My last few days here in Australia were unforgettable. I had the opportunity to work with other veterinary nurses at a local veterinary hospital. I was able to help them prep, monitor and recover patients in surgery. Also, taught them how to utilize some of there Abaxis blood analyzers. Many of there practices are very similar to ours in the United States. There were defiantly some things I will take home with me and share with my practice. The two highlights of my day at the vet hospital was recovering and administering liquid oral medication to a sick koala with Cryptococcus. Koalas are so gentle and somewhat docile. Second, I was able to assist Roni, another veterinary nurse in radio graphing Penny, one of the turtles from the rehabilitation center. Penny has not been using her right front flipper but has a lump of concern on her left side. The x-Ray did not show any evidence of injury to either flipper. They took her back to the rehabilitation to see how she does and may consider further evaluation of needed.

Prior to coming to Australia I was expecting there to be a huge culture shock, but to my surprise there were a lot of similarities to the states and Florida. The weather was not ideal for most of the days while we were in Australia but we made the most of it. I like the way Australia makes the way of paying simpler by rounding up or down and how their prices include tax and tip. There are no hidden fees the price you see is the price you pay. The locals are also very friendly and welcoming to Americans. I felt like I was home in Florida a lot of the time and sometimes forgot I was in Australia. They do use the metric system and drive on the opposite side of the road, but I know the United States is the last country to switch to the metric system and we are the only ones that drive on the side that we do. I could definitely picture myself living in Australia if I had the opportunity. It’s a beautiful country with great values and a very natural way of living.