The Bergami Summer Internships Blog
June 3, 2018
This summer I have a position at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, as the veterinary laboratory fellow. When I first found this program, I originally wanted to do it because it worked closely with marine mammals, and I had always wanted to go to Alaska. However, I put off applying for a year due to other commitments, which worked out for the best.
During that time, I discovered that I wanted to pursue veterinary pathology rather than a more clinical approach, and this fellowship allows me to work in a lab setting and to run a variety of tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry for blood, urinalysis, and fecal examinations. Within the first couple of weeks, they started allowing me to run the blood analyses on my own, and the skills I am learning here will greatly benefit my career path as a pathologist.
At school, I do not get the opportunities to pursue this path as much, as there are no classes or labs that have similar set ups. Here, I am able to really hone in on what I want to do in the future, and really see if the pathology and laboratory life is for me.
I hope to get as much as I possibly can from this fellowship. I want to learn more about how a veterinary lab works, as the time I spend volunteering at a local animal clinic is a completely different setting. There, I do not get the opportunity to run the exams or really learn how to do them, and it is more observing the veterinarians in the appointments or surgeries.
I hope to learn more about necropsies and proper sampling techniques, and I hope I get to learn more about the proper care and treatment of the marine animals that the SeaLife Center has, both as permanent residents and rehabilitation patients. I want to get the chance to explore other departments, such as Mammal Husbandry and Wildlife Response to see how they function and what goes into caring for the animals.
As I write this, it is four in the morning, as I had the opportunity to pick up a midnight to 8 a.m. shift to help take care of an abandoned otter pup that was brought in a couple nights ago.
"I am going to take every opportunity I can to branch out and learn new skills while I am here, and I hope that it will all lead me to a direct career path for the future." Samantha Davern ’19
The Bergami Summer Internship Program is funded through the generosity of Board of Governors member – and former Board Chair – Sam Bergami ’85 EMBA and his wife, Lois, and the Division of Student Affairs. The students are blogging about the experience throughout the summer.
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