By: Edel Ramos
Learning how to care for animals is a huge chunk of this internship, as most of the internship consists of bathing, feeding, and giving meds to a range of dog and cat breeds. These three months have come with a lot of learning. I have learned a lot about how to properly handle and restrain animals comfortably, how to trim their nails and give them baths, I have even had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Nicole during real appointments, and have been able to watch many appointments up close. Learning how each appointment is conducted and being able to see each procedure in person has been a very life-changing experience. Being able to have hands-on experience in this field of work has been such a blessing since training and learning would be so incredibly difficult without it. In the first picture, I am helping give oxygen to a Pomeranian that has lung and trachea problems. I have met many different animals with a variety of conditions, ranging from heart and lung problems to hip dysplasia. I have had to learn how to take special care of patients like these, and also about many similar cases and how they were handled. I’ve also been able to learn about the more science-related side of this job, looking at samples under microscopes, and even studying X-Rays and ultrasounds. A goal with communication for myself is learning to communicate with clients and being able to collect information for the doctor, and also being able to help explain “What’s next” to the owners. A leadership goal for me is being able to help out with my family and close friends’ pets by being able to tell if something is wrong quicker using the stuff I’ve learned at this internship. My goal for expanding my professional network is to be able to make connections with the owners that come in every day and be able to communicate about my internship and how this may help me in the future.
