Revenge of the mold!

I haven't updated this in a little while, so I will put together a quick post before my week gets too hectic.  

Let's see...last week seemed long, but it was fun nonetheless.  I went to a meeting for the Large Animal Tech Team on Monday.  I was hoping I would be able to sign up for that this semester (you get selective credits, it's a paid position, and you get to assist in large animal surgeries...no-brainer right?!).  Well, I think I will be saving that commitment for next year.  You have to train on 3 emergency surgeries and do 40 hours of medicine training, ideally before November 1st.  That is a very large time commitment to add on top of classes 8-5, especially in a semester involving gross anatomy.  I'm hoping I can start doing the tech team next year because I think it would be a really fun learning experience.

I had my equine TA meeting on Tuesday.  We taught basic restraint this week (twitching, gum chain, etc.), so we met with the professor to go over what she wanted us to relay to our peers.  Teaching that section was a lot of fun.  All of the students in my group were willing to try things and learn, the horse was cooperative, and everyone was successful in the restraining methods.  Mission accomplished!

In that same day of clinical skills we worked with sheep for the first time.  We learned the basics of haltering and how to tip sheep.  Tipping looks pretty easy and I think it is a manageable technique when done on a somewhat willing participant.  My group's ewe was fairly difficult to work with, but we were all able to tip her.  Hopefully the next ones will be easy compared to her!  We also worked with dairy cows again.  We learned how to make a halter out of a rope in case you forget yours and are in a pinch.  We also learned how to nose twitch the cows.  In the small animal portion of clinical skills we got to practice small animal restraint on the teaching beagles.  Everyone in my group had technician experience so we just ended up visiting with our beagle, Bernard.

I didn't have class on Friday afternoon so I took a break from studying and went down to CT to spend some time with the horses.  It's amazing what a couple hours outside, away from a computer and textbook can do for your mental health.  I always feel a little guilty taking that time off, but I know I have to do it if I want to stay sane throughout this whole thing.  

This week I have an exam in Developmental Anatomy on Friday.  Every time we talk about blastocysts, epigenetics, primitive streak, etc. I get a little nostalgic.  I really do miss working in the lab at UMass and most of all I miss the people.  

I also have another Physiological Chemistry exam on Tuesday.  Needless to say, it is going to be a weekend full of studying chemistry.

Oh yeah, and our cadaver dog grew mold again.  Awesome.  But that's a story for another day.

The week Zeus got moldy.

Well, I survived another week of vet school.  Although this week was "short" it certainly didn't feel that way.  I got my grade back for my first exam in phys. chem.  I did really well, which was a huge relief and very rewarding after all the studying I did.  I just hope I can achieve even close to that grade once the material starts piling up.  

I was able to go down to CT after my exam this week to see my 3 horses and ride a few others.  Reese is getting so big and we weaned her while I was there.  It went fairly well and there seemed to be only minimal stress for both mom and baby.  I'm excited to do some more intensive bonding and work with Reese now that she is separated from Candy....I just have to find the time to sneak away from studying!

This week marked the first class in the 12 week yoga class I signed up for at school.  It is a Kundalini yoga class taught by Guruatma Khalsa and let me just say, he is really good.  For me it is a perfect balance of mental relaxation, meditation, stretching, and yoga poses.  I really enjoyed it and I can't wait for class this Wednesday.  


We had anatomy lab on Friday afternoon and it was a bummer of a day.  First, my dissection group and I came into lab only to find our beloved cadaver dog covered with green, fuzzy mold all over his hip.  I guess this is bound to happen when the AC is busted and a cadaver is sitting in a warm, moist bag.  Nevertheless, it's pretty upsetting after all the hard work we have put into carefully dissecting out all his muscles.  We were able to keep working on him for that lab period, but it is only a matter of time before we need to start working on a new dog, which means starting over from scratch.  On top of that great news, our cadaver cat was somewhat rotting due to a problem with the embalming process so he got taken away and we got a new cat to start dissecting.  Needless to say, I will be spending plenty of time in the lab over the next few weeks trying to get our cat and probably our new dog caught up to the rest of the class.

I was able to head home on Friday evening to spend some time with my family.  Seeing my family, dogs, and cat was a very nice break.  I'm really glad I took some time to go rejuvenate myself a little bit.  I feel refreshed and ready to tackle another week.  

Labor day = Labor day....AKA studying for exam 1

Well, it's official...I survived my first vet school exam.  I was pretty nervous about this one not only because it was the first, but also because it was in the subject I am probably the least comfortable with - physiological chemistry.  I really enjoy understanding how things work in the body and how drugs can be designed to manipulate the system, but the level of detail involved in this course was terrifying at first.  I walked out of the exam feeling completely satisfied with my performance and I wouldn't change a thing about the way I prepared.  Looking back on the past week, a rough estimation of the time I spent studying would be ~ 40 hours (give more than take).  It was so worth it and I actually had a firm grasp on the material.  Countdown to the next phys. chem exam - 3 weeks

Twinning and the pig bus.

Here I am....suddenly in the midst of my vet school journey.  I have had two weeks of classes and I am quickly realizing two things (among many others): 1) I want to remember every minute of this and 2) I want to keep my friends and family updated as my academic schedule gets increasingly more hectic.  Obviously I won't be able to document every moment, but I hope to write about the highlights of my days, weeks, and months.  

Thus far, I am thoroughly enjoying vet school.  Tufts provides a great learning environment, in fact it is one like I've never experienced before.  Everyone is extremely supportive, including the students.  Everyone seems to realize that we are working towards a common goal and we need to help each other out to get there.  And let's be honest...when you have to study 10 hours a day, who wants to do that alone? 

Saying I am overwhelmed may be an understatement.  I'm not quite sure how to accurately describe this feeling, but I'm sure it's something all vet students experience as we are all overachievers at heart.  I love making lists and crossing things off that list, but unfortunately vet school is not at all conducive to that obsession.  Sometimes there are random assignments, but for the most part homework consists of reading many, many pages for classes the next day and trying to stay on top of studying.  All the upperclassmen warn you that falling behind is inevitable, but I certainly did not want to believe this.  Well, it is absolutely true.  Keeping up with readings and studying is manageable until an exam is on the horizon.  I'm sure I will eventually fall into a groove and for the time being I am making good use of study groups, review sessions, mentors, and, of course, my white board. 

The first two weeks have had many fun moments as well as some scary ones.  So far I would have to say Anatomy is my favorite class.  I love dissecting and learning all the parts of the body (dog and cat currently) simply fascinates me.  I also really enjoy Developmental Anatomy, probably due to my experience in this subject. 

This week we had our first clinical skills class.  In this class we get to practice some of the skills required to be a vet, mainly handling and restraint of a variety of animals.  This week we moved dairy cattle, handled horses, practiced small animal psychomotor skills, and toured the swine facility.  It is quite a long walk to the swine farm, so instead of making us walk we all get to ride the "pig bus".  This is just a fancy name for a stock trailer with hay bales for seats....only in vet school.  Also, I found out I get to be a TA for the equine portion of this class.  This is a win-win because not only do I get credit for it, but I also get detailed instruction from the professor when we get to more in-depth topics.  I am really looking forward to the hands on experience this class offers.  I find it so refreshing to get out of the classroom and be reminded of the ultimate reason I am in vet school. 

I could share many more stories, but I need to get back to studying for my physiological chemistry exam.  Until next time...