Class of 2021 . . . how ya doin?

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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cdoconn said:
jfc I haven’t even looked. They haven’t told us a single thing about rotation scheduling
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I was paranoid not getting anything off campus. I need to GTFO of Illinois for more than my off blocks. The one zoo I'm confirmed at is full up in 2020 and only had two week blocks that aren't adjacent in early 2021. The other zoo is also getting full in 2020 and only had two chunks with two two-week blocks open. So I jumped on it.

And this way, I avoid not having a set schedule when I start clinics. One friend doesn't have a set schedule after their D block cause she was scheduling stuff up until a month ago. That freaks me out.
 
batsenecal said:
I was paranoid not getting anything off campus. I need to GTFO of Illinois for more than my off blocks. The one zoo I'm confirmed at is full up in 2020 and only had two week blocks that aren't adjacent in early 2021. The other zoo is also getting full in 2020 and only had two chunks with two two-week blocks open. So I jumped on it.

And this way, I avoid not having a set schedule when I start clinics. One friend doesn't have a set schedule after their D block cause she was scheduling stuff up until a month ago. That freaks me out.
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I know what I want to do when I graduate but have no idea where to even find a rotation/ externship for that. I feel dumb
 
cdoconn said:
I know what I want to do when I graduate but have no idea where to even find a rotation/ externship for that. I feel dumb
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To find the zoos, I looked on the AZA website for zoos that offer externships to fourth year veterinary students. Then emailed the contact with my CV and cover letter. My CV has my references. So you might look at the national organization's website for what you want to do for off-campus externships.
 
cdoconn said:
I know what I want to do when I graduate but have no idea where to even find a rotation/ externship for that. I feel dumb
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Find people who are doing what you want to do and become friends/ask them🙂
 
mmmdreamerz said:
It was so good and I am both excited and dreading the next episode.
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I'm dreading it, but I also cannot wait. That episode is going to hurt deeply.

We had our largest final Monday morning, so most of us were at school studying on Sunday and had to watch it there. However, we have keys to the simulation lab for after hours practice. So we went in and broadcasted the episode onto all 6 large flatscreen TVs and the massive projection system simultaneously. It was glorious.
 
cdoconn said:
jfc I haven’t even looked. They haven’t told us a single thing about rotation scheduling
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The blinders were only removed (slightly) during Fall of 3rd year. There was a seminar scheduled during lunch where they discussed how the rotation scheduling system works and how many externships you need. (currently we are required to do 6 weeks at off campus locations, min 2 weeks duration and max 6 weeks at the same place. We can then spend an additional 6 weeks off campus if you want) I don’t understand the reason to be so secret about 4th year but I feel like they don’t want us to know anything. I just learned last week why rotation 12 is four weeks in length (we get a week off for either Xmas or New Years (but we don’t find out which one until September)) If you login to the Evalue site, the home page has all of the current info (which I did know either) Maybe I am just clueless about these things??
 
mmmdreamerz said:
Find people who are doing what you want to do and become friends/ask them🙂
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Speaking of, what are you doing for externships? I've heard to get one where you want to intern but I'm kind of stuck because I have no idea where to do that. I know where I'd like to intern, but I need more research than is available, like where I could actually get an internship.
 
RoryCat said:
The blinders were only removed (slightly) during Fall of 3rd year. There was a seminar scheduled during lunch where they discussed how the rotation scheduling system works and how many externships you need. (currently we are required to do 6 weeks at off campus locations, min 2 weeks duration and max 6 weeks at the same place. We can then spend an additional 6 weeks off campus if you want) I don’t understand the reason to be so secret about 4th year but I feel like they don’t want us to know anything. I just learned last week why rotation 12 is four weeks in length (we get a week off for either Xmas or New Years (but we don’t find out which one until September)) If you login to the Evalue site, the home page has all of the current info (which I did know either) Maybe I am just clueless about these things??
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Do we get to specify preference for Christmas or new years? Because I’ll work an overnight shift New Years night if it means getting to spend Christmas with my family!
 
cdoconn said:
Do we get to specify preference for Christmas or new years? Because I’ll work an overnight shift New Years night if it means getting to spend Christmas with my family!
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My understanding is that it’s a lottery system. 🙁
 
cdoconn said:
:scared: I don’t like that
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It sucks, but it’s how it is at most schools 🙁 We do lottery here too and I’m working over Christmas. Managed to get my externship over thanksgiving though, so I’ll be home for that for the first time in four years at least.

Also, don’t you want to do emergency now? Probably gonna be working lots of major holidays until you have seniority :/
 
cdoconn said:
Do we get to specify preference for Christmas or new years? Because I’ll work an overnight shift New Years night if it means getting to spend Christmas with my family!
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cdoconn said:
:scared: I don’t like that
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Lol you’re prooooobs gonna have to be working the majority of major holidays to start with as a new er vet tho
 
Coopah said:
Speaking of, what are you doing for externships? I've heard to get one where you want to intern but I'm kind of stuck because I have no idea where to do that. I know where I'd like to intern, but I need more research than is available, like where I could actually get an internship.
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I’ve mostly been talking to the current 3rd/4th years who are interested in surgery to get an idea of places they’ve gone and talked to mentors about what they think. We get 6 wks of external rotations. Im mostly interested in academia, so I’m definitely going to use at least four weeks at two places at the top of my internship list. My school has separate ortho and soft tissue rotations and also has a separate surg onc service. I’m debating using my last two week externship block to circulate through all three departments instead of just 2/3 that’s required. But idk. My interested is soft tissue/surg onc but I don’t not want to not have an orthopedics rotation. Decisions.
 
Caiter92 said:
It sucks, but it’s how it is at most schools 🙁 We do lottery here too and I’m working over Christmas. Managed to get my externship over thanksgiving though, so I’ll be home for that for the first time in four years at least.

Also, don’t you want to do emergency now? Probably gonna be working lots of major holidays until you have seniority :/
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At our school we put in our preference for which holiday we'd like to work, they can't always accommodate but they try!
 
mmmdreamerz said:
I’ve mostly been talking to the current 3rd/4th years who are interested in surgery to get an idea of places they’ve gone and talked to mentors about what they think. We get 6 wks of external rotations. Im mostly interested in academia, so I’m definitely going to use at least four weeks at two places at the top of my internship list. My school has separate ortho and soft tissue rotations and also has a separate surg onc service. I’m debating using my last two week externship block to circulate through all three departments instead of just 2/3 that’s required. But idk. My interested is soft tissue/surg onc but I don’t not want to not have an orthopedics rotation. Decisions.
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Lol that feel. There's a surgery focus option for our rotation schedule that I'm taking that allows us to rotate through everything. I think we get eight weeks externing so I'm trying to figure where I could even afford to go.
 
Coopah said:
At our school we put in our preference for which holiday we'd like to work, they can't always accommodate but they try!
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I mean, we do too in theory. But most people put Christmas (tbh pretty sure everyone does lol) So then it’s a literally a lottery anyway :laugh:
 
Coopah said:
Lol that feel. There's a surgery focus option for our rotation schedule that I'm taking that allows us to rotate through everything. I think we get eight weeks externing so I'm trying to figure where I could even afford to go.
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That’s niceeee. We just have a SA CAE, though there’s rumors it’s being redone...unsure if I’ll benefit from it or not at this point.
 
SkiOtter said:
Lol you’re prooooobs gonna have to be working the majority of major holidays to start with as a new er vet tho
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Yes but probably by then the rest of my grandparents would have died, and I won’t have to worry about how many Christmas’s I get with them
 
Caiter92 said:
It sucks, but it’s how it is at most schools 🙁 We do lottery here too and I’m working over Christmas. Managed to get my externship over thanksgiving though, so I’ll be home for that for the first time in four years at least.

Also, don’t you want to do emergency now? Probably gonna be working lots of major holidays until you have seniority :/
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SkiOtter said:
Lol you’re prooooobs gonna have to be working the majority of major holidays to start with as a new er vet tho
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Also, I want to work in DFW. Where I’m less than an hour away, and we can celebrate on another day, even if it’s just a meal, not 5 hours away and gone for the entire week.
 
cdoconn said:
Also, I want to work in DFW. Where I’m less than an hour away, and we can celebrate on another day, even if it’s just a meal, not 5 hours away and gone for the entire week.
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You could still have your Christmas on a different day during the New Years block if you don’t get Christmas off
 
I won't be home for Christmas (but will for Thanksgiving because of one of my externships). It's kind of what we signed up for, ya know? Sucks but is what it is. Just gotta make the most of the vacations that you do get.
 
cdoconn said:
I know what I want to do when I graduate but have no idea where to even find a rotation/ externship for that. I feel dumb
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Zoo is one of those things where you have to start looking like 2 years in advance if you want to get anything. I don't think you'll have too much trouble finding an ER externship, and you definitely don't have to figure that out this far in advance. Your school should have a list of approved places though, and you can also just contact clinics to see if they take externs.
 
im not like outraged. I’m just bummed. I get it, and I’m fine with most of them, but I’ve just been more emotional about death lately. So I’ve been more and more bummed about the holidays I have to miss. Had to miss Easter this year so it stunk. And then he died the next day so I’m still processing emotions, which I have the right to be bummed about. I know we signed up for it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck
 
cdoconn said:
im not like outraged. I’m just bummed. I get it, and I’m fine with most of them, but I’ve just been more emotional about death lately. So I’ve been more and more bummed about the holidays I have to miss. Had to miss Easter this year so it stunk. And then he died the next day so I’m still processing emotions, which I have the right to be bummed about. I know we signed up for it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck
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It does suck, as I said. No reason to dwell on that part right now though. You know? Don't bum yourself out more by thinking about something that's so far in the future and you'll have little control over anyway. There's still a whole year of holidays ahead.
 
WildZoo said:
It does suck, as I said. No reason to dwell on that part right now though. You know? Don't bum yourself out more by thinking about something that's so far in the future and you'll have little control over anyway. There's still a whole year of holidays ahead.
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I mean, I’m not? I just commented on a point that someone else brought up that I was bummed about it, and then it turned into an almost attack that I should be used to it, especially working in ER, in which I retorted. I’m not stressing out about it, I was just commenting on the conversation.
 
cdoconn said:
I mean, I’m not? I just commented on a point that someone else brought up that I was bummed about it, and then it turned into an almost attack that I should be used to it, especially working in ER, in which I retorted. I’m not stressing out about it, I was just commenting on the conversation.
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Ok. Wasn't trying to attack you for feeling. Just trying to give a helpful perspective :shrug:
 
It is a lottery. Most of the time there are people like me though who don't really care and you can switch as long as you are on the same rotation. As far as externships go, I would simply post on the class pages above you to inquire about the field you are interested in. People still keep up even after they've graduated and will answer your questions. Or even just being friends with an upperclassman, there is a chain of communication and recommendations will always be found. 🙂
 
It was never a guarantee though.

December has a 4 week rotation and you either get Xmas week or NY week... but it looks like you know that already. Ya know what? I don’t remember which one I had. I know I was on SA surgery... otherwise no clue.
 
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