Taylor Dickson – Internship Veterinary Skills Assessment

Written by Taylor Dickson

During my internship at the New Holland Veterinary Clinic, I have learned a variety of skills that will benefit me in the future.  Although many of the skills I have learned will take a lot of time to perfect to practice on live animals, I have enjoyed being in an environment that allows me to be exposed to these skills.

Over my time at the clinic, I learned a lot about stocking medicine shelves and receiving shipments. I learned by watching and getting help from the vet techs around me. When a delivery comes in, I unpack the box and account for all the products expiration dates and quantities. Once everything is unpacked, I look up certain bottles in the computer system ad mark each bottle with its code. When I go to stock the shelves, I move all the older products to the front and put all the new ones to the back. I can improve this skill by learning the location of things better. After a few weeks of this, I have a pretty good idea as to where things are location, at first I had to ask. In the future, this skill will help me with identifying medication. Because I’m constantly seeing the names of the drugs, I’m familiar with the name and sometimes the purpose of the medication.

Although I enjoy practicing the skill of suturing, I’m obviously an amateur. This skill takes a lot of time to perfect. I learned by watching the doctors do repetitive routine surgeries such as neuters and spays. To be a doctor, whether that’s humans or animals, you have to know how to suture to get through school and to actually practice medicine. I will continue to practice using fruit and raw chicken. The skill is very intricate and will take time to master.

By being in the clinic environment, I have learned how to ensure a sterile environment. When in the operating room, there are only certain things I can touch without sterile gloves. During my time there, I learned how to put on gloves while keeping them sterile. Additionally, I learned about what I can and can’t touch. For instance, when I remove the suture material for the doctor, I can’t touch the actual reel of suture material. Therefore, I open the material directly onto the sterile cloth so the doctor can pick it up without getting contaminated.

While physical skills are important, social skills are just as paramount. Communication is key to ensuring the clients understanding of their pet’s condition. I’ve seen clients who are hard to handle. The doctors do a great job of communicating respectfully, even when the client thinks they know more than a veterinarian who’s been through years of schooling just to be there helping them. I’ve learned this skill by observing how the doctors are in checkups and exams with the owners present. In the future, this will be an essential part of my career as a vet. Although I can’t improve this skill directly, the vets sometimes ask me to do little things such as communicate a message to the clients. This has to be done respectfully in order to ensure the client has a positive experience and wants to return.

Lastly, I’ve acquired the skill of drawing injections and learning how to fill prescriptions. Occasionally I get the opportunity to draw up an injection. At first, I was awkward at it. Additionally, depending on the vaccine or drug it is essential to eliminate air bubbles. I learned to do this by watching the vet techs and doctors do it every day and then having the opportunity to try it myself. When drawing injections, I learned you must switch out the needles after you draw the injection, before you give it to the patient. This is another aspect of keeping things sterile. Furthermore, the workings of prescriptions are an important aspect of the clinic. The doctor must print a tag for the medicine and approve of it first. Then when I have the tag, I fill a bottle with the required amount by counting out pills/capsules. After that, I place the tag on the bottle and write up a bag. The bag must include the date, patients first and last name, and their account number.

Overall, I have had a positive learning experience at the new Holland veterinary clinic. Thanks to the patient techs and doctors, I’ve acquired skills that I will use in real life.