Five Things You Should Know About Veterinary Criticalists
If asked about the services SAGE provides, most people would be hard-pressed to name them all. In fact, SAGE doctors span eight different fields, including emergency and critical care. Did you know that SAGE currently has four veterinarians board certified in Emergency and Critical Care trained to take care of pets with the most life-threatening of injuries and diseases? Here's what you should know about Criticalists:
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Dr. Beymer and other Criticalists have to be prepared for all types of situations.
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Emergency and Critical Care is its own specialty.
Like our other specialists, each of our Criticalists had to complete a three-year residency. These must take place at an American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC)-approved institution. An Emergency and Critical Care residency involves clinical work in a veterinary intensive care unit under the guidance of a board-certified Criticalist, as well as spending some portion of time with specialists from other fields such as surgery, internal medicine, anesthesia, and cardiology. "In addition to a residency, a candidate must have a paper accepted for publication and pass an examination," says Dr. Megan Davis, SAGE San Mateo. This complex two-day examination is held once a year and covers numerous topics.
They are truly jacks of all trades.
Criticalists have to be prepared for a whole range of patient conditions. Their qualifying exam includes, but is certainly not limited to, infectious diseases, shock, trauma, toxicology, gastrointestinal disorders, and environmental emergencies such as heatstroke and snakebites. There's really no telling what patient condition may be coming through the door next. "We might see an anal gland abscess and do CPR in the same day," says Dr. Jessica Beymer, SAGE Concord.
They collaborate with all of the other specialists.
Dr. Beymer calls critical care a "service that services other services" and that's for good reason. Our Criticalists work very closely with other specialists. They may be transferring cases that came into emergency over the weekend or helping to support other patients with services such as blood pressure support or transfusion therapy. Primary veterinarians often choose to refer a patient through the Emergency and Critical care service when a patient is likely to see more than one doctor.
"Referral through the Emergency and Critical Care Service can be helpful when coordination between multiple services is needed," says Dr. Mary Aslanian, SAGE Campbell. "For example, a patient with a history of collapse, where that could be due to seizures, syncope (fainting), or a surgical emergency such as hemoabdomen (internal bleeding in the belly)."
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Critical Care units at SAGE are fitted with oxygen cages, which can be used to help treat pets suffering from shock, neurologic issues, tissue hypoxia, severe anemia, or other problems.
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They deal with the sickest of the sick.
Critical by definition means that many of the patients seen will have taken a turn for the worse. One of the reasons SAGE Campbell's Dr. Lindsey Nielsen was drawn to critical care was because of the challenges these cases provide. Being a Criticalist involves "taking a case that has little chance to live - less than 10 percent in a lot of cases -- giving it your all, and sometimes being rewarded with saving a life."
"I enjoy working with people that are in these difficult times," Dr. Nielsen says, "helping them understand how critically ill their pet is and helping them make the best informed decision they can in that difficult situation."
For Criticalists, variety is the spice of life.
One of the defining characteristics of our talented Criticalists is that they all seem to enjoy the kind of pace and variety that might send others wanting to head for the hills.
"I like the kind of dynamic patients you see in an emergency," says Dr. Davis. "You have to think on your feet and address things right away. Our patients are all patients, from every specialty."
Says Dr. Aslanian: "I like that I get to see a little of each specialty. My day is never dull."
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