Suggestions on items to prepare for first year?

[cdo96]

This seems random, but do any of you struggle with posture? The chair comment made me think about my back pain, and I can’t imagine it getting better with veterinary school. Didn’t know if you all would have any suggestions before I become the hunchback of notre dame

Me: I have great posture, do I struggle with this?

Also me, literally at this exact moment:

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[rimfree]

Seconded. Pilates/yoga helps my back a lot.

I always hear “reserve one hour a day in vet school dedicated to one thing that’s for you”

Do you guys consider working out, to be that for you? Or do you make time for working out or and something you enjoy each day?

 

[cdo96]

I always hear “reserve one hour a day in vet school dedicated to one thing that’s for you”

Do you guys consider working out, to be that for you? Or do you make time for working out or and something you enjoy each day?

an hour to work out daily????

uh yeah I don’t do that.

I wouldn’t necessarily say I regularly take an hour to myself daily but I’m not a pinnacle of mental health in vet school

 

[SkiOtter]

I always hear “reserve one hour a day in vet school dedicated to one thing that’s for you”

Do you guys consider working out, to be that for you? Or do you make time for working out or and something you enjoy each day?

If you enjoy working out or doing yoga and it’s not something you have to force yourself to do, I don’t see why you can’t count it as your “one thing”
If it becomes a chore to do, that’s when it’s no longer your one thing for you.

 

[rimfree]

If you enjoy working out or doing yoga and it’s not something you have to force yourself to do, I don’t see why you can’t count it as your “one thing”
If it becomes a chore to do, that’s when it’s no longer your one thing for you.

Yeah, it’s not my one thing, but I do understand how significant it is. It would be simple if the things I enjoyed most benefited me this way, or any way for that matter

 

[SkiOtter]

Yeah, it’s not my one thing, but I do understand how significant it is. It would be simple if the things I enjoyed most benefited me this way, or any way for that matter

Yeah definitely is not my one thing that I enjoy
I try to do half an hour a day but I am also very terrible at sticking to that

 

[Cephal0pod]

I always hear “reserve one hour a day in vet school dedicated to one thing that’s for you”

Do you guys consider working out, to be that for you? Or do you make time for working out or and something you enjoy each day?

Good question. It definitely falls under the category of something “for me” in the sense that I consider it part of taking care of myself/keeping myself sane/trying to stave off becoming a squishy potato both physically and mentally.

But - taking some time to turn my brain off and just vege out for a bit can also be helpful for me.

Yoga/Pilates is also not something I spend an hour a day doing most of the time. More often than not, it’s about 20 minutes a day, and sometimes that is broken up into multiple chunks of a few minutes.

 

[vetmedhead]

I like to keep it variable. Sometimes I'll exercise, sometimes I'll dance, sometimes I'll just lay in bed and listen to an album I've been meaning to get to for a while. I think we need different things for a balanced self-care routine so I try to rotate through things.

I love musicals and plays, so I buy tickets to shows at the local theater every once in a while. I've been reading a lot this semester because I largely stopped with college/vet school and I missed doing it.

I think it depends on what you like, and you don't need to have any one thing that is for your "you" time

 

[vetmedhead]

Another suggestion, if working out isn't your favorite thing ever, is to see if you can join some IM teams with your classmates. Typically a lot of fun and a good way to blow off some steam without feeling like you're just grinding it out exercising

 

[vetmedhead]

I’m already saving tons of yoga for this very reason core muscles are definitely the most important part. What are the donut things? I love any kind of donut

They're just little seat cushions, typically advertised as seat cushions for back pain. I call them donuts because they remind me of the medical ones for hemorrhoids lol

 

[danseth]

I’ve never done chiropractic adjustments, but I tried massage before and it helped. I just know I can’t afford that regularly in vet school considering I’ve only afforded it like once now

I'm literally in the same boat regarding massages. I've been intending to get a massage from the rec center (they're so much cheaper at the CSU Rec than at any massage place around here) but I haven't wanted to shell out the $45 to get an hour long massage.

 

[spottedfeatherik]

A 4.0. If you can't hack that, you might as well just give up.

In all seriousness, this is one of those popular questions that are actually kind of dumb. Do the best you can and the rest will fall in place. If you do your best and fall short, there isn't much you can do other than work hard to keep yourself competitive. No need to stress over not meeting a random nebulous gpa goal that isn't even real. If you're planning on "skating by" with a respectable gpa and not do more, you'll soon learn it doesn't work that way.

Oh goodness for a moment I thought your first sentence was 100% The Real Truth and not sarcasm, my heart just stopped

Thanks for saying this though, it's something good to keep in mind!

 

[Pague]

I'm sitting here catching up on all these posts about posture... 4 months ago I fractured my spine and now I have (and am maintaining) the best posture ever, but 10/10 would not recommend this method to achieve these results haha xp

 

[rimfree]

I'm sitting here catching up on all these posts about posture... 4 months ago I fractured my spine and now I have (and am maintaining) the best posture ever, but 10/10 would not recommend this method to achieve these results haha xp

...are you sure it’s not worth it?
Haha, I’m glad there is a silver lining to that and you’re healing well!

 

[ajs513]

I'm sitting here catching up on all these posts about posture... 4 months ago I fractured my spine and now I have (and am maintaining) the best posture ever, but 10/10 would not recommend this method to achieve these results haha xp

I don’t know, it sounds pretty worth it

 

[Pague]

...are you sure it’s not worth it?
Haha, I’m glad there is a silver lining to that and you’re healing well!

Haha thanks! I got super lucky so hopefully it keeps going well from here!

I don’t know, it sounds pretty worth it

And I mean, the end results might be kinda worth it but everything leading up to that I still can't really suggest doing haha

 

[awesomenessity]

Re: posture, if you want to take a page from the equestrian world you could invest in one of these: ShouldersBack Lite ™ - Equifit

My dad basically made me live in one as a kid cause I had horrible posture

 

[vetmedhead]

Re: posture, if you want to take a page from the equestrian world you could invest in one of these: ShouldersBack Lite ™ - Equifit

My dad basically made me live in one as a kid cause I had horrible posture

What do the front of these look like? Would they compress the life out of boobs?

 

[awesomenessity]

What do the front of these look like? Would they compress the life out of boobs?

They're entirely open in the front, it's kind of like a backwards bra. The straps are basically just a velcro loop that goes around each shoulder, then there's a strap around your ribcage under your boobs. They aren't terribly comfy (at least the one I had wasn't... but that was years ago!) but they do work!

EDIT: I found a picture: https://www.sstack.com/resources/sstack/images/products/processed/31478.c.zoom.jpg

 

[vetmedhead]

They're entirely open in the front, it's kind of like a backwards bra. The straps are basically just a velcro loop that goes around each shoulder, then there's a strap around your ribcage under your boobs. They aren't terribly comfy (at least the one I had wasn't... but that was years ago!) but they do work!

EDIT: I found a picture: https://www.sstack.com/resources/sstack/images/products/processed/31478.c.zoom.jpg

This looks much more survivable than the Boob Iron Maiden I was imagining

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I think I will buy that when I start getting a paycheque again in the summer. Would be helpful for riding AND school.

 

[Squeaksmom]

Re: posture, if you want to take a page from the equestrian world you could invest in one of these: ShouldersBack Lite ™ - Equifit

My dad basically made me live in one as a kid cause I had horrible posture

I had a coach who used to threaten to buy me one....

 

[awesomenessity]

I had a coach who used to threaten to buy me one....

Haha I spent my entire childhood either getting prodded between the shoulder blades or getting yelled at put my harness on... But damn if I didn't have the best posture in my National walk/trot class Thanks Dad!

 

[SkiOtter]

I just got a dowel rod stuck behind my back/in front of my elbows

 

[Stroganoff]

This seems random, but do any of you struggle with posture? The chair comment made me think about my back pain, and I can’t imagine it getting better with veterinary school. Didn’t know if you all would have any suggestions before I become the hunchback of notre dame

I recently bought a bookstand from like Staples (link: https://www.staples.com/Staples-BookLift-Copyholder-88980/product_515621 for ~$12) that theoretically can handle textbooks, so the idea is instead of the textbook flat on a desk or table and bending one's neck for hours at a time day after day, it adjusts the tilt angle so the book comes to your eyes instead of vice versa.

It's cheap, plastic, and portable, and I'm sure there's better models out there, but it's one thing that only in hindsight I wish I had bought for myself, even in undergrad. Better late than never. [Edit: I cannot yet vouch for the quality of this bookstand... it's flimsy to be honest, but it's better than nothing.]

Correct posture and ergonomics while sitting in class, driving, and sitting at a computer are gigantic subjects that can't really fit into one post. Like, laptops are lose-lose for posture, since if you have the laptop keyboard properly low enough to type on with correct ergonomics for your wrists/arms/shoulders/etc, then the screen is much too low for your eyes/neck. But if you use a laptop stand (which everyone here should buy for home use!) the screen is elevated enough so it's eye level, but the keyboard is then far away from you. Best is to plug a laptop into a separate monitor and separate keyboard/mouse when using it at home. And use a laptop stand too.

So at the very least for computer use at home, any poor student should probably invest in at least a laptop stand ($30-50ish), external monitor (even an old one lying around), and separate keyboard/mouse (even cheap ones), something like this:

All of those investments are cheaper than even one MRI (usually) +/- months of physical therapy. Promise! At least that's how I can sell the idea to young whippersnappers here to give a darn.

Next step up -- and I think WTFrequency sold me on the idea -- is to get a thingy (what's it called?) that's the poor person's sit-stand desk:

There's cheapass sit-stand desks for $200-300, but I kinda wanna invest in a nice American made one that's like 6 feet wide at least, and the ones I want are close to $1000+ so currently not in the cards.

Edited to Add: I recently bought some PT books by Robin McKenzie (e.g. Treat Your Own Back, Treat Your Own Neck, etc.), allegedly some famous DPT dude from New Zealand who's known for his technique ("McKenzie Method") of physical therapy. I'm skimming the books (and this is obviously not medical advice!) but apparently a lot of the thoracic and cervical spine support depends on having good lumbar support first (when sitting), so either an office chair that has really fancy lumbar support (and these can get expensive) or buy a lumbar cushion for use at home or even when driving:

Note: These are random images from the Internetz and aren't necessarily the "best."

I feel like these are all things you see old people in their 60s buy, but why the heck not learn and practice good posture in one's 20s and 30s before degeneration and arthritis and other issues screw us all over.

 

[tinynest]

How do professors feel about students occasionally standing during lectures? I’m sure there’s no universal answer, but I do get back pain when I sit for extended periods of time and it feels better when I take breaks from sitting.

 

[awesomenessity]

How do professors feel about students occasionally standing during lectures? I’m sure there’s no universal answer, but I do get back pain when I sit for extended periods of time and it feels better when I take breaks from sitting.

We have standing desks in almost all our classrooms, and the profs don't mind people using them at all. So I think you'd be okay, but depends on the set up of your classroom/lecture hall and how distracting it would be for the prof.

 

[Cephal0pod]

How do professors feel about students occasionally standing during lectures? I’m sure there’s no universal answer, but I do get back pain when I sit for extended periods of time and it feels better when I take breaks from sitting.

Our lecture halls aren’t really set up in a way that would be conducive to standing during lectures without it being at least somewhat disruptive. We do have 50min lecture periods with a 10 minute break between each, though, so there are some built-in opportunities to get up and stretch your legs/back.

 

[that redhead]

How do professors feel about students occasionally standing during lectures? I’m sure there’s no universal answer, but I do get back pain when I sit for extended periods of time and it feels better when I take breaks from sitting.

The first three years of vet schools is a whole bunch of sitting, and then in fourth year you can't find a minute to sit down to save your life. Maybe sit in the back if you need to take stretch breaks more frequently than the duration of the classes. In our lecture halls it would have been disruptive/distracting.

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

I recently bought a bookstand from like Staples (link: https://www.staples.com/Staples-BookLift-Copyholder-88980/product_515621 for ~$12) that theoretically can handle textbooks, so the idea is instead of the textbook flat on a desk or table and bending one's neck for hours at a time day after day, it adjusts the tilt angle so the book comes to your eyes instead of vice versa.

It's cheap, plastic, and portable, and I'm sure there's better models out there, but it's one thing that only in hindsight I wish I had bought for myself, even in undergrad. Better late than never. [Edit: I cannot yet vouch for the quality of this bookstand... it's flimsy to be honest, but it's better than nothing.]

Correct posture and ergonomics while sitting in class, driving, and sitting at a computer are gigantic subjects that can't really fit into one post. Like, laptops are lose-lose for posture, since if you have the laptop keyboard properly low enough to type on with correct ergonomics for your wrists/arms/shoulders/etc, then the screen is much too low for your eyes/neck. But if you use a laptop stand (which everyone here should buy for home use!) the screen is elevated enough so it's eye level, but the keyboard is then far away from you. Best is to plug a laptop into a separate monitor and separate keyboard/mouse when using it at home. And use a laptop stand too.

So at the very least for computer use at home, any poor student should probably invest in at least a laptop stand ($30-50ish), external monitor (even an old one lying around), and separate keyboard/mouse (even cheap ones), something like this:

All of those investments are cheaper than even one MRI (usually) +/- months of physical therapy. Promise! At least that's how I can sell the idea to young whippersnappers here to give a darn.

Next step up -- and I think WTFrequency sold me on the idea -- is to get a thingy (what's it called?) that's the poor person's sit-stand desk:

There's cheapass sit-stand desks for $200-300, but I kinda wanna invest in a nice American made one that's like 6 feet wide at least, and the ones I want are close to $1000+ so currently not in the cards.

Edited to Add: I recently bought some PT books by Robin McKenzie (e.g. Treat Your Own Back, Treat Your Own Neck, etc.), allegedly some famous DPT dude from New Zealand who's known for his technique ("McKenzie Method") of physical therapy. I'm skimming the books (and this is obviously not medical advice!) but apparently a lot of the thoracic and cervical spine support depends on having good lumbar support first (when sitting), so either an office chair that has really fancy lumbar support (and these can get expensive) or buy a lumbar cushion for use at home or even when driving:

Note: These are random images from the Internetz and aren't necessarily the "best."

I feel like these are all things you see old people in their 60s buy, but why the heck not learn and practice good posture in one's 20s and 30s before degeneration and arthritis and other issues screw us all over.

These are all really good reminders that I actually need to make my desk ergo because my back is killing me

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

How do professors feel about students occasionally standing during lectures? I’m sure there’s no universal answer, but I do get back pain when I sit for extended periods of time and it feels better when I take breaks from sitting.

My school has standing desks at the back. Any given day there are at least 5 people standing during lectures. So I would say it depends on the school and the lecture hall set up!

 

[battie]

How do professors feel about students occasionally standing during lectures? I’m sure there’s no universal answer, but I do get back pain when I sit for extended periods of time and it feels better when I take breaks from sitting.

You wouldn't be able to do this in our first or third year classroom. You could in the second year classroom, but only if you sat in our random "floating" rows that have normal chairs.

 

[ERDVM2023]

Just wondering, what are some good planner brands you guys are planning on getting for vet school? With such a different schedule every day I can't decide if I want one with an hourly layout or not. Thoughts?

 

[SkiOtter]

Just wondering, what are some good planner brands you guys are planning on getting for vet school? With such a different schedule every day I can't decide if I want one with an hourly layout or not. Thoughts?

@cdoconn

 

[FutureFelineVet]

Just wondering, what are some good planner brands you guys are planning on getting for vet school? With such a different schedule every day I can't decide if I want one with an hourly layout or not. Thoughts?

So just getting ready to start school next month but I have had kind of a planner obsession the last few years haha. Plum Paper and Passion Planner are my favorites. For vet school I decided to go with Passion Planner because I like the hourly layout (and that each week is the whole weekly view with hourly layouts for every day) because it allows me to easily visualize time periods that are busy vs free (so I can easily pinpoint times where I can schedule studying, activities, etc.). Plum Paper is great too because it’s super customizable (both inside and the cover) and there’s multiple layouts to choose from. Their paper is honestly my favorite to write on too—great quality.

 

[VetPathLife]

This thread has been definitely helpful, especially all of the posture and back support info.

To kind of bounce of that, have any of y'all current/graduated vet students had spinal surgery prior or during vet school? I'm undergoing spinal fusion next month (I'll be recovered enough to drive and should hopefully to be cleared to lift things under 50 or so lbs again before school starts in August). But was wondering if there are any hints, tips, or advice from anyone who may have went/is going through the same situation?

With that, when dealing with LA, would schools be willing to work with me with that? I won't be fully recovered until one year post op, then I'll hopefully be able to go back to lifting over 50 lbs again. But until I'm fully cleared for lifting heavy animals, would there be help?

 

[SkiOtter]

This thread has been definitely helpful, especially all of the posture and back support info.

To kind of bounce of that, have any of y'all current/graduated vet students had spinal surgery prior or during vet school? I'm undergoing spinal fusion next month (I'll be recovered enough to drive and should hopefully to be cleared to lift things under 50 or so lbs again before school starts in August). But was wondering if there are any hints, tips, or advice from anyone who may have went/is going through the same situation?

With that, when dealing with LA, would schools be willing to work with me with that? I won't be fully recovered until one year post op, then I'll hopefully be able to go back to lifting over 50 lbs again. But until I'm fully cleared for lifting heavy animals, would there be help?

Someone who doesn’t come on here ever anymore had surgery prior to vet school (I think a few years prior) and also had a second surgery during spring break of his first year, but I don’t think his second one was a fusion.

And most any school should be understanding of a weight restriction, I would think, especially if you document it with the school from the beginning.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing something because of your back, SAY SOMETHING. Don’t risk ****ing up your back further by doing something your back shouldn’t be doing because it’s not worth it.

 

[battie]

Just wondering, what are some good planner brands you guys are planning on getting for vet school? With such a different schedule every day I can't decide if I want one with an hourly layout or not. Thoughts?

I live, breath, and die by RuskerVille planners on Etsy. I love my Rusker planner. It has the hourly times, to do list on the side.

 

[rimfree]

I live, breath, and die by RuskerVille planners on Etsy. I love my Rusker planner. It has the hourly times, to do list on the side.

Do you prefer the hand written planner? I’ve gotten so used to planning my life by outlook, but I know I’ll need more second by second planning with vet school. I just like reminders and paper planners cannot give that, but it might also help me keep everything in my brain that way too

 

[JaynaAli]

I know two residents who have had to have spinal surgery. If the school can accommodate a resident, I can't see it being an issue for a clinical-year student at all.

 

[iguessisaidthat]

Hopefully not a dumb question ... should I buy a stethoscope before school starts?

 

[SkiOtter]

Hopefully not a dumb question ... should I buy a stethoscope before school starts?

Partly depends on when you need one and also if your school has reps come in.
Some schools have reps come in and they might offer discounts or at least the chance to try them out beforehand to see which model you like best. My school only had littmann (so, just the one brand, not sure what other schools do) but I was able to try out a couple models and decided I only wanted the classic 3 for now vs a cardio 4 since it was like double the price. The ones they were selling weren’t really cheaper than on amazon, but we got an extra set of ear tips (they even found a second extra set of small tips for me since I have small ear canals apparently so I’d still have 2 sets that fit me) and I think a CD of heart sounds maybe? and one of those plastic stethoscope nametag things.

@Caiter92 @MixedAnimals77 PLS GIVE THOUGHTS SINCE WSU

 

[JaynaAli]

Hopefully not a dumb question ... should I buy a stethoscope before school starts?

Not a dumb question...it actually comes up multiple times a year. This was a fairly recent thread. I have a much longer post in that thread, but the short version is that I'm of the opinion to get a cheap one as a student and invest in a good one at graduation after you've had the chance to learn what you're listening for and try out other models.

Stethoscopes for Vet School

Hi Everyone, I don't mean repeat an old thread but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for a stethoscope for vet students? The most recent thread I found was 2015 so I was wondering if anyone had any updated advice for a make and model they loved for school. Thanks in advance!!

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[SkiOtter]

Not a dumb question...it actually comes up multiple times a year. This was a fairly recent thread. I have a much longer post in that thread, but the short version is that I'm of the opinion to get a cheap one as a student and invest in a good one at graduation after you've had the chance to learn what you're listening for and try out other models.

Stethoscopes for Vet School

Hi Everyone, I don't mean repeat an old thread but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for a stethoscope for vet students? The most recent thread I found was 2015 so I was wondering if anyone had any updated advice for a make and model they loved for school. Thanks in advance!!

forums.studentdoctor.net

Omg linking a forum thread GIVES A PREVIEW NOW

 

[battie]

Do you prefer the hand written planner? I’ve gotten so used to planning my life by outlook, but I know I’ll need more second by second planning with vet school. I just like reminders and paper planners cannot give that, but it might also help me keep everything in my brain that way too

I actually hate electronic planners of all kinds. I only have a Google calendar because it's the easiest way to manage our wildlife and emergency equine teams. Otherwise, I don't use any electronic planners. Let me see if I can post a picture of one of the days.

 

[battie]

@rimfree let me know if you can see the pic. This was today (obviously).

 

[rimfree]

@rimfree let me know if you can see the pic. This was today (obviously).

You look like you have your life together. I’ll become paper planner person if it’ll get my life together

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Hopefully not a dumb question ... should I buy a stethoscope before school starts?

Hey there, first year here. It's not required so it's totally up to you. Don't feel you need one.There will be plenty of classmates that have them and they have them for what few labs you'll need them for. Itll also give you the opportunity to try different ones out before spending the money. So you can totally get by for sure years 1&2 without one maybe year 3 I'm not sure. However I will say it was nice that I had one (I didnt buy it and it's a cheaper one) but for extracurricular trip things and I'm a herd health leader so having one for that is important. People and clinicians are always willing to let you barrow a stethescope when they're around though! You can always pm me with questions!

 

[WildZoo]

Just wondering, what are some good planner brands you guys are planning on getting for vet school? With such a different schedule every day I can't decide if I want one with an hourly layout or not. Thoughts?

I went with a bullet journal because my schedule is different every single day and it has served me well to have the flexibility to set the thing up myself. Saves some money too because you can use whatever notebook you want.

 

[battie]

You look like you have your life together. I’ll become paper planner person if it’ll get my life together

@SkiOtter liked that post cause she knows that it *looks* like I have my life together. It's a lie. Lol. The planner just prevents life from falling into complete anarchy.