Review by Kathy Lyon (Click on stars for an explanation)

This book is out of print.

We all know from reading VIN posts that if the "team" isn't working, the team members are not happy. This book is intended to be read by all members of the team, but primarily by the technicians and support staff so they may better help the doctor perform medical duties unobstructed.

There are two CD-ROMs included. The first covers auscultation's basic concepts and allows team members to practice auscultation in various case formats. It also covers some cases, working up the history and understanding the concepts of vaccines and heartworm prevention; this is followed by more advanced instruction in anatomy, physiology, diseases, clinical diagnostics and communication with clients about cardiac, renal, liver, and pancreatic organs.

The second CD-ROM takes the entire team through more advanced rounds focusing on the physical examination, clinical diagnostics, and treatment concepts. The topics include: EKG Trainer; Emergency Triage Trainer; Toxin Rounds; Complete Blood Count Rounds; Fluid Rounds. The book is divided into sections: Your First Two Days on the Job; Anatomy and Physiology: The Science Behind the Diseases; Clinical Diagnostics: The Science Behind the Diagnostics; Understanding the Concepts of Disease and Treatment.

I don't think that you could take someone off of the street and use this book to turn him/her into a technician, but you could take a technician and turn him/her into a truly valuable member of the team. The book takes each part of the veterinary day and explains the background, protocol, and expected outcome. Some veterinarians don't take the time to explain WHY a thing needs to be done, so that lack of understanding can impair the overall workings of the case. This book explains those issues to the team members.

There is more information on medical cases than on the day to day running of a veterinary office or clinic. The reader can become familiar with anatomy of several species, medical terminology, safety and restraint, the workings of various organs and body parts, toxins, anesthesia, radiology, and much more.

There are good illustrations throughout to explain various instruments and procedures. There are color plates of cytologic examples, and insert boxes of essential information are highlighted to bring an important point to the attention of the reader.

There are many cases illustrated and explained involving a wide variety of common presentations, each well illustrated and detailed. Many of the topics are beyond the usual duties of a technician or non-veterinarian employee, but the procedures are explained in a way that the concept can be understood by any team member.

I think it's a worthwhile book for any clinic. I would like to see more on the ethics and practice of being a team member, but this book does serve an important purpose.

Blackwell Publishing (Wiley) (2007).

Soft cover, 532 pages plus 2 CD-ROM discs. 8.5 x 11" format.

ISBN: 9780781757591.