Kendall Wyman

I work as a receptionist at the veterinary teaching hospital at my college.  This makes me the first line of communication for clients who call with animal emergencies or if they are looking for advice. It is my responsibility to gather the important information such as the symptoms, how long it has been occurring, etc. Then I pass this information to our emergency staff (veterinarians and technicians). This is known as “triage” (i.e. the patients with the most serious issues are seen first).

With two years of training in the field thus far, I know the types of questions to ask while I am triaging patients over the phone. I can then use the data to deduce possible causes for why the animal is in its current condition. This said, as a student and receptionist I am not able to provide full medical advice to clients. As a result, I am in contact with our emergency staff to try to determine the best course of action and whether the patient needs to be seen immediately.

This job does not require an extensive background knowledge in the veterinary medicine field. However, I find it has added great value to my current education as well to the effectiveness of the team overall.   I am learning about these cases first hand while gathering patient history as well as current clinical signs and symptoms. Both of these topics are important parts of a physical exam and will aid in my competencies as a future veterinarian. Understanding the science behind the health conditions allows me to gain a more targeted understanding for the medical presentations and cases I am dealing with.

I am a person who has always enjoyed being involved and loves networking. In this job, I have gained more confidence in my ability to speak to clients especially during times of distress and fear. I also find it has carried over to my communication with members of our emergency team as well. Professionalism is very important in this field. Gaining the communication skills to perform as a vet halfway through my education is very valuable. It will likely pay off in the long term as well as the short term when I am conducting practical rotations with the same staff during my final year.