Ideas on what to do with a dog in MS-3 and MS4?

[DMC0303]

This fall I will be graduating with my bachelors, the plan is to continue with a post-bacc up north. My sophomore year I got a dog, who has pretty much kept me sane, is my best bud, and my sidekick. I definitely plan to take her to medical school with me when the time comes.

However, it occurred to me that while during my first two years in med school I can manage with doggy day care and spending reasonable free time hours at home. What am I supposed to do during my 3rd and 4th year when I'll be doing clerkships? 0.o I know different clerkships have different hours. Does anyone have experience with a dog in medical school or can offer some advise as to what to do when I get there? Maybe manage the dog day care and what not during more reasonable clerkships and then have her stay with my parents (who dont live near me at all -.-) during the more intense weeks of long hour shifts like in surgery?

Also, what are some examples of the typical hours for the different clerkships? (The usual: FM, Surgery, Peds, IM, Psych)

Any info would be appreciated, thanks!

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[DancingDoggie]

del.

 

[slopes23]

This fall I will be graduating with my bachelors, the plan is to continue with a post-bacc up north. My sophomore year I got a dog, who has pretty much kept me sane, is my best bud, and my sidekick. I definitely plan to take her to medical school with me when the time comes.

However, it occurred to me that while during my first two years in med school I can manage with doggy day care and spending reasonable free time hours at home. What am I supposed to do during my 3rd and 4th year when I'll be doing clerkships? 0.o I know different clerkships have different hours. Does anyone have experience with a dog in medical school or can offer some advise as to what to do when I get there? Maybe manage the dog day care and what not during more reasonable clerkships and then have her stay with my parents (who dont live near me at all -.-) during the more intense weeks of long hour shifts like in surgery?

Also, what are some examples of the typical hours for the different clerkships? (The usual: FM, Surgery, Peds, IM, Psych) And if anyone has experience with plastics hours that can pitch in that would be cool too. The post-bacc I'm planning on going to has a very strong linkage with their medical school and in their MS4 you get to pick a concentration to study (such as plastics, which is what I'm interested in).

Any info would be appreciated, thanks!

Might I suggest you worry about actually getting into medical school first? Once you are in and maybe completed your actual MS1 and are in your MS2 you will have a better understanding of what it takes to keep your dog and what medical school requires of you. From there you can either re ask this question or more than likely you will already know. But this is akin to a sophomore in college asking what they should be doing to prep for their neurosurgery internship. You have so many steps between where you are and where you want to go (for now) that it's not even worth entertaining.

 

[DMC0303]

@DancingDoggie Haha yeah I'm hoping maybe by that time I'll have a significant other lol. But if that isn't the case, then I'm worried. She is staying with my parents for the summer right now since I'm away studying at a different university and couldn't take her with me, and they always tell me how they can see how much she misses me and it makes me feel guilty. So I hate the thought of having to leave her with my parents for two years D: Thanks for the advise though, hopefully I'll just have a steady boyfriend by that time

 

[Doctor Bob]

Does anyone have experience with a dog in medical school or can offer some advise as to what to do when I get there? Maybe manage the dog day care and what not during more reasonable clerkships and then have her stay with my parents (who dont live near me at all -.-) during the more intense weeks of long hour shifts like in surgery?

It's easy, you can do what I did . . . Get married!!

No! Don't marry the dog!

Even if you get married, you still can't bring the dog with you to work.

 

[YoungestBrother]

I'm going into 2nd year now. It was super manageable to have a dog during first year, and I can't see it being much of a problem 2nd year. I haven't used a doggy day-care or dog walker at all, so my plan was to ramp up to that for 3rd and 4th year. It all depends on your schedule. I live close enough to school that I can run home for an hour for lunch and take the pup out for a bit, toss a ball and stuff. I know I won't be able to do that during a lot of the clerkships though. Personally, the longest I'll leave my dog alone is 8 hours, and I feel like a jerk when I do that. I don't think you will absolutely have to send your dog to live with your parents, but it would certainly be logistically easier. That's not really an option for me, so I'm planning on spending some time searching for good dog walkers this year.

Good luck!

 

[DMC0303]

I'm going into 2nd year now. It was super manageable to have a dog during first year, and I can't see it being much of a problem 2nd year. I haven't used a doggy day-care or dog walker at all, so my plan was to ramp up to that for 3rd and 4th year. It all depends on your schedule. I live close enough to school that I can run home for an hour for lunch and take the pup out for a bit, toss a ball and stuff. I know I won't be able to do that during a lot of the clerkships though. Personally, the longest I'll leave my dog alone is 8 hours, and I feel like a jerk when I do that. I don't think you will absolutely have to send your dog to live with your parents, but it would certainly be logistically easier. That's not really an option for me, so I'm planning on spending some time searching for good dog walkers this year.

Good luck!

Thanks for the insight! Hearing you not having to use day care or walkers during your first year and probably 2nd is nice to hear, hopefully I'll be in the same scenario where I don't need a day care for the first two. I also don't like to leave my dog for more than 8, I feel guilty after that point as well /: Since my parents live so far away, I might just suck it up and stick it out like you. Guess we'll see how it goes! Haha. Good luck on your 2nd year and thanks for the response!

 

[eternelle]

Get a really cool roommate who loves dogs.

 

[justin1390]

Nothing wrong with thinking ahead. Especially with animals. For my wife and I, they're our kids -- and we have an actual human son, too!

That said, first two years is totally fine. Third year will be a challenge. I might just ask someone from the 1st year class to dog walk for a few extra bucks. Or you might have someone who'd be happy to come crash once a day, raid the fridge and walk the dog. Is there no way to rent a place with a backyard in the areas you are applying? If I were doing this without being married though, I'd get a two bedroom place after second year and find a roommate from an undergrad or 1st year med school class, then give them a reduced rent rate (60%/40%) on the stipulation they help care for the dog.

Worse comes to worse, there's always a dog sitting service.

 

[Say]

Might I suggest you worry about actually getting into medical school first? Once you are in and maybe completed your actual MS1 and are in your MS2 you will have a better understanding of what it takes to keep your dog and what medical school requires of you. From there you can either re ask this question or more than likely you will already know. But this is akin to a sophomore in college asking what they should be doing to prep for their neurosurgery internship. You have so many steps between where you are and where you want to go (for now) that it's not even worth entertaining.

You replying to a pre-med without starting med school yet is akin to a blind man giving another blind man directions.

 

[slopes23]

You replying to a pre-med without starting med school yet is akin to a blind man giving another blind man directions.

Except notice, I didn't actually give her any advice on what to do with her dog during 3rd year. I only advised her to worry about the next 4 years before she worry about the following 5th and 6th.
It's almost like I have been on SDN for so long that I knew someone like you would pop up and I refrained from doing so, so that you look like a dope. #amazing

Also, silly person, the saying is "blind leading the blind" directions are a verbal cue and there is no reason why a blind person can't give another blind person directions on a plethora of things.

In finishing, just cause you are an Australian MS1-2 doesn't make you special. I'm not a girl, that accent doesn't impress me (unless of course you are a girl, in which case it does.... So hey what's your number? Nvm, I'm married sorry.)

 

[PlasticBag]

I'm starting med school this summer and already feel guilty thinking about not having as much time for my dog as he's used to. I'm married though so that should help. Seems like you have plenty of time to get married before the third year starts

Otherwise, I think it's mostly a question of money and making up with quality for the lack of quantity when it comes to the time spent together. We don't leave our dog alone for more than 5 hours and we have a dogwalker if he's alone for longer (that involves some planning ahead though). If we're gone for many hours, I try to make up for it by taking him on an extra long walk and to the dog run, etc. You can also think of incorporating your dog in some activities you already do - I'm thinking of maybe jogging with my dog when I'm in med school.

I'm now trying to convince my spouse that a canine sibling for our dog would solve some of the problems (they could play together when we're gone, etc), but apparently I'm not very persuasive.

 

[Say]

Except notice, I didn't actually give her any advice on what to do with her dog during 3rd year. I only advised her to worry about the next 4 years before she worry about the following 5th and 6th.
It's almost like I have been on SDN for so long that I knew someone like you would pop up and I refrained from doing so, so that you look like a dope. #amazing

Also, silly person, the saying is "blind leading the blind" directions are a verbal cue and there is no reason why a blind person can't give another blind person directions on a plethora of things.

In finishing, just cause you are an Australian MS1-2 doesn't make you special. I'm not a girl, that accent doesn't impress me (unless of course you are a girl, in which case it does.... So hey what's your number? Nvm, I'm married sorry.)

Huh..? Congrats on being married.