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Reflecting on my internship experience I have had wonderful mentors help me, support me, teach me important topics, show me what kind of veterinary practices a vet would perform, and also show me what tools a vet would use for different kinds of procedures like a surgery or dental. This experience has helped me look at this path in a whole other perspective. Before I started my internship I didn't know who or what I was going to be working with. Yet, after the last few weeks I have spent at the Pet Health Center of La Jolla I know a lot more than I did at the beginning and I have gotten a lot more comfortable with the people I was working with there, then I was at the start. I would have never thought I'd love this experience and learn so much about myself.
This experience has inspired me to think about college in a whole new light because before I didn't really have an idea of what I wanted to do after high school (going into college), but I got this chance to learn more about if this was the path for me and if I enjoyed working in a veterinary environment. When I think about colleges that provide the best learning into becoming a veterinarian, I think of UC Davis which is the #1 vet school in the U.S. I had also talked with a parent at the Pet Health Center who brought their pet in for an exam and asked if I was an intern and I said yes, so she recommended one college that she thought had a really good vet program which was the University of Arizona. Although, UC Davis is the top college for vet school and the University of Arizona has been recommended to me as having a good vet program, I still have more time to research and figure out what school would be the best for me and benefit me. I haven't really learned or thought about new courses to study or majors to pursue on learning more about veterinary practices, what steps to take in order to become a vet or what type of topics you need to learn, but I think researching or learning more about what types of courses and majors there are would benefit me. Pursuing a veterinarian career path is definitely on my radar, I just don't want to commit too soon, meaning I just need to expand my knowledge more about the life of a vet and everything they do in their field.
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While working at my internship site I have seen a lot of interactions with the working staff there. I have also heard a lot of communicating from the staff too. Some interactions I have noticed is whenever Dr. Morizi is working with a parent and patient in an exam room he will ask Megan (office manager) to print out any paperwork he will need for important information and would always communicate to Megan if he needed more clarification on anything he might've missed so that he can have all the important details for the patient he is helping. I have heard a lot of communicating with one another whenever Dr. Morizi is performing a surgery, etc. The staff there always helps out if its either the doctor, Karen or anybody else that is currently working and asks them if they need anything in particular. For example, missing an important instrument that they will need for a procedure or helping them out so they won't have to do everything by themselves. A very nice and helpful staff member there named Jessica whom we usually refer to as Jess is always conversational to me and co-workers of hers. It is always fun and comfortable to talk to her because she is always willing to tell me what and where things are around the place and explains to me in detail. She is very good at communicating with the staff about what they need her to do, if they need something from her, etc. I have also noticed these past few weeks that they are always working together with one another to get things done. For example, dental procedures, check ins with a patient, etc. They are always ready to help one another with a particular task. I think that this type of social dynamic has a real impact on the organizations work because it shows what environment people are bringing their pets into and that the staff are ready to help in whatever way they can. As I continue to work on my project, something that has been going really well for me is my ability to be a fast learner, being able to remember certain details of something that one of the doctors or staff has explained to me, and also being able to memorize important and specific things they teach me. Over the past 4 weeks, one of my mentors Karen has shown me how to take inventory of surgical instruments, taught me what the names are of each instrument, how to correctly handle them, how to wash them, how to wrap instruments into surgical packs and how to operate an autoclave. With lots of practice and tasks I have been assigned to these past 4 weeks, I have gained a muscle memory of how to fulfill all of these things for my project. I have become more confident and comfortable in this area of learning. One takeaway for me is that you'd think all of the surgical instruments look the same or are similar to each other but they are not; there are different ways to use each instrument or what the names are of each of them. Another takeaway I would say for me is that when I was first introduced to an Autoclave, I thought of how the name sounded and thought immediately, that the process of learning how to operate it was going to be challenging but it was the opposite. I learned very quickly and had memorized the process of sterilizing instruments by heart. One thing I am amazed by is my ability to remember all of the names of each surgical instrument and being organized in my inventory skills of all the supplies and surgical instruments I had to write down. Some challenges I have faced during my project has been trying to learn terms that the doctor or staff uses in their workplace. One way I can challenge through this problem is to ask my mentors what they mean when they use a term that I don't understand so I can get better grasp at it. I am well into my project and I have been learning very quickly as to how certain things should be done, like how to work an autoclave, taking inventory of surgical instruments or supplies, and learning Terminology. Karen who is an RVT (registered veterinary technician) has taught me how to prep a pack with surgical instruments in it, a specific way so that when Dr. Morizi is ready for surgery the pack is easy for him to open without any trouble. An autoclave has important instructions on how to operate it, which is making sure its on, then putting your instruments in the machine, turning the knob to "fill water", and once the water gets to the line inside of the autoclave you close it securely, have the right temperature depending on the machine, turn the knob to sterilize, put timer for 50 minutes to sterilize, then if you hear a ring, its time to turn the knob to dry the materials for at least 10-15 minutes, then open the autoclave to bring out all the steam inside, wait until they are dry, and the instruments are ready to be used! I have learned some more terminology terms such as neuter, spade, lepto, Cerenia, Famotidine, etc. I have also learned what an IV catheter and a Veterinary Infusion pump is. An IV catheter is a device commonly used to manage drugs and fluid therapy; and they can also be used to provide nutritional support directly into the venous system. While a Veterinary Infusion pump is a pump for dosed, long-term administration of various medical solutions intravenously (inside the vein) or for the introduction of nutrient solutions to severe patients. A veterinary infusion pump is a system that can administer drugs in several ways: bolus, drip, and volume. I have also been taught how to handle, inject, and where to inject the needle in the animal. This week I was able to do 2 injections on 2 animals. The two animals were brother and sister and their names were Willie and Piper! Both dogs got injected on the lower side side of their back, one on the left and one on the right. A slight challenge I have faced was not getting how to hold a needle the first time, but now I am starting to get the hang of it. To make sure I have a successful completion of my Internship project I will keep taking notes, pay close attention, and listen carefully. I am thankful that I have this amazing experience to get to know more about myself, my limitations, my interests, etc. Especially, getting the chance to see if this is the career I want to pursue in the future. I have learned a lot of important key details, terms, and topics you would need to know on how to perform certain tasks like, how to operate an autoclave, how to prep a pack with surgical instruments neatly and correctly, terms a veterinarian would use, how to use and handle a needle correctly, how to inject a needle into an animal, what kinds of medicines the doctor uses and how they help or what they do, etc. I am very pleased with what I have been learning so far and grateful for the staff there who are taking their time to work with me, guide me, and support me. I am glad to work in a comfortable and friendly environment. I think that having a comfortable environment to work in is one of the important parts of your profession because it shows how much you love your job and how it makes you safe or comforting, especially with animals all around that make you feel calm. I am thankful for my caring and patient mentors I have been working with who have been teaching me all about what veterinarians do in the workplace, etc. They have been very helpful and patient with the process of me learning all about what veterinarians do, etc and for that I am grateful. I hope this experience will give me some insight of what I want to pursue as a career in the future. I am loving my internship experience so far, it is really changing the way I am thinking and considering what path I may want to take in the future. It is my second week of Internship at the Pet Health Center of La Jolla and I am already feeling very comfortable with the staff and the environment around me! I chose this internship specifically because I have always loved animals and wanted to explore this side of me and what talents I could bring outside of me for my love of animals. So far this opportunity has given me the experience to get to know more about myself, my limitations, and what path or future career it will lead me to! The types of things I have been learning about this week are the importance of keeping inventory of surgical instruments and the names of them such as a Olsen - Hegar needle holder, Crile forceps, or Kelly forceps. I watched a surgery where Dr. Morizi removed a tumor from the right side of a dogs ear and after stitched the area up. I learned about a machine called a centrifuge, where it spins your blood to separate your red blood cells, platelets and plasma. I am also learning how to operate the AutoClave, (a machine used to re-sterilize all of the medical instruments). This week I also learned from one doctor named Karen on how to administer an anti-bacterial injection to a dog while the dog was having dental treatment done. She showed me how to properly handle the needle so that I would be successful when injecting the medicine into the pet whose name was Hobie. I saw a lot of blood tests being taken on dogs and cats, and I was abIe to prep 2 vaccines for two cats which was the FVRCP (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia), which is an extremely effective way to protect your kitty against the 3 highly contagious and life-threatening feline diseases. I watched 2 different cats get neutered (the removal of the testicles in male dogs and cats), but before the surgeries are performed the animal is supposed to be under anesthesia so that they won't feel any pain during the procedure. For my Internship project I will be learning about medical terminology that is used in a working Pet Health environment, I will be taking inventory of Surgical Instruments and supplies used by the doctor and logging them on a piece of paper which includes the number of each kinds of instruments, the name, and measurement of surgical instruments. While taking inventory I will also be learning the names of each medical instrument. Also including the operation of Autoclave (a machine that uses steam under pressure to kill harmful bacteria, viruses or fungi) to resterilize medical instruments as needed for the doctor for any surgeries, procedures he might need. During this process I will have developed technical skills by learning the different names of surgical instruments, taking inventory and knowing which medical instruments are which. Also, knowing how to operate an Autoclave which is remembering the specific and important steps to operate the machine. My project will benefit this organization by helping organize surgical instruments for them, taking inventory to know how many instruments there are and what kind, and helping out around. Finally, my final product will be a list of Surgical Instruments, supplies for inventory, knowledge of what each of the medical instruments names are, how to operate the Autoclave machine, and a tour of where and what things are in Pet health Center of La Jolla! It is my first week interning at The Pet health Center of La Jolla and I'm loving it! This week I cleaned some cages and put towels in the cages for the animals so that when it's time for an animal to be brought into their cage it is already ready for them! I also cleaned and sanitized a patient bed in one of the exam rooms after Dr. Morizi (doctor at organization) had examined the pet to make sure the bed was ready for the next animal to come in. Some consultations I have listened to about a parents concern with his/her animal have been in the exam room to mostly ask questions like "when did this problem start", "How long has it been going on",etc, checking the pet out by putting them on a patient bed and how to resolve the problem or find solutions to not make it as much as a problem. I have also learned how Anesthesia, which is used to numb certain areas of the animals body or reduce sleep can help with not feeling any pain at all during a surgery or diagnostic, and this medicine will ensure that they will not remember the experience. I saw different tools to use, collect, and put away blood tests, etc. I also had to catch vomit from a dog with a trash bag because of something he ate, but that didn't make me nauseous or anything! I learned about Microchips for animals which is used to provide a form of permanent identification. Microchip implants are called radio frequency identification, it uses radio waves to identify an animal or person, and are about the size of a large grain of rice. I have also learned about Cytopoint, a type of non-drug treatment, small and painless injection under a dogs' skin which is similar to a vaccination. It helps animals with skin problems due to allergies to things in their environment, and it helps for 4-8 weeks depending on the dog. Finally, something I was really surprised by on my first day was being able to watch 2 surgeries! The first one was, inside of a dogs ear and the other one was on top of the head and after they were done with the surgeries, I saw them stitch it up. I also got to watch some dental work being done on some of the animals! I was really surprised by getting to see 2 surgeries and dental work done because normally those kinds of things you wouldn't see on your first day, but I was intrigued and excited to see how they do it. I am looking forward to helping animals in any way and making them feel comfortable and safe and learning about how animals are taken care of in the medical field. Somethings I am concerned about is the scheduling part of my days, because knowing that I also play a sport and have practices every day and games every other day is a concern for me. I'm also concerned about maybe having too much workload which will make me overwhelmed (posting blogs every day and work from organization), the "I have no idea what I'm doing" mode sometimes, and not having a good experience. The type of work I plan to do is work with animals, help animals feel safe and comfortable for when they come in for an appointment, and whatever work or tasks they give me. My hope is to see if this is the path towards my future career and if it's something I want to pursue, gain a valuable work experience, learn new skills for example interpersonal and collaboration skills, make strong connections, and gain more confidence. Some goals I have for my site visit is to make a good impression, meet with mentor(s) and learn more about them and what they do, explain a little bit about me and why I am interested in interning at their organization, and maybe learn about what they have planned for me as well as tasks. Some questions I have about Internship is what kind of tasks will I be doing, will we have a break for lunch, and when should we leave for the day?
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AboutI am interning at The Pet Health Center of La Jolla from January 5- February 3 (4 weeks). You can find my blogs here! ArchivesCategories |
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