PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK IN AT THE VOLUNTEER TABLE IN THE HALLWAY INSIDE. GLOVES MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES.

YOU MUST WEAR AN OBSERVATION GOWN!

The responsibilities of the Veterinary Assistants are:
1. to gather supplies as needed from the Spay Station supply table, including the appropriate size sterile gloves for your veterinarian
2. to help your veterinarian work as efficiently as possible
3. to monitor the cats for respiration, pulse and color
4. to record the cat's status and the surgeon's name on the paw tag
5. to discard disposables from used spay packs and pass them to the Instrument Detail volunteer

Each Veterinary Assistant works with a Spay Veterinarian. Each veterinarian will probably work a little differently, so ask how you can be of the most help. The goal is keep the veterinarians doing surgery at all times, not waiting for the next cat or for their supplies to be opened. A veterinarian should never have to obtain a cat for themselves or bring a spayed cat to the next station. You have one of the busiest stations, so please try to stay attentive to your veterinarian's needs.

When you first arrive at the clinic, help to set up the Spay Station supply table if not already completely set up. Gather the supplies you will need for surgery (caps, masks, gloves, blades, suture, etc.). Be sure to ask your veterinarian what size gloves he/she wears. For each surgery, you will need: 1 spay pack, 1 scalpel blade and 1 pack of suture.

TURN ON the hot water heating blanket on your surgery table so it will be warm by the time the first cat arrives at your station. Cats will arrive at your station already sterilely prepared for surgery and positioned on a plastic tray called a spay board. DO NOT touch the prepared area! The spay board should be placed directly onto the heating blanket.

Before the first cat arrives, open the gloves and spay pack sterilely. Open the blade and suture packs so that the sterile contents fall into the sterile open pack. Obtain a cat from the Spay Transporter. Adjust the light so the incision area is illuminated. Before the cat is draped, check the paw tag for problems to be checked and alert the veterinarian. Remain with your veterinarian so you can obtain any special sutures, instruments, etc. they may need.

Be very careful not to touch or otherwise contaminate the surgical site or the surgical supplies, instruments, and drapes. If you think you may have touched something, tell the veterinarian, and they will tell you what to do. Keep the area for your surgeon supplied with instrument packs, the appropriate size surgeon's gloves, blades and suture.

The veterinarian must wear a gown for surgery which does not need to be changed between surgeries unless it gets blood on it. Both you and the veterinarians must wear a mask and cap. They don't need to be changed between surgeries either. The veterinarian will need a new sterile pair of gloves, pack, blade and suture for each surgery.

MONITOR the cats carefully for normal respiration (>6/minute), heartbeat (>100/minute), and gum color (pink). If the cat is not breathing well or its gums are blue, pull firmly on the tongue, press a fingernail on the nose leather and call for assistance from a veterinarian.

If the cat is not fully anesthetized, administer isoflurane by mask. Ask the veterinarian what setting to use on the anesthesia machine. One liter of oxygen and 4% isoflurane is usually a good starting point. Once the cat is fully anesthetized, the isoflurane should be reduced to 1.5 – 2 %, while the oxygen is maintained at 1 liter.

As soon as your vet finishes a spay, call for the Spay Transporter to bring a new cat and for the Medications Transporter to pick-up the completed one. Mark the paw tag with the cat's status (i.e., normal, pregnant, in heat, lactating, needs fluids, etc.) and the name of the veterinary surgeon.

The veterinarian will place their own sharps (blade, suture needle) in the sharps container. Discard the paper drape, used gauze, gloves and other disposables. Place clean and dirty towels in the appropriately labeled laundry basket by the Spay Station supply table. Pass the used instrument pack to the Instrument Detail Volunteer located just inside the Medications station area.

At the end of the clinic, clean up your station and dispose of trash. Help to repack the Supply table kit. As you repack, verify that all the supplies that belong in the kit are there. (See Inventory Sheet included in your kit.) The Instrument Detail volunteer will scrub, rinse and dry each set of instruments. You should help put them away. Each set should be replaced in its respective bowl. If instruments are put away wet, they may rust and ruin! Stack the bowls neatly in the laundry basket. Put clean and soiled towels in the appropriate laundry baskets.

PLEASE LEAVE THIS INSTRUCTION SHEET AT YOUR STATION AT THE END OF THE DAY. THANK YOU!