PDSA Experiences
One week of internships down! So far, my experiences at the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) have been amazing. I have done the dirty work (clean kennels), and the interesting work (assisted with and watched some really cool surgeries). On the first day at the PDSA I was totally surprised at how big of an operation the PDSA truly is. There are 4 veterinarians, 11 veterinary nurses (which are like vet techs in the states), 12 secretaries and office workers, and 8-10 kennel workers. I don’t know that I have even met everyone yet.
I have gotten to know a few of these employees better than others. Every morning I start out helping either Innocent or Shaun (but his real name is Talkmore) clean kennels. It is kind of nasty, particularly cleaning the cages of the dogs and cats that have worms. After the kennels are done, I usually head to the surgery theater to help Martin (one of the vet nurses). He has been really helpful and allowed me to assist with surgery prep, including shaving, tubing, and giving the anesthetic as well as the reversal. I have already seen some very interesting surgeries including an eye removal, a toe removal, a diaphragmatic and abdominal hernia repair, a cruciate repair, a cryptorchid neuter as well as several regular spays and neuters. In the afternoons, I go to the ICU to help Anika (one of the veterinarians) with various tasks, like x-rays, shots and just general check-ups. She has been a great teacher, clearly explaining everything I help her with.
Aside from the veterinary experiences, I have also learned quite a bit about the culture and had some very interesting conversations with kennel workers, vet nurses and veterinarians. Before I continue, I would also like to say a little about the racial make-up of the entire operation. Almost without exception, all of the kennel workers fall into the apartheid racial category of black, the vet nurses coloured, and the veterinarians white. It took me a few days to realize this, but it makes the apartheid racial divisions incredibly clear and it made me significantly more aware of the lasting effect of apartheid on this country.
The kennel workers are all around my age and it is interesting to talk to them about pop culture because their exposure to certain things has been a little different than mine. Strangely enough, they have been very interested in my views on relationships and love, but so far mine have not been significantly different from their own. Martin, one of the vet nurses, explained why South Africans make a lot of food. They always make enough food to feed visitors and enough to take the next day for lunch. They find it incredibly rude not to be able to offer visitors food. I have also talked extensively with the veterinarians about vet school in South Africa. It seems just as competitive as in the states because they only have one school for the entire country in Pretoria. They can, however, apply after completing only one year of undergrad studies, but apparently not many students get in the first time they apply and most finish their undergrad degree before being accepted.
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