My Internship at South Mill Veterinary Clinic Dana Guerrieri

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My Internship at South Mill Veterinary
ClinicDana Guerrieri
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Meet the staff

• There are many staff members at South Mill Pet
  Care Center.
• The doctors are Dr. David Royer, Dr. Robert
  Reynolds, and Dr. Valerie Thorn-Baltes.
• They were originally all large animal
  veterinarians.
• Debbie (receptionist) and Kelly (vet assistant)
  were who I worked with most.

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History of South Mill

• South Mill Veterinary Clinic was established in
  1989.
• South Mills mission is to fulfill the needs of
  their clients by providing the best quality
  health services through a pleasant, professional
  staff offering friendly individual attention.
• This facility also provides grooming and boarding
  services, and has a second office in the
  neighboring town called Doctors Park Veterinary
  Clinic, where I mostly worked.

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Daily Responsibilities

• I arrived every day at 745 AM.
• Upon arrival we took care of hospitalized
  patients.
• Cages were cleaned, medications were given, and
  patients received food and water if allowed.

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Daily Responsibilities cont.

• After hospitalized patients were taken care of,
  we prepared for surgery.
• Surgery patients were given an anesthetic
  injection, and a breathing tube was placed in
  order to inhale gas during the surgery.
• Next, the fur was shaved at the surgery site.
• Then patients were carried to surgery table and
  scrubbed with three different solutions.

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Daily responsibilities cont.

• Next I provided assistance during surgery.
• Monitored heart rate.
• Monitored respiration.
• Retrieved instruments and other materials needed
  for doctor.
• After surgery, I monitored the patient to make
  sure they woke up from anesthetic properly.

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Daily Responsibilities cont.

• Some of the surgeries that we perform daily
  include
• Routine spaying and neutering, lump removals,
  feline declaws, and canine dewclaw removal.
• Dental cleaning and tooth extractions are
  preformed usually in combination with an above
  surgery.
• Also, complicated surgeries such as cruciate
  ligament repairs are preformed as needed.

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Daily Responsibilities cont.

• At South Mill, surgery is reserved from
  800-1000 AM. Morning office hours are from
  1000AM through 1200PM. Lunch is between noon
  and 200, then afternoon office hours are from
  200-500PM.
• During office hours, I preformed many tasks.

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During Office Hours

• Upon arrival at the clinic, pets are placed in an
  examination room with their owner.
• It was my job to go into each room to obtain the
  patients weight and temperature.
• Also, any problems or special requests (such as
  nail trims) are recorded on their chart.

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During Office Hours

• If special requests are made, the patient is
  brought to the back exam room away from their
  owner where everything is preformed.
• Common requests include blood draws for heartworm
  tests, feline leukemia tests, pre surgical
  bloodwork, and as a diagnostic tool in patients
  with specific problems.

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During Office Hours

• Owners often complain that their pet is scooting.
• This problem can be relieved by expressing the
  patients anal glands.
• This can be preformed internally or externally.

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Office Hours

• Another complaint is that pets shake their head
  and scratch their ears constantly.
• This can be caused from an infection so cleaning
  the pets ears and obtaining a sample to prepare
  a slide is important.

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Office Hours

• Most commonly, animals come in for yearly
  vaccinations. Our clinic is trying to separate
  the vaccines out as much as possible, so it is
  common for patients to come back in a few days to
  receive the remainder of their vaccines.
• For technician appointments like these, I was
  able to give the vaccination because the doctor
  did not need to examine the pet.

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Office Hours

• I also preformed duties such as cleaning wounds
  and hotspots.
• And often administered lactated ringers (fluids)
  to dehydrated and sick pets.

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Office Hours

• Often, the doctor would prescribe medication for
  a pet. It was my responsibility to get the
  medication ready and promptly make a label for
  it.

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Lab Work

• During my internship I improved on my laboratory
  skills.
• I was able to prepare and read fecal slides to
  check for intestinal parasites.

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Lab Work

• Often, we send out bloodwork to a laboratory.
• I prepared the paper work as well as the blood
  tubes with the proper information for sending.
• It is important to know which tubes are required
  for individual tests because some require whole
  blood while some require serum.

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Lab Work

• Often I would perform a urinalysis on urine
  samples brought in by clients.
• Though I was not completely comfortable reading
  the sediment that I prepared on the microscope
  slide, I was able to check the specific gravity
  and read the dip stick.
• I also prepared and read ear slides to see what
  kind of infection, yeast or bacterial, was there.

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Lab Work

• We had an x-ray machine and processor at our
  clinic.

• I often assisted with taking x-rays, and
  developed the films.

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Over Lunchtime

• Often, over lunch, I would get prescriptions
  ready, as well as finish washing the surgery
  packs from the morning.
• Surgery animals are often walked outside and
  given water at this time.
• Also, this is a time to restock supplies like
  syringes or medications that may have been used
  up.

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Lunchtime

• Also, in my spare time, I was able to create
  bulletin boards for the exam rooms and the front
  lobby.
• This was always very fun.

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Reception Work

• Another responsibility was reception work.
• During lunch, I took phone calls, made
  appointments, and got files ready for daily
  appointments.
• Also, I checked out clients, and took payments
  for services and prescriptions.

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End of the Day Tasks

• Office hours are repeated from 200 PM until
  closing at 500 PM.
• At the end of the day, x-rays are filed, and
  machines are checked to make sure they are shut
  off.
• Also, any bloodwork being sent out is put in the
  pickup box.

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In Conclusion

• At this internship, I have gained many skills and
  a great amount of knowledge.
• The doctors and staff were very willing to teach
  me how to do anything as well as explain
  procedures and treatments.
• All the staff is very friendly, and we often
  socialize outside of work. The relationships
  built between us provided a great working
  environment allowing us to work together as a
  team.
• When I am done with vet school, I know I will
  have a place to return to establish my career,
  which I would gladly accept.

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Any Questions???