In my vision board, I identify the many different paths in veterinary medicine I am considering, such as zoo medicine, small animal, reptile specialty, and private practice. Within animal medicine there are countless specialties and types of practices to choose from. I have always loved the idea of working with exotics, specifically reptiles, but I only recently decided to make it my career. Growing up, I had over 50 different pet reptiles at a time of all different species, most of which required constant maintenance and attention, thus instilling a passion for animal welfare.  Throughout high school, I volunteered with organizations like Tampa Bay Watch and Friends of Stray’s where I got to practice working with animals and involving the public in animal welfare and environmental conservation. At Tampa Bay Watch I managed the touch tank exhibit where I got to practice my leadership styles and client communication. More recently I have been volunteering with Save a Life Pet Rescue at their adoption events where I help run the event and train new volunteers. As there are new volunteers almost every week, I am constantly assisting others as well as completing my tasks. I recently volunteered at Avian and Animal Hospital where I shadowed the veterinarian, techs, and assistants and got to learn how an animal hospital runs. I also practiced basic vet med skills like pulling up vaccines, restraining animals, and administering fluids. I currently work at Furever Family Animal Hospital as a veterinary assistant. As an assistant, I have many responsibilities such as taking patient histories, managing medications, hospital upkeep, client communication, and anything the veterinarian or techs may need help with like restraining animals, prepping materials for procedures, etc.

The first image in the upper left corner of the vision board shows me at Avian and Animal Hospital listening to the heartbeat of a cormorant as it wakes up from anesthesia. The bird had swallowed a large shark hook and was sent to Avian and Animal from Seaside Seabird Sanctuary (a seabird sanctuary in Tampa Bay). The veterinarian was able to remove the hook and I assisted the vet tech monitor the cormorant after surgery. The image labeled “small animal” is of the anatomy of a Great Dane. I chose this image to represent small animal practice because I grew up with Great Danes and they are my favorite patients to see. As I gain more experience with both exotic and small animal practices, I tend to prefer exotics and I will likely choose that path over small animal. However, I chose to include this picture because small animal medicine is the foundational practice that vet school prepares its students for. The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) also focuses on small animal skills. On the bottom left of the vision board, I included an image of a gorilla having a procedure performed by zoo veterinarians to represent my love for this specialty. Zoo veterinarian is one of the hardest specialties in this field, however I see it as the most rewarding. I would get to work on all different types of animals and I would experience new and stimulating challenges every day. The third image labeled “reptiles” shows one of the reptiles I currently own. This species is called Rhacodactylus Leachianus; they are the largest gecko species in the world and are found only on the islands of New Caledonia. The image below represents the studying I am doing now to work towards my goal of becoming a veterinarian and the studying that will be required when I enter vet school. Although vet school will be incredibly challenging, I look forward to learning the skills necessary to obtain my goal. The picture to the left of the title represents my excitement to graduate from a professional school. After vet school and passing the NAVLE, I will require no additional training to officially gain the title of veterinarian. I am still deciding whether I am interested in owning a private practice at some point in my career. I included an image of a private practice on the vision board because it is a common goal for many people with the same values and intentions as me and it represents a path in veterinary medicine that I am strongly considering. I chose to add the image labeled “surgery” because regardless of the specialty I chose, I am passionate about surgery and am interested in learning how to perform these procedures on all kinds of animals.