Growing up on a farm provided Alaina Lamp with experiences that sparked her interest in veterinary medicine.
On many occasions, she saw goats and horses die because a medical professional could not make it to the farm in time.
“It was so disappointing to know that you have done everything you can, but your animal is not going to make it,” she said. “I never want another person to be in that situation.”
She also went with her father to have a mare pregnancy checked. During the appointment, Lamp, who was a young child, was curious about all facets of the procedure.
“While we were there, the veterinarian performing the ultrasound noticed how interested I was. He explained what he was doing and looking for. I was hooked,” Lamp said.
Full Circle Moment
Today, Lamp has performed hundreds of ultrasounds herself, though mostly on mares. In March, however, she traveled to the University’s Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in southern Illinois with college faculty member Dr. Jason Walker. There, she performed pregnancy checks on roughly 700 cattle.
“I was not very confident in palpating cattle or performing an ultrasound to age a calf before we left,” she continued, “By the end of the second day, not only could I see a huge improvement in my skills, but we had laughed with the cattle hands the whole time.”
More recently, Lamp went to Richland Ranch, a horse farm in Illinois, with theriogenologist Dr. Igor Canisso to provide reproductive services for mares and stallions.
Lamp mentioned a common phrase in veterinary medicine: “You don’t get good at palpating until you’ve palpated 1,000.” The experience at Richland Ranch allowed Lamp to further improve her skills by practicing manipulating the reproductive cycle to breed mares and treat uterine infections, she said.
The Journey to Vet School
Lamp did not get accepted into veterinary school with her first application. That was disappointing, she said, but now she feels grateful for how things turned out.
Instead, Lamp took a position at an accredited American Animal Hospital Association clinic. There, she triaged emergency cases, cared for hospitalized patients, and gained skills she continues to use today.
“I was able to develop client communication skills and practice my clinical skills,” she said. “When I was accepted to veterinary school, I had a leg up on those areas and had worked with patients with a wide variety of diseases we were discussing in class.”
Raising the Standard
After graduation, Alaina Lamp will become an associate veterinarian, seeing small and large animal patients, at the Thompsonville Veterinary Clinic in southern Illinois.
Looking back on her experience with farm animals with the knowledge she has now, Lamp said there is always room for improvement and a new way to do things. She hopes to continue this in her career with farm animals.
“I am excited to help other people raise the standard of care, especially for large animals,” she said. “A large part of that is educating people about the techniques and options we have available to us now.”
By Megan Krok
