19 Dec 2018
In the run up to Christmas, RVN Jane Davidson challenges the traditional view of this time of year and suggests a few veterinary-specific definitions for festive phrases.
Jane Davidson
Job Title
Image © TungCheung / Adobe Stock
The annual festive message for #PlanetRVN last year was about making the holiday season your own – avoiding the normal social conventions and doing what you want or need… I feel that’s a very important message for our own health and well-being.
This year I’m going to get some festive definitions sorted, so when we use words related to Christmas we all know what we mean, in a strictly veterinary context. Let’s start with the biggie.
This is the Cambridge English Dictionary definition:
None of the common usages include religious or birthday wishes. It’s about the social conventions of visiting family and the further examples also include the shopping, gift buying, parties and general “busy-ness” of Christmas:
I think we view these holidays differently in the veterinary world and might have a different definition from the standard dictionary. So, I’d like to pose a few options, feel free to add more.
A linear foreign body resulting in emergency trip to OOH vets.
Pastry filled with toxins – see “tinsel” for repercussions.
Noise phobia inducer.
A normally helpful spreadsheet rendered useless by holiday requests, normal bank holidays, extra bank holidays for Christmas being on a Sunday and no public transport on said bank holidays.
If booked at 9am on 1 January the preceding year (preceding two years in a leap year), you too could have a Christmas holiday.
Mythical creatures who sit in either one of two camps:
Various definitions:
Similar to Christmas, but with better weather.
Yes, as ever I’m a bit “bah humbug” about the whole affair, but at least we can have some fun with what the festivities mean to us. No free holiday days between Christmas and New Year for us, or finishing early on Christmas Eve – this is the time when teams pull together to make sure we provide great care for pets, clients and ourselves.
Over the years I’ve enjoyed festive dinners of takeaway pizza or lasagne, and sometimes not had to eat actual meals because my body was 50% Celebrations or Cadbury’s Roses. I’ve created great memories with colleagues and friends during emergency shifts over Christmas and New Year, and been with some wonderful clients helping them with difficult situations at a very difficult time of year.
Despite my poking fun at Christmas, it does sometimes feel like a privilege to work with #teamvet to be the Other Emergency Service, so for 2018 I sign off with much love to you all for the coming weeks, and a “Q time” for all.
My latest festive-themed Vet Nurse Dictionary Corner videos add an in-depth look at some of the veterinary definitions of familiar festive words. More will be added every Sunday in December.
