My Story and Goals - Behind the Scenes of a Vet Tech Student.

Veterinary medicine is a field that combines passion, science, drive, and compassion. For those who dream of working with animals, the journey can be both rewarding and challenging. At VMCLI, student interns and professionals alike find a nurturing environment that fosters growth and learning. This blog post explores my goals for this internship and what I hope to gain and accomplish this semester.

About Me

Hi! 👋 I'm Christine.

From a young age, I've always had a passion for saving and rescuing animals. Whether it was bringing home injured wildlife or sneaking in pets to nurse back to health, I knew early on that my heart belonged to helping those who couldn't advocate for themselves. I mean, I once saved a lobster from becoming dinner and instead rehabilitated him - proof that no creature or life was too small or unusual for me to care about.

As I grew, that passion only deepened. I volunteered at animal rescues and shelters, where I spent hours socializing shy dogs, walking them, and transporting them to adoption events, veterinary appointments, and eventually their forever homes.

Before pursuing vet med, I thought my path was in human medicine. I planned on going to medical school to become either an anesthesiologist or a neonatologist. I also volunteered as an EMT for a few years while getting CPR and BLS certified. Through that journey, I discovered my love for science, medicine, and learning - I've always been a bit of a nerd at heart. I believe that continuously learning, whether that knowledge seems useful or silly, is one of life's most valuable lessons.

My journey into vet med was shaped by one of the hardest moments of my life: the sudden, traumatic loss of my soul dog, Leroy. I wasn't able to say goodbye. After his passing, I made him a promise that I would dedicate my life to helping animals and being there for owners when they need it the most. Coincidentally - and perhaps fatefully - Leroy spent his last moments at VMCLI, the very place where I am now interning. What once was a place of heartbreak has come full circle, transforming into the foundation of my future and career. Hope you follow along on my journey!! 😊

My Leroy.

My Goals && What I Hope to Accomplish at VMCLI

During my internship, my primary goal is to hopefully gain hands-on clinical experience that will strengthen both my technical skills and confidence as a future licensed veterinary technologist. I hope to expand my knowledge by observing and learning how to properly treat a wide variety of animals. Every animal is unique - not only across different species, but even within individual breeds - and I want to better understand how treatment plans and emergent care must adapt to those differences.

I'm excited to deepen my learning of radiographs and echocardiography, from understanding how the procedures work to properly assessing results. I also look forward to being exposed to more complex and interesting cases, the kind I wouldn't normally get to see in a GP setting.

Another goal of mine is to take the knowledge and lessons I've learned from my amazing professors at Mercy and apply them to real-life cases at VMCLI. I know this experience will challenge me to strengthen my problem-solving skills and become quicker to adapt - qualities that are essential in the fast-paced clinical environments I hope to work in one day.

My mischievous girl, Loki.