by Margaret Hannigan
VETNET LLN Regional Manager (North West)
The RSPCA is a well known charity that will:
“by all lawful means, prevent cruelty, promote kindness to and alleviate suffering of animals”.
Established in 1824, the modern RSPCA has 172 branches in England and Wales, animal welfare centres and 34 clinics.
The Greater Manchester Animal Hospital is situated in Salford and you may well have seen it in the popular BBC series, “Animal Hospital”. Its Director, David Yates, has been a staunch supporter of placement opportunities for students and somehow manages to integrate their supervision into his busy schedule.
I spent a morning at the hospital observing consultations as David saw patients with a Brazilian veterinary student and Stephanie, a National Diploma Animal Management student from Eccles College, in attendance. Stephanie has been at the hospital every Friday since October and clearly knows the routine. It’s not for the faint hearted! Morning consultations start at 7.30 am and finish at 12.15pm. This was a fairly typical day- a full waiting room and lots of different problems.
Stephanie called clients into the consulting room and, when required, helped to lift the pet onto 
the examining table. David reviewed histories and checked the patients physically while their owners would give relevant information. There was no time for day dreaming as David would frequently ask for particular equipment or for help in restraining the patient. His style of working included asking both students questions, at appropriate levels, as well as explaining to the clients what was wrong with their pet and aspects of treatment.
During the course of the morning, Stephanie weighed animals, admitted others to the hospital, went for equipment needed for a particular patient, disinfected the examining area after a patient had been seen and cleaned up urine after nervous patients, removed dressings – and I could list far more.
I spoke to Stephanie later and asked what else she did at the hospital. She 
stressed there was a lot of cleaning – helping in the cat ward, cleaning equipment and sometimes cleaning patients after they had been shaved and the inevitable mopping up of all kinds of messes that animals make. Unsuprisingly, she said this wasn’t something that she particularly enjoyed – “sometimes it’s really messy and the smells can be awful” but she acknowledges it’s got to be done.
She was suprised by just how hectic the hospital can be but was pleased she gets to do more than just watch. She gets to see operations, routine and otherwise and she feels she’s had to toughen up to deal with the times when a patient is put to sleep. She really enjoys the consultations and inter-acting with patients and their pets. She gets to work with a variety of personnel – Vets, Veterinary Nurses and Veterinary students and sometimes Inspectors and Animal Collections Officers bring animals to the clinic.
Stephanie has high aspirations and wants to achieve the highest standards for her National Diploma. The RSPCA placement has clarified the differences between Veterinary Science and Veterinary Nursing for her and provided a realistic view of a busy clinic outside private practice.
