BluePearl is the Pacific Northwest’s premier veterinary specialty, 24-hour emergency and critical care center. With its emergency doctors, board-certified specialists, animal blood bank and state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical suites, BluePearl provides access to innovative resources and comprehensive care when it is needed most.
What are the goals for my time at BluePearl?
We aim to provide education in the following areas in the ER/ICU rotation:
- Triage skills
- Physiology, recognition and treatment of shock, basic acid/base understanding
- Good understanding of fluid therapy – especially use of synthetic and natural colloids
- Basic approach to common emergencies
- Urethral obstruction
- Gastric dilation/volvulus
- Cardiac emergencies
- Upper Respiratory Emergencies (Laryngeal paralysis, collapsing trachea, brachycephalic syndrome)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- Some real world experience!
Please let us know if there are specific things you would like to learn or be exposed to during your stay – we will do our best to help.
BluePearl Seattle and Renton are collaborative hospitals, which emphasize coordinated care and communication among referring veterinarians, pet owners and BluePearl specialists. Our veterinary specialists are board-certified in critical care, internal medicine, oncology, surgery, cardiology and diagnostic imaging. We have CT, ultrasound, scopes (laparoscopy, arthroscopy, endoscopy, etc.), mechanical ventilation, on site lab, digital radiography and multiple other "toys."
Students are always matched with a doctor and are never alone. Our schedule is flexible but generally from noon to 12 pm Wed to Sunday.
What is expected of me?
The following description includes many of the tasks you will be performing and our expectations of how they will be fulfilled.
- Receiving – Complete TPR, weight, and complete history and physical exam, make a differential list and a plan and report to the doctor. Please introduce yourself to the clients as a student/intern/resident and let them know that you are getting started to help keep things moving along. The doctor will then come in, ask any additional questions, and repeat a physical exam. The doctor will then discuss a plan and make an estimate for the owner.
- If there are no cases to receive, please help the technicians with treatments. Please check all drugs and medications with the technicians before administering. The technicians, when possible, will have you place IV and urinary catheters (in unobstructed animals only) and will have you do blood draws.
- If we have a major surgery, we will either have you do anesthesia or let you scrub in and assist, depending on staffing considerations. Depending on the status of the animal, you may be allowed to close.
- If we have minor procedures, we may be able to let you do them, such as minor lacerations, abscess drainage, etc.
- If we don’t have outpatients or cases that need treatments, please read through the charts of animals that are in the hospital and ask any questions that you might have.
- Please round over any cases that you help admit to the technical staff prior to leaving each shift.
- NEVER do anything that you are uncomfortable with.