As first semester came to a close I had to narrow down my options and pick a third space. I knew I wanted to work with animals, and was open to many different possibilities. I decided to shadow at Mt. Diablo Veterinary Medical Center for my third space, as it provides me both the opportunity to be around animals, as well as learn about their physiology and health.
I started at the Vet on Tuesday (1/27/15), and will be going Tuesdays 2-4 and Fridays 2-5. I was a little nervous and unsure of what to expect, since I am not the most confident in new situations. My nerves soon went away (for the most part) as Marilyn (the lady I talked to on the phone and who's husband is the head vet) gave me a tour and made me feel very welcomed. I got to choose my very own scrubs and after the tour Marilyn went out to lunch and my shadowing began. The surgery that stood out to me on the day was a cat getting neutered. I don't like to see animals in pain, and even though the cat was anesthetized, it seemed like he could feel it. This made me a little uncomfortable. By the time 4 o'clock rolled around I was ready to go. My legs and feet hurt from standing and I wasn't wearing the most comfortable shoes. The next day I met with Mr. Fitz and we discussed some of my goals and how I felt about my third space. One concern we discussed was if I was going to get bored. At this point I wasn't really looking forward to returning on Friday, and things were put in perspective when Mr. Fitz asked me if I would still enjoy the vet after 100 hours. I was not sure if I would. Another thing that slightly discouraged me is that I am not allowed to help clean up, or do much else other than shadow due to liability and insurance coverage. I don't want to be a burden, and want to pull my weight. On Friday I felt very professional and adult-like, as if I had a real job and responsibilities outside of school/friends/sports/family. I liked this feeling a lot. I stopped by Starbucks (just to add to my feelings of adultness) and arrived a few minutes early. Friday happened to be a slow day, which I actually preferred because I got the opportunity to ask a lot of questions, and do things I didn't get to do on Tuesday. I looked through a microscope at some skin cells (picture 1) and read about common diseases of cats and dogs. I found out that it is quite frequent for cats or dogs to have diabetes, which I thought was weird. I am learning about genetics in AP Bio right now, so I asked Dr. Hagler if it was more common for pure bred animals to have these diseases and problems because of inbreeding. I already knew the answer, but it made me happy when he said "yes, very good Emily!". I'm not sure why it made me happy, but I think it's because it was kind of real life confirmation of information I learned in the classroom. On a different note, there was also a really cute corgi puppy that was brought in for a check up (picture 2). I left that day more confident in my choice of third space. The people at the vet are so nice and are great people. They want to help me, and found things for me to look at and things to do to keep me busy and learning. I am thankful that my third space has people as great as them. My goals for this semester are to learn, have fun, become more confident, and develop relationships with the people I now "work" with. I am very interested in biology, and I know there is a lot of information I could learn from the vet. Something that surprised me on my first day was that they had a stem cell thing (I'm not quite sure exactly what it was, I will ask). Such a small place having such advanced and really cool technology is awesome, and stem cell research is fascinating to me, so that's something else I'll be having first hand knowledge of. I really want to have fun, or if not fun, then be engaged and not bored. I don't think this will be too much of a problem, but it could if the days become repetitive. On the second day I already felt so much more comfortable and confident at the vet. This is largely because of the people who work at the vet. They make me feel welcomed and they are very helpful and willing to give their time to me. Confidence is something I have gained a lot of over the past years, but something I would still like to work on, or at least learn how to fake haha. My last goal is to develop a good relationships with the people at the vet. By a good relationship, I mean one where I don't feel like a burden, and where I know I can ask questions and not be annoying. I also want them to like me. They are doing a lot for me, and I already have a lot of respect for the different people there, it would mean a lot if they liked me, and enjoyed my presence. I want to make cookies or brownies to bring on Tuesday to show them I appreciate the time they're spending to help me have a meaningful third space. I think I'll make some vegan cookies. We'll see how they turn out. I am still not sure if I will get bored, or if I will continue to enjoy the vet, but I think the best way to not get discouraged is to take it day by day, instead of looking at the whole picture. I will say that I am more excited for Tuesday than I was for Friday!
1 Comment
Mr. Poling
2/3/2015 04:59:31 am
Great start to your journal. You've articulated your goals, described your third space, introduced your mentors both on and off-campus, and begun to reflect on your purpose and interest in working with animals in this veterinary setting.
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AuthorMy name is Emily Burch. I am a student in the WISE program at Miramonte. This is my WISE journey (I think that's a good word for it). Archives
May 2015
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