Winding Down

It's the Friday evening before finals, and I have to say, this has been a rough quarter, but it is easier than last year in a way. I definitely am enjoying classes more, because they are simply more interesting to me. The hardest thing about this quarter is that the days are long, and with length comes exhaustion. Surgery definitely is exciting, but contributes most to the fatigue. Being at the clinic checking on patients at 7am before classes, a brief half hour lunch, then two to three hour surgical procedures, followed by SOAP writing, and finally getting home around 5 or 6pm, only to have to study is brutal some days. But I am grateful to have the opportunity to even do solo surgery in my second year. I'm nonetheless very thrilled to know that in 7 days I will have a break. I'm looking forward to delving into some reading for pleasure and deep cleaning my apartment. Ah, adulting.
               

                                          

                                                             Sonja came to help with cardio lab (no murmurs here!)

She was a hit with everyone!

         

We finally got to do some large animal medicine between learning about a million different bacteria and drugs. Here's a clip of me demonstrating drawing blood from Belle's tail vein. My cat bite was still relatively fresh, so I needed help with the tail jack from one of our faculty veterinarians.


In addition to being swamped with surgeries, classes, and studying, I've also been more active in clubs at school. This year I am a member of SAVMA (Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association), SCAAEP (Student Chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners), and SCAABP (Student Chapter of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners).

Palpation lab. Sarah with Rose, and myself with Tulip

We have done some awesome events, including a radiology event where we practiced taking radiographs of some of our horses, and bovine palpation labs. I'm super bummed that I won't get to attend the conventions this year (I can't afford the airfare and hotel. Should have worked over the summer!), but at least I am having fun doing stuff with our clubs!

Rose adores Sarah.

To end this post, I'd like to introduce you to one of our school's cows. This is Rose, and she is a beautiful Holstein cow, and a favorite among the students. She came from a local dairy, and is enjoying her retirement helping us learn about bovine medicine. When not showing us students the dairy cow way of life, she can typically be found napping under the awning with a fan.