In this video I’m taking you through a realistic day in the life of my 4th year clinical year, during my 8-week mixed animal externship (I’m officially halfway done!). The clinic I’m at truly does it all—cats and dogs, but also horses, cows, pigs, chickens… you name it. That said, I’m spending most of my time in small animal because that’s what I want to do long-term, so this vlog is based on one of my small animal clinic days. My mornings start around 6:30 (which is kind of crazy because I am not a morning person), so coffee is absolutely a necessity. I’ve been loving Javy coffee concentrate because it makes my routine so quick—water, 1–2 tablespoons, and I’m good to go. Then it’s a 45-minute drive to the clinic, and we hit the ground running with a busy surgery schedule (usually 3–6 surgeries a day). I walk you through our flow: intake, pre-op bloodwork and physical exams, pre-med, placing IV catheters, induction, intubation, and getting patients prepped. After surgery wraps (usually around 12:30–2:30), I switch into afternoon medicine appointments—everything from vaccines and wellness exams to ear/eye infections and endocrine cases. I’m also actively working on technical skills (like rads and ear cytology) and, honestly, my communication skills with clients. Even though I haven’t had time to sit down and study for the NAVLE like I planned, I’ve learned more in these weeks than I feel like I learned in the last three years—so I’m kind of studying anyway.