Guts and eyeballs!

Not a whole lot has happened in the past week since we had two exams which kept me pretty busy. We did have a small animal ophthalmology lab last week though. It was fun actually doing all the things we've learned about in class - checking pressures (the tono-vet is awesome), schirmer tear test, direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, and a few other things. I've always really liked ophthalmology (that was going to be my second option if I didn't get into vet school) but looking in the back of the eye is definitely more complicated than I thought it would be! Especially when you can't tell a dog to look right at you ;)

The only other excitement from these past two weeks was doing a resection and anastomosis on real intestines. It's way more intense than I imagined it would be, but the outcome is really satisfying! It just looks so pretty when you're all done :D And then you leak check it and nothing comes out and you're all like...boom shakalaka :)

A Week of Firsts

You guys...I touched a cow for basically the first time this week! And as it turns out, I'm a little scared of them...and I am not kidding, more scared of them than I am of ALLIGATORS! Give me an 8 footer any day over a cow! Ugh, I am dreading my month long food animal rotation this fall. Don't get me wrong, cows are super cute and I will never eat them, but I also never want to touch them. I did get a kick out of listening to the heart and rumen (especially when they tubed her and I heard bubbles in the rumen), but other than that I mostly watched everyone else do the more hands-on activities. I really don't know why I'm scared of them. I guess the fact that I feel so small next to them contributes to the fear, and they kind of just fling their bodies and heads around everywhere. But then again a killer whale is a whole lot larger and more dangerous, yet nope...no fear of them at all! Sigh. Maybe I'm just weird :) But really, is this not terrifying?!?!

On a less scary note, I also built my first snowman this week! It was on my bucket list, so I feel a little more complete now that I've checked that off. She turned out slightly skinny...she just wasn't blessed with the curves that most snow-women have, hahaha
 

 

Harriet :)

 

           Morgan's snow dragon. Kiiiiind of amazing.

The Typical Week of a Vet Student

I recently got asked what a typical week in veterinary school is like. It definitely varies from year to year, week to week, and person to person. I likely over-study for exams so if you're one of those people who doesn't have to study as much {lucky you}, then you'll have much more free time than I do!

First year: we were in class a lot more, from 9-12 Monday through Thursday, as well as afternoon labs. Most days I didn't get home until 5 and I would spend the remainder of the evening studying. Fridays were exam days, so I would usually just take the weekend to get caught up. I went to most social events throughout the year.

Second year: a little more hectic. We still had class from 9-12 and afternoon courses most days. I'm pretty sure exams were mostly on Fridays, so again that freed up the weekend and still allowed me to attend social events.

Third year: free time was extremely limited last semester. My busiest weeks would look something like this:

Monday
     7AM: discharge surgery patient
     8AM: exam
     10-12: lecture
     12-1: examine incoming surgery patient
     1-4: study and prepare for this week's surgery role
     5-6: SOAP surgery patient
     6-9: study
Tuesday
     715: SOAP surgery patient    
     8-12: lecture
     2-3: lecture
     3-5: study
     5-6: SOAP surgery patient
     6-9: study
Wednesday
     715: SOAP surgery patient
     8-12: lecture
     12-5: surgery (sometimes stayed until as late as 8)
     1030PM: back to school to SOAP and medicate surgery patient
Thursday
     715: SOAP surgery patient         
     8-12: lecture
     Afternoon off to study
     5-6: SOAP surgery patient
Friday
     715: SOAP surgery patient 
     8-11: lecture
     11-12: exam
     2-5: clinical skills (communication training, equine exams)
     5-6: SOAP surgery patient
     6-8: study
Weekends - SOAP surgery patient at 8AM and 5PM, study for Monday exams

This semester is truly nothing compared to last. I feel like I have tons of free time, and I'm so much less stressed! I also feel like I'm absorbing the information much more easily. A typical week this semester is something like this:

Monday
     8-12: lecture
     Remainder of day free to study
Tuesday
    8-12: lecture
    1-3: surgical skills lab
    3-9: study
Wednesday: same as Monday
Thursday
    8-9: exam
    10-12: lecture
    Remainder of day free to study
Friday
     8-9: exam
    10-11: lecture
    1-2: lecture

We have occasional afternoon labs {maybe 2-4 per month} which are hands on, clinical skills labs that are way less stressful and a lot more enjoyable than surgery labs last semester! I take Friday afternoons off, and sometimes {like today} all day Saturday off. I feel like I was able to accomplish so much in so little time last semester that I can afford to take some time to enjoy myself now! I'll pretty much study all day Sunday {8AM-8PM} with short breaks. And I actually have time to exercise and go out for dinner and drinks with friends. So it's definitely doable most of the time to fit exercise and social time into your calendar.

Just kidding! Well, kind of...I will be straight forward and tell you that it's extremely easy to get burnt out. My number one tip would be to MAKE time, no matter how little, for some relaxation and activities that don't involve veterinary medicine! If you're still in undergrad, I'd definitely recommend working on time management skills. It's a HUGE part of being successful in vet school.

Well, I hope this has helped you pre-vetters to get a little bit of a better idea as to what vet school weeks are like! If you want to see more posts like this, subscribe via email in the box to your right!

Three Day Week? Yes, Please!

I am totally fine with a 3 day school week. We had two snow days last week, and I was so thankful because I needed the extra study time! Plus I got to experience my first real winter storm! I'm definitely not a fan of winter, but it was kinda nice watching the snow fall. And SO MUCH SNOW FELL!

 

This was a beast to clean off...

 

 

I'm clearly a superb snowman builder...{yep, those are granola flakes for eyes!}

All this snow has made me a little bit home sick...while we're enduring wind chills of -10 on some days, my Florida friends and family get to walk outside in shorts and tanks with their highs of 70-80 degrees! I can't even remember the last time I wore shorts! And I really hate not being able to take Rhyley on walks {she's not a huge fan of snow} or open my windows and let fresh air in {unless I want to freeze to death}. Getting a little bit of cabin fever!

Speaking of Florida, I've been thinking a lot about where I want to end up when I graduate. Originally I thought I would refuse to live anywhere other than San Diego, but the older I'm getting the more I'm realizing how important it is for me to be near family. A few of my family members are dealing with some health issues and I hate being far away and not able to see them. I do see San Diego in my future, but as of now my plan is to get a job either in Tampa Bay or the Clearwater area {or obviously Orlando if I land an awesome job at a theme park! I've seen enough snow to last me a lifetime!