My Workplace
The name of my workplace is called Ace Animal Hospital, a veterinary clinic that mainly serves dogs and cats. It is bigger than my last workplace but it is between a small business and a medium business. Unlike my last workplace they are able to double book appointments because they have a total of three doctors at the hospital and two of them are on duty. My workplace is located in Fremont off of Mowry and Fremont Blvd. The staff includes around three doctor and about six to seven employees that are vet technicians. My workplace hires people that are 18 years or older who have their vet technician certificate or higher and have some experience. the doctors have more than a four year degree and the technicians have their technical certificate and i believe they also have a four year college degree. My workplace serves the pet owner community, those who can afford the services given, however my workplace accepts payments for those who struggle with the vet bill. The teamwork in my workplace is the strongest because everybody supports one another with x-rays and the animal clients. I have not noticed the weaknesses, maybe it is the work they do when there is down time because they have busy days then slow days where one can not find a lot to do.
My Mentor
My mentors name is Cari Ann Smitsky. She is a vet technician at the clinic who is looking to go more into the human medical services. Their typical day at the job involves working with the pet client and giving the vaccines. She also does a lot of organizing and restraining when the pet is not still. She does some preparing the surgery for the doctor and cleaning up messes. On her down time she walks the boarding pets that are allowed outside. She grew up in a house full of animals and has always been interested in them. She went to college and got her vet technician certificate but like I stated before she is interested in going into the human medical services.
My Role
My main responsibility at ACE Animal Hospital is cleaning up the exam rooms after the client have left. Sanitation is a big deal in the vet industry because we do not want diseases to spread. I also do a lot of observing. Usually on busy days I help restrain animals but on slow days there is not a lot to do so I observe a lot. I do not have a specific title, i just supply help when needed. I also watch over sick animals to ensure they are doing well and report if there are any difficulties with their health. I also do restocking but a lot more learning activities where I watch what the doctor does and ask questions. A regular day depends on the amount of business they have and the clients that come in. On one of the days I went in I watched a Pomeranian dog that was having seizures. I also helped restrain some of the animals for their shots. However this last day I went, I walked the dogs because there was a lot of down time. The dog on the left is called Marcel I took him for a walk this last Tuesday. I also did a lot of cleaning that day. It really depends on how busy the day is.
Project Brainstorm
I am thinking of creating a poster like project with all the vaccines available for cats and dogs at Ace Animal Hospital. Then if I have time i am going to create another poster with the life cycle of a flea. I came up with the idea with my mentors, I had informed them that I needed to make a project that could potentially help their business. They really liked the idea and decided to give me a project that they felt would benefit my learning but also help their business. They had asked me what i had done last years for my project and worked around that project to give me an interesting project. I am excited to do my project because i am actually going to do something that will help me learn something new. I will get the opportunity to research important details about the main task done at the clinic; which is giving vaccines. In order to accomplish this project on time I will depend on the help of the staff here at Ace Animal Hospital, plus do my own research and work. I will use a computer and talk to Joel my digital media teacher on which type of computer program to use in order to create my final project piece.
Progress on my WLE Project
I came in today and was informed it was going to be one of those slow days again. So to keep myself busy I checked all the exam rooms to make sure they were not low on supplies. From there I proceeded to do a quick sweep of the clinic to pick up any small trash that was lying around. I then refilled some of the spray bottles with parvo cleaner, a spray that kills germs and other bacteria. Once I was done refilling the bottes I went to the laundry room to check the laundry. since the laundry was done i folded the dry laundry and put the wet laundry into the dryer and filled the washer with dirty laundry. Then for a while I really had nothing to do so one of the ladies at the clinic, Barbara, gave me some office like work. I was printting out some info based on the patients that were listed on a log sheet. While I was in the middle of my task I was needed for translations with one of the patients. So I assisted one of the ladies in getting down the basic health of the patient's pet. When I was done I said thank you and dismissed myself. However, I was informed that the doctor would need me again for his debriefing. So about three minutes later i was in the patient's room again translating. As the day progressed the day was slow but I got to help walk the dogs.
Towards the middle of the day I discussed with my mentor, Cari, the different vaccines that were being given at the clinic and she helped me gather all the names. She aslo explained to me how the vaccine is applied and what it targets. She had also asked me who i was asking at school for help on the development of my project. Since in a workplace like this, one can not have just one mentor, my other mentor Barbara, informed me that hse had a book and a good website to find out more information on the vaccines and what they target. So to wrap it all up, I am off to a good start but technically the project itself has not bee started.
Towards the middle of the day I discussed with my mentor, Cari, the different vaccines that were being given at the clinic and she helped me gather all the names. She aslo explained to me how the vaccine is applied and what it targets. She had also asked me who i was asking at school for help on the development of my project. Since in a workplace like this, one can not have just one mentor, my other mentor Barbara, informed me that hse had a book and a good website to find out more information on the vaccines and what they target. So to wrap it all up, I am off to a good start but technically the project itself has not bee started.
Leadership Skills
The leadership skill i use most frequent at Ace Animal Hospital is Collaborate Productively. Today I came in, and was informed that it was going to be a busy day. The Doctor had told me I was going to have to help the staff by making sure I cleaned the patient rooms so that the waiting room would not get crowded and things could run smoother. That is exactly what I ended up doing so if the ladies at the hospital were busy with clients or patients i stepped up and cleaned rooms and basically gave help where and when it was necessary. Another way i used this leadership skill was when I helped the doctor with a surgery. I could not touch any of the tools but i had to give the doctor anything he needed for his procedure. He was removing some masses and we came across one that we forgot to shave around it to remove, so he told me to get the clippers. While he held the patient i shaved around the mass and Carolyn wiped it clean so the doctor could complete his task. Lastly, by the end of the day one of the vet techs was given some paperwork to organize and i took some of the stack to help her with her job and finish it quicker. My mentor uses the same leadership skills because that is basically what the job is about helping each other. They help each with x rays, giving vaccines, cleaning and laundry every time i am there.
I feel i am using Collaborate productively pretty well at my WLE, its just their is only so much i can do seeing as i am under age in this field. However, one of the leadership skills i could work on is Communicating Powerfully. I keep the vocabulary words i learn in a pad i use and discuss with them what it , means and look for more clarification. I also bring it up randomly to make the work environment a little more fun, because i mention them in a fun way. I find myself unorganized and do not speak up when i am having a trouble, but do ask for clarification when i want to know more about what they just identified with a patient.
I feel i am using Collaborate productively pretty well at my WLE, its just their is only so much i can do seeing as i am under age in this field. However, one of the leadership skills i could work on is Communicating Powerfully. I keep the vocabulary words i learn in a pad i use and discuss with them what it , means and look for more clarification. I also bring it up randomly to make the work environment a little more fun, because i mention them in a fun way. I find myself unorganized and do not speak up when i am having a trouble, but do ask for clarification when i want to know more about what they just identified with a patient.
Reflection
I learned that I like working with different types of people because last year I worked with the same people; this year I got to work with like twelve different people. Which included about three different doctors. I also really like working with animals, its not something new, it is just something that was reassured this year. I also am really interested in becoming a doctor; since I got to work closely with one of the doctors. My age was a big challenge because to work in this field you have to be eighteen or older and I am only seventeen. Here at the hospital they run a lot of x-rays, and me being under age; I could not assist or be near the x-ray area. So I mainly dealt with this problem by finding things to do; I would clean, restock supplies, read anything that was interesting about the patients so that i could learn something new. I was very attentive with the pets at the hospital and always asked questions about why they were in the hospital. I learned that you always have to thoroughly inspect a client whenever something is being dine to them. In one situation they sent one of the patients home and forgot it still had its catheter. The client returned their pet pretty angry and I really got to see the seriousness at the hospital. The workers were being called in and questions and even a warning was issued to the last person who handled the pet. That whole day went from good to bad in a matter of minutes, so its something that I learned to watch out for because I tend to overlook things. As I stated before one passion I picked up in this hospital was wanting to become a doctor because of the important role they play. It was not as much as my creativity that was put to the test it was; it is just that I had to constantly think of different ways to keep myself busy. My workplace affected my thinking, about the way my pets are being raised; i learned about the many health issues a pet could have but is not showing. So I found myself telling my dad and trying to make him take initiative. I feel what I did at my WLE is important because it helps young people like myself find a passion and a career that they want to pursue. On top of that it is a learning experience that teaches you new things but hands on, and in the action. In all my WLE has opened my eyes to what i want to study in College and the career that I want to pursue. Without this WLE experience i think i would still be confused about my career choice; and probably have wasted a year in college in a major I would not like.
Professionalism
In order to find a WLE I had to call multiple Vet Clinics and Animal Hospitals; and inform them what I was trying to achieve. It was a lot easier said than done because I had called about six different locations and narrowed it down to three locations. However, two of the clinics were making me go through a long process and would have taken me a couple days to actually hear back. Seeing as I was already behind on getting an internship, I made the more reasonable decision and chose Ace Animal Hospital. I did the research before hand as well, and wanted a clinic that had manageable hours; and was near a relatives because I had trouble getting picked up last year, so I did not want to experience the same issue. When I called Ace Animal Hospital, they were quick to the point. They told me to email them a copy of my resume first and asked about WLE; and what it is for. After about 10 minutes I got a phone call from the hospital asking me when I could come in for an interview. Seeing as I was behind I had asked them if I could go in later that day; and they agreed. I was supposed to go in at like 4 pm, however the place was hard to find so I arrived ten minutes late but explained myself. In the Interview I had to answer a series of questions; some as simple as knowing the Square root of 144, to deeper ended questions like why i was interested in the career. After the interview they told me if i was accepted that i would receive a phone call letting me know. In the end I did get the phone call, and informed my adviser, who had helped me throughout the whole process. I believe the most effective way of getting hired is being persistent, because last year i was persistent and got a internship on time. This year i was not persistent and it took me longer to find one. Which leads me to another way to get an internship, which is having multiple options because I thought i had one lined up. however it fell through and i was left struggling to find a different location. I believe being an adult in the professional workplace is handling your business, being supportive of your fellow staff. The staff here at Ace Animal Hospital handle their business. They work well together, get along and support each other to finish a certain task, like preparing for a parvo dog or just checking in patients.
Life at My WLE
Today I walked in and it was busier than usual. I followed throw my basic routine of checking on all the patients in the hospital, then i checked if anything needed to be restocked. Some of the rooms were running low on gloves so I restocked the gloves. I then proceeded to the Laundry room, where I folded the dry clothe, put the wet clothe in the dryer, and filled the washing machine back up. I then proceeded to clean out the waiting rooms as clients were being checked out; so that they could check in more clients. I also cleaned around the examination room; which consisted of sweeping, wiping down the exam table, and counter. I had to calm down one of the patient dogs named shadow because he was getting aggressive; so I was talking to him in a calm voice to alleviate his aggression. I believe I have improved considerably since my first day, I come in with an idea of what to do; I ask if i could assist. I have had the opportunity to get a lot of hands on training which is a way that I learn best. Overall i think my WLE is by far one of the best places to work at and have been offered to keep coming after my WLE is done.
The End
I know I am going to miss coming to Ace on Tuesdays however I am excited to have been given the opportunity to return and keep learning on my weekends. I really liked my WLE site this year and I learned a lot throughout the process. This experience has showed me what it takes to be a vet I actually want to keep pursuing this career and hopefully make it to be a doctor. I got a lot of work time with one of the doctors and he was an important figure that I looked to during my WLE. I would like to Give a special thanks to the staff of ACE Animal Hospital for the opportunity and the kindness each day i was going. They opened my eyes to how the vet world works and how to make it a fun experience.
