Kinesiology student Karina Magalhaes spent half a day at the Lakeshore Animal Hospital as part of the job-shadowing program offered through Career Services.

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions students face as they move toward getting a degree. Resources on campus, including a job-shadowing program through Career Services, help them decide what path may or may not be a good fit.

“The best way to decide whether something is for you or not is to actually go and do it,” says Karina Magalhaes (Artsci ’15), a kinesiology student who recently spent half a day at the Lakeshore Animal Hospital as part of the job-shadowing program.

At first, Ms Magalhaes was hesitant to go to a veterinary clinic — she expects to work with people in the medical and health fields. But the experience was eye-opening, as she watched veterinarians who engage in all areas of animal healthcare — everything from dental work to ultrasounds and surgeries. She was reminded of how different it is for doctors who specialize in specific healthcare practices for people.

Ms Magalhaes experienced many of the principles of health and medicine she’s been studying in practice at the animal hospital, and she found it rewarding to speak with veterinarian Sarah Saxton (Artsci ’97), who first imagined she’d go to medical school but ended up in veterinary college instead.

The job-shadowing program began last year as a pilot program. Because of the positive response, staff set it up again for this year matching 51 students with hosts.

More information is available on the Career Services website.