Career Day Reflection
For my career day, I chose to shadow a veterinarian at Acacia Animal Health Center. I asked my shadow a few questions about her career during my stay.
1. Which College did you attend?
Uc Santa Barbra for four years. UC Davis Vet School for four years.
2. What was your degree?
Bachelors in Art of Biological Science.
3. What is something that school did not prepare you for on the job?
Solving people's problems/ Dealing with clients
4. What expectations did you have for your job, and how are they different from reality?
Expected things to be all helping animals, lots of petting, and joy.
Does't have set hours. Clients sometimes blame you for things that go wrong.
5. What career did you want coming out of high school?
Medical Science
6. What are some challenges you face during your work?
Being pulled in too many directions at one time.
7. What has been your favorite project from work?
Following the lifetime of a pet, from when a client first brigs it it to the last time.
8. What advancement opportunities do you hope to have?
(They were just bought by a new company) Pain management, but not sure.
9. What keeps you interested in your job?
The job itself. Never a dull moment.
10. What is the atmosphere like at your job?
Both professional and casual. (Professional in how it's run. Casual in the team work and bonds between workers.)
11. Why did you want this career?
Liked doing many things (Surgery, x-rays, appointments) This can't be done in a human medical facility.
Could also have a family (Part time jobs (3 days a week) But may have to be called in)
1. Which College did you attend?
Uc Santa Barbra for four years. UC Davis Vet School for four years.
2. What was your degree?
Bachelors in Art of Biological Science.
3. What is something that school did not prepare you for on the job?
Solving people's problems/ Dealing with clients
4. What expectations did you have for your job, and how are they different from reality?
Expected things to be all helping animals, lots of petting, and joy.
Does't have set hours. Clients sometimes blame you for things that go wrong.
5. What career did you want coming out of high school?
Medical Science
6. What are some challenges you face during your work?
Being pulled in too many directions at one time.
7. What has been your favorite project from work?
Following the lifetime of a pet, from when a client first brigs it it to the last time.
8. What advancement opportunities do you hope to have?
(They were just bought by a new company) Pain management, but not sure.
9. What keeps you interested in your job?
The job itself. Never a dull moment.
10. What is the atmosphere like at your job?
Both professional and casual. (Professional in how it's run. Casual in the team work and bonds between workers.)
11. Why did you want this career?
Liked doing many things (Surgery, x-rays, appointments) This can't be done in a human medical facility.
Could also have a family (Part time jobs (3 days a week) But may have to be called in)
There were a lot of interesting things that went on during my visit. I was able to observe a surgery, which was something I never expected to see.
This is the dog that the surgery was performed on. Its spleen was three times the normal size, and needed to be removed.
The doctor begins to cut into the first layer of skin, right before the fat layer.
After cutting all the way through, the doctor removes the spleen.
These are the blood vessels that needed to be cut i order to remove the organ. Some of the vessels connect to the stomach, so the doctor needed to be careful how and where she cut.
The doctor is cutting the blood vessels.
The doctor staples the skin back together once the surgery is complete.
This is the spleen that was removed from the dog. It is normally supposed to be a third of the size.
I'm not very good with blood, so I had to sit down during parts of the operation.
Shadowing a vet let me see into the world of medicine and animals. I've always wanted to be an animal doctor of some kind, and I liked what I saw while at Acacia. However, the whole surgery thing is something that'll take a while to get used to. It's one part of this career that I'm not jumping for joy about. However, I'm sure it's something I'd get over once I've seen it a couple of times, like the doctor said. All in all, I think this career is something I'd like to pursue in the future.
Shadowing a vet let me see into the world of medicine and animals. I've always wanted to be an animal doctor of some kind, and I liked what I saw while at Acacia. However, the whole surgery thing is something that'll take a while to get used to. It's one part of this career that I'm not jumping for joy about. However, I'm sure it's something I'd get over once I've seen it a couple of times, like the doctor said. All in all, I think this career is something I'd like to pursue in the future.