When Juan Orjuela talks about his patients, he describes them like they\u2019re real people. And to him, they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the bond with animals is so unbreakable, unlike any other,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much conflict with humans, but with animals, it\u2019s consistent love and affection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orjuela is a pre-veterinary student at 51ÁÔÆæ majoring in biology and conservation and environmental science. He is also a veterinary assistant at Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists in Glendale, where he triages patients, assists with the placement of IV catheters and helps doctors and technicians around the clinic.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a dream job for Orjuela, who has wanted to become a veterinarian for as long as he can remember. Orjuela\u2019s family immigrated to Minnesota from Bogota, Colombia, when he was a child. He grew up in Minneapolis and decided to attend 51ÁÔÆæ because he wanted to try out a new city, but Orjuela initially had no idea that there was a pre-veterinary program on campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel that a lot of people disregard 51ÁÔÆæ pre-vet students because of UW-Madison\u2019s strong veterinary program,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made it my mission throughout my undergraduate years to make the persistent community of pre-vet students known on campus. I decided to reestablish the Pre-Veterinary Medicine Organization, and I\u2019m the president.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through the Pre-Veterinary Medicine Organization, Orjuela and other pre-vet students on campus have been able to talk with admissions counselors from several vet schools and hear from professionals in all aspects of the field. Those contacts helped him become a lab animal technician at the Animal Care Program on 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s campus, and that experience, plus an internship at UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, helped Orjuela land his job at Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists.<\/p>\n
\u201cLakeshore\u2019s mission is to support a collaborative workplace built on communication, compassion and continuing education in order to deliver progressive medical care for pets, their people and our community,\u201d said Christina Matthews, the hospital manager at Lakeshore Veterinary Specialists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very fast-paced environment. We only see animals who are in very bad situations: They got attacked by a dog, or they come in not breathing and we have to immediately initiate CPR. It could be anything,\u201d Orjuela added.<\/p>\n
One case that especially stood out to him involved a pit bull who had been attacked by another dog \u2013 or who was possibly a victim of underground dogfighting. There\u2019s no way to know, Orjuela said, but the animal was in bad shape.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople associate such a stigma with pit bulls and think they\u2019re really dangerous animals, but this pit bull, like most, was the most genuine, sincere guy. He knew we were there to help him, even though he was in a lot of pain,\u201d Orjuela said. \u201cThat\u2019s one patient I\u2019ll always remember. He taught me a huge life lesson \u2013 sometimes you can be in the worst situation, but having a positive attitude can alleviate a lot of the negativity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orjuela plans to graduate in May and begin applying to veterinary schools. His hope is to attend Cornell University\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine and to specialize in small animal soft-tissue surgery. He has the full support of his current bosses.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuan is a valued member of our Lakeshore family,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cHis passion for veterinary medicine inspires all of our team members, from technicians to doctors. We look forward to Juan becoming a veterinarian and continuing to expand the capabilities of veterinary medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The job is important, Orjuela said, because animals have no way to say what ails them. They need someone to speak for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to help them, assist in diagnosing and treating them and then see their progress is the most satisfying part of the job,\u201d Orjuela said. \u201cWe see a lot of sad cases, and when we get good results, that\u2019s what makes all of the long hours at Lakeshore worth it. I like learning every day how to become a voice for all of these animals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Juan Orjuela talks about his patients, he describes them like they\u2019re real people. And to him, they are. \u201cI think the bond with animals is so unbreakable, unlike any other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":785,"featured_media":41749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[249,250],"section":[140,139],"display_categories":[115,116],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[158,161],"class_list":["post-42244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-community-engagement","tag-student-success","section-science","section-science-technology","display_categories-top-story-secondary","display_categories-top-story-section","uwmnews-feed-letters-science","uwmnews-feed-hard-science"],"yoast_head":"\n