Dr. Sarah Guess got her start at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital as an undergraduate student assisting in the large and small animal hospital. Years later after completing veterinary school at WSU and earning a master’s at Kansas State University, Dr. Guess returned to the hospital where she is now caring for patients and training soon-to-be veterinarians in the Internal Medicine service.
From Liberty Lake, Washington, Dr. Guess and her family have one “volunteer barn kitty” named Pants who showed up out of nowhere and worked his way into their hearts. Dr. Guess says Pants does everything with his family, including hiking.
What is your typical day like at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital?
One of the things I love most about my work is that every day is different! There is only a tiny bit of structure to the day in the form of rounds each morning with the students and residents. We discuss all our cases, including the ones we will see that day, and wrap up the ones we saw the day before. We also usually have a didactic session of some sort in the morning, like journal club, seminar, etc. During the subsequent hours of the morning and throughout the afternoon, I am involved in internal medicine cases – we see complex cases that involve multiple systems, and we do procedures they need throughout the day, such as endoscopy, advanced imaging, and bone marrow sampling.
What made you want to work in veterinary medicine and at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital?
I have always loved being part of the WSU Cougar family. As an undergraduate student, I felt connected to the great people and pets at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and I always looked forward to having a job where I could work with animals, teach, stay involved in research, and be part of a great community. WSU offers all those things.
What is your favorite thing about your job? What are the most rewarding aspects?
My favorite thing about my job is how much I don’t consider it a job – I love coming to work and being part of diagnosing and treating complicated cases and helping people and their pets. The continuous growth and challenge is what attracted me to internal medicine. The most rewarding aspects are double-special because I get to see patients becoming well and students learn how to help them get there at the same time!
What are your career goals?
I hope to be on faculty here at WSU for many years to come. I would love to continue to build the internal medicine service and be a part of our clinical research program and teach veterinary students.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love running, biking, swimming, and trail running. I am currently training for a triathlon. I try to learn a new skill each year, so I am trying to learn how to bake bread this year. So far, I am the only one who will eat the results, but I’m hoping to get better at it.
What advice would you give to pet owners?
Take videos! Photographs are amazing, but we learn so much more from seeing videos of your pet, and the memories with your pet are even more powerful through video than photographs.