Growing up, my dream wasn't always to go into the field of Veterinary studies, I thought I wanted to be an interior designer. The idea of transforming rooms or entire buildings into something completely different than it was initially, was something I would daydream about for hours. Over my high school years I realized that in order to make this fantasy a reality, specific pre-requisites were required, and it included several math and physics classes. With these topics not being my strong suit, I slowly but surely realized that I wasn't ready to go through so many painful exams and lectures in those subjects. By the time graduation rolled around, the shocking discovery that I was about to enter my adult life with no direction or initiative was terrifying to me. So I did what any normal graduate would do, I took a year off to discover what I really wanted to do with my life.

Over that year I was working as a cashier at a pet store in the city, and over the course of many months I made plenty of friends who all had similar interests in animal health and husbandry. I always had the train of thought that in order to work with animals, one would have to go through at least eight years of school to become a veterinarian; I never thought there were different avenues in this field of work. That was until I met Kelly, who was in her second year of the NAIT Animal Health Technician (AHT) Program. She lent me a few of her course packs to see if the material was of any interest to me. After a weekend with her books, it was instant career love, and that fall I was enrolled at NAIT for the AHT Program. To see if this career is something you might also be interested in, check out the NAIT AHT website at: http://www.nait.ca/program_home_76035.htm

Lady Sarah and Myself

Equine Lab while at NAIT, 2007

Since graduating, I have seen the importance of communication in the field and more importantly in the workplace. Numerous times a day, calls are passed through reception to the technicians working with patients. With high priority put on patient care, important information such as prescription frequency and dose is critical to the treatment of the animal. Missing key details such as these result in phone calls back to the owner, which are not only inconvenient for them, but makes the technician appear to be "dropping the ball". Other clinics in the city have started to use aspects of social media to promote events in their area. From things like pet pictures with Santa or alerting clients about changes in office hours, I can see the benefits. Although, with having to keep postings up to date and appointments filling up; one would predict that updates would be sparse. Finding a way to have frequent updates, would make using social media for a business a more interactive experience with the clients as well. I hope that though the ALES 204 lectures, I will be able to learn more effective ways to integrate social media in with my (hopefully, one day) Veterinary career.

For another ALES 204 student blog on communication, check out Caitlyn's blog here: cerickson-ales204.blogspot.com