Long days, and team effort - J. Skinner

October 25, 2025

Julia Skinner, AVC 2026, travelled to Hopdale and Sheshatshiu as one of the student participants on the Chinook Project. As part of the experience, the students craft various pieces of writing.

Participating in the Chinook Project was an eye-opening experience, I learned a lot about myself, my ability to adapt to changing situations, and how to lean on my teammates when I need help. I was nervous before heading to Labrador, worried my surgical skills weren’t up to par, worried I would be terrible at giving vaccines, and worried I wouldn’t be a help to the team. However, over the course of the two weeks I found myself becoming more confident in my skills and in my knowledge, and by the time I left Labrador two weeks later I felt even more sure that veterinary medicine is where I want to be. While the whole trip was an amazing learning experience there are a couple of specific experiences that really stuck out to me and made me feel like I was doing what I was meant to. 

Julia after dog neuter

The first was completing my first solo dog neuter. I had never performed a dog neuter prior to going to Labrador, and while I was excited to learn a new skill, I was also terrified. However, with the guidance of the veterinarians who were with us, I clumsily got through my first neuter, and it became one of my favourite surgeries. After another supervised neuter (a bilateral inguinal cryptorchid no less) I felt ready to take on a neuter solo. I was surprised how confident I felt going into it, and that confidence didn’t waver throughout the surgery. I was able to utilize all the techniques I had just learned, like a better way to hold the testicle to make the incision easier, how to close both the subcutaneous layer and skin without cutting my suture (I even got pretty good at suturing with my non-dominant hand), how to do different types of ligatures, and I was shocked at how natural it all felt. I felt so proud when I finished that surgery (even if neuters aren’t really that complicated).

The second happened one day when I was responsible for that day’s medical appointments. I loved those days because I was able to interact with so many different animals and their owners, and I usually got some pretty good snuggles from my patients. However, the medicine appointments were probably what I stressed about the most in the days before leaving for Labrador, which sounds silly now, as I had never vaccinated a fully awake animal before (only ever animals that were waking up from surgery). I liked being able to figure out the best and least stressful way to give the vaccines, as every animal is different. Some really liked being distracted with peanut butter, others preferred to just be held by their owners and given scratches and love, and others were so chill they just stood there and didn’t even seem to notice they were receiving an injection. I really tried to make it a positive experience for the animal when I could, and I feel like I got much better at administering vaccines by the end of the trip. What really cemented it for me though, and something I still think about, was when one of the members of the team told me I was very gentle when giving vaccines. It just made me feel like what I was doing was working if someone else noticed the effort I was making to make it as pain free for the animals as possible and it truly just made me feel really happy.

I learned so much during my two weeks in Labrador, of course from the veterinarians and technician that were with us, but also from my classmates. They had such good advice about surgical techniques and anesthesia (I was much better at placing IV catheters by the end of the trip), and I really felt like we worked together well, supported each other, and taught each other new skills. Being in the North had its challenges, we had minimal equipment compared to what we were used to, and the days were long and busy, but the animals and people we got to meet and help made it worth it. I truly feel like I came out of those two weeks with vastly improved technical skills, problem-solving skills, and a new appreciation for veterinary medicine.