Career Case Study Interview with Krishna Mistry
Jill: So hello everybody. My name's Jill. Today I've got with me Krishna - Krishna Mistry, and she's going to offer us a career case study interview. So, hello, Krishna and welcome.
Krishna: Hi, nice to be here.
Jill: And could you just tell us a little bit about yourself, just give a little introduction to you?
Krishna: Yeah. And so I have been a RVN for the last nine years and I work in a busy small animal hospital in West Yorkshire and I'm one of the medical nurses there.
Jill: Thank you. So tell me a little bit more about the role you perform and, you sort of said where you work, so maybe give a run down of a typical day at work, what what sort of things might happen in a typical Krishna day?
Krishna: So, where I work at the moment we cover the out of hours provider for about 15 of the other practices in the area so it can be very busy and varied. So normally in the morning we'll handover from the night team. We average I'd probably say about 10 to 15 in-patients a day and then sort of from the get go in the morning it's making plans with the in-patient team and with the vets and the surgical team and deciding the plan for the day for all the inpatients that are in and then it's updating the client from what's happening with the patients and then making the medical and nursing planning for them going forward. And so it can be busy and it can be varied and we are at the moment in the midst of getting an expansion as well, so it does get a bit manic at times.
Jill: Yeah, yeah. I was just gonna say that does sound very busy. I know from my own experiences, even if you've got a couple of inpatients, it could be really hectic. So.
Krishna: Yeah.
Jill: Yes.
Krishna: Yeah.
Jill: Yeah, but I imagine that's something that you really like about the role as well, that it's busy and there's always something happening.
Krishna: Yeah, definitely. And it's one of the main reasons that I ended up staying there. So originally I was a locum and and then they gave me a permanent job, but it was the fact that they are so busy and so varied and you see things there that I've probably not seen anywhere else. And they really support the nursing team as well. And we've got a good variety of people that have got a special interest.
Jill: Yeah.
Krishna: Yeah.
Jill: Yeah. So what do you think is the if you had to sort of say what's the best part of your job, what what do you think that would be?
Krishna: I think it's sometimes when I get back 2 minutes to sit in a kennel and just spend time with the patient because sometimes it will be crazy busy, everyone's running around, but taking that 2 minutes out, and we have little iPads that we sometimes put in dogs' kennels if they're a little bit anxious, which is quite nice. And sort of sitting with them and and even like cats, brushing cats and making sure that they're getting fed. And I think that's really important. And I think it's something that's quite overlooked in nursing and I think especially the further that you progress into your career, but I think that's sort of like the bare bones of being the nurses, that caring side. That's a bit that I like the most.
Jill: Yeah, I I totally agree with you, Krishna, I think you know it's that real basic actual nursing care, isn't it really, like one to one with the patient and we can kind of get caught up in all the technology and the diagnostics and and the drugs that we're using and everything and and that just one-on-one time with patients is really important, isn't it? Yeah. So before we started this interview, you were just saying that you're going to the Emergency and Critical Care conference so just tell me very briefly about that. Is that something that you do every year or?
Krishna: Yeah, definitely.
Jill: Yeah.
Krishna: I so this is my first year going. I've always had sort of a bit of an interest in sort of emergency and critical care, and I did my certificate a couple of years ago now, in the midst of COVID. And so I missed out on the conference then and this is my first year going, and I have just done my postgrad vet nursing certificate in emergency and critical care which I'm awaiting results for. So I really do like that side of nursing and it's .. I find it a nice mix between like the surgical and medical sort of idea of everything and sort of looking after patients that are in ICU are things I really enjoy.
Jill: Yeah.
Krishna: I'm excited to see everyone and see if there's anything new that I can learn.
Jill: Yeah.
Krishna: Yeah.
Jill: Yeah, that's always part of a conference, isn't it? It's talking to other nurses and vets and sharing ideas and stuff. Yeah, but so I can see that you're really keen to develop, post your veterinary nursing qualification. That's great. So tell us about any sort of challenges that you've faced in your role so far.
Krishna: I think especially when I was newly qualified, I was, I think it is that time, the time you're sort of like gaining confidence and I often didn't sort of voice my opinion or my ideas cause I sort of I felt like ohh I'm, I'm a vet nurse and I I shouldn't say things, and the vets are having their discussion and they make the plans. But as I've sort of furthered on into my career, I've realised that as nurses we're really important and that we should be happy and confident enough to voice our opinions and our views, especially because we spend so much time with the patients. And so definitely as I've as I've sort of progressed, I feel like I'm a little bit more confident to say, well, how I feel and what I think the next steps should be.
Jill: Yeah.
Krishna: Yeah, it it's such an important aspect of nursing I think - that nurses are able to give their clinical opinion and and have a part to play in that process of clinical decision making as well. But like you say when you first qualify, you're first registered, it's difficult to have that confidence, isn't it?
Jill: Yeah, definitely. I can't imagine.
Krishna: Yeah, yeah.
Jill: I think seeing myself now, I couldn't imagine myself being in this position. And I try to encourage the nurses, that I work with now, that are quite newly qualified, to sort of be brave, to voice your opinion, cause it does matter. And people do take it into consideration.
Jill: Yeah. Yeah. No, that's really good advice. So if you had a key piece of advice to give to somebody who maybe aspires to a similar role to you, what what would that piece of advice be do you think?
Krishna: I think just believe in yourself. Especially at first, I wasn't sure, I think through my training period, it was quite difficult, and I wasn't sure that this was the right path for me, and luckily I was surrounded by nurses that were supportive, and I think they gave me a lot of confidence. But I think it's just believing in yourself. It's as much as you have those days when you whinge, when it's being busy, and you've not had a lunch break and things like that, I couldn't imagine myself doing any other job to be fair. I really, really do love it.
Jill: Yeah.
Krishna: Yeah.
Jill: Ohh, that's good to hear. That's good to hear. So what plans do you have for the future then Krishna? Anything sort of apart from your ECC conference and getting your results from your CertAVN. What do you have planned?
Krishna: And. So I have been sort of doing external courses for the last six years I think - I worked out, so it all sort of depends on my results, which hopefully should be this week or the beginning of next week but, I might go back to Uni and do a certificate in anaesthesia and just have a bit of a change. I really, I am a little bit of a sucker for all the extra personal development but I think, I tell everyone I just like graduating. That's it really, I like taking my Mum to all these graduations. And so I think that's my next step is that I'm gonna have a look at doing the anaesthesia certificate. And I've been in talks at work and things about sort of doing internal CPD with all the student nurses and the other nurses and trying to get, like, a journal club set up at work. So they're my next steps and looking forward to it.
Jill: Ah, that's fantastic. Yeah. Sharing some of your newly acquired knowledge with some of the the next generation of vet nurses. That's great. Well, thanks very much Krishna. That's really, really helpful for you to share your your story with us. And I hope to chat to you again sometime soon and your interview will be on the VN Futures website and everybody will be able to enjoy it there.
Krishna: Yeah.
Jill: Thank you.
Krishna: All right. Thanks very much.
Jill: Thank you.
