Disclaimer

The content of this blog reflects my personal experiences and opinions during my veterinary school education. It does not reflect the experiences or opinions of my classmates, colleagues, or the UC Davis School of Veterinary medicine. If you wish to contact me via email: hamaleo11@gmail.com

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Veterinary Students save German Shepherd!


We have enough money for Bogart's surgery now! They raised the $4,600!!! Thanks to all the donors/students that contributed! 
Davis, CA - The following story highlights the best of humanity. A dog named Bogart was taken from the Sacramento City shelter to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
The dog was to be neutered by a member of the class of 2012 - but while he was at the school, the students discovered that he was suffering from pain in his hips.
An exam and radiographs revealed the sad truth - Bogart was suffering from severe hip dypslasia....
Hip replacement surgery is very expensive - when the city shelter learned of Bogart's disease, he was put on the euthanasia list for the following week.
But the students at UC Davis weren't about to let that happen - the surgeon that performed his neutering surgery - a student from the class of 2012 - rushed to the shelter and adopted him.
Now, the UC Davis students are raising funds to pay for Bogart's surgery - which of course, will be performed at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
Today, May 11, the students are throwing a luau to help raise funds for his surgery.
Bogart is going to get what he needs to feel good once again - these students rallied together to literally save his life. These are the young adults that we need and want out in the professional work force - caring and compassionate individuals that rise up when needed.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Charging for Student Facility Use

Since when did public universities start charging their students in excess of tuition for use of public educational facilities for educational professional events? 

Well the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has resulted to that in this economic time, faced with  a $500 million cut — or more — from state funding.

Here is the official letter that veterinary students received from the administration. 
Here is my response to administration:
As a veterinary student at UC Davis SVM, I have greatly benefited from the symposiums, seminars, and events held in the veterinary school facilities. I feel that charging a fee for future facility use will decrease the ability for students and doctors to gain future access to knowledge. As it is with the economy the way it is, clubs are already having difficulty funding club events, seminars, etc. If this new "fee" is implemented it will only further inhibit clubs and organizations to offer such valuable events for the veterinary community. I feel as though we pay for tuition, which includes facility use. Inhibiting us from utilizing our own facilities by charging a fee that some clubs may not be able to afford is ludicrous. I understand the need for clean-up after events and building repair, however with any amount of use, the buildings will inevitably need repair regardless of facility use by seminars, symposiums, etc. I feel if the concern is more about clean up after events, then why not charge a deposit and give detailed cleaning instructions and expectations and if those are met following an event, return the deposit to the club or organization hosting the event. The value gained through these educational experiences (club symposiums, events, etc) more than outweighs any amount the university would receive for charging these fees and I feel as though access to adequate facilities and higher educational opportunities should always be included in a graduate (professional) college experience. I know that many clubs thrive just by the events they are able to host at the veterinary school so that they can earn money to fund future club events and educational opportunities to club members. If a fee were imposed, especially a fee of $80/hour per room per HOUR, I think it would be unlikely clubs would be able to host events at the UC Davis Veterinary School campus. I chose to go to UC Davis because they offered such invaluable learning opportunities AT their very own veterinary school.

Also, the bit about the buildings being in use for 10-12 hours seven days a week is fallacious. This is not the case for ANY of the instructional classrooms. I have been in homeroom on weekends to print things or study or even to check my mailbox and the entire valley hall is almost vacant except for an occasional student who is also studying in the facilities they pay tuition to use.

I feel these "fees" for facility use are a detriment to my education and I am insulted that the university would jeopardize the career we are entering into  which thrives on collaboration, the pursuit of knowledge, and the heart of the true meaning of the veterinary community.


After my letter was received, I met with the administration on several occasions to discuss this issue and was told there was nothing I could do. So I wrote an article in the school paper addressing the similar arguments in my letter to the administration. Many students feel powerless under the eyes of the administration, or I believe they are too busy to really even fight for student facility use. I do believe they care, but feel that there is nothing we can do as students. Some students haven't even heard about it and are shocked when they learn about it.

This is OUR veterinary school, we sure pay a hefty amount of tuition to go to this school, we should be able to fully appreciate the benefits of our professional education, which undoubtedly includes facility use.  
 


In the UC Davis Guide for Prospective Students I found this statement, "Since 2004 the school has completed six new buildings, including a teaching laboratory, a two-story classroom complex and a five-story multipurpose facility as part of a $354 million long-range facilities plan to modernize infrastructure and provide the best learning environment for students. School officials continue to develop public and private support for programs and facilities that will help to meet California’s growing need for veterinarians.


I believe these facilities should provide the best learning environment for students and students should have unlimited access to use of those facilities.

I hope that veterinary students understand that WE do have the ability to stand up against our administration on such prevalent issues. If you have any comments/suggestions/ideas please feel free to comment. I am wondering if other veterinary schools in US have similar costs associated with hosting symposiums and CE events. 


Thank You for reading

LINK: http://campus-care.ucdavis.edu/facilities-management/who-pays-for-maintenance.shtml

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Class of 2015 Admission Statistics


 

Equine Herpes in California


 
Warning to Horse Owners:

 There have been at least 2 confirmed cases of equine herpes-1 (EHV-1) infection in horses that competed at the National Cutting Horse Association Western National Championships in Utah. Some horses were transported to another show in Bakersfield immediately following and became symptomatic for EHV-1. Because of the presence of EHV-1 in the community, we are taking every precaution to prevent EHV-1 entry into the general hospital.  Every horse admitted to the hospital is being tested for EHV-1 and full biosecurity precautions are in force during the next few weeks as necessary. 


Equine Herpes Virus is a common virus of horses world wide, and can cause respiratory disease, abortions, and less commonly neurological signs. It is transmitted by aerosol and close contact between horses, including fomites such as shared tack, equipment, and human hands. There are vaccines currently available for the prevention of respiratory disease and abortion caused by EHV, there are currently none available for vaccination against the neurological form of the disease. 


Precautions: Please contact your veterinarian if your horse may have been exposed to EHV-1 at either of these shows or through contact with a horse that has returned from these shows. Exposed horses should be isolated and have their rectal temperature taken twice daily. If fever develops, they should be tested for EHV-1.  
Written by: Gary Magdesian



For additional information, please refer to the following sites:

Resources:
 
California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory:
http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/
<https://mail.cdfa.ca.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/> 
 
 
UC Davis Center for Equine Health:
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/ehv1_general.cfm
<https://mail.cdfa.ca.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.vetmed.uc davis.edu/ceh/ehv1_general.cfm> 
 
 
Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy Brochure
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs...herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf
<https://mail.cdfa.ca.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf> 
 
CDFA Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy Fact Sheet
 
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS...pdfs/EHV-1FactSheetSept2010.pdf
<https://mail.cdfa.ca.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/pdfs/EHV-1FactSheetSept2010.pdf> 
 
 
USDA Resources
 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/
<https://mail.cdfa.ca.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/> 
 
American Association of Equine Practitioners Fact Sheet
 
http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/con...s/Equine%20Herpes%20Virus.pdf
<https://mail.cdfa.ca.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/control_guidelines/Equine%2520Herpes%2520Virus.pdf> 
 
 

Friday, May 13, 2011

Learning new things

Everyday I am learning new things (go figure a veterinary student learning new things!). But this week at work, I got the opportunity to learn how to drive the fork lift! I know, sounds kinda crazy and strange, since I know how to drive a car, but the fork lift is nothing like a car. And to make things more complicated, when driving the fork lift, there is usually a big muck cart attached to the back. 

I learned some very important lessons in my 3-4 hours of learning how to operate the fork lift. My co-worker that trained me has been working at the VMTH for many years and has a large breadth of  knowledge to offer me. Sometimes I wish I could just tap her brain and know everything she does, but I have to learn it a little bit at a time from her. 

The most important lesson I learned was that I am my own worst enemy. As I was learning how to back up the cart into a parking space with the fork lift, I would make drastic movements with the steering wheel when I was trying to avoid jack-knifing or going over the parking space lines (which were supposed to represent a barn)...lets just say if it had been a barn, it might not have remained standing after I was done with it. Anyways, until I learned to train my mind to communicate to my hands that I only needed to compensate for the movement of the trailer a little bit, I struggled and became very frustrated. My co-worker sat on her stool with her arms crossed shaking her head. She was like the wise woman that was trying to teach me a great lesson. Finally after seeing me fail to accomplish the task three times in a row because I was making the same mistake, she came over and turned off the fork lift. I told her maybe I'd had enough for the day and we should do fork lift training another day. She smiled at me and said, "well maybe, but do you realize what you are doing?" I shook my head and said, "I'm over-correcting, I'm not that great at this!" She said, "you know what, you are your own worst enemy, I hope you'll be a better vet than you are at learning how to drive a fork lift." That stung a little bit cause I felt like I was REALLY trying. I was so frustrated, but I took a deep breath and said to myself, "I can do this!" My co-worker fired up the fork lift and said, "give it another try, watch your wheels!" she said over her shoulder as she walked back to her perch on the stool. 

Something in my mind clicked, I had been over-doing it entirely...by just looking at where my cart was going, when I finally took a second to look at the wheels on the fork lift, I saw a pattern...I was finally able to park the muck cart without taking down the imaginary barn. I couldn't believe it, why had I sat there beating myself up when I hadn't researched every option?  I think this is a very common occurrence among veterinary students. We get our minds going down one path of diagnosis, but then when that is proven incorrect, we back-pedal as fast as we can to go down another road of diagnosis. However, if we had just considered a broader range of diagnosis in the first place, we might not hit so many dead ends and we will be able to think through each potential diagnosis carefully. 

I never would have thought that learning how to drive a fork lift would teach me such an important lesson. I'm sure it won't be the first time I experience it, since I am so strong minded I will probably forget this very important lesson. But I hope I think about it every once in a while...


 

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Sometimes in life, you get a RE-DO

I will be the first to admit to my blog readers that I'm NOT perfect. I struggled through my first Renal Physiology Exam on body fluids. I actually didn't pass it, I got 67%. The examination policy for the course states that any part of the exam with a score of less than 70% must be re-examined. 

I think this is a wonderful grading policy for many reasons. I was not at my best that day I took my exam, I actually had a large bout of "test anxiety." I had studied the material, but found it difficult to piece together. On the exam, I froze at some of the questions, I knew the material, but something inside me made me feel like I didn't. To top it off, I actually ran out of time on the exam, which has never happened to me in any veterinary exam. I wasn't the only one though, there were several people turning in their test as our next professor was preparing for the following lecture. 


Thankfully, I met with the professor to discuss my poor results on the exam. I told him that grades are important to me, however, what is more important is that I understand the material so I can become a great veterinarian. I told him that I would like to meet with a tutor a couple times and become more confident with the material. Then he pointed out in the syllabus that any score below 70% required a re-test in any portion of the course. As you may assume, I was very upset with myself for my low exam score, but thankfully I had a chance to make it right and could only better understand the material. 


Within one week of the exam, I re-took the exam (not the same one, but strikingly similar) and I was much more confident in my knowledge about the material and sound in my choice of answers. 


I think it is often difficult to stick what we learn in our veterinary curriculum into a multiple choice format. It is also difficult for every professor to adapt to all their student's learning and test taking styles. 

All I know that someday when I am a practicing veterinarian, my patients will not come with choices A,B,C,D, or E, they will be puzzles that I must piece together through my physical exam findings, patient history (from owner), and presenting complaints.

I think what I have learned from this experience is that I just need to do my best and trust myself, have confidence in the knowledge I spend many hours studying and trying to comprehend. Don't get down on yourself because you struggle, that won't really help you overcome it.

Dream Big! But know your true self!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Spring Quarter is Winding Down

This quarter has gone by so fast, we're down to three weeks left of classes and one week with 4 finals. That's right, somehow we went from like 9 classes to only 4. We're left with immunology, parasitology, renal physiology, and hematology. Plus my two electives, small animal radiology discussion and the equine neonatal course. 

Overall it has been a great quarter, I have struggled in one of my classes (I'm not perfect), but have really excelled in others. I really enjoy immunology and parasitology. Hematology is very interesting as well, learning all about blood can be really fun. Plus, these three courses overlap with one another! They have a lot of material that overlaps, like blood smears, the immune response, immune cells, etc. 


I have experienced a lot of new things this quarter, I've been able to work and attend classes. I love my job in the equine ICU and work with a lot of wonderful, very knowledgeable people who have the patient's best interest in mind. I am learning a lot!

I have taken new opportunities to be a leader for the Mercer clinic (treating pets of the homeless in Sacramento) as well as becoming a coordinator for the Coalition for Community Cats feral cat clinics in Sacramento. 

I think the scariest thing so far this year has been in passing the second year students in the hall. Their spring quarter is really tough, they all are taking many classes and have so many tests! I heard they had five exams in three days. They all look very tired and it is just slightly scary that I will soon be in their shoes.  

If any of you pre-vets are looking for experience, try the UC Davis Summer enrichment program: http://sharonostermann.blog.com/2011/05/10/pre-vet-get-experience-at-uc-davis-with-the-summer-enrichment-program/

 I wish life was this easy!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Getting Experience Shadowing a Veterinarian

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just got an email from a pre-veterinary student at UC Berkley, she asked me what to expect when shadowing a veterinarian and how to go about finding a veterinarian to shadow. She had some wonderful questions and I wanted to share the answers I sent her with my blog readers or any pre-vets out there. 

What is "shadowing?"

Shadowing is a great opportunity to learn what veterinary medicine is all about. You will have the chance to directly observe what a vet's daily life is like. You can see if veterinary medicine is something you would be happy doing as a career. You can learn a veterinarian's personal opinions on all types of things ranging from their experience in veterinary school to how they manage a healthy life/work balance. It definitely depends on the clinic (every single one is different) you will have to find one that works for you. I think it would be a great idea to shadow several different types of veterinary practices and see many types of medicine. 

What Should I bring when shadowing a vet? 

As far as what to bring, I always brought a very small (fit in my pocket) notepad and two pens (I often managed to loose one of them by the end of each shift). I jotted things down that I wanted to read about/google later. Or if the vet/technicians ever shared any words of wisdom, I wrote that down too. It also comes in handy if you need to write a list of things someone asks you to retrieve or asks you to do several different things. You can write them down to be sure not to forget anything. Other things I can recommend from personal experience: water bottle, granola bar or lunch if needed, but having a bit of something to eat on hand helps even if you think you'll only be there a couple hours, something interesting might come in the door and you DO NOT want to be stuck without food. Learned that one the hard way :) Power Bars can really make all the difference in that type of situation.
Bring a stethoscope if you have one, if not don't worry about it, the vet will have one. It really just makes you look cool if you have one, you will have to get one eventually if you are really interested in veterinary medicine. If you bring it, don't be afraid to use it! Tell your mentor you have never used it and want to learn how, they will show you and the more practice you get with assessing vitals, the better. Also bring a wrist watch with a second hand or seconds capabilities! They are useful for taking heart and respiratory rates as well as telling the vet what time it is (They usually appreciate someone having a watch if they forgot one that day). 

What do I expect to do at my shadowing experience besides following the vet like a lost puppy?

As far as what do you do besides follow them around like a lost puppy is an excellent question. How do you know what to do or expect? I think it's like anytime you start a new school or job, you have a bit of anxiety and excitement that can be scary at first. Shadowing is an important experience in deciding if you want to pursue a veterinary education. 
I would try to ask a LOT of questions (when appropriate, i.e. not when they are busy or in front of a client, etc., use your judgment) but vets love good questions and NO question is a stupid question. Act interested even if you aren't entirely interested, your interest and concern for all aspects of the clinic really please the veterinarian and make it look like you are so lucky to be there.
I would also recommend to really learn to appreciate the veterinary technicians that work in the clinic. You can learn a TON from them and if they like you, they will be more willing to let you do things/teach you. If there is any down time, I.E. you are not seeing patients, it is quiet, etc, offer to clean or if anyone needs help with anything. I've done filling to mopping and let me tell you, the clinic really appreciates it, especially if you take the initiative to find things that need to be done. 

"How should I go about finding a vet to shadow, should I "cold-call" all the vets in the area and how should I present myself since I don't have any experience?"

Instead of cold-calling, I might print some resumes and a quick cover letter and pick several (maybe 5-6 veterinary clinics that really interest you in your area). You can read about prospective veterinary clinics by seeing if they have a website online or by reading YELP, but take YELP with a grain of salt since ANYONE can post on there and often the true story is not always portrayed. 

I would highly suggest you actually visit the clinic instead of "cold-calling" because this has many benefits:

1) you get an idea of what the clinic atmosphere is like (i.e. is the lobby clean, do waiting clients look happy, what is the customer service like, is it somewhere you could see yourself learning/working etc.). What kind of area is the clinic in? 

2) Talking to them in person is much more personal than just calling and shows you really do want a job/shadowing experience there. 

3) you will get practice presenting yourself and your resume


 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Paradise?

Although graduation is still three years and 4.5 weeks away for me, I have been procrastinating studying by finding possible externships and exploring veterinary career choices.

I just can't help but think ahead, it keeps me going to classes and enjoying life, frankly in the midst of my non-clinical years of veterinary school. Lectures can become really dry with limited clinical application and I am always seeking more information after lecture on how I will somehow assimilate all this information on anatomy, physiology, and pathology, etc. and apply it to an actual patient or clinical case. 

I often find myself discouraged when I don't do as well as I had hoped on an exam. Somehow, the veterinary school curriculum makes you feel that if you don't achieve straight A's, you won't be a good veterinarian. I think that is VERY wrong, but I can't help but think I have failed or let myself down by missing questions on exams. I need to remember that part of that learning is making mistakes and trying again. I think it is much better to do this on paper than on a real clinical case. But in real life, clinical cases will not be an exam, I will be able to collaborate with colleges and have the ability to utilize resources in all my cases.

I recently was exploring the American Fondouk website and found a blog of past visitors of the Fondouk. I felt I should share it on my blog because it is inspiring and thought provoking all at the same time.

 Epilogue from Dr. Biros' 2009 Visit

"I have signed each correspondence on this trip “From paradise” but have in my own mind struggled to define exactly what paradise means. Is it having everything you want? Is it a place where there is no suffering and no one has a need for anything? At first I thought I was being a bit romantic; after all I was visiting an exotic place where there is a need for the services that I can offer, that is to help sick animals without asking for anything in return. I soon realized that Fez is a wild place filled with life, death, emotion and action everywhere you turn. The Fondouk is only a small part of that, but it is a part that cannot be taken away. To me, paradise is not the utter fulfillment of one’s desires and the absolute elimination of every bad thing; rather it is the act of giving and receiving, exchanging our gifts to one another no matter how great or small. Paradise is ensuring that we are an active participant, to the best of our ability, in this sometimes crazy world and consciously soaking it all in along the way. No matter how one defines paradise, I feel that part of the definition is the wish for paradise to endure."

http://www.mspca.org/americanfondouk/about-us/blog/day-7-april-27-2009.html