Class of 2018...how you doin? ;)

[epivetlove]

First and foremost: I'M OFFICIALLY A THIRD YEAR, YEEHAAAWWW!!!

If you'd like, I found a bunch of wildlife disease monitoring type 4th year rotations all over the U.S. I can share with you.

Thank you! But I've already got all my 4th year rotations scheduled. I looked into some of the wildlife disease stuff (assuming we found some of the same programs), but at the end of the day, it all came down to money. I'm trying to spend as little as possible for externships and so far, I'm succeeding--one of them even pays me!

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[allygator13]

One more final tomorrow morning between me and claiming 50% DVM!

 

[Ashgirl]

Four.... weeks.... left....

On one hand, I'm really enjoying surgery lab and all of our medicine (equine, food animal, small animal) classes. On the other hand, I'm becoming burn-out and apathetic that it's getting harder and harder to care about class/exams....

 

[Rainheart]

Four.... weeks.... left....

On one hand, I'm really enjoying surgery lab and all of our medicine (equine, food animal, small animal) classes. On the other hand, I'm becoming burn-out and apathetic that it's getting harder and harder to care about class/exams....

This block I felt SO burnt out. Hang in there. And I'm glad to hear your parents are doing well and home!!

 

[WeimMama]

Enjoy your summers, those of you who have only 2 semesters/year!

 

[Ashgirl]

I never thought this day would get here... but block 10 finals are done, which means I can finally enjoy summer!

 

[Ashgirl]

I'm adoring all of my summer externships, and got some awesome surgery experience so far (33 spays and neuters and counting). The only issue with externships is.... They are spoiling me and I don't wanna go back to class in 1.5 weeks. Yuckkkk.

Hope everyone else's summer is going well!

 

[epivetlove]

Summer is gooooone. Nooooo!!! Definitely not ready to start classes tomorrow...Just give me one more week! ;_;

Hope everyone else is having/had a great summer! We're (slightly) over half-way there!

 

[epivetlove]

Third year is a ton of fun and we're learning heaps of relevant, interesting material...but ohmygosh it's also mentally and physically draining.

 

[allygator13]

Third year is a ton of fun and we're learning heaps of relevant, interesting material...but ohmygosh it's also mentally and physically draining.

I seriously can't keep up with life this semester between the amount of info in class, surgery, and all our labs! I feel like I'm drowning constantly, but surgery is so fun!

 

[Ashgirl]

This block may just be the end of me. Don't get me wrong, the schedule is relatively nice and there's at least one class I adore (PBL is the bomb ), but I'm really struggling to stay motivated through what is supposedly one of the harder blocks of pre-clinicals. Thank goodness my pre-clinical days are almost over (4 more weeks until white coat!).

 

[WeimMama]

Well October (aka HELL) has arrived. ALL the exams and ALL the important/complicated/require a lot of pre- and post-lab time and effort labs. Goodbye world.

 

[epivetlove]

2018 is a such a quiet bunch when it comes to our class page.

We're quickly approaching the third block of the semester, which means only one more week with clinics! Super sad, as I've really been enjoying our small taste of 4th year...Last clinic rotation is SA Daytime Emergency. Not exactly sure what that'll entail, but my 3 other rotations (equine orthopedic surgery, feline internal medicine, and anesthesia) have all been very busy and exciting, so hopefully my last one will be too! Can't believe we're already almost halfway through this semester. So excited to get to next semester and a much more lax schedule!

 

[Ashgirl]

My final finals week is next week....

One final push until clinics!

 

[Ashgirl]

2018 is a such a quiet bunch when it comes to our class page.

We're quickly approaching the third block of the semester, which means only one more week with clinics! Super sad, as I've really been enjoying our small taste of 4th year...Last clinic rotation is SA Daytime Emergency. Not exactly sure what that'll entail, but my 3 other rotations (equine orthopedic surgery, feline internal medicine, and anesthesia) have all been very busy and exciting, so hopefully my last one will be too! Can't believe we're already almost halfway through this semester. So excited to get to next semester and a much more lax schedule!

That sounds awesome! Were you there a lot or just a few hours here and there? What sort of stuff did you get to do/see?

 

[allygator13]

My final finals week is next week....

One final push until clinics!

So jealous, zero motivation for classroom learning anymore and I still have next semester to go through I also wish I knew where I'll be going for clinics already. The process is more than a little frustrating.

 

[Ashgirl]

So jealous, zero motivation for classroom learning anymore and I still have next semester to go through I also wish I knew where I'll be going for clinics already. The process is more than a little frustrating.

I'm 100% burntout so at this point I'm ready to get the heck out of dodge as well. When do you find out for clinics? I feel like that would be super stressful not to know where I would be going to for an entire year of my life.

 

[allygator13]

I'm 100% burntout so at this point I'm ready to get the heck out of dodge as well. When do you find out for clinics? I feel like that would be super stressful not to know where I would be going to for an entire year of my life.

Same, this midterms week has been the slowest of my life haha. I thought it was just me, because my boyfriend is flying in tomorrow and I haven't seen him in 7 months! But apparently it's been moving at snail pace for everyone else in my class too We put our final choices in at the end of this month, so probably, hopefully, in November. It's been a process full of drama.

 

[epivetlove]

That sounds awesome! Were you there a lot or just a few hours here and there? What sort of stuff did you get to do/see?

When on clinics, we get to spend the whole day in whatever service we're assigned. In ortho, I saw stem cell collection from a rodeo horse, lots of lameness evaluations, ultrasound and radiographs, and got to help with bandaging. For anesthesia, I got to observe a lens luxation repair, endoscopy of a cat, bronchoscopy of a dog with nasal biopsies, and a dental. This week, we had a CHF case, did joint taps and muscle biopsies, several ultrasounds, and assisted with some glucose curves. It was really rewarding to be able to answer at least some of the questions that the clinicians were asking. I was like, "Yay! I do know a few things! The last 2.5 years hasn't been a waste!"

We also start survival surgeries next week, so **iz is getting real. I did so many surgeries over the summer, but that was high volume, so I know this will be a whole 'nother ball game.

 

[Karabiner13]

I just did a lab practical for intro to surgery (gowning and gloving, open gloving, 1 and 2 hand ties, instrument id, intradermal suture pattern on harvested skin, and a random suture pattern on the same skin). I've also started my farm animal techniques lab and will have equine techniques at the end of that. All these hands on things make 3rd year so much more intersting than the previous 2. We do still have lecture based classes but the hands on stuff makes it a good balance. We are also scheduling for 4th year. By the end of December, I will know the majority of my rotations for 4th year.

 

[allygator13]

Wooot! I do my first spay this coming Thursday, so nervous! All our neuters went fantastic though Running anesthesia is the most nerve racking part for me for sure though, I never was allowed to do any of that stuff when I worked in VA because of the strict laws

 

[WeimMama]

So jealous, zero motivation for classroom learning anymore and I still have next semester to go through I also wish I knew where I'll be going for clinics already. The process is more than a little frustrating.

I know, my motivation is like at 0% also. Thank God we are doing a lot of things to living animals now because that is really getting me through.... although knowing I could kill something also brings its own little world of stress with is. My semester won't find out where we go for clinics until May, when do you guys find out? It doesn't matter too much to me because I don't have my heart set on one certain place but I wish I knew so I could start making living arrangements and moving plans. I know its like 10 months away but sometimes keeping my eye on that end game is all that gets me through the day to day struggle.

 

[allygator13]

I know, my motivation is like at 0% also. Thank God we are doing a lot of things to living animals now because that is really getting me through.... although knowing I could kill something also brings its own little world of stress with is. My semester won't find out where we go for clinics until May, when do you guys find out? It doesn't matter too much to me because I don't have my heart set on one certain place but I wish I knew so I could start making living arrangements and moving plans. I know its like 10 months away but sometimes keeping my eye on that end game is all that gets me through the day to day struggle.

Oh wow, not until May?! Although I guess you guys have an extra semester or something, right? We put in our final choices at the end of this month and will hopefully know in November/early December. My boyfriend is Air Force and is probably getting a new assignment this month, or might be staying in Virginia, so I want to know where he will be before I make my decision because ideally I'd like to be as close to him as possible. Unless he's in the middle of nowhere, then I'll go wherever I want, which would be LSU haha. We'll see, if he stays in VA I'll try for NCSU but that was the most popular choice for my class soooo I dunno. Just a month or so and I'll know though!

 

[WeimMama]

Oh wow, not until May?! Although I guess you guys have an extra semester or something, right? We put in our final choices at the end of this month and will hopefully know in November/early December. My boyfriend is Air Force and is probably getting a new assignment this month, or might be staying in Virginia, so I want to know where he will be before I make my decision because ideally I'd like to be as close to him as possible. Unless he's in the middle of nowhere, then I'll go wherever I want, which would be LSU haha. We'll see, if he stays in VA I'll try for NCSU but that was the most popular choice for my class soooo I dunno. Just a month or so and I'll know though!

Yeah we have 3 semesters per year so we find out at the beginning of our last semester. Which means we get to making living arrangements, etc. while still on island and in classes/rotations of our final semester -_- You'll have to let me know when you find out! NCSU had been my top choice for a while based mainly on location but I recently realized the way they run their clinical program won't be an appropriate fit for what I was out of clinics so its off the list.

In other news... pulled my first all nighter of the semester (which I haven't done in a few semesters) and had an atrocious Anesthesiology exam this morning, the first exam of our stretch of three exams within a week. I felt like I at least passed just fine but it definitely wasn't pretty.

 

[Ashgirl]

I am officially starting clinics today!!!

 

[WeimMama]

Just got done the last exam of our hell week today - Anesthesiology, Toxicology, and Diagnostic Imaging exams within one week. Technically I was one of the lucky ones because like half our class had their canine anesthesia labs this week too (planning, calculating doses, knocking out, and monitoring a dog for a procedure all on their own).... I don't have mine til Halloween. AND this weekend is our "mid-semester break" (aka having Monday off lol...). I was feeling down because I didn't do well on Anesthesiology and we're still waiting on Tox grades back but I felt fine for Tox and GREAT on DI so I'm sure I passed them all....

Now that I'm over this hill I can clean my house like a pyscho and spend some time on a beach with my dog! YAY!

 

[allygator13]

Instead of studying I spent my free morning yesterday deciding where in Baton Rouge I want to live if I end up at LSU for clinicals in June

 

[epivetlove]

How is this semester already more than halfway over?! Didn't classes just start? x_x Not that I'm complaining...sooo ready to get to 4th year and be graduated!

 

[WeimMama]

How is this semester already more than halfway over?! Didn't classes just start? x_x Not that I'm complaining...sooo ready to get to 4th year and be graduated!

I know! Our halfway mark for the semester is this weekend.... crazy to think they will have us registering for next semester classes in a couple weeks but IM READY.

 

[epivetlove]

I'm dreaming about next semester...not that this semester hasn't been good (lots of great exotics/wildlife electives), but it's also been a lot of 8-5, plus extracurriculars, plus non-stop exams, surgery, clinics, etc. It's been exhausting! Next semester will bring no classes until 1PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So excited!

 

[allygator13]

I'm dreaming about next semester...not that this semester hasn't been good (lots of great exotics/wildlife electives), but it's also been a lot of 8-5, plus extracurriculars, plus non-stop exams, surgery, clinics, etc. It's been exhausting! Next semester will bring no classes until 1PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So excited!

I'm not looking forward to next semester at all haha! This semester has been exhausting for us as well, mainly because of junior surgery and anesthesia lab, but we still have a decent number of mornings off. Next semester we have morning lectures and then we do "rotations" in the afternoon, and I don't think we'll have any afternoons off Only good thing is it'll be our last semester on the island and then I'll be back in the States for good! With access to Chipotle and real Mexican food!

 

[WeimMama]

I'm dreaming about next semester...not that this semester hasn't been good (lots of great exotics/wildlife electives), but it's also been a lot of 8-5, plus extracurriculars, plus non-stop exams, surgery, clinics, etc. It's been exhausting! Next semester will bring no classes until 1PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So excited!

LUCKY! We have all 8am classes from this semester until I'm done on the island (so this semester plus two more).

I'm not looking forward to next semester at all haha! This semester has been exhausting for us as well, mainly because of junior surgery and anesthesia lab, but we still have a decent number of mornings off. Next semester we have morning lectures and then we do "rotations" in the afternoon, and I don't think we'll have any afternoons off Only good thing is it'll be our last semester on the island and then I'll be back in the States for good! With access to Chipotle and real Mexican food!

Yeah I agree with you haha... this semester has been the most exhausting BY FAR because of 8 am classes daily plus constant anesthesia, DI, and vet skills labs. All enjoyable stuff but just a lot and then knowing its only gonna be more and more until clinics.... which will then be A LOT MORE..


Side note - anyone on here go to Iowa, Illinois, Auburn, Colorado, Cornell, or Oregon? Either in their clinics, just done, or about to start? Message Me

 

[Karabiner13]

Just scheduled my last electives. One more semester (after this one) and then clinics begin in May

 

[epivetlove]

I'm jonesing real bad for Thanksgiving break. I don't know if I can survive 3 more weeks.

 

[WeimMama]

I'm jonesing real bad for Thanksgiving break. I don't know if I can survive 3 more weeks.

At least you get a break! I have an exam on Thanksgiving >_< and its usually my favorite holiday!


I anesthetize my first dog on Monday, wish me luck.

 

[epivetlove]

I anesthetize my first dog on Monday, wish me luck.

You'll do great! ^__^

 

[WeimMama]

You'll do great! ^__^

IDK, I keep thinking its on Halloween so my patient will probably die and come back as a zombie

 

[allygator13]

At least you get a break! I have an exam on Thanksgiving >_< and its usually my favorite holiday!


I anesthetize my first dog on Monday, wish me luck.

We don't get one either You'll do awesome! I anesthetized my second dog this past Thursday and surprisingly got a great evaluation. Anesthesia is so much more stressful than surgeon!

 

[DVMDream]

We don't get one either You'll do awesome! I anesthetized my second dog this past Thursday and surprisingly got a great evaluation. Anesthesia is so much more stressful than surgeon!

Just remember that these two jobs are divided currently but if you plan on being out in general practice, you are doing both anesthesia and surgery at the same time. Yes, the majority of the time anesthesia goes great and your tech does the work but when SHTF under anesthesia you have to be able to react and evaluate what is going on while scrubbed in and doing surgery. Definitely nice for them to be separate while you are learning but I always have an ear out for my doppler and some attention on the patient's breathing pattern.

 

[allygator13]

Just remember that these two jobs are divided currently but if you plan on being out in general practice, you are doing both anesthesia and surgery at the same time. Yes, the majority of the time anesthesia goes great and your tech does the work but when SHTF under anesthesia you have to be able to react and evaluate what is going on while scrubbed in and doing surgery. Definitely nice for them to be separate while you are learning but I always have an ear out for my doppler and some attention on the patient's breathing pattern.

Yep! I know But I'm glad that's still a year and a half in the future for me haha. I need one at a time right now. I'm from Virginia where the laws are super strict about what you can do without being a licensed technician so I had zero experience doing anything anesthesia related before this semester. However I worked as an assistant for a specialty surgery practice right before I came to school and scrubbed in on lots of neat procedures so the actual surgery side of things was much more comfortable for me than the anesthesia!

 

[epivetlove]

We finished our last "scrub in" surgery today. I can't believe 12 weeks of surgery lab are over and done with already. I'm going to miss it! We do have one block of surgery next year -- orthopedics (blegh). We also have 2 surgery rotations in 4th year, one at the Houston SPCA and one through General Surgery service.

Now just two exams, a lab practical, and 3 finals, then we're on to the second half of 3rd year! Holy crapola!

 

[allygator13]

I have to turn in my fourth year rotations school choices today, and I kind of went into panic mode about it yesterday. After being so sure I wanted LSU for so long, I started having second thoughts about spending another year far from home. So I went into major research mode last night after classes and talked to my friends and some other people who are in rotations now, and was having such a hard time choosing between two schools, and having to be okay with not going to the other. Eventually I came to a decision that I feel pretty good about now, so I'm putting Tennessee as my #1 choice. Should know by Friday where they're sending our applications! Too stressful.

 

[WeimMama]

Just remember that these two jobs are divided currently but if you plan on being out in general practice, you are doing both anesthesia and surgery at the same time. Yes, the majority of the time anesthesia goes great and your tech does the work but when SHTF under anesthesia you have to be able to react and evaluate what is going on while scrubbed in and doing surgery. Definitely nice for them to be separate while you are learning but I always have an ear out for my doppler and some attention on the patient's breathing pattern.

Yup, I know it. Luckily unlike allygator MD pretty much lets you do what you want as long as the doctor is cool with it so I have done most of it (under the direction of a doctor) before except intubating, which I did yesterday, and calculating drug doses/making the anesthetic plan on my own which I am fine with because I am just one of those people with a math brain.

In the end my group worked really well together - I think at the end we all were wondering why we were so extremely nervous going into the lab because it was not as hard or terrifying as any of us had worked it up to be.

I have to turn in my fourth year rotations school choices today, and I kind of went into panic mode about it yesterday. After being so sure I wanted LSU for so long, I started having second thoughts about spending another year far from home. So I went into major research mode last night after classes and talked to my friends and some other people who are in rotations now, and was having such a hard time choosing between two schools, and having to be okay with not going to the other. Eventually I came to a decision that I feel pretty good about now, so I'm putting Tennessee as my #1 choice. Should know by Friday where they're sending our applications! Too stressful.

SO EXCITING! I still have like 6 months before I get to this point. Can't wait to hear where you end up.


In other news my canine child had her really weird face growth removed today. It popped up out of nowhere and went from looking like a zit to the nipple of a dog that has had like 5 litters within A MONTH (I've been calling it her face nipple). After hemming and hawing about how far out the surgery schedule is booked (I figured cause I had to book todays appointment 10 days ago and it was the first thing available even tho I missed class for it) they just squeezed her in today. So today has basically been a vet appointment, waiting for vet phone call, cuddling with drunk dog day which is beyond find because I seriously slept maybe 2 hours last night. Histopath on that thing can't come soon enough though because the vet seriously was like "I have no clue what that thing is" -_- FACE NIPPLE. Sigh.

 

[allygator13]

In other news my canine child had her really weird face growth removed today. It popped up out of nowhere and went from looking like a zit to the nipple of a dog that has had like 5 litters within A MONTH (I've been calling it her face nipple). After hemming and hawing about how far out the surgery schedule is booked (I figured cause I had to book todays appointment 10 days ago and it was the first thing available even tho I missed class for it) they just squeezed her in today. So today has basically been a vet appointment, waiting for vet phone call, cuddling with drunk dog day which is beyond find because I seriously slept maybe 2 hours last night. Histopath on that thing can't come soon enough though because the vet seriously was like "I have no clue what that thing is" -_- FACE NIPPLE. Sigh.

Keep us updated on what it comes back as Glad they got it off her face!

 

[WildZoo]

I have to turn in my fourth year rotations school choices today, and I kind of went into panic mode about it yesterday. After being so sure I wanted LSU for so long, I started having second thoughts about spending another year far from home. So I went into major research mode last night after classes and talked to my friends and some other people who are in rotations now, and was having such a hard time choosing between two schools, and having to be okay with not going to the other. Eventually I came to a decision that I feel pretty good about now, so I'm putting Tennessee as my #1 choice. Should know by Friday where they're sending our applications! Too stressful.

Ah I hope you get to come here! That would be awesome!

 

[allygator13]

Ah I hope you get to come here! That would be awesome!

I didn't know you were at Tennessee! If I get it I'll let you know!

 

[epivetlove]

I just submitted my alternative track schedule to the Dean's Office for approval. I'm sooo excited for 4th year! So many exciting opportunities! Hurry up 4th year, hurry up!!!

 

[cloverbug]

I can't believe I start clinics mid March. It feels so close and so far away. I'm still working through externship applications for 4th year. I wish I could focus on classes but between work and lab and wildlife clinic, I have so little time. I will survive! I think...

 

[allygator13]

I got Tennessee! Moving to Knoxville in June! So excited and happy to finally have a definite and can start making plans @WildZoo

 

[WildZoo]

I got Tennessee! Moving to Knoxville in June! So excited and happy to finally have a definite and can start making plans @WildZoo

That's so awesome!!! You're gonna love it