Vet Student’s Summer Experience at L&L Animal Urgent Care: A Journey of Learning and Growth

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to work at L&L Animal Urgent Care and learn from the incredible team of doctors, technicians, and assistants. After finishing my 2nd year of vet school, I really wanted to work at a place where I would be able to apply my clinical knowledge in an environment where I received mentorship. As a non-resident, I was extremely fortunate to hear about L&L from a fellow classmate. While initially I had no idea that animal urgent care clinics existed, the positive experiences that patients had at the clinic and the immediate care they received have educated me on the importance of such practices and the skill that goes into seeing new patients every day. 

From the first day I started, I was amazed by how smoothly the team was able to handle the fast-paced nature of veterinary medicine while also taking the time to walk me through everything they did. The quality of the instruments and diagnostic tools used was impressive, several of which were so new I had never had the opportunity to use them before. After only a few days I had learned so much about diagnosing and treating patients in an urgent care setting; I was even able to watch my first code. It quickly became clear how passionate Dr. Stoegbauer was about L&L, and how much thought and experience went into every aspect of the clinic, from the clinic design to the scheduling program used. 

Dr. Pierce, Dr. Johnson, and Dr. Stoegbauer were amazing doctors to learn from, and it never ceased to amaze me how much thought, research, and experience went into everything they did everything from the time they met the patients till the time they went home. There was no question I could contrive that the team did not have an answer for, which has pushed me to strive for the same level of thoroughness for my future patients. The time and effort each doctor put into teaching and mentoring me was beyond what I could have ever imagined this experience would be and is something I am truly fortunate to have experienced. 

While it is easy to focus on diagnostics and treatment while in school, the doctors at L&L made sure to push my knowledge beyond just the medicine—like how to handle stressed or scared patients in a way that doesn’t compromise the quality of your physical exam but greatly reduces their anxiety, or how to prepare owners for one of the saddest moments in their pet’s journey, euthanasia. 

Throughout the summer, I experienced the caring workplace culture and appreciated that despite stressful or sad situations the staff managed to look out for one another, and even have fun. The respect that each person had for one another has changed my outlook on what a practice should be, for pets, owners, and the technicians and assistants who work hard to care for them. It is truly amazing how working alongside the team has altered my perspective on veterinary medicine, and how working in such a quality environment has raised my expectations of myself as a future veterinarian and the clinic in which I practice. 

Author: Maya Boyle, Student of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University