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40 Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant

service. After the review ask the client if they would like Only in unusual circumstances might an assistant enter
to pay with check, cash, or card. observations before the veterinarian’s observation. This is
You should know how to operate the card reader usually in the form of a “warning” notation or behavior of
before making the attempt. Some card companies are a potentially dangerous or unpredictable patient. Other
very protective of the card holder and if a failed attempt times, notation of a particularly effective restraint is
is made they may block a second or third attempt. Always recorded. These are recorded in red ink.
print a receipt for the client and staple it to the printed The veterinary technician and assistants may enter
visit list before handing it over to them. observations, treatments, and test results in the medical
Thank the client for their visit, and express that you records during patient hospitalization. The two circum­
hope they will visit again and wish them a good day. stances should not be confused.
If you have a client that objects to the cost of the day’s
visit or becomes angry, remember to escort them to
another room and work through the issues in private.
Never get into an argument in the reception area. It will Reflection
make other clients uncomfortable and anxious about
their bills. What other reasons would medical records be
required in a veterinary practice?

Reflection

Think about how you feel when faced with a Computerized Versus Paper Patient
huge bill. Now translate that feeling to a client Records
with a sick pet and now a large fee. Without
apologising, how could you go about showing Computerized records are a major part of the
the client what they got for their visit and help management software utilized by clinics. The individual
them understand why it cost so much to help client records are easy to find; you just type the last name
their pet get better?
in the client ID box and the record appears. Each record
has specific areas for all of the information required in a
record so a person doesn’t have to read through pages of
past history. It generates a visit list which doubles as a
Veterinary Medical Record bill, a receipt for services, and rabies certificate if needed.
Keeping Procedures A photo of the pet can be easily attached to the file for
identification purposes. Best of all, every staff member
has access to the file at all times. The different
Regardless of which type of record a clinic utilizes – paper management software programs are fairly intuitive and
or computer – it is important to know that these records don’t take long to learn. Once you have learnt one
are considered legal documents. It is the only means of program it is fairly easy to move to another.
proof that an animal was examined by a veterinarian, Paper files are still used in clinics because management
immunizations given, tests run, radiographs taken, sur­ software is expensive, even though they are fairly time
geries performed, and medication prescribed for that consuming in assembling, utilizing, and filing. Not
patient. Records must be written in a clear, concise, and everyone has access to them at a given time and they
comprehensive manner, with no spelling errors or mis­ often get misplaced. If the clinic you work at uses paper
takes. Ink must be used to write in paper records. If a files there are several steps that you should be familiar
mistake is made, a single line is drawn through the entry, with to be a good fill‐in receptionist. Each clinic will
with the person’s initials and date. Never use correction have their own type of filing system which we will
fluid to cover the entry as it may be construed as cov­ address, but first there are a few standard steps that can
ering up a mistake. If a mistake is made on the computer, be applied to all.
an entry must be made that it was a mistake, and the
correct information is added below. Depending on the
mistake, one person in the clinic may be designated and
know how to remove an entry if caught immediately. Reflection
Once it has been saved on the hard drive it cannot be
erased. For the two methods of keeping patient records,
Veterinary assistants do not often enter observations compare and contrast their pros and cons.
during an appointment. This is the job of the veterinarian.