Neurology/Neurosurgery Service Summer Clinic Experience

http://www.ecvn.org/

This summer, I participated in ONE summer clinic. I was very selective on which summer clinic I wanted to do mostly because I really wanted to focus on working at my job as a technician in the Equine ICU and also get in some R&R over my well needed summer break.

I selected the Neurology/Neurosurgery rotation for my summer clinic. My experience in this service went above and beyond my expectations before I started. I learned so much and got to work next to some really amazing residents, faculty, colleagues and technicians. 

Summer clinics are offered at UCD every summer to give veterinary students the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the teaching hospital.  It's really a glimpse into what you will experience during your entire fourth year of veterinary school.

This “summer clinic” experience really throws you into survival mode simulation of your fourth year of veterinary school. Students are given patient responsibilities such as nursing care, and maintaining medical records. There is never a time when students are unsupervised, as they are guided by knowledgeable residents, faculty, and extraordinary veterinarians. The goal of the clinic is to follow patients all the way through a diagnostic work-up and immerse yourself in helping that animal return home to be more comfortable and live a better quality of life. 

When you hear hoof beats....think horses...

http://www.rdsvs-horsesociety.co.uk/4.html

Closing Budget Gaps: The Veterinary Education Crisis

In the most current Dean's update from Dr. Bennie Osburn (the current Dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine), he wrote that “it appears that over the last 2-years, the U.S. veterinary schools will have collectively lost more than $125 million in state funding.” 

This statement is not a shock to me, but is of a major concern. With the increased need for veterinarians, we need to keep our veterinary schools full and up to par with the highest education standards possible. If there is not money for veterinary schools, it will be unlikely that the schools will be able to produce skilled, competent veterinarians with such diminished resources. 

In an article that appeared in DVM 360, it was mentioned that “UC-Davis relies on state funding for about one third of its budget and has endured $5 million in cuts over the last three years. The university is planning a tuition increase of about 12 percent — from $27,045 to $30,246 — for the 2010-2011 school year.” 

These tuition hikes greatly affect my classmates and I. Many wonder if veterinary education will hit a tipping point. "Several U.S. veterinary colleges have met initial budget cuts in part by generating more revenue through higher tuition and increased enrollment.However, these institutions are likely approaching a critical threshold on tuition costs, as evidenced by median educational debt of $130,000 reported for 2010 graduates, an increase of 4 percent over 2009. High student debt load is not surprising, given that mean annual tuition for students at U.S. veterinary schools during the 2010-2011 academic year is $40,017 for full-time, out-of-state students and $22,348 for in-state students."

It is difficult for me to understand why people still think that taking their pets to the veterinarian is too expensive, with such extensive loan debt upon graduation from veterinary school, many new grads are struggling to find a job even though the need for veterinarians is high. I do understand that the general public is under a lot of pressure to meet the basic care needs of their pets due to such an unfortunate economy, but they need to understand where veterinarians are coming from. We would love to offer reduced services for those in need, but our own lives would be greatly affected by this and we would be unable to keep the clinics open and stocked with necessary drugs, staff, and tools for quality veterinary medicine. 


I really wonder how far the schools will have to go as far as accepting budget cuts and managing them effectively. How bad will the states let the veterinary schools get before they decide to raise taxes on the richer sector of our country and re-allocate this upside down pyramid of an economy.

As state buget cuts continue with no sight in end, I think our states and our country need to consider the importance of higher educational needs for the future of our country, it's citizens, our animals and the world.

Cow Power!

Yep, it's time to palpate the RUMEN! As a vet student, you need to know what you're dealing with and thanks to the lovely fistitulated cows that make their home at UCD, we get this great opportunity! 

 And here is the money shot, I was eventually shoulder length in Rumen! 

 Above: The layers of the rumen

Above: This is a collection of metal collected on a magnet placed in a cow's reticulum. Why put a magnet in there? Cows often consume hardware which could potentially penetrate the diaphragm and possibly the pericardium or even heart. Magnets trap metal objects the cow may happen to digest and prevent them from harming the cow. The magnets are administered orally, that is unless you are a fistitulated cow! You can pull the magnet in and out through the fistitula!

 Above: a shot into the fistitula of the cow. Really cool! A lot of rumen contents has already been removed, but will be returned to the cow after everyone has had a chance to palpate.

 What makes up a rumen?