Vet students take time for animals

Caged and lying on the floor covered by blankets, Molly and Jack are typical of many of the intensive care patients at the University's Veterinary Hospital, which sees more than 22,000 animals each year. Molly, an English sheep dog, and Jack, a Samoyan, were treated by fourth-year Veterinary students Greg Heins and Suzy Cooke as part of a Veterinary School program designed to provide its students with clinical skills. As part of the program, fourth-year Vet School students such as Heins and Cooke, under the direction of clinical veterinarians,Ehelp treat many of the animals in the hospital. Students in ICU rotation are involved in all aspects of the "labor intensive atmosphere," including treatment, diagnosis and patient planning, according to Vet School spokesperson Helma Weeks. Although students are usually bombarded with cases in the intensive care ward's early morning hours, Heins and Cooke found time to jointly treat Molly -- whose mysterious symptoms keep the dog connected to an EKG machine and require her to wear an oxygen mask. Both students examined the dog in an attempt to explain her numerous symptoms, which included weak hind legs and a lung mass. "We do all we can to help the animals," Cooke said. "We help in everything, from giving them medicine to surgery." During rotations, which last two to four weeks, students learn crucial skills in departments such as cardiology, surgery and intensive care. They also travel to the school's New Bolton Campus in rural Kennett Square, Pa., to learn how to treat large animals like horses. "It's especially great to know I'm making a difference," said Cooke, who holds a master's degree in marine biology and eventually wants to pursue a career in aquatics. "It's extremely satisfying to deal with a patient and go home knowing I did something that might have saved their lives," she added. Students begin each day writing a "SOAP" -- a subjective, objective analytical plan -- concerning the animal they are caring for. The remainder of the day is spent in the assigned ward or in rounds, where clinicians lead discussions about the students' work. "I think it's a very effective way of learning," Heins said. "The clinicians always have the final say, but [students] are responsible for making their own plans and aiding in the procedure." Fueled by the desire for a more satisfying course of study, Heins, a Penn graduate with degrees in economics and political science, decided to attend veterinary school and said he will seek a one-year internship after graduating this year. "I am very pleased with the clinical program at the hospital," Heins said. "It has allowed me to see many more challenging cases with more regularity than I might have experienced elsewhere." The Veterinary Hospital acts primarily as a referral hospital, with local veterinarians handling most of its patients. A leader in critical care, it has six operating rooms, the capacity to hold up to 180 patients at one time and a blood mobile to collect blood from area animals for its patients' use. The hospital's caseload is the largest for any university-affiliated teaching hospital in the United States.