Willow Wood Animal Hospital

My STEP project was a 200-hour internship at a small animal clinic in New Albany, OH. I worked on histology and cytology of ear swaps, fine needle aspirates, and skin cells. I also worked on patient history by bringing clients into the exam rooms.

My world views changed by gaining a better understanding of the human-animal bond and what it means in terms of medical care. It was very transforming to see how the roles of a veterinarian are limited by the owner’s wishes. There are people who view their pets as family, some who view their animals as protection, and some who keep pets as pest control. The degrees of which the animal is accepted in the family, is a large contributor of the type of medical care they received. The pets who are loved as family received top-notch care and money was never thought about twice. Others hadn’t seen a vet in over a year and would only come in when the animal needed attention to live. My views are now expanded on the importance of the way people view and value their animals and how it is critical to tailor vet care to the client just as much as the owner.

The Veterinarians I worked with were very influential in my STEP experience. They helped me open my views and learn the ins and outs of the profession. They brought to light the importance of the human animal bond and how it has many different forms.

The work I did with patient history gave me a good insight of how different people view vet care. The ones with considerable history who never miss an appointment are the most attached to the animal. The ones who couldn’t give a thorough history of the animal, usually had the most health concerns and couldn’t afford to give the animals the most effective care.

Finally, the work I did with cytology also helped me understand the roles animals have in our lives in an interesting way. Clients would come in to have a small, barely noticeable lump aspirated which is not a cheap test to run. Usually doctors will tell a patient when something needs checked out but in Vet medicine, more often people will bring in their dogs for the smallest things in fear something is gravely wrong. From this cycle of tests, I found many “lumps” that were completely fine and had no need to be checked.

This change matters to my future career as a Veterinarian by helping me gain interpersonal skills I will need in a clinical setting. I will be able to relate to clients more and be able to give a more personal experience that owners will cherish and remember. I also gained so much experience in terms of diagnostic parameters and signs of common health problems. Without STEP, my vet school application would be much less competitive, and I would never have met the amazing mentors that I did.