D
deleted825474
Last edited by a moderator:
Do you take your dog into the room with you when you see standardized patients (or real patients, for that matter)? How do people react?
What accommodations are going to be put in place when you have to start clerkships? A dog can obviously not be in an operating room.
I find the lack of pictures of said service dog ITT deeply disturbing.
Any idea what field you're interested in? How has this limited your choices if at all? Depending on what your triggers are, I can imagine that something like a rapid response or a code situation might be less than ideal.I have PTSD - he warns me before I have a flashback, often stops it (or at least shortens it), helps with dissociation by creating space around me or standing behind me when we are around a bunch of people. He also has grounding tasks to help when I do dissociate.
Dude, just ask.
What happens if your patient is afraid of dogs?
Edit: On second thought, this is actually a thing?I have PTSD - he warns me before I have a flashback, often stops it (or at least shortens it), helps with dissociation by creating space around me or standing behind me when we are around a bunch of people. He also has grounding tasks to help when I do dissociate.
Since then, she and Dolce have had a very positive impact, comforting victims and their families in murder cases, kidnappings, and bank robberies, where Dolce’s presence is a calming influence on tellers who minutes before may have had a gun pointed in their faces...“We have worked a lot of cases together,” Pierce said, “helping victims of child pornography and even white-collar crime, where senior citizens lost their life savings to investment scam artists.
Have you gotten any pushback from faculty/staff or have they mostly been accommodating? Also, do you by any chance go to school somewhere in the Northeast? I was at a recent interview where a med student mentioned one of her friends had a service dog that everyone loved!
Any idea what field you're interested in? How has this limited your choices if at all? Depending on what your triggers are, I can imagine that something like a rapid response or a code situation might be less than ideal.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using SDN mobile
Does your hospital employ any animals for patients? (e.g. mine has one come once/week on peds and psych)
Does your dog get an ID badge? Ours does. I love the image: It's identical to ours so it has a picture of his face and his name and they have it clipped to his collar.
@cbrons the FBI even has a therapy dog: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/helping-victims-of-crime
Edit: On second thought, this is actually a thing?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatric_service_dog
I did not think they would admit someone to medical school with a disability that required use of a service animal. I thought psychiatric problems would be more along the lines of an emotional support animal.
They allow the service dogs inside hospitals?
Man I am very ignorant of the laws these days.
VA and service dogs
Research is underway to better understand if dogs can provide a disability service for persons with PTSD. VA has started a research study to determine if there are things a dog can do for a Veteran with PTSD that would qualify the animal as a Service Dog for PTSD. The study is expected to take several years to complete. The National Center for PTSD is not involved in this study, but we will provide results when they become available.
Currently, VA does not provide service dogs for physical or mental health conditions, including PTSD. VA does provide veterinary care for service dogs that are deemed medically necessary for the rehabilitation or restorative care plan of Veterans with permanent physical impairments. If research supports the use of service dogs for PTSD, VA will provide veterinary care for such dogs. Read more information on VA and service dogs.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/cope/dogs_and_ptsd.asp
Edit: On second thought, this is actually a thing?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatric_service_dog
I did not think they would admit someone to medical school with a disability that required use of a service animal. I thought psychiatric problems would be more along the lines of an emotional support animal.
They allow the service dogs inside hospitals?
Man I am very ignorant of the laws these days.
VA and service dogs
Research is underway to better understand if dogs can provide a disability service for persons with PTSD. VA has started a research study to determine if there are things a dog can do for a Veteran with PTSD that would qualify the animal as a Service Dog for PTSD. The study is expected to take several years to complete. The National Center for PTSD is not involved in this study, but we will provide results when they become available.
Currently, VA does not provide service dogs for physical or mental health conditions, including PTSD. VA does provide veterinary care for service dogs that are deemed medically necessary for the rehabilitation or restorative care plan of Veterans with permanent physical impairments. If research supports the use of service dogs for PTSD, VA will provide veterinary care for such dogs. Read more information on VA and service dogs.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/cope/dogs_and_ptsd.asp
Yeah, it is a lot of work; we’re constantly training. Under the ADA you can train your own service animal (they cost between $30,000-40,000 if you get one from an organization). My dog wasn't even supposed to be a service animal - just got him as a pet. He started picking up on flashbacks when he was 3mo. old. He would nip at my pants and try to pull me outside. It took me a while to figure out what he was trying to tell me. At the time, I was just entering treatment for PTSD and was not really aware of the physiological changes that occurred preceding a flashback. In that way, he really impacted my treatment; I wouldn’t be in medical school without his help.
SO, back to training. Once I figured out what he was doing and the potential he had to really help me, I started bringing him everywhere. We worked on obedience (with a trainer - because I had no idea what I was doing) and I read a lot about psychiatric service animal tasks. I eventually could teach him to get my attention without putting holes in my pants. We worked on public access training (basically that he behaves in public) and then I taught him different tasks (nudges me when I dissociate, stands behind me in lines at the store so people give me space, constantly stands between me and other people, wakes me up from nightmares - well, he figured that one out on his own). The way I've come to understand it is that he can pick up on the stress response via smell, the same way diabetic service dogs smell their handler’s low blood sugar. He will also respond the same way he does to me when I'm with someone who also has PTSD and is having a flashback (I worked in a psychiatric hospital for a few years).
We are now working with a trainer to get ready for the clinic.
I'm sure a dog as highly trained as this can be easily bathed with soap and water. MRSA and VRE are also not really things generally healthy people get sick with. The real concern is us spreading it to other sick patients, not us getting sick.also, more of a personal aside, any concern for spreading C dif/MRSA/VRE from the hospital floor to your home, when your dog jumps in bed?
I'm sure a dog as highly trained as this can be easily bathed with soap and water. MRSA and VRE are also not really things generally healthy people get sick with. The real concern is us spreading it to other sick patients, not us getting sick.
Cute dog. Love this thread OP.Dude, just ask.
I'm gonna need a picture of a dog in a sterile gownThe hospital has some guidelines regarding where a service animal can and cannot go. The guidelines are based off the ADA's recommendations for the use of service animals. Most, if not all, of the recommendations are based off research regarding allergies & patient safety. Generally, there is a low risk of allergic response when a dog is in the hospital. There has been a recent study by the CDC showing that if a dog can be "gowned" he/she can go into the OR and not increase the risk of infection for the patient (BUT I think my dog would hate me if I did that to him…I’m also not sure the medical field is ready for a service animal to be in the OR just yet..)
I just met with the clerkship director for surgery; this is what we came up with regarding where he cannot go:
- OR
- SICU
- med storage rooms
- immunocompromised patient's room
- pt is uncomfortable with having a dog in the room
There will be a crate set up by the nurses' station for the times he cannot be with me. The first four on the list are already identified in hospital policy.
Technically, he is allowed in the ICU, med storage rooms and immunocompromised patient rooms if I (or any other visitor) do not need any type of barrier protection upon entering the room. I’m happy to have him wait outside, though – this is the first “staff” (if I’m considered staff)/service animal team the hospital has encountered. Therefore, I want people to be comfortable as we begin the process of “normalizing” this type of team in the hospital setting.
If my PTSD was so bad that I needed and went through all the rigamarole of procuring a service dog to pursue my dream of being a physician, then yes, I'm going to wash that dog after every 24 hour shift.So you're saying a resident that is working 80 hrs/wk is going to disinfect their dog after every 24 hour shift, clean out the nooks and crannies of their paws?
Hi all,
I'm opening up this AMA thread to encourage other med students/prospective students to advocate for themselves re: disabilities. I'm the first med student at my school to employ the use of a service animal and I want to share my experience. So please, ask away!
any concern for triggering patient's underlying asthma? From my experience, many patients don't know they have asthma. Same goes for patients being admitted to the hospital w/ new hematologic/immunodeficiency concerns. I definitely wonder about this from a 'do no harm' perspective.
also, more of a personal aside, any concern for spreading C dif/MRSA/VRE from the hospital floor to your home, when your dog jumps in bed?
The important questions: What's his name? Is he a good boy? What is his favorite toy?
Also, thanks for doing this! I have a chronic illness (though fortunately not typically disabling if I stay on my meds) and it's good to know there are more of us out there dealing with health issues in med school.
I think I would have to pet him. I couldn't just have that cute little face sitting around not getting my attention.
You mentioned your professor got on the ground and played with him during small group stuff. So is it okay if people pet him for a bit, or does that interfere with his work?
If my PTSD was so bad that I needed and went through all the rigamarole of procuring a service dog to pursue my dream of being a physician, then yes, I'm going to wash that dog after every 24 hour shift.
Thanks so much for starting this informative thread! And congratulations on all you've accomplished so far. I'm particularly impressed that you chose to work in a psych hospital and have put your own struggles to use benefiting others --
So did you bring your service dog with you to your interview(s) and if so, what were the reactions?
Medical school is stressful enough as it is. How are you handling it so far?
Can people pet it? Or is one of those things where strangers can't touch it?
Him. Sorry haha
I understand service dogs have different relationships with their owners compared to regular old dogs. Do you still get to have fun with the dog at times like play fetch, or cuddle with it, or take it to a dog park to run around?
Yes! The hospital has therapy dogs - for the peds and psych units as well! There's also one for the med students.
I'm not sure if he gets and ID bag?! that would be so totally cool haha. I'm going to ask.
Fairly certain OP doesn't go to my med school (I think I would have noticed a dog walking around) but mine also has a therapy dog come to the library once/month. My undergrad did it regularly too. I imagine a bunch of other schools offer it to. If not, something to work on during your first year!Omg, a dog for all of the students! I want to go to this school!
I now want to know how to "gown" a dog so I can have one in my OR.
Haha takes intimidating the third year med student in the OR to a whole new level if you got your doge with you. Especially if you train the doge to detect when the med student's grip is slippin on the retractor.I now want to know how to "gown" a dog so I can have one in my OR.