VetCat Stories: Clinical Year

We asked third-year students to share their favorite and most surprising clinical year experience with us, and here's what they had to share.

Ricky Wagner, Class of 2023

What has been the most surprising part of the clinical year?

The most surprising part of the clinical year has been how many different cases I've seen, how many surgical experiences I've participated in, the welcoming nature of the teams, and how quickly I managed my cases.

What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?

I performed my first splenectomy surgery (picture featured) and took on my cases/rooms as the primary doctor within the first four days of rotation. Most veterinarians don't perform splenectomies until long after school.

How has your time working in clinics prepared you for graduation?

My ability to communicate with clients, my surgical skills, my practice writing records and SOAPS, and my learning about case management have proven that Emergency Medicine is my career path. In addition, having real-world experiences helped solidify my choice.

 

Evie Garcia, Class of 2023

Where have you worked during your clinical year?

I started my clinical year piloting an Animal Welfare/Public Health rotation which took me literally all over Arizona, shadowing multiple agencies. I spent time with FSIS, AZ Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, AZ State Public Health Vet and the AZ State Veterinarian. My most recent in-clinic rotation was in Soldotna, Alaska, where I gained valuable experience working in a rural setting for the first time!

What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?

My greatest accomplishment thus far has been demonstrating my strong foundational knowledge and technical skills to my on-site veterinarian and in turn being given the opportunity to see full days of cases on my own. It’s been incredibly rewarding to have clients place their trust and confidence in my plan for their pets even during challenging and often tragic situations. Their gratitude and kind words of encouragement have been a great source of motivation.

 

Catherine Wu, Class of 2023

What has been the most surprising part of the clinical year?

Zoo medicine surprised me. It is amazing to see the interactions between the wild animals and the staff and the strong connections they have formed. The animals are so well respected and trained to do so many things voluntarily, such as lining up for blood draws and vaccines. I did not expect so much behavioral science behind the scenes at the zoo, which was great for me to experience and reflect on what I have learned there in different practices.

What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?

My greatest accomplishment so far has been my overall progression in medical knowledge, surgical skills, and client communications. My first clinic allowed me to act as a "real doctor" and take new cases myself. I could also do many surgeries for the first time, such as mass removals and a perineal urethrostomy!

How has your time working in clinics prepared you for graduation?

Working in clinics is preparing me for graduation. I have many clinics on my rotational list, including exotics, emergency, internal medicine, etc. I am learning many different things from each clinic which will eventually help me in the future when I can apply them to my real cases and give my patients the best I can offer.

 

Adina Bronshtein, Class of 2023

What has been the most surprising part of the clinical year?

I am amazed at how much I've learned in such a short time. The quick transition into a new clinic each month can be a bit stressful, but everyone I've worked with has been incredibly welcoming and helpful. Consistently working with wonderful doctors and technicians has allowed me to become comfortable and confident in myself and my abilities.

What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?

I can't single out just one accomplishment, the whole clinical year experience so far has been a great learning experience. I've been able to scrub in and assist with multiple surgeries like an abdominal exploratory, spays and neuters, and even a C-section. I was granted the opportunity to complete half of a canine neuter and half of a canine spay, both of which went well and helped me to become more confident with those surgeries, which will be an almost everyday occurrence in clinical practice. I assisted with dental procedures and was allowed to extract some teeth for the first time!

How has your time working in clinics prepared you for graduation?

Working in clinics has allowed me to gain confidence in physical exams, interpreting radiographs, giving vaccines, drawing blood, creating problem/differential lists, coming up with treatment plans, and client communication. The skills I get to practice every day and the different situations I can assist with show me what a vet's day-to-day life is really like. I can't wait to see what else I learn over the next few months!

 

Ashley Sujata, Class of 2023

What has been the most surprising part of the clinical year?

One of the major things that has surprised me is how much I’ve grown in my confidence & knowledge since starting my clinical year. I knew I would finally get to put my knowledge into practice, but I feel like I’ve also gained so much new knowledge and refined the subjects we learned in the classroom. I’ve also surprised myself with how much I enjoy learning to communicate with clients from many different perspectives of veterinary care (specialty, GP, exotics, etc.).

What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?

So far, I can narrow down my greatest accomplishments of the clinical year into two huge moments. The first one was completing a full neuro exam with confidence, relaying my findings, and localizing the lesion from those findings. Before my neurology rotation, I would have said I was intimidated by neurology, which was one of my weaker subjects. Now, I can confidently say it’s one of my stronger subjects. It feels like such an accomplishment because in choosing this rotation, I wanted to challenge myself to improve my skill and knowledge and push myself outside my comfort zone—and it paid off! So don’t be scared to choose rotations outside your comfort zone and truly challenge yourself to grow as a student and, ultimately, as a future veterinarian! My second accomplishment is shown in the photo to the left where I was able to help work with an African Hornbill during my second block. I was able to help manage a foot laceration and apply a bandage. It truly felt like I was working with a dinosaur, and that in itself is an accomplishment

How has your time working in clinics prepared you for graduation?

Despite only having completed these three rotations so far, I feel I’ve already had such an enormous variety of experiences and perspectives in 3 very different fields of veterinary medicine— Specialty, Exotics, and GP! I’ve seen how different clinics operate, support their teams, take care of patients, and appreciate their clients. This has given me a great perspective in understanding various practices' dynamics and case flow

. Additionally, I feel that one of the best things about the clinical year is getting to hear those one-on-one conversations that the on-site veterinarian has with the clients and really getting their advice on communicating diagnostics, treatments, and decision-making to owners. We will spend most of our days doing this as veterinarians, so I couldn’t be more excited to experience this in practice!