Experiences: A Week Spent in a Dark Room

A Week Spent in a Dark Room

Lauren Bynum, Texas A&M University 

This past year, I’ve been struggling with what I want to be when I grow up – a general practice veterinarian or a veterinary radiologist? I loved the diagnostic imaging course I took this spring; every radiograph felt like a puzzle I got to solve. However, I’ve also loved the experiences I’ve had working in general practice getting to know and educate families about the critters they love so much. I figured the only way to make an educated decision was to learn what being a veterinary radiologist actually entails, especially because as an extrovert, I wasn’t sure if I would be cut out to stare at a screen alone in a dark room all day.

The first week of summer after completing second year, I was lucky enough to be accepted as an extern in the Diagnostic Imaging department at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston, Texas. I was determined to see if diagnostic imaging really was for me. One of the first things I learned about veterinary radiology is that you’re not alone in the dark room! At GCVS anyway, there are many other radiologists, interns, and residents all in the same room, all consulting for each other and sharing interesting cases so that a learning experience for one becomes a learning experience for all. Radiology is a team effort, and even when you’re writing a report alone, you’re still working with a referring veterinarian, providing valuable information to help them determine the best path forward for the patient in question.

I also learned that although much of your time is spent in a blue-lit dark room, radiologists do still have the opportunity to work hands-on with patients. At GCVS, they were performing ultrasounds of critters all day to look for hints as to where their physiology has gone wrong, hints that may not even be visible in the complementing radiograph. The hands-on aspect of this specialty made it even more appealing to me, and I can’t wait until I get the chance to do some ultrasound guided fine needle aspirates of my own.

Despite how many topics we covered in our diagnostic imaging course at A&M this spring, this week spent as an extern also emphasized to me just how much you have to learn to be a radiologist. It’s not just images of dogs and cats, but horses, iguanas, ostriches, and something called a coati! I couldn’t come up with any species of animal that didn’t have at least one report in the GCVS records. And it’s not even just radiographs; there were MRIs, CTs, ultrasounds, fluoroscopy procedures, and I’m sure even more that didn’t quite get squeezed into the week I spent at GCVS. I am so grateful for the time that the doctors of diagnostic imaging spent teaching me, and I appreciate that they answered my hundreds of questions with enthusiasm. After just one short week, I know they also answered the most important question I came in with. Do I want to be a veterinary radiologist? Absolutely.