Suggestions on items to prepare for first year?

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ReptilesRCool

ReptilesRCool

TAMU c/o 2023
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Hello,

i'm sure this has been asked before so feel free to link me to another thread answering it.

Either way, I was wondering what are some stand-out items that have helped you throughout your veterinary degree. They could be books, supplies, clothes, resources, etc.

So far i've been told a Littman Cardio III stethoscope, rubber boots for large animal classes, waterproof watch, and scrubs to get dirty in. I've also been told about Glass Dog, but haven't looked much into it yet.
 
VIN has some excellent resources for anatomy. I also really liked the Carnivore Disscetion videos out of Minnesota. Colorado state had a cool website too but I think you have to pay for it now? Maybe not something you’d use as much as a first year, but I use the Plumbs app all the time and it’s free while your in vet school. Also get a free VIN student account for those aforementioned anatomy resources.

My school is all about iPads and Notability is life when it comes to note taking. If your school is really into iPads too, you can take one into the anatomy lab by buying gallon zip-loc bags and putting your ipad in them. Works like a charm. Don’t buy expensive scrubs/shoes for anatomy. Highly recommend something with traction once you get into LA dissection.
 
I'd probably buy some coveralls if your school doesn't supply them. I have started wearing mine instead of a lab coat for anatomy because I prefer them. Plus for large animal work having coveralls is always nice.

I LOVED CSU Anatomy of the Dog, totally worth the $40 IMO. I often used a combo of that and the VIN anatomy for studying.

Also agree on VIN, it's an incredible resource. I often just peruse it during class and reading through cases really helps solidify concepts we are learning.
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
I'd probably buy some coveralls if your school doesn't supply them. I have started wearing mine instead of a lab coat for anatomy because I prefer them. Plus for large animal work having coveralls is always nice.

I LOVED CSU Anatomy of the Dog, totally worth the $40 IMO. I often used a combo of that and the VIN anatomy for studying.

Also agree on VIN, it's an incredible resource. I often just peruse it during class and reading through cases really helps solidify concepts we are learning.
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This is an amazing resource and I recommend it to every single student.
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
I'd probably buy some coveralls if your school doesn't supply them.
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Adding to this—some schools have a specific color/style coverall you have to wear on rotation during 4th year, so I’d advise that you wait on buying them until you know.

ETA: Same with scrubs
 
johnnaboo said:
Some schools also have Littman stethoscope sales for first years during the first few weeks of classes.

You will need barn boots for sure!
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My school had a rep come in and the prices were more expensive than amazon. Only extra thing is you got a cd of heart sounds I think and an extra set of ear tips.
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
I'd probably buy some coveralls if your school doesn't supply them. I have started wearing mine instead of a lab coat for anatomy because I prefer them. Plus for large animal work having coveralls is always nice.

I LOVED CSU Anatomy of the Dog, totally worth the $40 IMO. I often used a combo of that and the VIN anatomy for studying.

Also agree on VIN, it's an incredible resource. I often just peruse it during class and reading through cases really helps solidify concepts we are learning.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I paid $30 on it and have literally not paid for any other textbooks or anything since being in vet school. It is super helpful to waste less time in lab and study gross anatomy while not having to go into lab as frequently.

The UMN program is also helpful
 
You'll probably get a list of recommended supplies from your school at some point, so I would hold off on making any big purchases until you know for sure what you'll need. Definitely don't buy any textbooks until you find out from upperclassmen which ones are actually necessary, and you may be able to purchase them from upperclassmen for cheaper than elsewhere. For studying purposes, I know some people really like having a large whiteboard at home for writing/drawing things out! And you can never have too many highlighters and pens.

I don't know if TAMU has a dress code for lectures, but if so you might want to start stocking up on business casual attire (definitely check with current students on this one, we have a dress code but it's mainly "don't look like you just rolled out of bed/came from the gym," you're not expected to wear slacks and a blazer every day. I stocked up on dress pants before first year, barely wore them, and now I'm having to buy more for clinics because I've gained weight :laugh:).
 
ReptilesRCool said:
Hello,

i'm sure this has been asked before so feel free to link me to another thread answering it.

Either way, I was wondering what are some stand-out items that have helped you throughout your veterinary degree. They could be books, supplies, clothes, resources, etc.

So far i've been told a Littman Cardio III stethoscope, rubber boots for large animal classes, waterproof watch, and scrubs to get dirty in. I've also been told about Glass Dog, but haven't looked much into it yet.
Click to expand...

At TAMU we get free stethoscopes first year from the TVMF!

rubber boots for LA anatomy, 2 lab coats (one for anatomy, one clean one for other labs), work boots (like ariat or similar) if you don’t want to wear rubber boots to do labs with live large animals, we do have a dress code for lectures so business casual clothes, scrubs if you don’t have any to wear to anatomy/other labs, small/pocket calculator with no graphing functions. You’ll need a non-smart watch for labs- it can be digital or analog. I would hold off on any books because you can find out from the 2VMs which books to actually buy. They put some on the list you won’t use. There will be a supply list go out this summer for everything you need but those are just random things i’ve thought of that may or may not be on there!
 
dract said:
At TAMU we get free stethoscopes first year from the TVMF!

rubber boots for LA anatomy, 2 lab coats (one for anatomy, one clean one for other labs), work boots (like ariat or similar) if you don’t want to wear rubber boots to do labs with live large animals, we do have a dress code for lectures so business casual clothes, scrubs if you don’t have any to wear to anatomy/other labs, small/pocket calculator with no graphing functions. You’ll need a non-smart watch for labs- it can be digital or analog. I would hold off on any books because you can find out from the 2VMs which books to actually buy. They put some on the list you won’t use. There will be a supply list go out this summer for everything you need but those are just random things i’ve thought of that may or may not be on there!
Click to expand...

SkiOtter said:
And cheap or old ones that you don’t care about. Mine smell like formaldehyde and they get washed every time after I wear them to lab. Don’t wear your nice or expensive scrubs to lab.
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This still fascinates me. No one here wears scrubs to anatomy lab. though I guess it makes sense if you're forced to wear nice clothes everyday.
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
Yep!
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I started doing that and boots for LA, cause we didn't rotate dissecting for LA like SA (SA we had a schedule of who did what), and for LA I only dissected like... twice. But I did scrubs and a lab coat usually in SA cause otherwise I felt like I smelled like lab all day after :laugh:
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
This still fascinates me. No one here wears scrubs to anatomy lab. though I guess it makes sense if you're forced to wear nice clothes everyday.
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Lol we’re not forced to wear nice clothes. I just prefer my regular clothes not smell like formalin. Even if I get nothing on me, the smell just stays
 
This is going to sound silly, but if you have a cat, an automatic litter box. One of my classmates has one she only needs to clean once a month, which makes her and her kitty very happy. ...There isn't a whole lot of time to keep up with cleaning...
 
SkiOtter said:
Lol we’re not forced to wear nice clothes. I just prefer my regular clothes not smell like formalin. Even if I get nothing on me, the smell just stays
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That was directed at the person saying they wear business clothes everyday
 
Caiter92 said:
I started doing that and boots for LA, cause we didn't rotate dissecting for LA like SA (SA we had a schedule of who did what), and for LA I only dissected like... twice. But I did scrubs and a lab coat usually in SA cause otherwise I felt like I smelled like lab all day after :laugh:
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I don't notice a smell unless I forget to pull my sleeves back and they stick out fro my lab coat or something. We have gross anatomy three days a week so no one is changing for that lol. The lab coats work well! We also have a nice ventilation system too tho so idk
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
That was directed at the person saying they wear business clothes everyday
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And I was saying even if you don’t have to wear nice clothes every day, still a solid plan to wear scrubs for anatomy. More people than just OP are going to be reading this thread for general suggestions.
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
I don't notice a smell unless I forget to pull my sleeves back and they stick out fro my lab coat or something. We have gross anatomy three days a week so no one is changing for that lol. The lab coats work well! We also have a nice ventilation system too tho so idk
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You might not notice the smell anymore, but everyone else does lolol. Trust me, its crazy how much you start to smell it again after you aren’t in the anatomy lab anymore. Everyone here changes. Interesting the trends at different schools.
 
mmmdreamerz said:
You might not notice the smell anymore, but everyone else does lolol. Trust me, its crazy how much you start to smell it again after you aren’t in the anatomy lab anymore. Everyone here changes. Interesting the trends at different schools.
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Yeah everyone here either changes during lunch before lab or just puts on scrubs in the morning instead (what I do because I’m too lazy to change at lunch). The few times we’ve had to have lab in the morning you could definitely smell it in the lecture hall the rest of the day. :barf:
 
mmmdreamerz said:
You might not notice the smell anymore, but everyone else does lolol. Trust me, its crazy how much you start to smell it again after you aren’t in the anatomy lab anymore. Everyone here changes. Interesting the trends at different schools.
Click to expand...
This just made me think back to when I did goat repro research in undergrad. I would spend hours each day hands-on with alpine bucks during breeding season. Then I would leave the farm and ride the campus bus packed with other students. Oh god... I’m so sorry
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
This still fascinates me. No one here wears scrubs to anatomy lab. though I guess it makes sense if you're forced to wear nice clothes everyday.
Click to expand...
My class definitely slacked off after the first few weeks and a lot of people just wore lab coats or didn't change at all, lol. Especially second semester I would just sit off to the side and read the dissection guide, so I wouldn't get dirty at all. I think the classes below me mostly change into scrubs, because both a girl in c/o 2021 and a professor are severely allergic to formalin, so they can't really be around people wearing clothes that have been in anatomy lab. (The student had to wear a respirator for anatomy lab, I felt really bad for her. She didn't know she was allergic before starting vet school)
 
mmmdreamerz said:
You might not notice the smell anymore, but everyone else does lolol. Trust me, its crazy how much you start to smell it again after you aren’t in the anatomy lab anymore. Everyone here changes. Interesting the trends at different schools.
Click to expand...
Um no, I don't smell. I've asked my partner and other people. He can't smell it. No one here changes and I can't smell it. And I have a very sensitive nose.

After anatomy in undergrad I always smelled the rest of the day but that's not the case here. Idk if it has to do with the ventilation system or what, but it's the truth
 
Not mentioned items necessary for vet school:
  • Snacks
  • A good pillow (you’re not going to be able to sleep much so make the sleep you get as great as possible)
  • Comfortable sweatpants (either for when you get out of school or days where you’re so exhausted you wear sweatpants to class)
  • Snacks
  • Multiple device chargers (at least two). I have an iPad charger for my backpack, for my living room, bedroom, and office... mostly because it’s the one day you forget your charger that your laptop dies on you.
  • A comfortable baseball cap- daily washing of the hair is a great idea but unrealistic
  • Kleenex- either because you’re going to get sick or you’re going to need to cry... or both
  • Snacks
  • Something that makes you smile. My friend wears corgi shirts/ sweaters/ shoes on exam days. I wear silly shirts (my favorite says “don’t be happy worry”)
  • More snacks
  • A Costco sized container of your favorite caffeine source (mine is Dr Pepper)
That’s what I have for now.

someone send me snacks pls
 
cdoconn said:
Not mentioned items necessary for vet school:
  • Comfortable sweatpants (either for when you get out of school or days where you’re so exhausted you wear sweatpants to class)
That’s what I have for now.
Click to expand...
Or when you just want to wear sweats. I have not put a pair of jeans on this week!
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
This still fascinates me. No one here wears scrubs to anatomy lab. though I guess it makes sense if you're forced to wear nice clothes everyday.
Click to expand...

Caiter92 said:
Do you guys just wear lab coats?
Click to expand...

I stopped changing. I wore my real clothes in cause I'm 1) lazy and 2) was going home afterwards anyways. Granted, I also didn't have the issue of it seeping into one set of clothes, so I didn't end up throwing anything away.

My item of advice: planner. I didn't use a planner for anything before vet school. I now use a planner from etsy (Ruskerville) because I'm far too involved not to. Also, for fun books.
 
Caiter92 said:
I live in yoga pants these days. If I put on jeans I’m being “fancy” :laugh:
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I feel personally attacked. (I wore yoga pants today lol)
batsenecal said:
I stopped changing. I wore my real clothes in cause I'm 1) lazy and 2) was going home afterwards anyways. Granted, I also didn't have the issue of it seeping into one set of clothes, so I didn't end up throwing anything away.

My item of advice: planner. I didn't use a planner for anything before vet school. I now use a planner from etsy (Ruskerville) because I'm far too involved not to. Also, for fun books.
Click to expand...
We have gross anatomy in the morning. Just using a white coat and gloves works well for everyone. Ill prob toss the white coat at the end of the year. There are some people who wear shorts and I find that sus lol

Totally agree on the planner! I have a moleskin one and love it (second time I have had it). Small enough to fit in your pocket and has an extra page for every week to add random crap that pops into your head.
 
batsenecal said:
Straight up would be kicked out of anatomy lab here. Gotta have full length pants and closed toed shoes. Oddly enough, I never got yelled at for tanks though.
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I'm surprised they haven't been tbh.

Just a tank top without a white coat? Both are equally sus to me 😛 No way I want bare arms in there haha
 
ziggyandjazzy said:
Just a tank top without a white coat? Both are equally sus to me 😛 No way I want bare arms in there haha
Click to expand...

I'm just way too lazy, and I hate sleeves and, even more so, collars on shirts. Lol. We have our blue coats, but we also need those for clinical rotations, so I try not to use it for anything else. My mom conveniently found my chem lab coat last summer, so that's what I used for bacti lab this year.
 
cdoconn said:
Not mentioned items necessary for vet school:
  • Snacks
  • A good pillow (you’re not going to be able to sleep much so make the sleep you get as great as possible)
  • Comfortable sweatpants (either for when you get out of school or days where you’re so exhausted you wear sweatpants to class)
  • Snacks
  • Multiple device chargers (at least two). I have an iPad charger for my backpack, for my living room, bedroom, and office... mostly because it’s the one day you forget your charger that your laptop dies on you.
  • A comfortable baseball cap- daily washing of the hair is a great idea but unrealistic
  • Kleenex- either because you’re going to get sick or you’re going to need to cry... or both
  • Snacks
  • Something that makes you smile. My friend wears corgi shirts/ sweaters/ shoes on exam days. I wear silly shirts (my favorite says “don’t be happy worry”)
  • More snacks
  • A Costco sized container of your favorite caffeine source (mine is Dr Pepper)
That’s what I have for now.

someone send me snacks pls
Click to expand...
okay but 16 of y’all are liking this but not sending me snacks. 😢
 
ajs513 said:
Can we start, like, a trust fund for vet students to buy non-essential food? Donation funded and need-based, obviously. Maybe a commercial to spread the word that’s in the style of a Sarah McLachlan commercial.
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Where tf are we gonna get donations from and who DOESNT qualify as needing. We’re vet students. We’re poor and hungry.
 
Stock up on meds (headaches, melatonin, antihistamines, cold meds, etc) and stuff you want when you’re sick (ramen packs, cough drops, etc) because the worst thing ever is getting sick with the vet school plague and having to go out and get stuff to take care of yourself.
 
ajs513 said:
Idk, but the commercial is going to ask people for $1 a day, less than two cups of coffee a week, to sponsor a needy vet student (aka every vet student).
Click to expand...
Our class literally made a skit video of this as one of the promotional skits for our social lol. With "Arms of an Angel" playing in the background, and one of the office people playing Sarah Mclachlan. It was golden.
 
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