Finally.. I get to volunteer again!

[168135]

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Argh, I haven't been on this forum forever!

In December, I was busy looking for a place to volunteer at. I tried four places and one by one, they turned me down. I got so desperate that I emailed a professor at my university who's wife was a vet, but she wasn't practicing at the time... so she sent my email along to a woman who was in the process of opening her own clinic.

Her clinic opened last month and I got to go in today... ah, it was amazing! It is so different volunteering at a one-vet clinic than a six-vet clinic, which I was used to... she doesn't have a lot of clients at the moment, so it there wasn't much going on. She let me watch one of her appointments and the tech that was working was awesome!!! She taught me how to load and develope the x-ray film and she showed me all of the machines that they use for blood analysis... it was awesome... nobody at my last clinic took me around and showed me anything like that. She was like, "You're probably know a lot about x-rays anyway..." Nope.

I haven't volunteered since August... I missed it so much!!! I'm still at university... I took intro to psychology this spring... it ends Thursday, but my mom can't move me out until the end of the month, so I'll probably be spending a lot of time at the clinic. I'm going in to see surgeries on Friday... I am excited. When I don't volunteer, it feels like something is missing.

She is a young vet too... she only graduated a couple of years ago... she is awesome at what she does.

I'm like the luckiest girl in the world, I swear.

Well... except for the fact, that I'm going to have to re-take chemistry sometime before I graduate... me and chemistry are not friends. I am nervous for next year... it looks like I'll be taking organic chemistry, 3-4 biology courses, math, physics and maybe stats. The math, physics and stats is going to kill me... I ended up failing math last semester and dropping stats because the two professors were unbelievable... I'm nervous... but I'm trying to keep an open mind too... my new boyfriend just happens to be a math genius. Going to the caribbean for vet school is sounding very very appealing to me right now, but that could change.

 

[ylrebmik]

THATS AWESOME! congrats. I'm a nerd too... I have volunteered in like uhh 3 months and I feel like something is missing too. It's the greatest feeling to volunteer but ehh thats me.

I'm (hopefully) volunteering at this clinic about 15 minutes away as well... but I know it won't be as cool as the place you just mentioned. Hope all goes well for you 🙂

 

[Kylana]

Congratulations on finding a great place to volunteer! Sounds like you are going to learn a lot and have fun!

And I know how frustrating it can be to find a volunteer position at a good clinic! It took me six months of searching until one clinic finally took me on. I'm currently at a six veterinarian clinic, and ever since I started there I always wondered what a smaller, one or two vet clinic is like compared to it.

 

[twelvetigers]

I just started volunteering today. Nothing felt like it was missing because I hadn't done it before, but I did enjoy it and plan on being there twice a week. (or more!)

On that note... anyone have any advice on what to do to make yourself indispensible while volunteering? I'd love to be hired. I want them to WANT to hire me. So I'm going to pay attention and offer to help a lot... is there anything else I should/could do?

Oh and... me and chemistry don't get along either. I've finished all my pre-reqs and might re-take something... but I did make it through alive. Hang in there!

 

[pressmom]

I just started volunteering today. Nothing felt like it was missing because I hadn't done it before, but I did enjoy it and plan on being there twice a week. (or more!)

On that note... anyone have any advice on what to do to make yourself indispensible while volunteering? I'd love to be hired. I want them to WANT to hire me. So I'm going to pay attention and offer to help a lot... is there anything else I should/could do?

Oh and... me and chemistry don't get along either. I've finished all my pre-reqs and might re-take something... but I did make it through alive. Hang in there!

Be willing to do the jobs that no one else wants. (Eg That parvo puppy's cage needs to get cleaned out, offer to don the gloves and shoe covers and go in and do it.) Nobody reaches for the towel to clean up the "happy pee," you do it. And ask questions at appropriate times of both the doctors and techs. On a non-busy day, offer to learn to use the blood machine. If you know how to do a snap test or run a fecal, tell them so you can do it to lighten their load. Make yourself the go to person for easy tasks in the crunch time.

Within 1 month of volunteering I was doing all that...running blood, doing HW tests, setting up fecals, etc. Then when the next person quit, I was hired (about 4 months later). Ended up working there for 2 years.

 

[Badger Girl]

Its' so nice to find a good fit, isn't it? 🙂 I think that's really important because I have been in some situations (I think most of us have) that were pretty uncomfortable, or times when I thought that I just didn't belong. It seemed strange to me because I'm really outgoing, but of course there are politics and things like the culture of the office that can have an affect on your experience as a whole. I'm always paranoid that I'm in the way or a bother to people at the clinics, so I really appreciate it when people make me feel welcome! 😀

 

[lailanni]

On that note... anyone have any advice on what to do to make yourself indispensible while volunteering? I'd love to be hired. I want them to WANT to hire me. So I'm going to pay attention and offer to help a lot... is there anything else I should/could do?

Help keep things clean, organized and pick up the slack. Like an above poster said, don't be bashful about stepping up to the dirty jobs. Pay attention and learn new tasks. Learn how to stock the clinic, how things are filed, get comfy with the system. Offer to sub in for people if they need a day off. Make your own schedule and post it somewhere so they know when you're coming in. Questions are good, but make sure not to pester the docs. Some aren't as happy about questions as others.

When you're working with a doctor, try to anticipate everything they'll need. Will they need more suture? For the next appointment do I need to get out the eye gear? Do they need this file copied? Can I help them setup for an IV? Hard to learn at first when you're brand new to a clinic, but you'll get used to the flow of things.

If you have skills, let them know. If you know how to run bloods or place catheters, offer to do it. Talk to the practice manager because I'm sure they'll need some paperwork for you to do it legally.

My personal motto is to work more than I talk. Everyone appreciates a hard worker. Not many people appreciate a big talker.

And bake 🙂 Bake many yummy-to-die-for things. My clinic loved that!

 

[twelvetigers]

I don't think I know them well enough to make them a carrot cake. 🙂

Thanks for the tips, lai and pressmom. 'Preciate it!