[Work Experience]

[Marta Nieborak]

[1/2/16- 12/2/16]

Work Placement: [Applewood

Veterinary Clinic]

Overview
I worked at Applewood Veterinary Clinic for 10 days. I worked with two people, the
vet, Dr. Wisniewski and the nurse/receptionist, Michaela. On the first day I arrived 20
minutes early due to my bus. That was the usual time I arrived. I worked from 9:30
16:00. Lunch was at 1:30 2. The clinic was slow at around 3-3:30 so I was able to
leave early if there were no more appointments.
Every morning I swept the floors and checked on the animals who stayed overnight.
There was one cat who stayed there for 2 weeks. I had to clean the cage, his litterbox
and give it food and fresh water. I also had to make sure that it's IV drip and bandages
were clean.
On the 2nd day of work I observed my first surgery. Most of the surgeries were
castrations and sterilizations. There is a lot of preparation beforehand. You have to
sedate the animal which takes around 10-15 minutes. Each dose is different
depending on the weight, age and breed. Once they are sedated, the animal is put on
a table and hooked up to the anesthetic and oxygen tank. The nurse has to shave the
area which will be operated on. Once shaved the hair needs to be washed off with
antibacterial soap mixed with water and cotton pads. Next they are placed on the
operating table usually in a holder made for placing animals on their back. The nurse
has sterilized the surgical equipment beforehand. She also sprays the shaved area on
the animal with a surgical spirit. The surgeon washes his arms up to his elbows. Once
his arms have air dried, the nurse opens the sealed packet with the apron, gloves, the
surgical cover for the table and the operating sheet. Only the surgeon can touch them
as his hands are clean and sterilized. He puts on the gloves, then the apron, puts the
cover on the table and the animal. He takes out the equipment from the sterilizer
machine and places them on the table. From that point the surgery begins.
Observing a surgery from a few metres away was fascinating. It blew my mind how
the surgeon can know what exactly to do and what organ is what. The insides all
looked the same for me. Even though it was quite disgusting, it didn't put me off the
idea of being a vet.

Once the surgery is done, the nurse throws away all the bloody sheets and paper into
a special bin. They put the surgical equipment into the sink to wash before putting it
back into the sterilizing machine.
Next we washed the animal again from the blood that leaked through. Then we dried
it with paper towels and a hair dryer. If the nails needed to be clipped we did that.
We wrapped the IV with a bandage and attached a cone to the animals head. We put
them back in a cage and monitored them till they woke up.

How I Got My Work Experience

I researched what veterinary clinics were in my area or within a 1 hour bus radius. I made a
CV just incase they asked for it. My mother and I drove to each of the clinics and I kindly
inquired about the possibility and availability of doing two weeks of work experience with
them. I handed them my CV and waited for a call or email back. A few places weren't able to
take on any Transition Year students due to Veterinary Medical students doing their work
experience for University. However, one place rang back and were happy to take me on. They
had only opened a few months prior but the vet worked with students before in his old clinic.

What Did I Learn

I learned many things. From how to measure anesthetic for different types of animals to basic
consultation checkups. While the clinic was slow or everything that needed to be done was
done, I would grab some of the medical books lying around and read through it. My favourite
ones were about different x-ray scenarios and the surgical procedures.

Likes/ Dislikes
The thing I most disliked was all the cleaning I had to do. Even if it wasnt necessary, I still
had to clean just to keep me occupied. I had to clean walls and hoover every hour which
wasn't my favourite thing to do, but if it had to be done then I would get it done.
What I liked the most was seeing how easy and/or difficult it is to help a sick animal. Seeing
them sick at one point and then so much better after a few hours or days is a really rewarding
feeling. This being one of the main reasons I've wanted to be a vet since the age of six.