What is the secret to a successful internship? Is it the networking you do for yourself, ensuring everyone at your establishment is connected with you on LinkedIn? Or for those like me who practiced in an animal clinic, maybe it's being the lucky intern to finish the doctor's stitching after a neuter procedure. But the truth? Laundry. Laundry is how you make friends, get recognition, earn respect, and most importantly, learn.
Hi, my name is Aubrey Hunsinger, and I was born and raised in Maryland. I was drawn to the IAA because it is a fantastic program that offers so much to learn about agriculture, and it thankfully has in-state tuition for me. For my internship, I knew I wanted to spend my time in an animal clinic because I am studying Animal Sciences alongside Agricultural Business Management in hopes of having a future in the animal medicine industry. I had the pleasure of working at Hickory Veterinary Hospital, located in Harford County, Maryland. A fun fact is that my family and I have been bringing our pets here for the past 20 years! Working with Dr. Silcox, the veterinarian I’ve been taking my pets to, was such a full-circle moment. The small animal practice established in 1980 was my first experience as a Veterinarians Assistant where I learned basic skills performed in animal hospitals such as drawing vaccines, taking vitals (weight, heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature), restraining dogs and cats for examinations, running in house labs, further treating pets according to the doctors instructions, clean, and more. Hickory Vet also has kennels and a feed store, making the institution a perfect one-stop shop for all pet needs.
If there is one piece of advice I can give to anyone beginning their internship (or any career!), it is to find your laundry. Every 55 minutes, my alarm would go off, and that was my cue to start another load, which is very essential when blankets and towels are in nonstop use all day! To me, laundry was my gateway to building good relationships with my fellow team members. Being able to find a behind-the-scenes task that benefits everyone in the establishment is a great way to earn respect and trust. While some may argue that a house chore is nowhere near as exciting as performing a surgery, I’d like to argue that these “simple” tasks are just as important as the big projects. Without these small contributions from all employees, we would be nowhere near where we are today, not just in medicine, but in all businesses.
Like many of my fellow classmates, this internship experience was a true test to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and try new things, no matter how exciting or daunting they may seem. Working in a medical environment, it is important to follow all procedures properly to ensure a safe and trustworthy space. My supervisors and fellow employees all did an amazing job making it clear that they were here to help me by answering any questions I had, never shaming me for being curious. A quote from one of the veterinarians and co-owners of Hickory Vet, Dr. Robert Silcox once said “always have someone recheck your pcv total solids no matter how normal or crazy the numbers may seem.” (Pcv total solids is a test that measures the total red blood cell count in the blood volume, giving insight on hydration and protein count in the bloodstream) I will always remember this advice because if I learned anything, it is that you do not want to have any incorrect lab results. Stepping out of my comfort zone meant asking for help even when I felt like a bother for it. If anything, the questions I asked are the reason I was able to learn so much from my time there!
I am proud to say I consider my internship highly successful. The people I met, the information I retained, the laps around the hospital I made, and of course, the loads of laundry I completed all created a positive and insightful experience that I happily look back on. I don’t know what my future career entails; however, I do know that if it is anything as encouraging as this, it will be amazing. As I continue into my sophomore year at UMD, I’ll continue to reflect on this internship, using what I’ve encountered to motivate me to explore even more new and exciting pathways.
