Sum total of my Veterinary CPR training upon qualifying was zero. My experience with CPR was minimal and the only CPR attempt I’d been involved in had a very unfortunate incident with a tilting table. When I started working in a referral hospital, I hoped I’d get more training, and I was disappointed.
I got plenty of experience and I developed a love for Emergency and Critical Care. Nursing intense patients and monitoring high risk anaesthesia got my blood going. I loved it, I still do to be honest. This love pushed me to do my Graduate Diploma in Professional Nursing via the RVC and this was when I had some formal CPR training, it was even in my OSCEs (not the RVN ones the Diploma ones) but that’s now gone too.
The hospital I worked at tried to get some Veterinary CPR training together. Anaesthetists did their best and we got better. Experience and the team taught me lots, but I wanted more. Then I found RECOVER, the only evidence-based guidelines for Veterinary CPR. I was hooked. In the role of Head of Training and later Clinical Services manager I was responsible for organising the CPR training. This was a huge task and I got reassurance from the guidelines.
After completing the online training, I headed to EVECC in Estonia to complete the RECOVER Rescuer Certification. As we boarded the plane to Estonia, I considered what we were embarking on. I had no idea where Estonia was but the airline being Air Baltic gave me some inkling… The most organised airline I’ve ever encountered I might add.
What followed was an intense day surround by like-minded Veterinary CPR enthusiasts, as well as Aurora, my comrade on this CPR excursion. We completed rounds of BLS before being assessed and splitting into groups to complete our ALS certification. My wrists hurt; I had blisters from compressing plastic dogs but still I loved it.
It was incredible, working through scenarios and being guided by Ken who is one of the most inspiring (and nicest) people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. This was just the start of the RECOVER journey though, my love for Veterinary CPR was cemented and being to go back into practice and confidently train the team was the icing on the cake.