Vergennes Animal Hospital
Joleen Rafaelle Soares, 2009
With an aspiration of becoming a refined and renowned veterinarian in the future, it was nothing but ideal to seek out an internship working with an animal hospital. Initially I must admit, upon arrival to the Vergennes Animal Hospital, I was a bit shy and nervous. Not only was this my first time “behind the scenes” of an animal hospital, but this was also my very first internship. I went into this experience with an open mind and with little or no “real” expectations for the hospital. The sheer fact that I was going to be at this institution for a whole month was enough to bring me at ease. Little did I know the density of knowledge, in addition to the lasting relationships that I would form with these doctors as well as the institution itself.
On the first day there was no formal introduction. Instead, I was arbitrarily placed with one of the doctors who had appointments that day, a Dr. Peddie. I was allowed to observe him and his assistant as they tended to their patients and talked with their owners. Being the first doctor I met, a very strong student-mentor bond was created between me and Dr. Peddie. As the week progressed, initially I found it somewhat unnerving whenever he was out for the day, as is common amongst these doctors as they all work part-time or rather on rotations. However, considering this absence of formality, I was able to essentially float around the hospital and venture into different areas that I might find interesting as well as create a multitude of mentoring relationships with all the doctors at the hospital as the month moved forward. This lack of rigidity played in my favour and made this experience that more enjoyable as well as educational as I was able to interact with everyone in the hospital equally.
Working there brought forth the realization that there were a lot more people “behind the scenes” than I had ever imagined. Within this realization a kind of challenging task of getting to know everyone presented itself and kept me upbeat throughout the experience. The staff consisted of: receptionists, veterinary technicians, doctors, kennel assistants and the administrative staff and each person was different; even the style in which seemingly routine surgeries varied from doctor to doctor. I also realized that the behaviors of the doctors were catered according to the nature of the clients, as well as the pets. For instance, some clients were very familiar with the importance and nature of vaccinations such that thorough explanations were not as crucial and some pets were not as comfortable as others when in the examination room and so necessary precautions were taken such as the use of muzzles for dogs and leather gloves for cats.
On my first day I witnessed an unimaginable amount of surgeries: Two spays-one dog and one cat- and the removal of a huge, almost 9lb, tumour from the hind region of a dog; I was actually invited into the surgery room to stand and watch! I saw more and more surgeries as the month progressed inclusive of more spays and neuters, an ear ablation surgery and ophthalmic surgery (removal of an eye) to give you an example. I have seen so many spays performed that I am confident in saying that I could probably perform one on my own, with supervision of course. Towards the end of the month, I was even invited to “scrub in” for an exploratory surgery and that by far was one of my most memorable experiences at the hospital. Another unforgettable experience occurred the day I went on-site with the large animal doctor, Dr. Klopfenstein, and I got to feel the insides of a cow through a surgical opening on her abdomen!
Although surgeries were fun to watch that was not all I was involved in. As I mentioned before, I accompanied the doctors to any appointments they might have had during the hours I was there. There I helped accordingly; welcoming the owners, drawing up vaccines for the pets, playing with/distracting the pets for their vaccinations, handing out treats and many other odd, yet necessary jobs. The veterinary technicians were not without needing my assistance as well with X-rays taking, clipping of nails and generally keeping an eye on the animals when they came out of surgery. I was also provided with a crash course in ordering supplies and setting up appointments as well as handling call backs. My knowledge on the inner workings of an animal hospital has definitely increased and I learnt about the prevalence of certain diseases such as the heartworm disease and the intensity of it symptoms and treatment. I learnt about a wide array of medicines, sutures, closing patterns and instruments as well as specific diets that the animals can be put on.
However, one should be aware that with the good comes the bad, or rather in this case, the realizations of one’s limits. The greatest thing I struggled with was the issue of euthanasia. I was allowed to witness one case and it was difficult to contain my emotions as I saw the intensity of grief it brought this elderly man to say goodbye to his pet cat. Afterwards I spoke to one of the doctors, Dr, Basol, about the necessity of this procedure. He shared with me that as pet owners we have the responsibility in deciding whether euthanasia is the right choice to make. It was quite the experience for me and since then could not bear to witness another one during the rest of my time spent at the hospital. I am still unsure about where I stand with this topic, but I hope I will grow in emotional strength in order to perform this procedure if clients desire it for their pets. There were also days with not as much activity as others. On these days I got to learn more about the doctors and their respective paths to becoming doctors of veterinary medicine, DVM.
Overall, this internship had a very positive and powerful influence on my life. It created an even stronger self-assurance in the career choice I have decided to pursue. Solely on my experience on the first day on the job, I was certain that this was the lifestyle for me; it just fit. There are a number of valuable things that I will take away from this experience as well areas of study that I never before considered learning about. For example I now have a new interest in learning about animal dentistry so that I will be adept in performing dental check-ups on pets. Anesthesiology and chiropractics are other areas of interest that developed while at this internship. I also discovered that I would rather be a well-rounded physician/surgeon rather that specifying in some area of surgery, such as cardiology; continuous surgeries can be tedious.
Diversity in treatment is fun and one thing I learnt and appreciated from this institution, as I watched the doctors check textbooks, help each other in surgery and in the reading of X-rays, is that we continue to learn from each other, in and outside of our specific job locations, seeing that the techniques become more difficult and surgeries become more specific and less invasive. As I set out into the real world, I am grateful to have had this experience near the end of my undergraduate time at Middlebury College and I eagerly await the new experiences that are forth coming, now that I am even more prepared and more confident in becoming a certified DVM.
Contact the Career Services Office for more information on this internship.