Report about apprenticeship at Granavet - Granada

How to get to Churriana de la Vega?

We have taken the plane to Malaga. From Malaga airport you can take a direct bus to Granada. On the following site you can buy a bus ticket: https://www.alsa.es/en/

Reservations in advance are recommended. We had our bus ticket booked a day in advance. The bus takes about 2-2.5 hours. You then arrive at the main bus station of Granada where someone from the clinic, Granavet, will pick you up. Communicate beforehand with the vet when you will arrive in Granada, so she knows when someone has go and pick you up.

Telephone number clinic: 0034958982098

Mobile number veterinarian: Anna Esipova: 0034600112341

Alternative: flight to the airport of Granada (from Belgium here are no direct flights to and you must fly via Madrid or Barcelona).

The house

There is an apartment with 3 bedrooms:

  • 1 room with 2 separate 1-beds

  • The first room with a double bed

  • 1 1 1-bed room with

Bedding (pillows + pillow pillowcases, duvet covers, sheets, covers ..) and towels available. A washing machine and detergent is also provided.

There is a kitchen with all the necessary equipment: pots, pans, dishes, glasses, silverware, bottle opener, etc .. There is also a coffee machine, toaster, microwave, refrigerator and a 4 burner stove present (gas cooker  bring your own lighter).

There are two bathrooms each with a shower, toilet and sink. There was hot water but Anna prefers that you shower in the clinic because they are not able to pay the costs.

There is also a living room (living room + dining room) with a TV, table and chairs. In this room you will find a box where books, magazines and suture-training materials that you can use.

There is a pleasant outdoor terrace with benches and there are different plants. The vet expects you to water the plants every day.

The apartment is located 7-10min walk from the clinic. In about 5 minutes walk there is a supermarket "Maxi Dia (attention: pay by bank check is only from 7 €). This supermarket is located in the same street as the clinic (Calle San Ramon). In this street you will find several little cafes, an ice cream shop, an ATM, a night shop, a pizzeria and bakery, ... At a 20 minutes walking distance there is a Lidl located on the main road (A338).

Apartment accomodation is € 100 per week.

Apartment Address: Calle Calvo Sotelo 41, but the entrance is there perpendicular to the street on Calle Santo Domingo.

Operations in the clinic

You are expected to start every morning at at 9am. You must

  • wear clinic gear + surgical cap, dark blue with Granavet's logo. The gear is available in different sizes, namely XS, S, M and L. If you have a bigger size, you must bring your own gear (quite dark in color). You need to wash it every second day the second day yourself. This can be done in the washing machine in the clinic itself.

  • prepare the operating room

  • turn on the air conditioning at the kennels

  • load and unload the washing machine and store the clean laundry.

From the moment the first dogs arrive you must administer the premedication: 2% Xylazine intramuscularly (subcutaneous go even slower, and the vet would rather have you do it intramuscularly). The dose should be given as the dog stands on a sheet that hangs in the operating theater. (The first day Anna will explainit all to you).

Around half past 10, the veterinarian arrives and starts operations immediately.

It is best to check the material in relation to castration and sterilization before you leave for Granada. But do not take what you have learned at Uni to literaly, because the vet sometimes uses other methods than you have learnt in college.

If you really want to be well prepared, you can learn a Spanish word or two for the receptionist, who often can be a real help. However, she only speaks Spanish and Russian. Anna, the vet, speaks Spanish, Russian, German and basic English.

TIP: You are allowed do a lot in terms of anesthesia and surgery. Stabbing eg catheters, suturing, injections, teeth cleaning... You learn very quickly to conduct operations independently, depending on your level of knowledge and commitment.  We recommend you check the theory of bonding quite ahead (intramuscular, subcutaneous and intradermal) and practice. Repeat also like how you prepare the surgical field. Note that this differs a bit from the course, namely:

  • Dog: first soap solution, followed by iodine solution

  • Cat: first soap solution, then chlorhexidine

So you can really do a lot yourself in terms of surgery and anesthesia. However, in exchange, the veterinarian expects that all is thoroughly cleaned at the end of the day. They also expect you to forget about your student status, start acting like a true vet and take responsibility for the animals.

Your day starts at 9 am and ends after cleaning, usually around 2.30 - 3pm.

On Saturday, you can choose to assist with operations in the other clinic in Toledo. But beware... that clinic is 400km of Churriana de la Vega and the veterinarian therefore does not make this compulsory but instead encourages you to explore Granada.

Relaxation

The apartment has a sunny terrace so here you can relax after work. Churriana de la Vega There boosts several little cafes and an ice cream parlor (la Rosa) you can visit. The parlor really is a must in hot weather.

It's very easy to make a trip to the beautiful center of Granada. This can be done by bus (156), which stops at various places down the street from the clinic (Calle San Ramon). During the week the bus runs every 20 minutes, less frequently during the weekend (every 45min approx). A bus ride to Granada costs €1.5,  to be paid in cash when embarking the bus. For catching the bus to Granada, you have to wait at a bus stop on the same side of the street as the Maxi Dia (supermarket). You get off at the last stop (Palacio de Congresos). From this same place you will return on the bus to Churriana de la Vega. Please note that the last bus leaves around 11pm. Back in Churriana de la Vega you must get off at the bus stop opposite the Maxi Dia (Calle San Ramon) (note there is no visible bus stop but the bus actually stops here).

The big attraction in Granada is the Alhambra. It is suggested that you buy tickets quite a few weeks in advance as this venue is very popular and is quickly sold out.

On Sunday (or any day for that matter) you can join the vet horse riding in the mountains in Granada. There is a poster with information about this the apartment. It costs €10 per hour and is highly recommended! So if interested, definitely bring your horse riding gear (a tok is foreseen).

Our experience summary

You learn an awful lot but you should really learn to take action and take responsibility for the animals yourself. You should be able to deal with stress and time pressure Every day 20-30 castrations and sterilisations are conducted within 4 hours, so the whole process has to go quickly and smoothly.

This apprenticeship is highly recommended but we suggest to do it only during your last year in college since you then will already know more about surgery and anesthetics that you really need.

For us it was a super experience because we were allowed to do so much ourselves, much more than you will ever be able to do during college. Having had this experience, you will have a big advantage over other students. You also learn to be conscious about every step step of a surgery session, you'll learn so much more about to see the procedure as a whole and make up your mind about the way things are in reality.

It is a unique opportunity to take the first steps as an independent (future) veterinarian providing you with a much stronger position when you graduate.

Axelle and Gitte
Sep. 2017