EXTERNS ON THE HILL

Submitted by Meg Knox, Washington State University

"The unsaid changing etiquette in congressional hearings

My name is Meg, and I am the June 2023 American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) Government Relations Division (GRD) Extern in Washington, D.C. Coming from Washington State University (the OTHER Washington…), the East Coast has been a big and exciting change. This externship offers me the special opportunity to meet a multitude of veterinarians that work for governmental agencies in the D.C. area and experience the legislative work the AVMA does to aid the veterinary community. Some of this legislative work takes form in congressional hearings on Capitol Hill. Here’s the story of my clumsy attempt to blend in at some of those hearings.

Before I came to D.C., I had no idea what a hearing was aside from court hearings I’d seen on television and in movies - think Elle Woods or Judge Judy. Let me tell you, that is NOT what a congressional hearing is like. To prepare for my first hearing visit, I did a bit of research in hopes of not looking like a newbie. I knew that hearings are open to the public and that there is no dress code; however, blogs I found and coworkers at the AVMA GRD advised me to dress professionally and show up early to secure a seat. 

The first hearing I attended was a subcommittee Senate meeting about a provision in the latest Farm Bill (a huge piece of legislation passed every five years that pertains to many facets of American agriculture). I showed up an hour and 15 minutes early and was afraid to open the door. It’s daunting in the buildings of Congress! People walk around like they belong there; I barely found my way to the right room. When I did muster up the courage to walk in, I told them I was there for the hearing and eventually explained I was a public member. They gave me a number (#1) and told me I could sit down. Clearly, I was aggressively early. So, I sat down for over an hour, keeping myself busy with emails and my book. The hearing itself was more intimate than I was expecting, and very interesting to be a part of. The room was grand, but the senators were seated at a large table near the witnesses, reporters, staff members, and the public. There was no grand theater or throne. The senators moved in and out of the room, leaving for other meetings and returning later, all while bumping into other chairs and people in the crowded space. It brought these leaders down to Earth for me, and I was glad that I went. 

I attended a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing as my round two on Capitol Hill. I felt confident I wouldn’t make the same fledgling mistakes (except showing up an hour and 15 minutes early, which I could not help but do again). I planned how I would introduce myself when I walked into the room: “I’m a public member hoping for a seat at the 10 am hearing.” It was vague and concise: introductory gold. But of course, this hearing was entirely different. I walked into the room and instead of a holding area or lobby, the doors lead to the hearing room itself. There was only one other woman in there who didn’t give any guidance past pleasantries. With no clue as to where I belonged, I sat in an unmarked seat for the next 15 minutes. Eventually, a different staff member told me the public was supposed to wait outside until 9:45 – at this point it was 9 am. So, I bashfully walked out of the room, knocking down a sign at the door as I left (which did NOT say I wasn’t supposed to come in). I waited with some other confused interns and externs, explained to newcomers the state of the union, and eventually was seated in the hearing. This hearing was much more high-profile, with an overflow room and individuals waiting in line even once the hearing had begun. I was embarrassed, and honestly frustrated, that I hadn’t learned anything from my first hearing.

Looking back at it now, I’m proud of myself! I put myself out there and made some friends in the line along the way. Additionally, I got to sit in person with many senators and distinguished witnesses as they talked about some of the important issues impacting our community on a national scale. 

If you ever get the chance to visit D.C., I advise you to embarrass yourself at a congressional hearing. For all the grief it gave me to find the correct door, wear the right shoes, and not sit in the wrong seat, I learned so much about lawmaking in our nation by attending these hearings. I got to see the emotions of lawmakers, as I sat in the room with them and listened to compelling witness testimonies. I got to observe a sliver of the decisions Congress makes for us every day. And you know what? I would sit and wait for an hour and 15 minutes all over again."

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: AUSTRALIA

Submitted by Vivian Lee, Cornell University

Vivian Lee (she/her) is a third-year veterinary student at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine interested in conservation medicine and aquatics!

"Imagine getting to work with stingrays up to 300 kg, dozens of penguins, and one of the rarest sea turtle species in the world. I am extremely grateful to say I was able to do that this winter break while doing an externship with The Aquarium Vet in Melbourne, Australia. The Aquarium Vet is an Australian-based company that is dedicated to advancing the health and welfare of aquatic animals in aquariums and zoos globally. They offer aquatic veterinary consultation services and are the creators of several online E-quarist courses and the E-lasmo virtual conference, in addition to a few other services offered.

I applied to this externship back in January 2021 when I was a first-year veterinary student during the COVID-19 pandemic and reserved my placement for January 2023, with high hopes that Australia’s borders would soon open again for international travel. The Aquarium Vet’s team is led by Dr. Rob Jones, a well-known shark expert, and has several other contracting veterinarians including Dr. Brett De Poister, who regularly provides veterinary services for SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium and whom I primarily worked with during my rotation. 

This was my first time traveling to Australia and first international veterinary experience, and I’m happy to say it was an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for years to come. While my rotation was only two weeks, every day was filled with exciting procedures and new things to learn. SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is home to Shipwreck Explorer, a 2.2 million litre oceanarium that has a wide array of sharks, stingrays, groupers, and more. As this exhibit is undergoing constribution in a few months, all of the animals currently in the exhibit will be transported to nearby aquariums and facilities. One of my primary tasks during the rotation was to assist with barb trimming procedures of the stingrays, some which were southern stingrays (Hypanus americanus) that weighed up to 300 kg. I was mainly in charge of anesthestic monitoring, but also had the chance to draw blood from a spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) and work on my blood smear technique. 

One of the other cases I worked on was a king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) that had a history of seizures and torticollosis that was previously being managed well. Due to a possible environmental trigger, the torticollosis returned and so I was able to observed how this was managed and help with re-check examinations. Certainly one of the greatest experiences I had was with one of their flatback sea turtles (Natator depressus), who needed an endoscopy procedure and my role involved intubating and monitoring anesthesia during this procedure. Other tasks involved doing necropsies on several fish and acclimating fish into a newly renovated exhibit.

As you can see, these two weeks were filled with many incredible clinical experiences! One of the main surprises I learned while living here was the work-life balance in Australia, which is much better than the United States. Every workday we had a mandatory coffee break, and all the employees were out of the aquarium by 3:45pm unless there was an emergency. It was really eye-opening to see how it impacted the quality of life for employees, and how much closer co-workers were to each other because of these simple lifestyle changes.

I was personally very happy with this balance, because I was able to go sightseeing on my days off. I went on two group tours, one of them being the Great Ocean Road Tour, where I witnessed Australia’s breathtaking coastline with pristine beaches, rainforests, and the 12 Apostles. On my last day off I did a two-island tour, first visiting French Island National Park, a hidden treasure of wilderness that has one of the largest populations of wild koalas. Afterwards, we headed to Phillip Island, where we spotted many wild wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, and of course, the iconic little blue penguins. Witnessing the daily Penguin Parade was one of the most incredible experiences, and I am so grateful that I was able to admire the native wildlife that Australia has to offer. 

Overall, this experience was extremely eye-opening and I learned a ton about international aquatic veterinary medicine. I would definitely go back to Australia in the future if I could, and highly recommend all veterinary students to take on an international experience if they can! I’d like to thank The Aquarium Vet for hosting me, especially Dr. Brett De Poister, and SAVMA’s International Veterinary Experience Committee (IVEC) who provided me substantial funding for this trip through their International Veterinary Experience Scholarship."

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: BELIZE

Submitted by Atalani Jackson, Tuskegee University

"In the spring of 2023, I got to fulfill my long-time goal of externing at the Belize Wildlife and Referral Center (BWRC). I had been following this wildlife center since 2015 and had always been inspired by its mission and work. Upon my arrival to a quiet and tropical town located outside the city of San Ignacio, I received a warm welcome from the staff. I would be working in a modest building with an enormous impact. This is the only wildlife clinic in the country- run by the only wildlife veterinarian in the country. The clinic saw both domestic animals and wildlife and it housed one of the only veterinary radiography machines in the city. 

Every day I would wake up to a choir of parakeets right outside my kitchen and had the opportunity to view a number of native parrots and toucans on my daily walk to the center. We would begin the day with feedings and treatments. And during my time there our patients included a variety of aquatic turtles, green iguanas, and a native opossum, falcon and fawn that all required care. In the afternoon we would carry out various husbandry activities and perform any lab work that needed to be completed.  We would commonly perform blood draws and manual white blood cell counts on hospitalized animals. This provided me with an opportunity to observe species differences in red and white blood cell morphology. In the late afternoon, we would perform procedures and see domestic animal referrals- which typically came in to receive radiographs. We would end the day with evening treatments and feedings.  

Working under Dr. Isabelle Paquet-Durand, I learned about native wildlife and the many issues they face, including illegal wildlife trafficking, poaching, human-wildlife conflict, habitat destruction, and the seasonal wildfires that plague the countryside. The center was very involved in the community through its various programs including its wildlife ambassador program. I was honored to be able to participate in their ambassador program and it was inspiring to see so many community members express interest in wildlife welfare and one-health issues. They also partnered with several local conservation nonprofits including a nearby green iguana conservation center that focused on the captive rearing of green iguanas with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. A few iguanas from the conservation center, as well as wild iguanas, were being treated at BWRC for abscesses and wounds they developed from fighting during mating season. And one of the most memorable moments during my time there was learning about and performing anesthesia on a green iguana during a successful abscess removal. In addition to this, I also had the opportunity to practice various methods of venipuncture in turtles and iguanas and bottle feed an orphaned red brocket fawn. 

Outside of community educational activities and clinical work, anytime there was downtime I was able to perform necropsies. I have a strong interest in pathology, and it was exciting to be able to fine-tune my necropsy technique while simultaneously learning about the various infectious diseases that were common in Belize wildlife. In addition to necropsies, I was also able to practice loading and shooting a blow dart. This method of chemical immobilization is commonly used to remove animals from unsafe environments or to safely capture injured wildlife that is difficult to capture otherwise. The clinic typically used it for the chemical immobilization of monkeys which are difficult to reach in trees. And finally, to top off my time there we were able to release a number of the clinic’s aquatic turtle patients back into the wild.

Overall, I am so glad I got to spend time at BWRC and immerse myself in the culture and history of the country. I was able to better understand the difficulties and joys that come with running an international non-profit focused on conservation medicine. It left me inspired and more determined than ever to pursue a career in this field."

SAVMA GRANT

Samantha Price, Oklahoma State University

"Thank you to the ICDC and SAVMA for helping alleviate the cost of travelling to attend Chi University! It is an honor to be able to be immersed in another culture and learn with my peers at the same time."

STUDENT EXPERIENCE: HAWAII

Sofia A Zayas Randel, University of Pennsylvania

 "In January 2023, I traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii to participate in an externship at the Hawaii Wildlife Center. My first week I took as vacation to explore the island and learn more about the culture of Hawaii. I visited volcanoes, saw petroglyphs, was on top of the world at Mauna Loa, walked on black sand beaches and lava fields, visited waterfalls and lava tubes, swam with the fish, and learned to surf. Each new adventure brought me to feel a closer connection to nature. I had revelations not only of the external world but also of my interior as the island humbled me and made me reflect about how we are all interconnected and the role I play in the world. 

Everyone on the island was incredibly friendly and treated me as if I were a local. They would share with me their stories, recommendations of places to visit on the island, and even food (from pizza to backyard picked oranges). I learned a lot about the history of the island and discovered that my own Puerto Rican heritage was interconnected with Hawaii’s history. In the early 1900s, Puerto Ricans traveled to Hawaii to work at the sugar cane plantations as they were promised a decent salary and living accommodations. Many Puerto Ricans emigrated to the island, and the influence that my culture has had in Hawaii’s is evident by the signs of food vendors selling arroz con gandules, lechón, and pasteles; Puerto Rican flag stickers on some of the cars, and my own native coquí filling up the night with its sweet songs. I even met a Puerto Rican woman who worked at a goat farm, and she was so overjoyed when she discovered I was Puerto Rican and we began speaking in English. From that conversation I got free samples of the different goat products they produced, and with my purchase of goat cheese she added some fudge free of charge because that’s what kindred spirits do for each other.

For the two weeks that I was at my externship, I stayed in a small town Honokaa. This was one of the original towns that was established because of the sugar cane plantations. Here is where I learned about the history of my people and how integrated it is with Hawaii’s. The Hawaii Wildlife Center was located in Kapauu, and I had to drive everyday from Honokaa to Kapauu. Every day the drive was peaceful and beautiful. I’d pass by ranches filled with beef cows and horses, and climb up hills from which I could get a clear view of the ocean and the expansive greenness of the island. The Big Island of Hawaii is not as densely populated as other islands like Oahu. In between each city or town there was just nature.

From day one the externships was very hands-on. I am incredibly grateful of the immense trust Dr. Guerra had with me and the patience and dedication he had to teach me. While I was there I was responsible of so many tasks, some of the most notable being placing an oral esophageal tube in a Nene (Hawaiian Goose) daily, performing physical therapy exercises with the birds, assisting with anesthesia during surgical procedures, releasing birds back into the wild, and performing two necropsies on White Terns. I learned so much about avian medicine, anatomy and physiology. I really do believe this experience has shaped me to be not only to be a better veterinarian in the future but also holistically as a person."