On the road with the traveling veterinary nurse, Lucy Taylor
Most veterinary nurses finish school and find a clinic to work in for the rest of their lives. Although they may travel for pleasure, their work is relatively stationary, so customers know where to find the high quality vet care they need.
At first, Lucy thought she would be following a similar path, but a school trip abroad changed everything for her. She took an Erasmus trip to Estonia, and volunteered at an animal shelter there. The trip changed her. She took another trip, this time with the focus of conservation in South Africa the following year, and knew what she wanted to do with her life.
The Traveling Nurse
Lucy made a bold move after veterinary school, and became a traveling locum nurse. She has since been to Spain, Sardinia, and Morocco for her work. While she is in these locations, she often volunteers with organizations such as Vets Beyond Borders, so she can help make a difference in the lives of animals in need.
A typical volunteer day may involve working closely with vets to examine, anesthetize, and spay or neuter a long string of dogs as quickly as possible. Not only are the animals spayed or neutered, but other procedures that may benefit the animal are done at the same time while they are under. This could mean extractions to remove decaying teeth, or enucleations.
Sometimes the animal is too unhealthy for surgery, at which point they would call and recommend to the shelter or who ever they are currently helping that the animal not undergo surgery. Other complications, such as retained testicles, can also make it harder to do the surgery.
Often, the veterinary team ends up missing lunch or working late into the night, in order to help as many animals as possible. While it is difficult work, they are happy to do it because that means one more animal is getting the help it needs.
Zookeeper? Entertainer?
Lucy is passionate about her job, and loves every moment of helping animals while she travels the world. While she knows this job is the perfect one for her without a doubt, if she hadn’t become a vet she did have other aspirations to follow.
Her original childhood dream was to become a zookeeper, which she might have pursued if veterinary school had not have been an option. Her other choice would be as an entertainer. In fact, she still sometimes plays an Elf at Christmas time in Lapland, Finland!
When she’s not an Elf, she still finds the ability to entertain but also educate through a podcast about becoming a traveling veterinary nurse she does with co-host Amber LaRock. In it they talk about traveling veterinary medicine, and the unique aspects of trying to help animals while on the road.
Lucy enjoys every minute of her life as a traveling veterinary nurse. She has helped save thousands of needy dogs through her efforts in far away countries, and has also been an inspiration for veterinary students who dream of helping animals, but also traveling too.
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