Internship Fall 2014
Riverview Animal Hospital
My Internship Site
Riverview Animal Hospital is located at 239 Armory Rd in North Wilkesboro. The doctors and staff are committed to providing the best medical care for their patients and service to their clients. They tend to both small and large breed animals.
Strengths and Liabilities
I have brought many strengths to the table during my internship experience. Some of my strengths include a strong passion for animals, patience, and reliability. Patience and reliability play a big part because first you must have an abundant amount of patience for both the patients and the clients and second reliability because you have to be somebody that can be trusted handling the animals and materials that are used. A liability that I have experienced is getting to close to an upset animal and almost getting bit or ran over. This could be minimized by paying closer attention and reacting faster.
Positive Parts of My Experience
The most positive part of my experience is that I have got to see what it's like for a veterinarian and I could see myself making it a career for myself. The least positive part about it has been the many deaths that occur but I have learned that it is a part of it and sometimes it just happens.
From School to My Internship
From school I have learned mathematic skills, literary skills, and social skills which are all a necessity for working in a veterinarian's office.
The Staff At Riverview Animal Hospital
The staff at Riverview are always eager to greet you and will make you feel like you are apart. You can tell they all are very passionate for animals and have a strong love for what they do. It shows in in their facial expressions and how they act towards certain situations such as an emergency. I strive to maintain the same characteristics.
Communication
Written and oral communication are mandatory in this practice. Oral communication is a necessity so that you can talk back and forth to your co-workers and so that certain procedures are done correctly. Written communication is used throughout the hospital whether it's a "watch your step" sign to write-up of the certain medications that a specific animal might need.
Impacts
The experience that I have had at Riverview has impacted my life and future in many ways. I have learned social skills and time management skills which I can use at high school. It's impacted my future because it has made me realize that the veterinarian occupation is something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.
Accomplishment
One of my best accomplishments is when I helped with a blood transfusion. We had to draw blood from one of the doctor's dogs and then give it to a patient dog that had been hit by a car. The transfusion was a success and the dog has been well ever since. This is a big accomplishment because the risk of fatality is very high when performing a blood transfusion in animals.
Hardships
One time that I was really frustrated is when I had too move a bull into the corral that goes to the head gate. I happened to get too close to the rear of the cow and he kicked me right in the knee. I saw it coming so I expected it but if you have ever been kicked by livestock then you will understand the frustration.
People
In this field you will encounter many different types of personalities. I some people you will find a kind, genuine person that cares about their pet, in others you may find somebody that just want to put their pet down because they don't want to pay for a simple, cheap medication.