dr. Rachael Boyd
Dr. Rachael Boyd is Partner’s Lead Emergency Veterinarian in our Richmond location. She has been practicing ER medicine with a focus on Trauma Medicine for more than 10 years. In this podcast, Dr. Boyd gives us an in-depth explanation on Partner’s Triage Process—an order of treatment that dictates how patients are prioritized in an ER setting.
All emergency hospitals, both human and veterinary, follow this same approach to make sure all patients get the level of care they need as quickly as possible.
What You’ll Learn…
- What is Partner’s Triage Process and how it works.
- What the different triage levels are and what they mean.
- How our triage system benefits pets who come through our hospital.
- How the triage process affects wait times and what you as an owner can expect.
Episode 5 – Creating a Better Partner with Jamie Leach
Jamie Leach, Partner’s People Operations Coordinator, is working to help create a better environment for team members and better care for our patients. Obsessed with animals, Jamie always knew she wanted to work with them in some capacity, and she’s doing just. How? By helping make Partner’s team members work lives easier so that they can focus on helping the pets who come through our doors.
What You’ll Learn…
- Why Jamie chose to work with Partner.
- What is the best part of her job.
- The Top 3 things clients should know about Partner’s team members
- What Jamie hopes to see change for the better in veterinary medicine and how Partner is helping create that change.
- Why veterinary professionals should consider working at Partner.
But before we dive into our chat, here’s a quick Q&A about Jamie…
What was your first job? Mucking stalls at a barn!
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Puppies, always!
What makes you laugh the most? I enjoy baking, gardening, traveling, and visiting area wineries.
What’s your spirit animal and why? A unicorn! They’re sparkly and pretty.
Episode 4 – Vet Tech Chat with Jamie Wesolowski, AAB, BS, RVT, VTS (Oncology)
Jamie Wesolowski is a Veterinary Technician Specialist with Partner’s Richmond Oncology department. In our interview, Jamie discusses how she chose to become a veterinary technician, what some of the most important moments of her career have been, as well as some of the hardest. We also talk about how pet insurance can play such an important role in helping pet owners make difficult treatment decisions.
What You’ll Learn…
- Why Jamie chose to work with Partner.
- What some of the hardest moments are in her career.
- How pet insurance can play such an important role in treatment.
- What experience has made the biggest impression on her and the reality of how hard the veterinary profession can be.
But before we dive into our chat, here’s a quick Q&A about Jamie…
What was your first job? Cleaning up hair at a salon. Got my first PERM at this job. Let’s just say, the chemicals burnt my hair in the front and I had big scabs and missing hair, but she was curly and bouncy!
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Gosh, there are a lot of things that can make my day better. Some of the big ones are educating clients and feeling the impact I have made, Beagles, iced lattes from Dunkin, a dance party, and taking a Harley ride with my husband.
What makes you laugh the most? Pissfingers (look it up—oh sweet pissfingers)
What’s your spirit animal and why? The Beagle—stubborn, food motivated, and loyal.
Episode 3 – Oncology with Melissa Miller, DVM
Dr. Melissa Miller is a Medical Oncologist for Partner’s Richmond Hospital. In our interview, Dr. Miller discusses why she chose to practice oncology, the biggest misconceptions in cancer treatment, what families should do if their pet’s been diagnosed with cancer, and much more.
What You’ll Learn…
- How common is cancer in pets?
- What are the most common cancers in cats and dogs?
- What is the biggest misconception about cancer and cancer treatment?
- How do you choose which cancer therapy to use for a pet?
- What do you recommend for families preparing for an oncology consult?
But before we dive into the deep stuff, here are some quick facts about Miller…
What does Dr. Miller do when she’s not fighting cancer? She enjoys spending time with family, cooking with her fiancée Nick, and entertaining their energetic rat terrier, Lucky Liam. She is also an avid houseplant gardener and essential oil enthusiast. certified pet grief support specialist and is currently pursuing additional training in veterinary aromatherapy and herbal medicine.
More to come … in a future podcast, we’ll learn about Dr. Miller’s work as a certified pet grief support specialist and her additional training in veterinary aromatherapy and herbal medicine.
Episode 2 – Leadership with Julie Crosby
Julie Crosby is the Hospital Steward for Partner’s Frederick Hospital. In our interview, Julie tells us what a Hospital Steward does, how her time in the veterinary profession has shaped her, and how her moment of fame led to the adoption of her sweet dog, Emma.
What You’ll Learn…
- What a Hospital Steward is and does.
- Why Julie chose Partner.
- The impact Julie wants to leave on the veterinary profession.
- The adoption of Emma and her amazing story.
But before we dive into the deep stuff, here are some quick facts about Julie ….
What was your first job? La Baguette – a French bakery and cafe!
What makes you laugh the most? My kids, my husband, my silly dogs, and The Office. 🙂
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Hearing a positive story or encouraging feedback… and coffee!
Who do you admire most in the world (past or present)? My Grammy! She turned 100 in February. She is the most positive person I’ve ever known and loves unconditionally. She is my hero!
What’s your spirit animal and why? Cat – Curiosity, love, independence
Episode 1 – Neuro with Neary
Dr. Casey Neary, neurologist and neurosurgeon discusses common misconceptions about neurological cases and give us insight into what it takes to become a veterinary neurologist.
What You’ll Learn …
- What does is take to become a Veterinary Neurologist?
- What are the most common conditions seen by a Veterinary Neurologist?
- Are certain breeds more susceptible to neurologic disease?
- What is the biggest misconception about seizures?
- Will an epileptic dog need to be on LIFELONG seizure medications?