Carrie Shih
During the summer of 2023, I spent four weeks externing through National Taiwan University’s (NTU) veterinary teaching hospital. I rotated through four different specialty departments every week: Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anatomic Pathology, Internal Medicine, and Surgery. I sought out a Mandarin speaking country, and being that I am a second generation Taiwanese-American, Taiwan just made sense. I wanted to improve my medical Mandarin, learn how the veterinary school experience differed from the United States, and gain insight on how the Taiwanese public views veterinary medicine and animal care.
My first week in the Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, I worked with Dr. Ching-Ming Liu who I was introduced to by UC Davis’ own integrative medicine doctor - Dr. Ronald Koh. I saw many acupuncture and laser patients, and Chinese herbal medicine cases. There were numerous herbs that I had not seen used back in the states, most of which were produced in Taiwan. I also learned about the different modalities offered at NTU including the underwater treadmill patients and gait analysis. Many of the patients we saw were over 13 years old, with euthanasia not being commonplace. Many were long time patients which taught me an aspect of small animal geriatric care.
Afterwards, I rotated with the Anatomic Pathology department. Part of my time consisted of the unique experience of performing necropsies on deceased animals from the Taipei Zoo. I even got to assist in a necropsy of a 200kg tapir! I learned about preparing tissue samples, histology readings, and case discussions. Many of the doctors I worked with were in their Master’s program after their equivalent of a DVM program, because residency is not as commonplace, which was a contrast I was familiar with in the U.S.
In my third week, I rotated through Internal Medicine which included a cardiorespiratory clinic, and oncology. I learned so much from the daily rounds discussing the day’s cases. On the last day I shadowed a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on a cat. A unique part of this rotation was all the IM doctors performed their own ultrasound examinations, some of which were with the owners holding their own pets! I found this really interesting and beneficial for the doctors to explain their findings with owners as they are seeing the images in real time. Also, all radiographs were taken with owners holding their pets if they chose to.
During my very last week I rotated through the surgery department which included ophthalmology, neurology, and an EENT (eyes, ear, nose, throat) surgeon. We even had a typhoon day where everyone had the day off! This eventful week ended with a lung lobectomy and a splenectomy. Every time I had to say goodbye to the new friends I had just made was hard, but leaving the hospital on my last day left me with a feeling of fulfillment.
I am grateful for taking the leap to embark on this journey, forcing myself into this immersive environment. This trip was both meaningful and enlightening as I was able to merge two quintessential parts of my identity together. I am thankful for my mentors, Dr. Ronald Koh and Dr. Lisa Tell as well as Dr. Po-Yen Chou for connecting me with the doctors in Taiwan. I also want to thank the Office for Global Programs for making this all possible with their funding opportunity. My experience at NTU will have everlasting effects on my veterinary career.
