PROMPT: Who were you the night before you started your internship? Who are you as you walk off site at the end of your last day? What’s changed? If you could go back in time to talk to the you you were the night before it all started, what would you say to your past self? Would your past self be impressed with / proud of your future self? How come/why not?
The night before my internship I was nervous, but excited. I was sure this internship is going to give me motivation and inspiration to carry me through six years of veterinary school that is ahead of me. The night before my internship I can say I was a little naive; I thought I got my life together and knows what I want to do for the rest of my life, because I fought hard for this internship... But little did I know that by the last day of my internship I was relieved to leave the intern site. I realize that being an animal doctor is still a doctor by the end of the day, and I know that I do not want to be a doctor, nor do I have the skills to be one. Even though this internship did not reassure me of my future occupation, it did reassure me of my passion towards animals. I learned so much about myself from this experience that I would say is worth it signing up for CAPStone. I realize I am more passionate about the mental aspect of an animal rather than their physical aspect. Some day I hope to become an veterinary specialist that specializes in animal mentality and behavior. I would say my past self would be very proud of my present/future self, because I learned so much in the clinic along with the experience of getting accepted into a clinic that in the end it turned me into a stronger person.
WEEKLY REFLECTION:
This week I learned more about how to help dog patients recover from surgery. When a dog regains consciousness after a surgery, it is my job to help them recover their body temperature back to normal, which is anything above 100 degrees fahrenheit. The first step to help them get warmer is make a towel bed for them and cover them in blankets and towels. We also need to check their temperature regularly, so we if see a trend that their temperature is increasing, then we will let them rest until their reach at least 100 degree fahrenheit. If their body temperature isn't increasing, then we will use our machine that is similar to an electric blanket. But this week I learned another way on how to raise the patients' temperature. I can stimulate the blood flow in my patients system by giving them a good rub down. This way the rubbing will stimulate the blood flow in the patient's system, therefore they will have an increase in temperature due to a better circulation system. On my last day of internship, there was a letter from a client to one of our doctors. The letter expressed how well her cats are recovering and how happy the whole family is to see the cats doing a lot better. This letter was a very touching letter; it was a good reminder of the amazing things the doctors and technicians do and their effects on the world.