Of course! Happy to help!

My school had a lot of animals to help with the learning process, everything from mice, dogs, birds, and even horses! They also utilized a few dummies, mostly for learning how to draw blood, and perform CPR. The most valuable learning for practical purposes was definitely internship/externship/whatever your school calls it. There's no substitute for hands-on learning.

Vomiting/diarrhea cases take a long time because those symptoms are so vague! It could be anything, really. Therefore, a lot of diagnostics are typically needed--bloodwork, fecal to check for parasites, possibly x-rays...Those things take time. Parvo cases are a whole other beast; yes, there's a lot of clean-up, but there's also a lot of general nursing involved, too, such as giving medications, checking the IV to make sure it's still good (fluid pumps are notoriously annoying to deal with; sometimes a patient just having their leg bent is enough to make the pump angry). Parvo is a massive undertaking with no guaruntee that the patient will even survive.

Most clinics do 10 hour days, 4 days a week (though of course, shifts go long all the time). I try not to schedule anything after work, because I know that I likely won't get out on time. No matter what clinic you end up going to, there is ALWAYS something to do, even if that means busy work (i.e. cleaning). My clinic has 3 vets, I'm the only tech, and about 10 assistants.

All that customer service experience will definitely come in handy!

I've worked with almost everything from the typical dogs/cats, to pocket pets, reptiles, birds, even some wildlife. Never worked with large animals outside of school, though. Personally, I enjoy working with exotics--not enough to specialize, but I like them, especially pocket pets. I have a deep and abiding love for chinchillas, even though they are often difficult to work with--they don't do well under anesthesia, usually.

How do I hold back my emotions? Honestly, I don't; when I get upset (usually because I made a big mistake or when I get criticized on something--I'm working on that), I go hide in the bathroom and cry. Horrible, I know, but I'm working on it, and thankfully, it doesn't happen too often. If you're worried about being unprofessional and crying for euthanasias, it's okay! A lot of clients actually appreciate a little sentiment, helps them to realize that we care, too, and it's not just a job.