Being a Co-Op Student at CMVH

How would I describe working as a cooperative education student at College Manor Veterinary Hospital? I would describe it as an amazing and super fun opportunity, working with excellent people. I’ve been doing my placement here for 4 months so far, and my experience has been very exciting and informative. At the beginning of my placement, I got to watch the Registered Veterinary Technicians hold animals for blood draws, shaves and exams. The Client Care Representatives at the front got me to help out by putting away files for them and by informing the RVTs in the back about certain things. They also got me to switch over their old files to new ones. This ended up becoming one of my favourite things to do because I really want to finish switching them all over by the end of my placement. On my third day, I got to observe a cat neuter and a blood sample under a microscope.

The next day I got to take a try at holding a bunch of different animals for the RVTs. Over the months that I’ve been working here, I’ve talked to the RVTs and veterinarians about what schools to go to and different programs that would be useful to go into. A lot of the veterinarians have gone to Guelph and I have been considering going there now instead of McMaster or UBC. One of the best things about working at College Manor Veterinary Hospital is the staff I’m working with.

Dr. Allison had been especially good at teaching me and explaining different things as she’s doing. A couple instances of this were during one of the surgeries on a golden retriever. She was repairing an aural hematoma on the dog’s ear, and while I was watching the surgery she allowed me to come into the surgery room, and she explained what she was doing. Dr. Allison said that she was punching holes in the dog’s ear with an instrument and allowed the blood to drain and then sutured the holes and both sides of the ear together to prevent the ear from hemorrhaging again. Another example is when she allowed me to help her examine her dogs and take care of them. She needed to examine her dog Austin and got me to help her by holding him while she examined him. I also got to help her by washing both of her dogs Austin and Landon. She also explained to me what she was doing when she was examining a bunny’s teeth. The RVTs are also amazing people to work with.

When I first started working at the veterinary hospital I worked mainly with Michelle, Susan, Mikayla and a few other people. Michelle allowed me to observe mainly at the beginning, but after a couple of days, she allowed me to help out by holding different animals and showing me the proper techniques to do so. She allowed me to get a flush needle a couple of times as well. Suzanne also helped me learn by explaining to me what she was doing during a couple of her dental cleanings. She explained to me how the cleaning tools work and how to get plaque off better and how to get further back in the mouth. Even Mikayla has taught me about filing and different office work things. Being in this placement has been very informative and fun to be in. I’ve learned so much in the time that I’ve been here, and I had so much fun doing it.

I look forward to learning more in the little time I have left at the veterinary hospital.

Written by: Taylor, Co-Op Student