Sigh. back to school blues.

So today we moved in some of my stuff, heading back home tomorrow, then back Saturday for the final move. I have that overwhelming feeling of responsibility falling over me again. eh. I guess I'll get back in the groove, it's just a bummer that summer is over.

I thought I wasn't very detailed last year with what exactly we were doing in school-so here is a list of subjects we'll be covering this upcoming quarter:

General Pathology w/lab
Genetics
Immunobiology w/lab
Toxicology
Pharmacology
Path 'discussion' and electives-
I am taking fish medicine and surgery. interesting, eh?

then next quarter we go through rotations-a different one each week. I'm really hoping to get dentistry and exotics-but I have to just take what I get.

2nd year...yeeikes.

so, I had an incredibly busy summer as a tech assistant at a Cat Hospital. It was wonderful, I got to draw lots of blood, assist during echo cardiograms and ultrasounds, give enemas (woo!) talk to owners about their cats and I even successfully drew urine by cystocentesis! I learned a LOT about stress-free restraint and feline specific handling.....and Ultimately, I learned what life was like for a feline only vet at a day practice in the city, and I loved it. I definitely see myself forming relationships with owners and seeing their pets for the entirety of their lives. I'm sad to leave that place, and my life with a job, and return to school, but I gots to do what I gots to do.

oh-I met my 'little sib'. The school has a program where as a 2nd year you can volunteer to be a mentor to an incoming 1st year that they pair you up with based on experiences and interests..Mine was really cool! she's a second career person also-and was so excited to be going into vet med. I am excited to hear about her 1st year experiences and hope to help her as much as my big sib helped me.

The big move is this week-we're heading down this weekend to my lovely graduate housing apartment in the woods. I can't believe the summer is over already. gah.

It's been so long....

Woah, it has been a very, VERY intense and long past 6 months. I apologize for not posting since Spring Break, and even then, I didn't post anything of interest.

So, I made it through the first year of veterinary school. All the studying kept my free time completely full, but I did it and am now considered a second year. It was a whirlwind of quizzes, exams, lab practicals, study groups and lots of extra time spent in the anatomy lab.

Something important I did this last semester that I really think helped my health and studying was working out regularly.....the university has a fantastic gym system and as a student I just *had* to take advantage of it...I really think that it helped me maintain my brain power, and just 'get away' from studying for a while and focus on something entirely different. It was helpful-AND i got fit to boot! So-for those of you going to grad school-especially later in life-make time for exercise!

I have already started looking at what our syllabus for next year looks like, and I am scared! At least in the first year there was elaboration on subjects I already had under my belt-but next year...all pathology and bacteria and virology all the time. yeeikes. i'm going to have to seriously plug my brain onto an external hard drive....

I am back home for the summer, and was able to land a perfect job at the perfect clinic-a feline only hospital. I am constantly surprised by how nice and knowledgeable everyone is, and willing to train me.

anyway, that is all for now! I made it! wooooooot!

p.s....

sorry for not posting more, it has been insanely busy and this curriculum is pretty much jam packed-but i promise i will post some more soon. spring break is coming!

woot!

I just aced a palpation exam! these are the moments where I truly feel like I am in the right place................. :D

sorry it's been so long!

Hellooooo world...I'm sorry it's been a while.

Our schedule leaves little time for much more than studying between Thanksgiving and the end of the semester. After two last weeks of class we had a quiz (or a 'quest' as I like to call it since it is definitely more like a test) followed by entire week of finals. The tests consisted of a palpation exam on the resident horses, and a lab exam consisting of identifying histology slides and anatomical parts on our specimens (those were the parts I rocked...) then a study day, then a day of multiple choice questions and a day of the integrative portion. These were far more challenging, and the integrative part puts everything over the last 8 weeks together into clinical correlations. This way of testing us is great, but very difficult to prepare for. There was a lot to cram into my brain, but I made it through and need to plow on through next semester, maintaining as much info as possible. Overall, I'm very happy I made it through this first semester unscathed.

Holiday break is about a month. This past two weeks we’ve visited with friends and family (you know who you are) and now I have 2 more weeks of freedom before 2nd semester starts. During this time, I will be chillaxing, volunteering, and prepping a resume to drop off at clinics for summer work.

I'll also be preemptively reading ahead in my anatomy and physiology books. It may sound like it's because I'm a hard core studier, but really it's because I enjoy it. Is that so wrong??

Phew a *BREAK*?

Well, the last month has been incredibly tough. Classes are crammed into one main subject of 'structure and function' which is a combo of histology, physiology, neurobiology, anatomy (with a lab) and some clinical correlations. It is a ton of information which requires a ton of study time, so far i'm doing fine but i have definitely been putting a lot of time into studying, and i even still think i can study 'smarter not harder'....
The good thing is thanksigiving break is starting up and there will be some time to relax and not think about the vet med world but i'm sure i still will do some studying. i'm just a big nerd that way....