Diving in Deep

Well, I have officially been a vet student for nearly a month, and it seems that time has flown by. Classes run from between 8-9 am until 4-5 pm, and I have grown to really appreciate the hour long lunch break each day. Although I live about five miles from campus, I manage to run home to walk the dogs and grab a bite to eat before heading back to class. The one downside to having the break is that I tend to nod off in whichever class follows lunch. (oops!)

Sonja likes having me around for lunch

 The first weeks of classes went well. I'm taking Veterinary Anatomy, Veterinary Physiology, Veterinary Biochemistry, and Practice of Veterinary Medicine. I have to say that so far, my favorite class is Practice of Veterinary Medicine, because we are already learning clinical skills that we will use every day in practice.

Our first PVM skills lab: Running a code and CPR

Jerry is in cardiac arrest!

 100 compressions per minute

Intubation is key in making sure your patient has oxygen. (Thanks, Bryan!)

                                                        

Dallas is a healthy pup, and a very friendly patient. 

                                                                 
While PVM has been a blast, the exams in the basic sciences have been tough, I will admit. I've had exams in Anatomy and Physiology, and I have a Biochemistry exam on Monday. I actually have an exam every Monday until finals week (goodbye weekends!)

The instuctors here at Midwestern are truly phenomenal. They have a strict open-door policy, meaning you can go to them any time for clarification or help with any of the concepts covered in class. In addition, they are genuinely happy with their careers, and want each student to succeed. My favorite is Dr. Graves. He lectured a few times in PVM, and he is perhaps the funniest person I have ever met. Here are a few candid bits from class I jotted down:

In addition to being in class nearly 40 hours per week, I've also joined several clubs as well as a study group with two other students. The first club I joined was SCAVMA, which is the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. I am looking forward to learning more about this club and all of the benefits it will offer. I also am a member of SAVS (Student Association of Veterinary Surgery), SCAAFP (Student Chapter of the American Association of Feline Practitioners), and will be joining ECC (Emergency and Critical Care) club next week.

Two Saturdays ago, I went with SAVS to The Carillons Senior Community in Sun City, Arizona. We performed basic grooming and practiced our physical exams on the resident's pets. I really enjoyed visiting with the residents there. So many of them are well into their 80's and 90's and are still so active. I hope that I am that busy when I get to that age!

Ready to do physicals and trim some nails!

Most of my weeknights are spent making notecards and study guides for the upcoming exams, but I make sure to set aside time to play with my dogs and relax. The most important thing that I have learned so far is that if you stay on top of your studying and review your material every night, you don't have to spend a lot of time stressing about the exam over the weekend. On Saturday evenings, my study group meets and we order dinner and casually go through all of the material. I even bring my dogs along to hang out.

I'm looking forward to what the next few weeks will bring, and I will keep you updated on anything new and exciting here at vet school!