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zooanimal said:
This is kind of a dumb rant, but does anyone feel totally stupid starting out at a new job? This is my second week as a receptionist at a small animal clinic. I've been a vet tech/assistant at other small animal clinics but I'm not used to the receptionist job yet, and I feel like I keep making the dumbest little mistakes. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I know I'm hard on myself, but still....can anyone else relate? 😳
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I always hate starting new jobs for exactly this reason! It's always so awkward! Even with jobs you've done before it takes a while to learn that particular clinic's way of doing things. But after a few days/weeks, you get into the swing of things and then you're fine. 🙂
 
zooanimal said:
This is kind of a dumb rant, but does anyone feel totally stupid starting out at a new job? This is my second week as a receptionist at a small animal clinic. I've been a vet tech/assistant at other small animal clinics but I'm not used to the receptionist job yet, and I feel like I keep making the dumbest little mistakes. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I know I'm hard on myself, but still....can anyone else relate? 😳
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Being a receptionist is different. I was lucky in that I was cross trained in both reception and being a vet tech. I was taught reception first then technician duties. I was mainly a tech, but would get shuffled around where needed. As receptionist you are the first and last person that the client sees and talks to. Just like any with learning any other job... ask questions and show that you are willing to work hard and learn. Being a receptionist can be difficult, though at my last clinic a bunch of the receptionist duties were getting tossed onto the vet techs as they "upgraded" things. Most important thing with reception work is to always remain calm even when it is hard to and especially with upset clients, two upset/frustrated people just makes the situation worse. You will learn it, just takes some time. I was always much better at tech work than reception, mainly because clients like to small talk while waiting and I am not good with small talk (and I often want to get other tasks done that need to be done and not listen to a client babble on about Fluffy Pants).
 
Thanks guys! I agree, I feel more comfortable with tech work because I am not good with small talk either. I'm part-time so I know it'll probably take me at least another week or two to get into the swing of it, but there is always a situation with an exception for what to do it seems and that's when I feel lost! I know this job will be good experience though. I appreciate the input 🙂
 
Trilt said:
E-board meeting with the AVMA VP. I love when a '68 grad tells current students that our debt is "just money." Ugh.
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Ugh. After attending a lunch lecture given by that guy I can't stand him. Ended up writing a lengthy post about the lecture on my blog because I was so angry and frustrated afterwards. My favorite part was when he told us "We don't have a surplus of veterinarians. We have an overcapacity of veterinarians," then later admitted that they mean exactly the same thing but "surplus" is a scary word so he avoids using it.

And the AVMA wonders why it's losing members. :smack:
 
Yeah he didn't exactly inspire confidence. Add in some borderline offensive comments about needing to just "suck it up" while talking about mental health issues in the profession and I don't think anybody walked away particularly impressed. Oh, while I'm at it... apparently we should learn dog spays with ether and it's OK if we kill one or two, and the major costs raising vet school tuition are our extra ultrasound machines and that we dare have MRI/specialty equipment on-campus (nevermind ballooning administrative costs being a well-recognized cause of rising tuition in higher ed). Grr.
 
Trilt said:
Yeah he didn't exactly inspire confidence. Add in some borderline offensive comments about needing to just "suck it up" while talking about mental health issues in the profession and I don't think anybody walked away particularly impressed. Oh, while I'm at it... apparently we should learn dog spays with ether and it's OK if we kill one or two, and the major costs raising vet school tuition are our extra ultrasound machines and that we dare have MRI/specialty equipment on-campus (nevermind ballooning administrative costs being a well-recognized cause of rising tuition in higher ed). Grr.
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Oh boy :\
 
Trilt said:
Yeah he didn't exactly inspire confidence. Add in some borderline offensive comments about needing to just "suck it up" while talking about mental health issues in the profession and I don't think anybody walked away particularly impressed. Oh, while I'm at it... apparently we should learn dog spays with ether and it's OK if we kill one or two, and the major costs raising vet school tuition are our extra ultrasound machines and that we dare have MRI/specialty equipment on-campus (nevermind ballooning administrative costs being a well-recognized cause of rising tuition in higher ed). Grr.
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He's coming here soon. I am now dreading going to the dinner, but I can't avoid it. Why is he even allowed to open his mouth if he's going to say that kind of stuff?!?
 
jmo1012 said:
im totally with you - also, there are a fain number of people who are scent sensitive (myself included) and can get headaches and migraines from strong smells. i'm all for snacking in class, but it needs to not be something that potentially disrupts the learning environment (so no eating crunchy food during the lecture, no playing with packaging, etc)
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I agree, jmo. I get headaches and feel nauseous from particular strong smelling foods. When people eat them in the classroom, I feel sick and can no longer concentrate on the lecture. It's disruptive to my learning. I'm perfectly fine with people eating in class (I personally snack during class to keep myself awake) but I wish people would avoid super smelly or loud distracting foods.
 
One of my dogs has a mysterious front leg lameness 🙁 He's not an active dog, we call him "low mileage puppy" because he sleeps on the bed all day. Poor guy. I think I might have to take him to the vet tomorrow. Ugh.
 
Jamr0ckin said:
He's coming here soon. I am now dreading going to the dinner, but I can't avoid it. Why is he even allowed to open his mouth if he's going to say that kind of stuff?!?
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For what it's worth, I went to his lunch meeting today and it was much less offending (just kind of boring). So hopefully it won't be too bad. 🙂
 
We keep getting emails for summer internships I might be interested in. Major issue is that they are open to undergraduate students and last time I asked about one of these programs, we had the same GPA cut off of 3.5/3.7 or higher. I'm sorry, but if you're offering internships to undergrads and professional students, the GPA requirement needs to be different as they are completely different caliber programs.
 
My cat, Libby, had her recheck radiograph today. She has multiple nodules in her lungs visible on radiograph 🙁 Chemo didn't work so she is SOL :'( She is having quick surgery to remove the big mass on her mandible that's starting to ulcerate but that's all we can do. I feel like I let my best friend down by not having her first mass removed sooner. The vets felt there was a very slim chance of malignancy and didn't feel surgery was necessary but I wish I had stuck to my guns and pushed for it 🙁
 
ky261682 said:
My cat, Libby, had her recheck radiograph today. She has multiple nodules in her lungs visible on radiograph 🙁 Chemo didn't work so she is SOL :'( She is having quick surgery to remove the big mass on her mandible that's starting to ulcerate but that's all we can do. I feel like I let my best friend down by not having her first mass removed sooner. The vets felt there was a very slim chance of malignancy and didn't feel surgery was necessary but I wish I had stuck to my guns and pushed for it 🙁
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sorry 🙁. hoping that she at least remains comfy
 
orca2011 said:
We keep getting emails for summer internships I might be interested in. Major issue is that they are open to undergraduate students and last time I asked about one of these programs, we had the same GPA cut off of 3.5/3.7 or higher. I'm sorry, but if you're offering internships to undergrads and professional students, the GPA requirement needs to be different as they are completely different caliber programs.
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That's odd. Most of the more lucrative internships that I've applied to seem to favor vet students, regardless of GPA.

I always find myself e-mailing different HR people trying to figure out who the target applicant is for a listing (I'm a grad student) - or, like today, e-mailing to find out if a place really wants me to mail basic application materials to them, because e-mailing and faxing things is just too convenient.
 
I will never use H&R Block to do our taxes ever again. My husband went to file our taxes yesterday and since we live in separate states they sent me on online version to go over before approving..... On the very first page I found 2 mistakes- Both of our addresses are wrong! I asked my husband if he had told them the wrong address and he said that he gave the person the copies of all of our stuff and she just started putting stuff in. So I called them up and told them what was going on and how this was very concerning to me because my confidence in them was now lowered bc if you cant get our addresses right, how do I know all my tax info is right?!? The woman on the phone got our correct addresses and told me I should not be concerned bc the person that did our taxes has been doing this for 16 years and blah blah, and said she would have her call me back... 20 minutes later the same person called me back to tell me to log off the system so that the person doing our taxes could look at it...... and then No One ever called me back! Instead they just sent an email saying- Approve here! WTF?!? I wanted to speak to our tax preparer before approving anything.

So I took matters into my own hands and began filing our taxes online with turbotax and guess what, we are getting back an extra $150 annnnd we are saving $150 bc im not having to pay $150 bucks for someone at H&R to file our taxes.

So I called H&R and the same girl I talked to several times last night answers and I ask to speak to a manager and then guess who they put on the phone, the woman who did our taxes, Finally!... I simply told her that after the mistakes were found and the lack of communication that we decided to go else where for our tax prep.

hmph, I wasted my entire snow day night screwing with this stupid tax crap, Im Over It!!!
 
Rabbit Riot said:
That's odd. Most of the more lucrative internships that I've applied to seem to favor vet students, regardless of GPA.

I always find myself e-mailing different HR people trying to figure out who the target applicant is for a listing (I'm a grad student) - or, like today, e-mailing to find out if a place really wants me to mail basic application materials to them, because e-mailing and faxing things is just too convenient.
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I'm sure many do, and I haven't actually contacted anyone about this specific one so who knows. But I do remember one from last year that was that way and I don't want to pay to send transcripts if my application is just going to be tossed because of grades.
 
Trilt said:
E-board meeting with the AVMA VP. I love when a '68 grad tells current students that our debt is "just money." Ugh.
Click to expand...

I read this yesterday and could only think, "WTF?"

Personally, I really dislike the language many people use when talking to students interested in the veterinary profession. There's such a strong current of "dreams are priceless" talk that the actual facts get drowned out and comments like "it's just money" become weirdly backwards forms of encouragement.

At 27, I also don't look at this profession as a "dream" anymore. It's a challenging career path that will saddle me with significant student debt while, hopefully, buying me an indispensable skill set. Reality is not so dreamy and not so priceless.
 
I am so annoyed with myself. I lost my phone at the beach while taking Sampson for a walk. It fell out of my pocket at some point and either went into the ocean or into someone's outstretched hands. I was able to get a replacement and keep my same number (it's a prepaid so I thought that I was going to have to get a new number for sure since this one was 2.5yo) for a reasonable price (one of the phones was 50% off today so I got the new phone and SIM for $16)USD. Trying to remind myself that nothing irreplaceable was lost (like my license, car keys, debit card, student ID, or house keys, which were all in various pockets) and that it was a cheap and simple replacement, but I'm still mad! I've never lost or broken a phone in the 10y I've had phones until now. 😡 I'm not a careless person so this kind of thing drives me crazy!
 
jmo1012 said:
I am so annoyed with myself. I lost my phone at the beach while taking Sampson for a walk. It fell out of my pocket at some point and either went into the ocean or into someone's outstretched hands. I was able to get a replacement and keep my same number (it's a prepaid so I thought that I was going to have to get a new number for sure since this one was 2.5yo) for a reasonable price (one of the phones was 50% off today so I got the new phone and SIM for $16)USD. Trying to remind myself that nothing irreplaceable was lost (like my license, car keys, debit card, student ID, or house keys, which were all in various pockets) and that it was a cheap and simple replacement, but I'm still mad! I've never lost or broken a phone in the 10y I've had phones until now. 😡 I'm not a careless person so this kind of thing drives me crazy!
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10 years?! Holy, good for you....

I lose **** all the time, so I think that's great to go that long! Don't get too mad at yourself!
 
Had my exit interview today. It made for a very emotional dy as I talked through the issues. It doesn't help that I kept having breakthrough pain. Stupid body. get on board with healing and not being broken already
 
Rabbit Riot said:
That's odd. Most of the more lucrative internships that I've applied to seem to favor vet students, regardless of GPA.

I always find myself e-mailing different HR people trying to figure out who the target applicant is for a listing (I'm a grad student) - or, like today, e-mailing to find out if a place really wants me to mail basic application materials to them, because e-mailing and faxing things is just too convenient.
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Have you been able to find many internships that accept grad students? I'm finishing up my last semester of grad school and a ton of internships for the summer that I've found are only looking for undergrads or vet students.
 
Lambeau Leap said:
Have you been able to find many internships that accept grad students? I'm finishing up my last semester of grad school and a ton of internships for the summer that I've found are only looking for undergrads or vet students.
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It really depends what you're looking for and what your graduate program is.

I'm really into government/regulatory public health stuff so most of the better paying or more significant non-paid internships are geared toward older undergrads or graduate students in public health programs. So far I've applied to my city's public health department and my state's department of agriculture. Where I'm located they have various programs that address rabies, dangerous animals, livestock health, laboratory diagnostics, infectious diseases, vector-borne diseases, etc.

Soon, if not already posted, the USDA's internship program will be in full swing and there are frequently positions that specifically want grad students or post-grads and are vet med relevant (Veterinary Services, Animal Care, etc.). The only downside to many of those positions is possibly going out-of-state but, sometimes, lodging can be part of your pay. FSIS also has their own internship program, but I've never applied so I'm not sure how they choose interns.

State extension offices are also good places to look for internships.
 
I am giving a presentation tomorrow afternoon for a class. I round up the laundry so I will have clean dress clothes, load the washer, add the liquid detergent, pull the dial to start the machine...and nothing happens. Dumb washer has frozen pipes. Again. This is the second time in about a month. I probably should have thought about it before loading the washer because it is well under freezing here and has been for a couple days, but I didn't. We've had a heat lamp on it for 5 hours now (which worked quickly last time), but so far it's still frozen. I won't leave a heat lamp on while we sleep because of the fire hazard, so I just hand washed what I really needed for tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be home long enough to get the pipes thawed!
 
I don't know what to do to get myself motivated to work out again. I have gained some weight since hurting my ankle back in October and I have been trying everything to get motivated. I have tried getting up early and doing short workouts every morning, going to the gym after school/work, etc etc. I am just going to have a serious heart to heart with myself to get back into it... It was so much better when I was running outside, but the weather is crappy and my ankle still hurts sometimes. 🙁:boom::wtf:
 
WulfpackChica said:
I don't know what to do to get myself motivated to work out again. I have gained some weight since hurting my ankle back in October and I have been trying everything to get motivated. I have tried getting up early and doing short workouts every morning, going to the gym after school/work, etc etc. I am just going to have a serious heart to heart with myself to get back into it... It was so much better when I was running outside, but the weather is crappy and my ankle still hurts sometimes. 🙁:boom::wtf:
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You're in Raleigh, right? My roomie and I have been going to the aerial silks bootcamp at Cirque de Vol downtown and it is SUPER fun and a fabulous workout. My arms/abs have just been absolutely killing me since we started. I was a pretty consistent runner until the weather went to crap recently and I'm happy to have found something to get me up in the morning and active, you should check it out. 🙂
 
Stupid rant, but I'm trying not to eat as much junk food, like chips, cookies, etc, so I haven't been buying any of it. Only problem is that now it's basically all I'm craving.

Also I apparently did something to my knee at the gym yesterday. Didn't hurt at all while I was running or lifting, just as soon as I was leaving and had to go down the steps. Hoping I just pulled something, so I took today off to rest it, but I'm already behind on my training for my 15k, so I'm getting frustrated.
 
IDK how I managed it, but I left the house in a hurry today without my backpack- which meant no iPad, or notes, or anything... Didn't have my new glasses = automatic headache staring trying to take notes on my roomies iPad she thankfully lent me. The only good thing about today is that it was super short, so I was home after anatomy lab. I feel like mondays (or days that feel like monday- like today since we had two days off) I just cannot get it together. But, leaving my entire backpack home was a first. We were also almost late for our exam this morning due to traffic and people getting stuck on the still snow-covered roads.
I guess the only good thing recently was last night where I had a glass of wine and finally talked to my friends here about something pretty personal in my life. It was great to finally get that off my chest to them and I feel a ton better.
 
WulfpackChica said:
I don't know what to do to get myself motivated to work out again. I have gained some weight since hurting my ankle back in October and I have been trying everything to get motivated. I have tried getting up early and doing short workouts every morning, going to the gym after school/work, etc etc. I am just going to have a serious heart to heart with myself to get back into it... It was so much better when I was running outside, but the weather is crappy and my ankle still hurts sometimes. 🙁:boom::wtf:
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I know exactly what you mean! I went 4 months with not being able to workout due to my knee injury/surgery. I'm part of a large online group that does a great job of motivating each other. I don't think I could have done it this month without them. I felt like just throwing in the towel many times the last couple weeks. Maybe try giving yourself a goal of 3-4 times a week. Meet that goal, reward yourself for it and up it to 4-5 times a week.

I can't do full workouts yet(still on restrictions) but with what I can do for the last 4 weeks, I've lost 9 lbs and 2 notches in my belt. You may think you aren't doing much or not doing enough, but every little bit counts!

And remember, losing weight isn't all about working out. It's 30% exercise and 70% nutrition.
So, how's your eating habits?

(Also, I have come to love the elliptical. You're ankle might, too)
 
I think the 2 mirrors I broke as a kid are still haunting me. My flight out of Tucson to Dallas is delayed so much that I land 10 minutes before my flight to Baton Rouge takes off. I live in the desert, why are you delayed so much?!
 
dyachei said:
every time i think i make progress on my joint/health issues, another one rears it's ugly head.

Feeling a little down
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🙁 That is really upsetting to hear. I will slap my lucky horseshoe for you and tell the first butterfly of spring I see to go visit you with good tidings.
 
Realizing that your main savings account after 8 months of paid intern work is exactly where it was when you began your job is kind of depressing. Sure, your "untouchable" savings might have grown, but that one is tiny in comparison.

I'm half tempted to move most of my savings into that account, but if an emergency happens outside of walk-in bank hours, I would be unable to get to my monies. :depressed:

All of this makes me question if I can really work a unpaid internship all summer long. If I get an interview maybe they will be accommodating and only ask me to work 20 hours a week so that I can get a paid job on the side..... alternately, I can go for the less interesting, likely n0n-vet, paid internship. I need vet hours though. It's the only area I wasn't able to really improve upon this year.

Honestly, the one thing I've always hated about this whole preparing-myself-for-vet-school thing is the lack of paid opportunities for students... and I mean appropriately paid. A part-time minimum wage job won't realistically support you no matter how "relevant" it is. Volunteering sure as hell won't support you. I'm lucky to have had parents willing to sacrifice their own financial comfort to afford me many opportunities to volunteer and work unpaid internships in the past. I can't, in good conscience, ask more from them at my age and my education level. It's not fair and it is totally selfish - even if they are willing to give until it hurts.
 
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