Veterinarian

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Whether you work with large animals, small animals, or exotic animals something all veterinarians do a lot is give shots to keep animals healthy. There are two types of shots:

• Intramuscular = a shot given into the muscle
• Subcutaneous = a shot given under the skin (NOT in the muscle)

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to give it a ‘shot’ (LOL!). Here’s what to do:

STEP 1: Get a banana and something with a pointy edge (bobby pin, sewing needle, skewer, etc.).

STEP 2: Practice giving an INTRAMUSCULAR (called IM in vet school) injection by inserting the sharp object straight in (at a 90 degree angle to the banana) until the sharp object goes into the fleshy banana.

STEP 3: Practice giving a SUBCUTANEOUS (called subQ in vet school) injection by inserting the sharp object at an angle (about 45 degrees from the banana). Slide the sharp object through the banana skin ONLY. If you hit the actual banana try again!

STEP 4: Practice, practice, practice! This is something I learned in one of my pre-vet courses in college – it really does help develop the feel of an IM vs. subQ injection as they are called.

STEP 5: When you get really good at IM and subQ injections, create an instructional video and share in the Student Showcase to build your resume!