When I walked into the animal shelter veterinary clinic in Camarillo, CA at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, my hands were shaking.  It was the first day of my first animal care internship.  My mind was racing, questions buzzing through nervously.  What is it going to be like?  Will the people be nice?  What am I going to do here?  What am I going to learn?  Are they going to be willing to teach me?  Am I cut out for this?  Is veterinary medicine the right career path? My eyes were wide, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I waited anxiously with the barking, happily recovering dogs in the dog ward.

After a few minutes, one of the veterinary technicians came in and introduced himself.  He told me that the office was already chaotic and busy (I would soon discover and love that every day was a whirlwind of surgeries and exams), and that the entire staff was happy to have me there to help.  He led me into the main exam room where I met Dr. Heather Skogerson and the other vet technicians.  Dr. Heather welcomed me with a smile and a tour of the clinic, and then set me to work.

The events of my first day were a blur of vaccinating kittens, helping with dog and cat exams, and learning the ropes and procedures of the clinic.  I spent time bottle feeding underage, orphaned kittens in the nursery and observing spay/neuter surgeries.  I watched lost animals come in and adopted animals go home.  By the time I went on my lunch break at 2:00pm, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life healing animals.

At the end of the day, I was tired and sore, but more energized than ever before.  I couldn’t stop smiling when I got home, and all I wanted to do was talk about my amazing new internship.

I spent the summer observing and scrubbing in on surgeries to repair eyes, limbs, and everything in between, administering medications to make sick animals well again, changing bandages to keep healing wounds free from infection, vaccinating so that healthy animals would stay healthy, counseling adopters to help find forever families for our animals, and becoming a foster and adopted parent to three orphaned kittens who stole my heart as well as my bed. I became an integral part of the veterinary clinic and formed lasting relationships with my mentors and teachers there.

My first internship was an eye opening glance into the world past college.  I saw what a “real job” looked like in a chaotic and high pressure workplace.   I jumped in and learned through hands on experience.  I realized that it was okay to be nervous and unsure, and I was able to channel that nervous energy into productive work energy.  I asked questions at every given chance, and I turned mistakes into learning opportunities.  Most importantly, I saw where I wanted to be in 10 years.  I finally had an answer to that dreaded interview question, and I vividly remember the relief that I felt.  Veterinary medicine was and is the career path for me, and internships have taught me with countless lessons along the path toward my goal.  I am so thankful for the valuable, heartwarming, and funny experiences that I’ve collected, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you this semester!

Now it’s your turn! What was your first internship was like?  How was your first day? I want to hear about it, so comment below and share!