maximizing surgery experience in vet school

[breezywonton]

---

Members do not see this ad.

i’m a first year vet student with a strong interest in shelter medicine/high volume spay neuter. i’m a bit worried that i’ll be “behind” somehow when i graduate..? at my institution, i will get at least 50 spay/neuter surgeries before graduating, as it’s included in our spay neuter required rotation. i plan on taking all the spay neuter and shelter med electives that are offered as well. but should i be doing more? at this point im not sure if i can, since i haven’t been through any surgery courses.(surgery skills start in second year). i’ve volunteered at some TNR events where i’ve gotten the chance to do some cat neuters. i’ve also tried reaching out to other local shelters to see if they’d be interested in me helping out in surgery butttt so far have been ghosted ... i’m close with the vet at the shelter back in my hometown so i know for sure he’ll let me help out in surgery when i’m home for breaks. i guess what i’m asking is should i be doing anything more during my first year? what are good goals to have as i advance in order to be as competent as i can when i graduate? or, will most of my confidence develop after graduation? i’ve just heard stories from other vets who didn’t get much surgery experience in vet school and graduated being almost scared of doing anything surgical and i definitely don’t wanna fall in that trap.
-an overwhelmed first year

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Step 1 breathe
Step 2 relax
Step 3 rock your sx course (you'll be very limited until you complete it)
Step 4 do what you can but also explore other aspects of vet med during school

I guarantee you over 50sx is way more than most new grads get. I did maybe a handful of sx prior to graduation. Your confidence runs within yourself, practice, and knowing when to ask for help and not diving too deep into something new without a colleague (aka being reckless)

I routinely do 6+sx from 8am-12pm as well as more advanced procedures-gastropexies, entropion, etc. Some things I learned in school. Somethings I learned on cadaver and did them solo first time in practice. I feel like my surgical confidence is high. Meanwhile one of my classmates had same school experience but does maybe 2-5 sx procedures a week and their surgical confidence and ability is less. Just depends. Set your surgical foundation well and the rest will follow.

 

[breezywonton]

Step 1 breathe
Step 2 relax
Step 3 rock your sx course (you'll be very limited until you complete it)
Step 4 do what you can but also explore other aspects of vet med during school

I guarantee you over 50sx is way more than most new grads get. I did maybe a handful of sx prior to graduation. Your confidence runs within yourself, practice, and knowing when to ask for help and not diving too deep into something new without a colleague (aka being reckless)

I routinely do 6+sx from 8am-12pm as well as more advanced procedures-gastropexies, entropion, etc. Some things I learned in school. Somethings I learned on cadaver and did them solo first time in practice. I feel like my surgical confidence is high. Meanwhile one of my classmates had same school experience but does maybe 2-5 sx procedures a week and their surgical confidence and ability is less. Just depends. Set your surgical foundation well and the rest will follow.

thank you! this makes me feel better!!
i guess the feeling of being behind stems from hearing my classmates say that they've been doing neuters BEFORE vet school, and some are already doing spays by their second year; meanwhile i haven't even learned a single suture pattern. but, i know that will come next year during my surgery class. they say not to compare yourself, but it's easier said than done....

 

[bernerluvah]

50 is probably too many. If you're working in a shelter, you will be doing this same surgery over and over, you will know how to do it and get faster in time. Your time in vet school is to learn, not to repeat things you already know to exhaustion. Try to use your time to learn other and new things. If you are a shelter vet who can also repair fractures and do an extremely thorough and diagnostic physical exam, you will be more useful to your shelter and your patients. It always saddens me when I see a new shelter adoption and no one at the shelter noticed or advised the owner that the pet had something that needed addressing (fractured tooth, stomatitis, heart murmur, splenomegaly, otitis, etc.). Or they put the pet under for a spay/neuter but didn't bother to check for retained baby teeth, so now they have to go under again to have them extracted. Learn as much as you can about anesthesiology and how to handle abnormalities and complications since you will be doing high volume surgery. Also, if it turns out you don't like shelter med, or can't afford to live off what those jobs pay, you will have the knowledge base to pick up GP or emergency shifts to make extra money.