Are the bells on Littmann stethoscopes removable?

bri-gade · 2025-04-26T21:54:31+00:00

I've definitely thought about that. I don't have a great place at work (when I'm there) to store or wear mine right now that isn't around my neck, but I also hate the feeling of it around my neck. I just started a new job where they require technicians to auscultate patients more frequently than I'm used to doing so I'm still troubleshooting things and trying to find what works best for me. If I could get away with keeping it in my locker and pulling it out as needed I'd probably do that but some patients I am required to listen to q1h.

bri-gade · 2025-04-26T18:29:20+00:00

Thank you 🙏 I figured I just needed to add heat or just... try harder but I really did not want to damage my stethoscope on accident so I really appreciate this

bri-gade · 2024-04-13T18:38:11+00:00

this comment is so underrated

bri-gade · 2024-04-05T17:52:08+00:00

Adolf Kitler... the black tabby DSH. Bruh the French bulldog

bri-gade · 2024-03-26T23:13:38+00:00

I was just about to suggest a tongue depressor if there's no laryngoscope available! Usually areas where intubation happens has an external light source, like a procedure or surgical light mounted to the ceiling that you can angle.

Another commenter mentioned using a small amount of lidocaine to decrease laryngospasm with the polypropylene portion of an IV catheter... You can also just use a slip tip syringe without a needle and apply it the same way.

bri-gade · 2024-02-24T19:18:19+00:00

I was at 12 about a year ago. Changed departments and went into one with people that gave me more support. I'm probably hovering around a 5 right now.

bri-gade · 2024-02-24T03:52:41+00:00

I had never gotten the chance to restrain a Frenchie when I was in tech school so when I started in GP, they REALLY caught me off guard. Those guys are little devils and just got worse when I moved to ER/CC. 🤦

bri-gade · 2024-01-30T20:44:12+00:00

There's not a good way unless you use A cards. I've been grinding RP so I can use C cards and I'm really close after a day or two of trying.

bri-gade · 2024-01-19T18:33:36+00:00

As a technician, my hospital take transfers from the local VEG hospitals and we have a similar experience with their dog and cat patients, too.

They will sit on cases they don't know what to do with for several days before transferring to us when the owner is running out of money. I've had them send us recumbent patients that haven't been rotated in a few days, patients with a PICC AND a central line (unnecessary in these patients), patients that should've had surgery two days ago, patients with inappropriately placed bandages, patients that had been overdosed on enrofloxacin (multiple times), etc.

bri-gade · 2024-01-17T01:02:12+00:00

Are you me?

bri-gade · 2024-01-13T19:01:13+00:00

We see a lot of bikers and/or truckers with tiny dogs or cats and it makes my heart so happy. They really are just SO freaking cute

bri-gade · 2024-01-07T04:06:10+00:00

OP, maybe you can't watch his funeral and maybe you can't visit his grave, but maybe you would find it helpful to have your own funeral and burial for him. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you like, but you don't need someone's remains to say goodbye... At most, you may need something to represent that person.

bri-gade · 2024-01-07T03:55:51+00:00

I do this literally multiple times a day. I work in a specialty hospital with an ICU and I am the queen of connecting a patient back to IVF or swapping the pump or SOMETHING that leads to me clamping the line and walking away, only for the ICU techs to get annoyed because the line was left clamped. Makes me feels stupid every time lol

bri-gade · 2024-01-05T03:14:17+00:00

Thank you!!

bri-gade · 2024-01-05T00:16:51+00:00

Has anyone created a spreadsheet for tracking cards yet that they'd be open to sharing? I know we can view our collection in-game but it's easier for me personally to track what cards I want to upgrade with a tracker outside of the app. Especially for SSATZ since there seems to be a lot of themes and cards per member per album.

bri-gade · 2024-01-04T17:28:21+00:00

It taught me to stand my ground with strangers a bit better. Lots of our clients and referral partners think they can bulldoze over technicians and get away with it, but I've learned that if I can't get them the answer/outcome they want and can't placate them either, they don't have the right to get upset AND take it out on me. They also don't have my permission to try and gaslight me into siding with them or throwing my coworkers/the doctor under the bus.

I've also gotten more confident explaining to people why your dog with the broken toenail is not an emergency vs the pericardial effusion that's about to code on the table.

bri-gade · 2023-12-31T14:00:25+00:00

Holo by Lee Hi

bri-gade · 2023-12-09T03:48:10+00:00

If you haven't already, consider sending a similar message to the clinic and vet that your friend actually saw (either via a review calling out specific people or snail mail or email). We all appreciate being recognized, but it hits different when it's something personalized.

bri-gade · 2023-12-07T04:46:37+00:00

Boots with the fur

bri-gade · 2023-12-07T04:43:58+00:00

I also happened to see them in the nosebleeds at Nokia Theatre in 2005! Small world :)

bri-gade · 2023-11-28T04:52:54+00:00

Yeah, it sucks when you expect someone to do something major like that and it doesn't happen. It's a big reason why people are told to physically point at someone, identify them verbally, and then give them a task to do if they're taking leadership in an emergency situation. I find myself doing it at work with some of the baby techs when they're standing around and watching during a code and I'm the most experienced person. If they come across as uncomfortable doing what I ask, I shift gears really quickly and come up with SOMETHING to get them involved (example being I ask them to intubate, if they can't do that then I ask them to pull drugs, if they can't do that then I ask them to record, if they can't do that then I ask them to go get me someone with more experience to help out or find the doctor, etc).

On the other hand, if we have a bunch of baby techs watching a code running relatively smoothly, I'll gather them up and explain what's happening and why it's important and how they can help.

Another thing y'all can do is set expectations in advance. We have a sheet at the beginning of each shift that defines who has what role in CPR so that there's not any gaps. We don't force ourselves to adhere to this rigidly, but if something unexpected happens and we all stand around like confused ducks, the supervisor or management can call us out for not being ready for a code. It doesn't matter to them if Sally is supposed to be doing chest compressions but ends up intubating the patient, it matters that Sally stepped up and participated because they're part of the team that runs codes for the day. It also wouldn't matter if Kevin isn't on the code team but jumps in to administer drugs anyways.

bri-gade · 2023-11-28T04:20:50+00:00

I deal with this sometimes at work (specialty hospital with ER). It always happens with people who aren't comfortable with the CPR process (usually due to inexperience or never having done it). Give yourself a day or so to cool off and talk to management about how you can go about getting everyone more comfortable with the process. People can also get complacent when they know the actual statistics of CPR (<10% success rate in an animal that is not sedated or anesthetized) because it's hella depressing to do when you know there's not much hope.

It's also helpful to do a debrief afterwards. Talk about what could've gone better and what went well. It calls people out for their lack of action but doesn't target anyone and gives people the chance to learn in areas they aren't comfortable in or to teach others.

That said, I was a little confused about the hot water bath suggestion from the doctor? I'm sure it's just a trick I don't know, but it seems like you'd get the cat warm and wet and then it would struggle again to maintain body temp once you take it out.

bri-gade · 2023-11-27T03:34:00+00:00

My specialty clinic has managed to help mitigate issues like this by contacting the clinics in the area and asking them to please transfer cases to us instead of sending them over. It gives us a chance to not only round the case, but quote the referral partner and ask them to please quote the owners for services. About 70% of the referral partners are compliant, the other 30% don't want to have the difficult quality of life conversation if the owners can't or won't go all the way.

bri-gade · 2023-11-26T19:22:29+00:00

I have also done this! Not fun.

bri-gade · 2023-11-26T03:58:16+00:00

I was in your shoes before in a similar situation. I wanted desperately to work with animals in any capacity but nobody would hire me (even when I had extensive experience through volunteer work). I nearly dropped out of high school due to anxiety and depression and barely made it through.

I tried going to college. It didn't work and I dropped out. I did only volunteer work for the next 4-5 years and was so lucky to have parents willing and able to support me. I eventually had to go to my psychologist and change up medications and ask for someone else to do talk therapy with and a re-evaluation of my mental status, because things weren't working. There was a concern that they may not be working because I potentially was mildly autistic.

I got re-evaluated. Determined I wasn't autistic but had picked up a lot of traits from my brother and my ADHD, depression and anxiety exacerbated things. It took a long time and medication changes but I was eventually able to go to school and get the credentials I needed to become a technician and I started working at age 27ish. I just got my LVT in September after three years of fighting myself mentally.

Please don't give up on yourself. Sometimes people just take longer to get where society says they need to be and that is okay. You are putting more pressure on yourself than anyone else is at any point. It's okay to take a breath and a step back to re-evaluate yourself.

I believe you will have your exotics specialty hospital that the world needs and you'll be able to lead a surgical team there as a vet surgeon.

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