Docende Discimus

 In Latin (By teaching, we learn)

This week of vet school has been full of great life lessons, I don't know what has come over our professors or what our first year veterinary class has provoked from our professors, but we learn something new every day. We actually learn a lot of new things every day about veterinary medicine, but also about life. Today, we learned the phrase, "Docendo Discimus" which is in Latin and translated means-"By teaching, we learn." Our professor shared that phrase in response to many good questions he received from students after lecture that inspired him to go and learn things he didn't know to answer their questions. I think this is a great example of the excellent professors we have her at UC Davis SVM. They are so smart and inspire us to go beyond our classes and homework to learn really what it takes to be a successful veterinarian. A lot of our professors also have clinical appointments in the teaching hospital we get to work in during our fourth year. I think it is great when we are able to talk with our professors in a medical setting where they are actually treating patients and putting what we learn in class to real use. 

Yesterday, I had my small animal radiology lab and we took radiographs of the thorax of one of the colony dogs (they rotate the dogs so one doesn't get exposed too much). It was really cool to actually learn how the machines work, to discuss technique, and how to develop radiographs. We saw and used both the film and digital machines. After we finished that, we went over to the VMTH (veterinary medical teaching hospital) to view the radiograph machines there. It was really cool because we saw actual patients in the hospital. I even saw one of our radiology professors in ultrasound giving advice to a fourth year student ultrasounding the abdomen of a dog. It was a really cool experience and shows me what I have to look forward to in just 2.5 years! Well and this summer during clinics! 

I think the knowledge we can learn from one another is much greater than the knowledge we learn on our own. I think I really like the phrase, "In teaching, we learn" because I am interested in pursuing a faculty teaching position and I plan to live by that statement.

 

A Beluga whale that can paint!