The Fat Lady is Singing
![Kirstie holds one of the NMLC sea turtle patients](https://ezidesignconcept.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_1386-300x225.jpg)
So this is it, my final days working here at NMLC. For those of you who might not know me, I signed on with NMLC as the fall/winter intern and have been working here on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays since September. Before I started my internship here, my only significant accomplishment was graduating from college. I had never worked with animals, let alone wild ones, never held a job or volunteer position with any marine conservation organizations, nor had I ever even seen a seal on the beach. So when I came here in August ready to start building a career in marine animal conservation, I was asking for a pretty big favor seeing as I had absolutely no experience besides an education.
Eight months later, I guess it would be an understatement saying that I learned a great deal after interning here. Every experience was new. Everything from cleaning a small turtle tank to performing water quality tests were new tasks I had never done before. I learned how to prep food; feed seals and sea turtles; administer vitamins and medications; and record witnessed behaviors and notes from exams. I learned about our life support systems, how to do water changes, and how to get daily water quality data. As I mentioned above, I learned how to do the weekly water quality tests and run coliforms and then read the coliforms. However, the most exciting learning experiences were definitely
![Ichabod, the seal Kirstie worked with the most!](https://ezidesignconcept.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/DSC_0519-cropped-compressed-docs-300x263.jpg)
learning how to perform the treatments. During my time here I gave topical eye ointments, intramuscular injections, and subcutaneous fluids. I treated open wounds on seals with chlorohex solution, and I was here the day our Kemps Ridley Sea Turtles arrived. Participating in the admissions exams for the Kemp’s Ridleys was a very exciting and memorable day. I particularly enjoyed taking carapace and plastron measurements, heart and respiration rates, and internal temperatures.
Interning at NMLC and learning everything I did about this type of work has definitely been an amazing experience, but what really makes my time here special were the volunteers and staff that worked alongside me. I would like to personally thank Kate, Belinda, and Kathy for being my teachers.
Posted by Kirstie B.
Kirstie is a Spring, 2014 Intern at the National Marine Life Center. She recently graduated from Smith College with a major in Biology.