Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here!
The large-animal surgery room.
Although the sky wasn’t exactly full of sunshine as we arrived at the Beckman Center to meet with the Clinical Pathology Department, I was eager to see what was in store for us. We toured the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center and met three people in total: Laura Keener, Leslie Nielson, and Jeanette Fuller. Each one of them gave my fellow interns and me a closer look into their professions.
First, we were introduced to Laura Keener, the senior clinical laboratory manager. After she led us into a room where she had a presentation ready for us, she began explaining the various daily activities that her job entails. She often has to go to the site of a sick animal in order to figure out if a bacteria or virus is causing the illness and how the animal may have acquired the sickness. Their goal by doing this is to prevent the disease from spreading, like in the recent movie, Contagion. Ms. Keener may also have to lead a disease investigation or figure out the cause of death for an animal, similar to a CSI team, because some of the diseases that animals can get, like valley fever, can be transferred to humans.
During her presentation, Ms. Keener displayed several pictures of various equipment that she and her team use. One of the devices was called a point-of-care (or POC) analyzer that is used to measure blood glucose levels in animals. It is akin to the device that human diabetics use, and Ms. Keener explained how they have been able to train some monkeys to allow the keepers to prick their fingers to check their blood. Ms. Keener also explained that they must often count the number of white blood cells, platelets, and red blood cells because many animals can be anemic, just like humans can be. As Ms. Keener’s presentation came to a close, she led us to one of the laboratories to learn more about the various types of bloodwork that they do at the hospital.
Once we arrived at the laboratory, we met one of the senior laboratory technicians working at the hospital. Ms. Nielson’s job in the laboratory is extremely similar to someone working in a laboratory for humans. She prepares blood smears from various animals to obtain cell counts, separates blood and plasma, takes a closer look at parasites and bacteria found in an animal, and many other important functions. Her cell counts and examinations of parasites and bacteria can lead to a diagnosis of many animals’ illnesses, exactly like a technician examining human cells. She showed us some of the different machines that she uses each day, which are alike if not the same as ones used in human laboratories. After Ms. Nielson informed us of the importance of her job and the relation it has to us, Ms. Fuller appeared, and we left the laboratory to get a closer look into the hospital.
Jeanette Fuller manages the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center, so she was able to take us on an amazing tour through the facility. The first room we ventured into was one of the surgery rooms, where less-serious surgeries take place. Ms. Fuller showed us the incredible lift system that they have that can lift animals as large as horses into the surgery areas. The sterile surgery room was almost exactly like an operating room for humans. There was a central operating table with a lot of machinery surrounding it, a wall of sterilized medical tools ready to be used, and a side room dedicated to cleaning the tools before and after surgery.
Our next stop was to the recovery area for animals. Each animal has its own room that allows it to recuperate comfortably. The placement of an animal depends on its size and species, the monkey and carnivore section is separated from the hoofed animals. Just like a human hospital, each room comes equipped with its own IV, except these hang from the ceiling to avoid the animal becoming tangled in the wires. Sadly, our tour of the hospital had to come to an end, but it was still the most memorable and fascinating part of my day.
Our inside look at the Clinical Pathology Departments’ laboratories and hospital left me with a larger understanding of the many similarities between animals and humans. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the daily lives of Ms. Keener, Ms. Nielson, and Ms. Fuller, and I was amazed by the glorious hospital. However, it was apparent to me throughout the tour that we all need to do our part to keep wildlife healthy and avoid spreading zoonotic diseases. The most intriguing knowledge that I gained today was in learning that the way animals are cared for at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and many other places worldwide are so similar to the way that we humans are cared for in our hospitals!
Kerissa, Real World Team
Week Two, Winter Session 2012
