A Stack of Pancakes

I haven't been able to write any posts lately because frankly Spring quarter of veterinary school is tough! I really thought last quarter was rough, but little did I know what Spring quarter could bring....
I really like that we have started taking our medicine courses, which means I have classes specific to equine and small animal medicine, but since I have decided to take two medicines, I have increased the number of lectures, exams and time I need to direct towards school. 

Sometimes it makes me think of this post I found online. Veterinary school or Med school in this case is like having a stack of pancakes every morning! They are amazing, but when you eat too many, you are sleepy, groggy and don't want anymore pancakes. But every morning you wake up and are forced to eat 5 pancakes! EVERY MORNING! I also found the picture at the top of this post on the back of my UC Davis magazine, which frankly just made my day since I was feeling this way at the exact moment I saw the picture. 

I have 3 more weeks of classes, then finals week. After that, I will be heading to Morocco/Europe for almost 2 months! I'm very excited, but still have a lot of planning to do. I can't wait to finish this quarter, like I said Spring quarter, it's been fun and you've really pushed me as a veterinary student, but it was nice knowing you! Please enjoy the article below, I could not summarize for you, you just have to read it.

http://rumorsweretrue.wordpress.com/2006/11/01/pancakes-every-morning/

What I've learned from Mercer - a student run veterinary clinic

Me with "Lucky"

 This past year (May 2011-May 2012) I have served as a Co-Coordinator for the Mercer Veterinary Clinic for Pets of the Homeless in Sacramento. I have really enjoyed this position as it has challenged me to actually run a veterinary clinic. Specifically, a unique veterinary clinic that is offered only once a month (every second Saturday), but struggles to offer referral services during the month to current clients with problems that need immediate medical attention.  Mercer is also unique in the fact that we don't have an actual veterinary clinic. We are based out of a warehouse at loaves and fishes in Sacramento. It's a large, covered area with surrounding outdoor area where we see patients. Every second Saturday, clients line up in our parking lot making a long line around the perimeter.

As a head coordinator, I was responsible for helping oversee the whole clinic. I quickly became familiar with every mercer officer position and was often able to step in when needed. I took an executive role in helping develop and implement new rules and protocols for the mercer clinic to help it run more efficiently. I was present at 9 out of 12 clinics and got there at 7AM, not leaving until 3PM each day. It was a substantial commitment in addition to veterinary school, my job and my life, but totally worth it.


Outside of the actual clinic, I was responsible for helping answer the phone messages left my mercer clients. This was very helpful in improving my communication skills with clients. The hardest part was returning a call from someone who was not homeless, but low income and didn't qualify for Mercer services. I realized that there are not really a lot of choices for pets owned by low income owners. I will address my feelings on this issue in a later post.

My classmates that served on other Mercer positions did a wonderful job and really put their heart into helping run mercer. Mercer is the responsibility of the second year veterinary students at UC Davis and we will soon be passing the torch to our fellow colleagues. I am confident that they will continue to provide the same services and even be able to make improvements on things we had just barely gotten the chance to implement. I plan to continue volunteering at Mercer during the rest of my veterinary career as a student and later as a veterinarian. 

The warehouse that houses Mercer

Mercer Website: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/clubs/mercer/

Catching Up

http://top-catwallpaper.blogspot.com/

It is that time of year again, the selected applicants are completing their veterinary school interviews at UC Davis. I remember being in their shoes, anxious, excited, feeling under-prepared at all the same time. Well, things don't change much after you get into veterinary school, other than feeling excited. Exams sure make you anxious and leave feeling like you were under-prepared. After exams you often feel frustrated and confused. Just this quarter, I have had about 18 exams, most of which I left them feeling more discouraged. 

There are a few things that keep me dragging my feet into class everyday....1) How well I do on exams will NOT be equivalent to the clinician I become when I graduate 2) I KNOW my patients will NOT come with multiple choice answers pasted on their foreheads 3) All the extracurricular activities I do really put things in perspective for me. Oh and I have a personal cheer squad of friends, family and boyfriend.

Everyday I feel I struggle just to do well on exams, but deep down I am plotting to be a practical clinician when I graduate. There is no one guide on how to be the most awesome clinician in the world, someone would make millions if they could make one. All I know is it takes a combination of things: knowledge, common sense, integrity, creativity, compassion, and people skills. That's right folks, most animals have a human appendage whether we like it or not.

I am constantly pleading with myself to just bite the dust on hopes of becoming an equine clinician. The days are long, hours are hard, the job is dangerous. Everyday you are working with patients over 1,000 pounds that could injure you on a whim. I know working with small animals has it's disadvantages too, but lets face it, I could work almost anywhere, I could have better hours, see more patients, etc. I guess it's just the part of my heart that made me want to go to veterinary school in the first place that I feel I am giving up on - My passion for horses. But that is just the thing, many equine veterinarians do not ride horses, let alone compete. I want the time and the money to have a horse of my own someday. I honestly feel that after working with horses all day, why would I want to come home and ride my own? 

These are things that sometimes keep me up at night, but I try not to think so far ahead. I'm only finishing my second year of veterinary school...one more year of courses and a senior year in the clinics and I am on my way to becoming a vet - living my dream no matter what animal species I work with.

I Wear Many Hats...

I am one busy veterinary student, but I like it that way. I juggle my classwork and volunteer activities, I'm involved in many veterinary related activities. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I think about where I am right now in advancing my career. I've had some amazing opportunities to volunteer with some invaluable community programs. I have a job as an equine ICU technician at the VMTH and I love working there. Although I only work a couple shifts a month during school, it is totally worth it. It's almost foal season and it will be a busy year.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of volunteering...for anyone. You learn a lot about yourself and your values. You get to help people and their pets (in my case).   


Volunteer Positions:
Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless Head Co-Coordinator
C4CC Feral Cat Clinic Co-Coordinator
VET SOS volunteer Vet Technician 
Vet Aid Club - Veterinary Student Resource

Club Positions:
Veterinary Student Outreach Club Co-Coordinator
Students For One Health Treasurer 
Equine Medicine Club Secretary


Job:
Equine ICU technician Job
 

The Benefit of Professional Conferences

I just got back from Orlando, Florida where I participated in one of the world's largest Veterinary conferences...the NAVC - North American Veterinary Conference. Although I was only able to participate in 3 days of the 5 day conference, it was really worth my time. I was able to attend about 15 different lectures on topics in small animal, equine, food and even exotic animal medicine! Many of the lecture topics were intriguing, complicated topics that are currently up for debate among the profession. Others were a great review for some of my veterinary courses (like Equine Nutrition and Digestion and The ABC's of Acid Base). Some lectures were totally over my head, but very useful information for future classes and clinics. For example, I attended a talk entitled, "Standing Sedation for the Equine Practitioner" which gave me a great introduction to the common drugs used by equine vets and why we use them for particular procedures.


Attending such a large conference with a diverse representation of people from the veterinary profession was eye opening! I was able to gain an insider's glance into the profession I will be joining (hopefully) in just 2.5 years! I was able to network with my future colleges. Most of all I enjoyed feeling so eager to learn. The reason I even applied to veterinary school in the first place (2nd to my love of animals). It really made me think that veterinary school isn't so bad, I am building my foundation on becoming a knowledgeable and talented veterinarian. 

If you are an undergraduate student at or near any veterinary school, I strongly encourage you to participate in any veterinary conferences or Symposiums.

Where to find information on local symposiums at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ce/index.cfm

http://www.alamopintado.com/veterinarians/conference/

Volunteering at VET SOS in San Francisco

The morning began early for the VET SOS crew. They loaded up their medical supplies and appeared at the Plaza behind the San Francisco City Hall wedged between the Bill Gram Civic center and the Asian Art Museum. I met them at 9AM and helped put the tents up to shelter the volunteers and animals that would be coming through the clinic that day. As soon as the tents were up and the medical supplies unloaded, we brought patients in to be seen by the veterinarian.

The organization, VET SOS is an organization offering veterinary services to pets of the homeless in San Francisco.  It was a great opportunity to see a similar program to the Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless in Sacramento. I learned a lot about their clinic and how they run their show. They have several clinics each month in different areas of San Francisco and offer veterinary services to the homeless pet population.

http://markrogersphotography.com/pets/links/

I got paired up with Dr. Durfee who has been a long-standing volunteer at VET SOS. We made a great team tackling many different cases. We saw both cats and dogs and were even handed a SNAKE to examine! I enjoyed working with Dr. Durfee very much and he had a lot of knowledge to share having been in practice for over 50 years as a veterinarian. 

A Rainbow Boa Snake that came in for a health certificate

This particular VET SOS clinic was paired with Project Homeless Connect, offering a variety of other free services to the homeless of San Francisco (Eye, Dental, Medical care, food, etc.).

For more information or if you would like to donate: VET SOS Website

Advice for High School Students pursuing a career in Veterinary Medicine

"I am 17 and a junior in high school in Knoxville, TN. I have always had a love for animals and I've dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since I was in elementary school! I have shadowed at my local veterinary hospital and volunteered with animal rescue groups. What advice do you have for a high school student wanting to pursue a career in this field? I know that I still have another year before starting my undergrad in pre-vet, but what can I be doing now to ensure I have the best chance possible to get accepted into veterinary school? Also, any idea what jobs are typically offered at animal hospitals for my age group? Any advice would be much appreciated! This is my dream and I am so motivated to do anything possible to make it happen." 

First off, way to go on getting started early! That is the first thing you can do right! The second is figuring out what part of vet med you like the most, do you like working with dogs and cats or horses or farm animals, or even lab animals. And keep in mind those are not your only options, just the most common. There are many other choices out there.  Keep your options open, try a little bit of everything!

I think you should focus on looking at colleges to go to. Keep in mind, junior colleges are much less expensive to go to than state schools and harbor a much more "personal" learning environment. Visiting colleges both undergraduate and veterinary is a great idea right now. Consider that veterinary school is very expensive, so if you can save any money on your road there, I would take that opportunity! 


As far as a job in a veterinary hospital right now, I would suggest applying to clean kennels and walk dogs. I know it doesn't sound that pretty, but we all have to start somewhere. I started mucking stalls (that horses lived in) when I was 11 years old in exchange for board for my horse and riding lessons. Eventually your experience pays off and you can move on to more advanced things, like maybe learning some technician skills. 


Also, think about volunteering with local Shelters and rescue groups, they have a wealth of animal experience that you can gain. In addition, you are also helping animals!