On The Fence

Some days in veterinary school can make you really want to do something else with your life. I don't know why, it is difficult to explain, especially since I grew up knowing I wanted to become a veterinarian. Why would I want to give up living my dream?

It is very difficult not to be hard on yourself when you do something wrong or don't do as well as you had hoped. You feel like the world is against you sometimes. 


Life largely involves studying, sleeping, studying more and attending classes and taking exams. 

There are hard and easy days in any life/profession. I'm still learning how to cope with those hard days and am so happy that I have so much love and support surrounding me. I know I can live my dream and become the veterinarian I've always wanted to be. I just have to be tough, and dive in head first. I think that is what part of vet school is, learning how to overcome difficulties and hurdles (which have been along my whole road to veterinary school). 

My new motto: work hard, work harder, and then work your hardest. Don't let anyone make you think you are not capable of achieving your dreams, especially yourself!

Are you feeling it? You're feeling frustration!

Foals, foals, foals, the ICU is full of them this season. They are adorable, usually pretty sick (well they are in the ICU) and kind of a lot of work all at the same time. I love working in the ICU, the cases can be tough at times, but it helps me get through classes, no matter how tired or rushed it makes me. This coming week we have 2 exams and a quiz. I'm not quite ready, but a few late nights should do the trick. 


Since I'm still training at work, some days can be very successful while other days are frustrating. One of my co-workers had literally one of the best sayings when I was struggling to find a jugular vein for an IV injection on a horse. First off, the veins were not so great, the lighting was bad and to top it off, I'm a newbe. My coworker is much more experienced than I and talked me through the whole thing. Eventually I was successful and the horse was very patient with me. To top things off, after I gave the injection, I dropped a needle in the stall. We immediately got the horse out of the danger zone of where the needle had fallen to search for the needle. Needless to say we were looking for a needle in a bunch of hay and shavings. So I learned an important lesson (although it was totally an accident...I shouldn't be so hard on myself) but I stripped the entire stall and re-bedded it, check the horse's feet just to be sure and breathed a sigh of relief plus a little frustration.

Some cases are tougher than others. I've decided I like seeing horses go home after their stay at the VMTH, it is hard when they don't make it to that point, but so be it in a day in the life of veterinary practice. We can only do our best to treat them and do all that we can for them with the resources the owners have or are willing to give. I would love to save them all, but even sometimes even with unlimited resources it is out of our control.

I think that I am always learning, it's just that "there are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."  ~Willa Cather

Tails from the Trenches

I love the VBMA (Veterinary Business Managment Association). They give veterinary students such wonderful experiences such as their panel discussion at Sudwerks "Tails from the Trenches." The panel consisted of five different successful veterinarians who were very open about their experiences. They answered questions regarding their experiences, career choices, personal achievements, as well as their adversities. I love going to discussions and lectures like this one because I learn so much about my profession and often discover something I had never thought about before. There are so many avenues that this profession has to offer and everyone in it is happy to share their pathway to their contribution to medicine.

The benefits and downsides of going into internships after graduation from veterinary school was debated. I feel it sometimes seems like internships are the thing to do after veterinary school, but according to the panel, in the past, internships were usually reserved for the really smart, high GPA graduating veterinarians and the others typically went right into general practice. Internships offered them a chance to get more advanced skills and training than the average veterinary graduate. Internships were highly competitive and some still are, but there are many mor to go around. 

Times have changed and people are demanding more advanced care for their animal companions. They often want someone who is experienced and will offer the best quality of medicine to their pet. I believe more veterinary students are leaning towards completing internships upon graduation because they feel like they are not confident in themselves as a starting veterinarian. I also think a lot of people take internships to gain valuable experience working at prestigious clinics with some of the most talented doctors. I think internships can go both ways, it depends on the internship and what the new graduate wants to get out of the experience. With more internships now available, I think that graduating veterinarians seeking internships need to be more careful about the internship they select. Not all internships provide an ideal learning environment for recent grads, many of them do not pay very much at all. I think it is really important to have at least done an externship at the practice you select for your internship because you want to make sure you get the experience you need out of it. 


One of the panelists from the VBMA talk was a graduate from 2009 and had completed an internship after graduation. We were very lucky to have such a recent grad willing to share personal experiences with us. When looking for jobs, many of the practices glazed over her experience at an internship, it did not seem that important to many of them. However the one that she ended up getting a job at did care about her internship. They were thrilled to have someone with that experience. 

 

Pharm Night: Come support the UC Davis SVM class of 2013!

Hey Guys and Gals! Anyone can come to this wonderful event! And it supports the class of 2013! Hope you can come! Pre-vets are more than welcome to come and mingle with vet students and veterinary professors. 

 

Picnic Day Weekend

This year I'm happy Picnic Day wasn't canceled but Picnic day was crowded. We saw our class float which was an saber tooth tiger. Many members of class of 2014 worked extremely hard to put this thing together. I enjoyed picnic day with my family and then went to an event called the "Furball" which is like a mini burning man. It was really fun, we dressed up and had a great time watching people play with fire and have a good time. 

I also worked this weekend in the ICU which was really fun. I was fortunate enough to be present for an emergency laceration on a horse and was able to help since ICU was slower. Patching lacerations is definitely an art form in itself. I have been practicing my technician skills as well and am feeling more comfortable working there confidently. I really enjoy work, I learn a lot and am feeling more confident in handling patient cases on my own. I always feel that there is room to improve and I can't get mad at myself for small mistakes that are not a big deal, especially if I learn from them. Hahha, like what I learned from a co-worker, disconnecting the fluids before taking the patient on a walk is probably a good idea or something I learned from personal experience that holding your needle to your syringe for a PPG injection so it doesn't become disconnected and splatter all over. Really, it's the little things in life that make it all worth while.

I'm feeling a little behind on studying, but what else is new, I always feel that way. :) 
I did well on my first exam this quarter in Endocrinology and am doing well in my other classes on quizzes and attending lectures. 

This weekend I'm met several upper class men and have heard good and bad from fourth years about the veterinary job market. Is it really just who you know and what type of personality you have that gets you hired, cause there does not seem to be a lot of job availability right now. This could definitely change in the next 3 years, but who knows.

I plan on tracking small/equine at this point to keep my options open. 

Spring quarter is probably the funnest quarter so far of first year, not going through the adjusting fall quarter or hellish winter quarter. Days are longer, we have less laboratories. Speaking of which, we just had our last anatomy lab for freshman year. It was our Urinary anatomy lab. We said our goodbyes to our cadaver dog and thought back on all we had learned from him. The knowledge we gained in the laboratory and from our wonderful professors is so invaluable to my future in clinical veterinary medicine. It was the most wonderful learning experience and I will never forget that dog's extensive contribution to my knowledge base.

Class of 2014 Picnic Day Float

Good Day

Today was a great day! I did well on my quiz for parasitology and had an interesting day. 

This morning I was excited to receive a forwarded email from by boyfriend stating his acceptance to  the teaching credential program at UC Davis. I'm so proud of him, he finished his application on time, did extremely well in interviews and did the majority of it all by himself!

Fate happened today when a classmate and I decided to go to Jamba Juice after parasitology lab to break in our new Jamba cards that give 10% of our purchase back to our vet school class. On our drive to Jamba Juice, we passed a dog on the side of the road in someone's front yard. There did not appear to be an owner anywhere near the dog, but we figured someone must have let their dog out in their yard. His coat stood out to us, he was somewhat of an Aussie mix, and since we'd recently been going over coat coloring in our veterinary genetics class, we mentioned we should try to figure out what colors we would have to cross to end up with his particular coat color. We didn't think anything of the dog on the rest of the way to Jamba Juice or even while we were at Jamba Juice. We ordered our smoothies and sat inside talking for a while about class and life in general. 

As we were leaving, we saw the same dog we had seen earlier in the car sitting right in front of Jamba Juice! We have no idea how he happened to make his way about a quarter of a mile to Jamba Juice crossing a very busy road.

We found a spare leash in the car and took him into the veterinary clinic next to Jamba Juice, which is actually a "cat clinic" to scan for a microchip. He had a leather collar on, but no ID. We couldn't locate a microchip, so we were back to square one. Who owned this lovely dog? He was not neutered, but he was very friendly and beautiful. Since he was freshly groomed, we decided to see if the dog groomers at PetCo might know him. 

They recognized him as we walked in the door and wondered where we found him. They contacted his owner who showed up less than five minutes later. Funny thing is, the dog's owner was one of my undergraduate professors at UC Davis. What a small world! This had to be fate that this dog found us and we returned him to his loving owner! 

 

One Day At a Time...

Veterinary school is overwhelming at times, I spent most of yesterday worrying about all the studying looming ahead. Sometimes you feel as though you can never catch up if you fall behind, which is easy to do. Especially with a part-time job, and responsibilities as co-head coordinators for two very important societal programs (Mercer and C4CC (Coalition for Community Cats feral cat clinic)). 

Many may wonder why I choose to do so much along with veterinary school and one may even argue if I didn't have those other things to do, I might have more time to study. However, I think it is vital to my community to participate in such valuable programs such as Mercer and C4CC. And as for my job, I'm learning so much about veterinary care, things that relate to things I'm learning in class. I'm actually getting to DO things and relate them to what I've learned from sitting on my butt in lecture for 7-8 hours a day. 


Over the past week, I have realized something very tough for me to deal with in the field of veterinary medicine. Owners that love their pets and have good intentions, but are unable to realize when a pet may need medical intervention. For example, the owner who notices blood in their dog's urine and thinks that it will just go away, however after a year, they decide to seek medical intervention when the problem has not only persisted, but gotten worse. I am thankful they have finally chosen to seek medical attention, but it is difficult for me to understand why they didn't get help sooner. I mean, it seems confusing to me that one would think issues would just "resolve" themselves. If you break your arm, you should probably seek medical care and correct your broken arm...So simple, so difficult for many pet owners to understand. It's not that they don't care, it is that they don't seem to understand the gravity of their pet's situation. A similar situation is currently happening to an animal that is very close to me owned by a friend that is very dear to me. 

It makes me think about how many times I will have to deal with these situations in my future. With the economy the way it is, people are trying to save money anywhere they can, whether it be buying cheaper pet food, or seeking less veterinary care/preventative medicine for their pets. I think a great example of this new movement is summarized by a blog post from a veterinarian I often read:
http://avetsguidetolife.blogspot.com/2011/04/scrimping-on-heartworm-prevention.html 

It's not worth it in the end, if you skimp here and there, it quite often may end up costing you more in the long run and the biggest price one will pay is the health and well-being of their pet. We cannot make decisions for the pet, we have to work as a team with the owners to provide proper care to the pet and it is important to establish working relationships with owners. 

I think I've been having a difficult time realizing I can't change the world, I can only help individuals and hope to contribute to changes through the masses. My making a difference in one pet's life, I can make a difference. 

My Grandma

 

My Grandma Nancy

The family member that inspired me most to work with horses when I was young was my grandma (my dad's mother) Nancy. She was a strong woman and a great grandmother.

My family and I were devastated when we lost my grandmother suddenly almost two years ago. The day my grandmother passed away, she had come to see me ride in a Horse Show at the Equestrian Center at UC Davis. She had always came to as many horse shows and lessons as she could that I had over the years. She was always very supportive of my horsie habit and I believe she knew I would someday make it into veterinary school and become an equine vet. She died suddenly of a heart attack. No one expected it and we didn't have a chance to say good bye, but I am so glad she spent her last day with me, her son (my father), my mom and the wonderful horses out at the UC Davis Equestrian Center. She was very happy that day and couldn't hide her smile when she helped me groom my horse in preparation for the competition. I saw the young girl in her that enjoyed being around horses just as much as I did. I did well in the show and she was so proud of me and the horse I was riding. 

I am so lucky to have met my grandmother and learned so much from her. I will never forget her and miss her greatly. I used to love visiting her at her beach house Gualala (near Sea Ranch on Highway 1). It seemed like the dream home she had always wanted and she shared it with her golden lab, Blue. 

I will also never forget how my grandmother helped me get my first horse and even had an arena built at her house, allowing me to keep my horse there. She taught me how to work hard for the things I wanted in life and to never give up on my dreams. 

I am glad that in the last few months, my grandmother had moved to Grass Valley to be closer to her family (all less than 2 hours away) and I was able to visit with her and get to know her while she was alive. 

Thank You Grandma!

Being a Veterinary Student-Experience is the word everyone gives their mistakes

Veterinary School can be difficult some days. You feel a lot of pressure to get good grades and do many extracurricular activities as well. 
I have already learned that it is inevitable that you will struggle through some aspect of your learning in veterinary school. Whether it be a class, clinics, communicating with a client or co-worker, you are bound to at some point in time make a mistake. The word "mistake" can be a little bit misleading. As long as it is not a fatal mistake (which at least others will learn from), mistakes can only benefit you in the long run. 

Mistakes obviously, show us what needs improving. Without mistakes, how would we know what we have to work on? 

I believe mistakes are a necessary part of the your ever increasing learning curve in veterinary school. The more experience you seem to have, the less mistakes that seem to occur. If people didn't make mistakes they wouldn't be human. I have made mistakes, but I have learned from them. I may seem perfect on the outside, but I'm not, anyone who thinks they are perfect are not. You can get pretty close (although very few do), but you never are a 100% perfect. I believe part of the imperfection is what builds character and knowledge. Embrace your mistakes, try to limit them, but know that they will only teach you something valuable. If anyone wants me to give them a personal example of a mistake I have made and how I learned even more from it, feel free to contact me:

hamaleo11@gmail.com

It's always helpful to learn from your mistakes because then it makes them worth while. 

Other great "Mistakes" quotes

If 

April is HERE!

April is finally here, and along with it, gorgeous California weather. It's the perfect temperature, not too hot, like the middle of summer when it is over 100 and dry, and not bone chillingly rainy. Unfortunately those who came to "sunny" California week before last for Symposium didn't get to enjoy this wonderful weather, but I sure am, well despite having a cold...

Yep, that's right, a nasty cold! Just at the beginning of the quarter (which is in fact better than during finals), but nonetheless, bothersome! This quarter is going to be a busy one, and I can't get behind in the very beginning! 

Today, I volunteered at the C4CC feral cat spay and neuter clinic. We sterilized 71 cats today and did a really great job since we finished up around 2pm, starting at 8am. I will be one of the new coordinators for the clinic starting next month along with a classmate and two classmates from the class of 2013. I look forward to working with the wonderful people that help run this feral clinic so smoothly every month. I also hope to get my class more interested in volunteering by creating a half volunteer day option. Many of my classmates want to volunteer, but feel like they have to take an entire day to volunteer. I hope that my co-coordinators and I can re-vamp the clinic to make things run a little smoother, and give veterinary students the option of morning and afternoon shifts. 

I am currently researching online ways to improve feral cat clinics in the aspect how they are run and for the welfare of the cats. If anyone has any great suggestions for improving the feral clinic, please share! 

Some of my current plans including defining duties at each station on a sheet that is simple enough to read quickly, but thorough enough to explain the station. I plan to post them at each station as well as sending the descriptions out with the volunteer schedule. This way, I will also go over the information with the volunteers verbally, but they will have a chance to read it first and somewhere to check if they need any reminders during the clinic. 

I look forward to working with my co-coordinators and am so fortunate for being accepted into the position which I plan on holding for the next 2 years until I transitioning into my fourth year. 

I have had a great mentor that has taught me so much about running feral cat clinics and I am forever grateful for her extensive knowledge, skill set, and ability to not only lead, but teach in a way that is helpful and successful. You know who you are and I would like to thank you for setting such a great example and most of all for your patience and level-headedness in teaching me. Also for volunteering your time running feral clinics so smoothly and efficiently. You are awesome M.W.!