Second Years Move In Slow Motion

This week I'm at one of the local practices in town. I think it's Easter break for people who have normal semesters (I had the option to have time off, but needed to schedule a week here). Apparently, as part of the new curriculum, the fledgling vet students start doing some clinic practical work in second year, where the school makes arrangements for them to spend two weeks with a private practice somewhere.

Instead of spending time with the vets, they actually shadow the vet nurses, learning things like IV catheters, bandages, monitoring and recovery from anaesthesia, and just what clinics are like and where things are. I think it's a fantastic idea. However, I'm totally not envious of them, because while I get to stand in on consults and surgery, they have to putter around the back, cleaning.

Interestingly, the second years are super slow. I know students are always slow, but it's fascinating to watch their brains go. For instance, they get asked to draw up a drug. It's one of the first times in their lives they've ever done that. What would take me somewhere between 10-30 seconds, and would take a vet nurse like 2-5 seconds, for them takes 2-3 minutes. I'll see one with a bottle, syringe, and needle one minute, turn away, and when I turn back the needle's made it onto the syringe and she's putting it in the bottle. Go do something else again, and when I look back, the drug is about 1/3 drawn up. Then 2/3. Then finally finished! Now... where does the bottle go?

Since they have so little clinical experience, they don't have the hang of where to look for things, or even what sort of cupboards and drawers there usually are. For me, I need to waste time poking around for the needles & syringe drawer on the Monday at a new clinic, but then I know where to go. For them, it's a mission to find anything, every single time.

They also stand around doe-eyed and lost-looking occasionally. The most fun part is that they'll look to me with questions, which makes me feel all knowledgeable and stuff. Unfortunately, since I've never been at this clinic before, I have no idea how things are done, either.