Class of 2016....how ya doing?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I have equine and food animal rotations in June/July, I'm not studying that early.
I started zuku in late June-ish.

But I had off campus rotations from mid Sept-early Nov and I didn't do any Zuku during that time (No internet, bad cell service, very rural area). So make sure you think about what kind of study time you have closer to testing date! Came back 2 weeks before NAVLE amd reviewed/crammed.
I think three months is plenty of time for most people, but it is a matter of how many hours you can spare during some rotations.

Members don't see this ad.
 
I started vet prep in Late June or whenever I bought it on sale - basically I bought it when it was on sale and used the powerpages to get a little into it and started the long process of answering questions. i finished vet prep before taking the NAVLE
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Watching spay videos is giving me heart palpitations...3 weeks til spayday.
 
Heard things are some high tensions in the 3rd years going through a lottery for rotation schedules soon. I hope you guys found it better.
 
Arrrggghh we had electives registration today and I desperately wanted to get into our dermatology rotation because I didn't manage to get it during my "real" fourth year. I was #99, so the very, very last person to register... it was available until #95. She took it like three people ahead of me, after I watched all my other options disappear on the screens throughout the whole registration. It was so heart-breaking.

;____;

So now I'm in oncology, which I'm sure will be great, just not nearly as practical. sigh.
 
Arrrggghh we had electives registration today and I desperately wanted to get into our dermatology rotation because I didn't manage to get it during my "real" fourth year. I was #99, so the very, very last person to register... it was available until #95. She took it like three people ahead of me, after I watched all my other options disappear on the screens throughout the whole registration. It was so heart-breaking.

;____;

So now I'm in oncology, which I'm sure will be great, just not nearly as practical. sigh.
Boo, that stinks. I'm sorry. To be fair, I'm sure you will see lots and lots of cancer in practice, too (and it's species-wide!).

T-21 days til spay day. Trying to not freak out.
 
Boo, that stinks. I'm sorry. To be fair, I'm sure you will see lots and lots of cancer in practice, too (and it's species-wide!).

T-21 days til spay day. Trying to not freak out.

I think it'll be great! I really like our oncologists and will surely enjoy it, just would have loved the extra itchy-skin-time since it's so vital in private practice.

Re: Spay - Agree with DVM. Be super nervous, prepare super well, and don't be surprised when the surgery goes absolutely swimmingly. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Enjoyed my first overnight shift on my ES externship. The one vet is super awesome about talking things through with me, quizzing me or just having me try to work through a case with nothing more than the history and a PE.

And signed up to go to the Special Species Symposium at Cornell this year! Hoping I get to do some camelid castrations!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Trying to finalize my list of rotations I want for clinics (not the order yet) and I'm having a hard time narrowing down what I want. I have 3 rotations that are open (6 weeks total) but have like 5 different rotations I'm possibly interested in. I'm also considering leaving one of those rotations as a vacation near boards so I have time to study/have a break halfway through clinics. I'm unfortunately taking my already one required vacation this May otherwise I wouldn't really think about taking a second one.

I feel like this would be easier if I had a better idea of what I want to do afterwards but everything just sounds interesting.
 
And signed up to go to the Special Species Symposium at Cornell this year! Hoping I get to do some camelid castrations!

I'll be there (again!) I'm signing up as soon as I get my financial aid - did the registration already have questions about what wetlab you want, or is that being sent out separately again (if you know?)
 
I'll be there (again!) I'm signing up as soon as I get my financial aid - did the registration already have questions about what wetlab you want, or is that being sent out separately again (if you know?)

I haven't seen anything about registering for events yet so I think they're sending it out separately as well. If I remember correctly from our planning timeline, they might still be finalizing some wet labs and such so they might be waiting until they have all the details.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I have so much to do every week, I am really not sure how I'm supposed to do it. So far, I've not done a lot of it. A test every Monday and Friday is enough, plus 5 electives which include online modules, plus accreditation modules and disease presentation.

I am so excited that clinics start April 20th - but senioritis? Junioritis? is kicking my butt over here.
 
I have so much to do every week, I am really not sure how I'm supposed to do it. So far, I've not done a lot of it. A test every Monday and Friday is enough, plus 5 electives which include online modules, plus accreditation modules and disease presentation.

I am so excited that clinics start April 20th - but senioritis? Junioritis? is kicking my butt over here.

You and I are hanging out in the same boat...
 
Two days til SPAY DAY. I got dis. Right?
 
Two days til SPAY DAY. I got dis. Right?

I recently saw this description of doing surgery for the first time on reddit, and really liked it:

It is a weird mixture of apprehension and confidence. You have watched the videos and read the book so many times on the procedure you are going to do, you feel like it is second nature. You talk yourself into knowing exactly what you are doing. But then there is a weird disconnect between what you know and your technical ability.

And then the time comes to make your incision. you have watched so many other vets make the approach that you think it will be easy. And then you realize there is a difference between knowing your anatomy and understanding your anatomy. That linea alba you thought was super easy to find? Haha, good luck.

Eventually, through all the sweating and support, you detach yourself from the patient. All of the sudden you are just looking through your drapes and it is just like a puzzle. Finding what you are supposed to locate, ligate and remove. And everything just sorta, calms down.
But hell yeah, you got dis. :)

hey-girl-you-got-this-i-believe-in-you.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I seem to have misplaced my give a damn.... I have an exam tomorrow morning that I am just now starting to study for and I can't focus to save my life.
 
I <3 you guys. That being said, I would appreciate all of your warm and fuzzy thoughts Thursday at 1 pm.
 
I wouldn't get your hopes too high for a spay NStarz. Our group only had one intact male for the celiotomy lab and they have said there is no way every group will get 2 spays :(. I think there are going to be a ton of neuters. I'm really hoping for a spay too, though, but I wouldn't call it Spayday just yet!

I'm anesthetist tomorrow. I've monitored several times, so not too nervous, but am super excited to finally intubate a dog or cat :). I've been wanting to for a really long time, but didn't get enough time in at the emergency clinic to be able to intubate and then never got the chance in things I volunteered for. I love sticking tubes down creatures :), I know, I'm weird. Like NG tubes in horses, I feel everyone is like ugh have to do that and I'm like YES let's do this, can I put it in pretty pleas :). Not having much of a smell helps with that one too lol.

Can't wait to meet our first patient today :).
 
I wouldn't get your hopes too high for a spay NStarz. Our group only had one intact male for the celiotomy lab and they have said there is no way every group will get 2 spays :(. I think there are going to be a ton of neuters. I'm really hoping for a spay too, though, but I wouldn't call it Spayday just yet!

I'm anesthetist tomorrow. I've monitored several times, so not too nervous, but am super excited to finally intubate a dog or cat :). I've been wanting to for a really long time, but didn't get enough time in at the emergency clinic to be able to intubate and then never got the chance in things I volunteered for. I love sticking tubes down creatures :), I know, I'm weird. Like NG tubes in horses, I feel everyone is like ugh have to do that and I'm like YES let's do this, can I put it in pretty pleas :). Not having much of a smell helps with that one too lol.

Can't wait to meet our first patient today :).
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a female creature!
 
Last edited:
Spaying a 15 pound crazy poodle mix tomorrow :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Like NG tubes in horses, I feel everyone is like ugh have to do that and I'm like YES let's do this, can I put it in pretty pleas :).

I can understand the NG tube love. It's satisfying and pretty hard to screw up with a bit of common sense and some decent restraint. And I don't mind the smell in healthy horses, it just smells like grass to me. However, there have been some nasty reflux from some sick horses that made me want to hurl.
 
I can understand the NG tube love. It's satisfying and pretty hard to screw up with a bit of common sense and some decent restraint. And I don't mind the smell in healthy horses, it just smells like grass to me. However, there have been some nasty reflux from some sick horses that made me want to hurl.

Remember when you did that BAL in the grey pony that gave you guys like, straight pus?
 
Made it through surgery!! Her uterus was the size of a kitten's so it was SOOO hard to find (took us 20 minutes!). And her uterine arteries were really friable so I ran into some trouble breaking down the broad ligament but everything else went relatively smoothly :) Pup is awake and looks good!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Made it through surgery!! Her uterus was the size of a kitten's so it was SOOO hard to find (took us 20 minutes!). And her uterine arteries were really friable so I ran into some trouble breaking down the broad ligament but everything else went relatively smoothly :) Pup is awake and looks good!!!

Yay! :highfive:
 
Dear clinician not even on my service: yelling at me and belittling me in front of a room of students, attendings, interns, residents, and techs does nothing but make you look bad. Things are done a certain way in anesthesia, and I can't just draw up controlled drugs willy-nilly without the patient's chart.:rage:
 
This year is really the first year where I'm having "holy crap I'm going to be a doctor" moments constantly, kind of curious if anyone else is getting the same? I had a really awesome critical care lab this morning with cut down and osseous catheters, chest tubes, thoraco/abdomenocentesis, nasal oxygen, etc, and I'm just like... holy crap, I'm going to be the one directing and doing these things in barely over a year, (job gods willing). Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

But at the same time... I can answer many of the medical questions that get asked, I feel like I have a pretty solid hand skill base, and while it's scary, I feel like maybe it's going to be OK post-grad, which I haven't really felt before. Let's just wait for my internal med rotation to beat that out of me. :)
 
Made it through surgery!! Her uterus was the size of a kitten's so it was SOOO hard to find (took us 20 minutes!). And her uterine arteries were really friable so I ran into some trouble breaking down the broad ligament but everything else went relatively smoothly :) Pup is awake and looks good!!!

Oh and YAAAYYYY!!! You even were on hard mode with that one for a first spay and it went great, just like we said! Congrats. :D
 
This year is really the first year where I'm having "holy crap I'm going to be a doctor" moments constantly, kind of curious if anyone else is getting the same? I had a really awesome critical care lab this morning with cut down and osseous catheters, chest tubes, thoraco/abdomenocentesis, nasal oxygen, etc, and I'm just like... holy crap, I'm going to be the one directing and doing these things in barely over a year, (job gods willing). Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

But at the same time... I can answer many of the medical questions that get asked, I feel like I have a pretty solid hand skill base, and while it's scary, I feel like maybe it's going to be OK post-grad, which I haven't really felt before. Let's just wait for my internal med rotation to beat that out of me. :)

I'm having these moments constantly. It is super scary. I can already see myself at my first job in front of a client going, "I dunno, ask the vet" :nailbiting:
 
This year is really the first year where I'm having "holy crap I'm going to be a doctor" moments constantly, kind of curious if anyone else is getting the same? I had a really awesome critical care lab this morning with cut down and osseous catheters, chest tubes, thoraco/abdomenocentesis, nasal oxygen, etc, and I'm just like... holy crap, I'm going to be the one directing and doing these things in barely over a year, (job gods willing). Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

But at the same time... I can answer many of the medical questions that get asked, I feel like I have a pretty solid hand skill base, and while it's scary, I feel like maybe it's going to be OK post-grad, which I haven't really felt before. Let's just wait for my internal med rotation to beat that out of me. :)
Yeah I keep having these feelings too. It's crazy to think how much responsibility we all will have in like 1.5 years!!
P.S. Trilt, I think you said you are doing Humane Alliance next year? I just got off the waitlist!! I am so excited! What month do you have it?
 
I'm having these moments constantly. It is super scary. I can already see myself at my first job in front of a client going, "I dunno, ask the vet" :nailbiting:
Precisely!

Yeah I keep having these feelings too. It's crazy to think how much responsibility we all will have in like 1.5 years!!
P.S. Trilt, I think you said you are doing Humane Alliance next year? I just got off the waitlist!! I am so excited! What month do you have it?

Three weeks at the beginning of January '16! I've had at least two other classmates get pulled off the waitlist, too, I'm a bit surprised by how many people drop! (you'd have to drag this externship out of my cold, dead hands!)
 
Last edited:
This year is really the first year where I'm having "holy crap I'm going to be a doctor" moments constantly, kind of curious if anyone else is getting the same?

I've got ~3 months left before graduation and I'm still having these moments. I had a huge moment of "ACK!" last week when I was at a clinic doing appointments with the vet and she was introducing me to clients as, "This is Dr [Coquette], she's considering joining our clinic." (It wasn't helped when one of the clients told me I looked about 12.... :oops:)
 
Currently on my Soft Tissue rotation and things are going okay. Still pretty clueless on a lot of things, but I'm getting there. But dear lord is it exhausting. And soo many papers to fill out. But I was super pleased to get complimented on my discharge for today that was for a cat with a chylothorax that we treated with thoracic duct ligation and cisterna chyli ablation.

Thinking of going to bed early tonight so I can get some sleep since I'm on call until 8 AM and have to be there in the morning either way since I have a patient.
 
Last edited:
Had one of our pig surgeries today. Was moving on to the last of the vessel ligations for the splenectomy when suddenly...

tumblr_lf1gibN9L21qg39ewo1_500.gif


The thing started bleeding EVERYWHERE. I don't think I've ever had as intense of an adrenal squeeze in my LIFE, quickly squished it with a finger and then got a clamp on, thankfully. Two hours later and I think I'm still a little bit adrenaline-y. I'm still not a hundred percent sure what happened, but I think I had ligated across two vessels and one of them pulled out slightly when we moved the spleen around, causing both of them to be loose. It was a tad alarming.

:eek:

Does anyone else here have terminal surgeries still, this year or in clinics?
 
Last edited:
Those of us 2016ers still in lectures... anyone else having a really difficult time focusing this semester? I just can't seem to find any motivation for anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Those of us 2016ers still in lectures... anyone else having a really difficult time focusing this semester? I just can't seem to find any motivation for anything.

Oh yes, the struggle bus is real and I've got a permanent seat.
 
Those of us 2016ers still in lectures... anyone else having a really difficult time focusing this semester? I just can't seem to find any motivation for anything.

I'll let you know once I"m back in lecture in two weeks. I imagine I'll be struggling a lot since I've been on rotations since January.
 
Top