Internship Reflection Journal
Laura Christian
April 1st 2014
Walking into the Winterfield Veterinary office on the first day I thought I would be
subjected to a few de-claws, and maybe some stitches here and there, nothing major. I
was also well aware that I would not be able to make any physical contribution to their
work so I was expecting to be a shadow, who occasionally asked questions. I quickly
became acquainted with the Veterinarians there and the Technicians, who are basically
just assistants to the Veterinarians. In human medicine the “Techs” would be related to
a nurse, only Veterinary Technicians are a lot smarter, because their patients can’t
speak to them to tell them what is wrong. Once I met everyone I took a brief look around
to see the dogs and cats in their crates. I still remember seeing a dog named “Cooper”
in her pen, she didn’t look good at all she was incredibly malnourished, and her coat
was patchy and rough. Before I knew what was happening a Tech. named Hillary, who
later became my favorite supervisor there, told me to grab a plastic stand to prop up the
sleeping Cooper. Little did I know that the first day at my internship I was going to see a
full on spay, which is a procedure that prevents females from having puppies. Also
because Cooper was not a puppy her procedure was a lot bloodier than a standard
spay would be. So I was left there standing in the open door observing a bloody mess
that I had not mentally prepared myself for. The Vet’s advice to me was “If you feel like
you are going to faint, don’t do it in the operating room, we will take care of you after the
surgery”, needless to say, it was an adapt fast to the environment or leave, kind of
situation.
For that type of atmosphere I think Kennedy said it right that “Leadership and
learning are indispensable to each other”. If i had given in to a queasy stomach I would
not have learned how to get the most experience out of my internship; which in turn
would lead to my lack of initiative and leadership in taking on other work in the animal
field. Since my internship at the Veterinary Hospital I have continued my work at
Maymont and started a job at Winterfield working in the kennels and walking dogs. Most
importantly is my new internship at Richmond Wildlife Center, I now get to do more
difficult tasks involving animals who have been in accidents or are injured or homeless.
In this field I have the opportunity to apply a lot of the tasks that the Vets at Winterfield
demonstrated in front of me on countless occasions.
Toward the end of my internship, I was well liked by almost everyone who
worked there, and they would let me assist them hands on where I legally could. Having
the ability to actually participate made me incredibly happy, to know that I was actually
physically helping those around me with their profession was the most rewarding part of
my internship. It did so much for me as a person it far exceeded my expectations and I
learned more than I ever thought possible. As I became more comfortable around the
office I began adopting little tasks that would help out here and there. I learned the basic
routine of the day and implemented my knowledge to be a leader doing the small things.
It was somewhat difficult for me to say that I held an all powerful leadership position,
just because I could only do so much, but when I was able I would take initiative and
help out by cleaning surgery tables, setting up for operations, sweeping, maintaining
clean work space, and getting tools for the vets while they were operating. The more I
learned the more I could be a leader to help those around me, and for that reason I
think leadership and learning build off of one another, like JFK stated.
As I learn more about the animal hospitalization and how I can help them, it is
feeding my already strong passion to work with them in my future. Learning that I am
able to stomach a lot of the grosser job’s and surgeries was a huge eye opener to me,
that if i wanted to, I have what it takes to pursue a Veterinary career. Should I not apply
my newly acquired knowledge to a Vet practice I will use it for nursing, if there is one
thing I know it is the fact that I am meant to help heal things.