12
MAH-IVSA Scholarship and Grant Report
A 5-WEEK EXTERNSHIP AT THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER REFERRAL
SERVICES, MANCHESTER, UK
This memorable experience was made possible by the
collaboration between the Merck’s Animal Health and the
International Veterinary Students Association through the
MAH-IVSA Scholarship & Travel Grant where hundreds of
veterinary students worldwide had the opportunity to see
veterinary practice outside of their home country.
[…] I was given the freedom to follow what interests me
as and when I wanted. I could choose between joining in
consultants’ or Interns’ consultation and following the
nurses on their routine duties in the wards.
[..] I had to observe carefully for 3 days […] By the middle
of the week I had learnt how to operate almost all the
machines in the laboratory; the serum chemistry analyzer, the hematology analyzer, the centrifuge etc.
[…] I found it interesting that though there are lots of referral
practices around, they still managed to keep their business
running. I tried to relate how this will be possible in my
country since veterinary medicine is very unpopular here, but
the senior partner was very optimistic that its only a matter
of time till veterinary medicine and referral practices became
known here.
[…] It was difficult that so soon time was up for me to come
back to school, but I knew that if I wanted to apply anything I
had learnt there, then school was important. I had lengthy
discussions with all members of staff at the Yorkshire branch,
mainly discussing the possibility of my return during the
summer.
[…] This time spent during my winter break at the center
really opened my eyes to the world of real veterinary practice
and prompted me to take my studies even more seriously. I
realized what it was like to face a concerned client who would go any length to save his/her pet, “it’s just
you and your patient, now apply your knowledge…” and that is the most important lesson I learnt, the
challenge that awaits me and my colleagues to raise the standards of veterinary practice to the point where
we can run referral services here in Ghana.
By:
ANDREW BREMANG
IVSA KUMASI, GHANA
KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE.