A Glimpse into the World of Veterinary Medicine: High School Students' Insightful Journey at L&L Animal Urgent Care

A Glimpse into the World of Veterinary Medicine: High School Students' Insightful Journey at L&L Animal Urgent Care

We are two high school students about halfway through our freshman year. We got assigned a project where we had to work with animals, and we chose to shadow a veterinarian. Having previously known Dr. Pierce, we decided to contact her at L&L.

Neither of us had any previous experience observing a medical practice from behind the scenes, but the L&L staff made sure to explain the different types of tests they were running, the different conditions the animals were experiencing, etc. in a way we could understand.

They ensured that we always learned something, and that it was memorable. Being tasked with researching different conditions that the animals were experiencing, and then describing those conditions from memory to the doctors helped us understand exactly what we were seeing, and why that specific injury or disease occurred and how it can be treated.

The doctors and the clients were kind enough to let us follow the doctors into the exam rooms and show us the full process. We were allowed to observe how they met the patient, how they performed their physical exams, and how they interacted with the owners. The staff emphasized that explaining pathways to the owners and letting them make the decision with all the available information was key.

They also talked about some of the unseen parts of the job, and what your ethical duty as a veterinarian is. You must advocate for the patient since they cannot advocate for themselves. Parts of the job are tough, but you are doing good by helping these animals that need that help.

We learned medical jargon and why it was important to use it. It allows different people who speak a different language to be able to effectively communicate and have a clear and precise definition of the conditions and the body parts affected. We were taught about the Latin behind the jargon and deciphering that to find out its meaning and what the word is referring to.

The staff and the culture at L&L were incredible. They always made us feel welcome when shadowing and made sure we learned lots during our time there. It was an amazing experience that started the foundation for both of our future careers, with us both wanting to go into veterinary medicine. Finally, thank you to the clients that allowed us to observe the exam, it was an incredible experience being able to observe that firsthand.

- Deacon and Aubrey