Growing up in the suburbs of Oakville, Ontario I was always the animal-crazed child begging my parents to take me to the farm so I could play with all of the animals. When I was four years old I told myself that I either wanted to be a dog or a veterinarian when I grew up. Since the first option did not pan out as well as I had hoped, I focused all of my efforts on becoming a veterinarian. Even at the age of eight I remember parking myself on the couch every Saturday morning watching Campus Vets and Zoo Diaries on television.
Fast forward 15 years to when I completed my bachelor’s degree at the University of Guelph in Biomedical Sciences. While in undergrad I spent my time volunteering at various departments within the Ontario Veterinary College, at the Guelph Humane Society and on many horse farms to gain experience and learn where my interests lie. I always followed the Externship Blog Project to hear the stories of Phase 4 OVC students in hopes that one day I could be one of them. Reading about their fun and unique experiences in mixed animal practices was a huge inspiration as I prepared myself for my own admissions process into OVC.
It is very surreal now to start my externship at New Hamburg Veterinary Clinic. I knew I wanted to stay in Guelph during the two months of my externship because I already have other opportunities to travel throughout the rest of the year for my clinical rotations. This gives me the chance to spend more time with my horse Harlie, cat Cooper and bunny Bee before the craziness of rotations begins later in the summer. As well, I wanted to find a clinic that saw a variety of species and fostered an encouraging learning environment. The externship is our time as Phase 4 students to apply all the skills we have learned in the past three years of school, and I know that New Hamburg Veterinary Clinic will provide excellent opportunities to do so.
As a Phase 4 student I am streaming “Companion Animal”, which means all of my rotations are focused on small animal (dog and cat) medicine and surgery. My passion is primary healthcare and I hope to find a job in general practice after graduation. I have a keen interest in dentistry, dermatology and preventative healthcare which are all major aspects in the primary healthcare of pets. Building client relationships and forming bonds with patients are two of my favourite things, which make me the perfect candidate for going into general practice. I am looking forward to practicing all of these skills for the first time in a real-life clinical setting during my externship and cannot wait to share all of my experiences with you!