As a veterinarian, I am often
approached to have young people follow me around and learn what I do. These
bright young minds are lovingly termed “shadows.” Through the years, I have seen
a wide range of shadows – with varying degrees of interest, talent, and
experience. Some of them seem to have been forced by gun point to show up and
follow me around while others are overly excited to be there and willingly
volunteer to take time out of their days and see what veterinary medicine is all
about.
I will always remember when I was an
eighth grader and had my first opportunity to shadow our family vet, Dr. Darla
Boyk. She had a very interesting surgery schedule that morning. It included an
exploratory surgery of a dog that had become obstructed due to eating telephone
cord (an uncommon foreign body obstruction these days). She also had to spay an
old fat dog. I distinctly remember her telling me that that was part of the
reason that veterinarians ask owners to spay their dogs when they are young.
Younger animals tend to have minimal abdominal fat accumulation. She illustrated
her point with the greasy fat material coating her surgical gloves making
surgery much more complicated and slippery.
I was definitely one of the
eager-to-be-there types of shadow. I remember being so nervous and excited about
shadowing a real life vet that I nearly shadowed her directly into a bathroom
stall. I am sure Dr. Boyk was probably simply trying to hide for a
few minutes from the overly-eager eighth grader nipping at her heels.
As life would have it I have gone
from being the shadow to the shadowed. As I had experienced my first surgery
many years ago, many of my shadows get to experience watching surgery for the
first time. My technicians know that I love to give these rookies
a “spiel.” You see, many of these young people have never seen blood or guts
before (other than Hollywood-produced gore). Many people don’t realize how weak
their stomach is or how easily they buckle at the knees when faced with real
life gore.
I always tell my
shadows that if they start feeling faint they should sit directly on the floor,
not on a stool or chair, as it’s a much shorter distance if they do pass out.
Recently, a first-timer came to visit and watched a particularly nasty dental
cleaning. Apparently, it was too much for her. She was upright and carrying on a
conversation one second, then turned white as a sheet and crumpled to the floor
the next. Thankfully, she recovered quickly and even managed to stay for the
rest of the day with her parents’ blessing. Hopefully, it will be a great story
to share when she becomes a successful veterinarian in the future.
If you or some young bright-eyed
student that you know is contemplating becoming a veterinarian, I highly
encourage you to seek out a veterinarian who allows people to job shadow to get
a feel of the veterinary medical field. It is a very important
first step on the long road to becoming a veterinarian. I thank
Dr. Boyk now for her patience and for the opportunity to witness firsthand what
a vet does at such a young age. I am glad that I now have the
privilege to help those just starting down the road toward becoming the next
generation of veterinarians.
By Dr. Marisa Tong
