Last week I had an elective class that covered exotic pet medicine and surgery. In this case exotic animals refers to pet birds, amphibians, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, hedge hogs, ferrets, etc. It was officially my last rotation involving sitting through lectures. There were no exams, just listening and trying to soak up all the information. With all those species to cover you can imagine that there was a lot of information but it was all pretty interesting and the lecturing veterinarians had many years of experience working with these animals. One of the lecturers actually used an old slide projector to display his lecture material. It was pretty neat to see it in action.
One afternoon we had a hands on lab where a local pet store owner/breeder came in and passed around several different amphibian and reptile species which we were able to handle. It was pretty awesome! My favorites were the veiled chameleons and the whites tree frog. There were several types of lizards, turtles, and snakes that were also passed around.
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| Veiled chameleon male |
After taking the elective I certainly feel more knowledgeable about exotic animal medicine and surgery but there is so much to know about each individual species that experience is vital to become successful vet. Unfortunately it looks like I won't be gaining much experience with these species at the clinic that I will be working after graduation which brings me to my next point...
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| Bearded Dragon |
I got a job!!! Yep, it's official I will be working at a small animal veterinary practice in American Fork, UT. The clinic is called Country View Veterinary Hospital and I am very excited about working there this summer. It will be a new adventure and I think it will be a good experience and that I will have a good mentor to help me make the transition from student to veterinarian. Only 6.5 weeks of veterinary school left until graduation!!
My last four weeks were spent in Utah doing a preceptorship at Bayview Animal Hospital in Farmington. A preceptorship is basically in internship where I was under vet supervision with the idea of becoming more comfortable and familiar with a clinical setting or "real life" veterinary medicine. While at Bayview, I enjoyed getting to know the doctors there and observing them in exam rooms and surgery. Dr. White, Dr. Norman, and Dr. Smart are the current practicing doctors at Bayview and they were all great! I also enjoyed getting to know the staff who were all pretty awesome. It was a great hospital with great clients and patients. I was able to do some hands on things like draw blood, obtain urine, give vaccinations, view samples under the microscope, trim nails, clean ears, and try my hand at ultrasound. There were slow days and busy days. On the slow days I would study up on different medications in the Drug Handbook. I feel fortunate that I was able to complete my preceptorship at Bayview because I was able to see a lot of things and because Dr. White had some great advice about starting out as a new vet and finding a job. I will miss the people at Bayview and the two hour lunch breaks every day but I am excited to get on with vet school. I am so close to being finished!
While in Utah I also spent a fair amount of time interviewing at a few veterinary hospitals. It has been a stressful process because I want to find the right fit for me as a new graduate. After much deliberation I think I've figured out where I'll be practicing veterinary medicine after I graduate in June. Stay tuned for this announcement in the coming weeks. :)
