莎拉·威尔克，24岁:追求她对动物的热爱

莎拉·威尔克，24岁, 主修兽医科学预科的生物学专业, admits to being shy and feeling a stronger connection with animals than people. 然而, her dedication to opening a mobile veterinary clinic for exotic animals such as fish, 鸟, and reptiles has taught her that communicating with pet owners is as important as relating to their pets, a lesson learned through her internship and volunteer experiences.

“I feel like most people in the vet community are introverted and relate to animals more than people, 但是兽医需要和很多人一起工作, 不仅仅是宠物,”她说。.

Wilke interned with and works for Lakeside Veterinary 服务 in Montour Falls, New York. Her experience there has helped her gain confidence in the people side of veterinary medicine.

“I keep to myself a lot, so working at the office has helped with that,她分享道。. “我接待客户，尽可能多地获取信息, 这让我在与人交谈时不那么紧张.”

Wilke was initially a customer of Lakeside, bringing her dog, fish, and tortoise there for care. 当她表示有兴趣成为一名兽医时, 诊所邀请她跟随工作人员一周. Things went so well that the clinic offered Wilke a part-time job and worked with her to develop an internship to meet her academic program requirements.

在湖边, Wilke is gaining many practical experiences to prepare her for her future career, 比如完成内部测试分析.

“I help monitor the pets when they are under anesthesia, 填补处方, 在办公室里做任何需要做的事情,她补充道。.

“It’s a lot of the same things, but also not the same things,她分享道。. “Every day there’s something new and different, which I really enjoy. 我们通常会遇到一两个紧急情况, and I have to triage them and work fast to make sure the patient is stable.”

Wilke learned quickly that communicating early and often with the pet owners had an impact on the welfare of the pet. 例如, 宠物手术后, she educates the owners about the necessary post-operative care.

“I make sure they know how important it is for their dog to wear the cone and when to give medications, 解释它们是什么，它们做什么,”她说。.

除了她在诊所的工作, Wilke became a certified New York State wildlife rehabilitator and founded Serendipity Squirrels, 哪个列在 State’s Department of Environmental Conservation website.

整个夏天，她都在做志愿者 全球兽医. 这个非营利组织将志愿者和兽医配对, 护士, 技术人员, and conservation support staff to help improve animal care around the globe. She spent two weeks in Peru and two weeks in Costa Rica, learning about the wildlife conservation efforts in the region while assisting veterinarians with wildlife rehabilitation. She helped dogs, 鸟, sloths, manatees, monkeys, and many other types of animals.

Volunteering for the organization took Wilke out of her comfort zone. She had never left the United States before, nor traveled alone. 然而, she quickly made friends with the vets and other volunteers and has kept in contact with them after returning home.

在她的旅行中, Wilke gained an additional appreciation for the role communication plays in animal care. 在秘鲁, she learned a lot about animal trafficking and the need to educate local populations about the harmful effects it can have on the area’s ecosystem.

Wilke is considering volunteering again and would like to go to South Africa to work at a reptile sanctuary.

“我肯定还会再来一次, as these are experiences you won’t get anywhere else in the world,她分享道。.