During her first three years of veterinary school, Caroline Thornberry worked multiple jobs at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, but her job at the hospital’s blood bank is easily her all-time favorite.
“There were days where I could help collect a blood donation, process it, and then go in for my ICU shift and watch a patient in need receive the blood products I had processed earlier that day,” she said. “It was so satisfying to see the entire process from start to finish and know that my work from earlier was directly helping our patients.”
Caroline plans to specialize in small animal internal medicine, beginning with a rotating internship next year, followed by a residency and board certification.
She said her time in the hospital has helped her develop her clinical skills, while the communications courses in the veterinary curriculum have helped her navigate many difficult conversations with clients.
Caroline, originally from Ohio and most recently Washington, said her interest in medicine started at an early age. When she was 10, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, which requires lifelong insulin use.
“Having a chronic disease that requires constant attention and management has given me a couple extra challenges during vet school, but I haven’t felt limited by it at all. I also feel like this gave me a foundation in endocrinology that set me up to be interested in medicine,” she said.
Fun Fact: Caroline loves outdoor recreation, but she also enjoys knitting, reading, and doing crossword puzzles with her 13-year-old rescue cat named Kiwi.