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...