Manager Spotlight!

The Wildlife Medical Clinic has been a staple in the Champaign-Urbana community since 1978. In the 42 years we have been open, this is the first time we have ever needed to close our doors to taking new patients. While we may not have new animals coming into the clinic for the time being, we do still have patients who presented prior to the pandemic, as well as our 9 ambassador animals, who all need daily care. Our two incredible WMC student managers, Erica Bender and Cynthia Tellez, have taken on the front lines of care for these animals while the rest of our volunteer coalition has to stay at home.

These two women are current veterinary students who work in the clinic doing everything from creating and supervising team activities, to advising members on case management or interpersonal issues, and engaging in patient triage, care and even assisting in patient surgeries. They make sure that the clinic runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis, which is no small feat! Currently, they are working closely with our faculty to completely run the clinic, and they put their hearts into their activities every single day. We truly could not function without the continued efforts of our managers. We decided to ask the managers a few questions in order to get to know them better and to let you, the public, see a bit deeper into the individuals who make up our wonderful team!

Erica Bender
CVM Class of 2022

What kind of medicine do you want to do when you graduate?

I would really like to practice zoo or wildlife medicine after I graduate. I’ve been really fortunate to be able to volunteer and intern at number of different wildlife rehabilitation hospitals and sanctuaries working with everything from marine mammals to raptors to chimpanzees. I love the diversity of species and the challenges zoo medicine presents, requiring everyone to work together to come up with creative ways to treat these animals and enrich their lives while under our care, all while promoting conservation.

How has being a WMC manager enhanced your learning throughout vet school?

I think being a WMC manager has enhanced my learning throughout vet school in two different ways. The first is through the clinical hands-on experience that has allowed be to take the things I have learned in the classroom and apply them to the patients we see in the clinic, as well as to help develop clinical skills such as blood draws, bandaging, taking X-rays, and more. It’s really cool to take a topic you’ve covered in class such as rodenticide toxicity or parasites and then be able to diagnose and treat it in our wildlife patients. The second way being a manager has enhanced my learning is by teaching me how to manage a veterinary clinic and being a good leader. A lot goes into the administration of a clinic – making sure we have enough supplies, keeping the clinic clean, and most importantly helping our student teams with their patients. Learning how to effectively accomplish this I think will help me in my career as a veterinarian.

What has been your favorite part of working in the clinic?

I think my favorite part of working in the clinic is working as a team to treat our patients. It’s really amazing to get the hands-on clinical experience, but I think it’s even more fun when you get to learn those new skills with others. So much of wildlife medicine requires working as a team to restrain, treat, and clean up after our patients. In the summer especially it can get quite busy and I’ve really valued the camaraderie that comes from being slightly overwhelmed and working hard together- even if that means leaving the clinic at the end of the day covered in poop and slightly deaf from baby raccoon screams. In a close second, I really love the diversity of species we see and treat. While I have a soft spot for marine mammals, they don’t really exist as part of our native Illinois wildlife, but it is always exciting what wildlife comes in the door, whether it’s a giant snapping turtle, a bald eagle, a pelican, or a fox.

What has been your favorite patient so far, and why?

That’s a really hard question as we’ve had so many cool patients that I’ve been able to learn so many different skills from. I don’t know if I could pick out just one particular patient, as so much of what I remember about patients is about either a new skill I was able to learn, like a red tailed hawk I was able to surgically place pins in to fix its broken wing, or a crazy circumstance, such as an adult raccoon that escaped out of a tiny gap in a cage, or patients I thought just had a lot of personality, like a large snapping turtle we tried to piece back together after getting hit by a car. Some of my favorite patients stayed with us for a while, some we decided that humane euthanasia would be the best option. If I’ve learned anything with these patients, it’s that while a patient’s story might not have a happy ending, it gives you an experience and a memory that might help you save the next one.

What is a fun fact about you that others may find interesting?

I majored in Anthropology, or the study of humans, from UC San Diego! Quite a bit different from all the animals I’m now learning about. I focused a lot on biological human evolution and primate ecology in school and after my junior year went to volunteer at a chimpanzee orphanage in Zambia. While working with the veterinarian there, I decided to switch gears and try to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

Cynthia Tellez
CVM Class of 2023

What kind of medicine do you want to do after you graduate?

After graduation, my plan is to pursue a specialty in Zoo Med or Wildlife medicine because I look forward to working with a variety of species every day.

How has being a WMC manager enhanced your learning throughout vet school?

Working in the WMC has enhanced my learning by allowing me to implement what I learned in the classroom to our patients. By taking on a student manager position, I am challenged to think outside of the box while working through problems and has given me more confidence to express my ideas.

What has been your favorite part of working in the clinic?

My favorite part about working in the clinic has been being able to work so closely with faculty members. They have so much knowledge to offer and I am very lucky to be able to observe and learn from them.

What has been your favorite patient so far, and why?

My favorite patient so far has been a red-tailed hawk that presented for an inability to use her legs. We suspected that it was caused by trauma and chose to treat with anti-inflammatory and pain medications. I was in the clinic working with her daily and I got to monitor her improvements each day. She finally began perching and eating her own again which was definitely a victory for both our team and our patient. She was later transferred to the Illinois Raptor Center where she continued to heal and get stronger before being released back into the wild.

What is a fun fact about you that others may find interesting?

A fun fact about me is that the first time I ever left the country by myself, I went to Costa Rica and lived onsite of an animal sanctuary for a month where I got to work with big cats, monkeys, birds, and (my personal favorite) tapirs.

 

This article was written by Jamie Booth, class of 2023.