16 July 2015

2015 Update: one year later

Yesterday marks the anniversary of when I should have graduated and walked across a stage. I've only done it once in my life (high school graduation). It wasn't a stage, but my family and friends were there to cheer me on. I'm not quite as sad as I thought I would be a year out from missing out on what would have been a wonderful and momentous occasion in my life. But then, I'm too busy to dwell on that shit.

Turns out, I didn't get a residency as I had hoped. February came and went, the match was published, and I frantically applied to the few remaining internships unsuccessfully. March went by, I played with cute and not so cute foals and experienced a very busy (cracked-out, as I like to say) end of the NY foaling season in April. By May, I was a bit distraught; I had applied to about 15 jobs or internships with either no response, a polite "thanks but no thanks", or "we're still reviewing applicants". I managed to send out one last application with the thought that if I didn't get this one, I'd move home and chill out for a month while applying for jobs.

Turns out, I got the internship. Which is where I'm posting from; I ended up at University of Missouri as a surgery and medicine intern in the equine hospital. It's hot, the move was a bitch, but I'm so much less stressed out than I have been in years.

Also, turns out I like being called Dr. Wahlberg.

And so, I continue in my quest to attain a surgery residency. I'll let you know how it pans out.

PS: congratulations RVC class of 2015!! And to the ones who missed it by just that much? Well, a year out and I only noticed what day it was because of the Facebook posts.

13 January 2015

Long time, no post.

So after many months of debating whether I should post an update, I decided: hey, why not. I'm sitting doing nothing on overnights and I've got time to kill before rounds.

September came and went, and I finally achieved a childhood dream: I earned my degree in veterinary medicine. Yes, it wasn't the traditional way and it caused me a lot of grief and self-doubt, but in the end I believe that it made me a stronger individual. I'm better at rolling with the punches and at receiving criticism.

I'm now over 6 months into my internship and I'm still mostly enjoying myself. Winter in upstate NY is rough (it's currently 7 degrees F) but so far hasn't been too bad. Foaling season has started off with a bang and a fizzle, but that's the way life goes.

I applied for equine surgery residencies, and I'll find out about those at the beginning of February. Fingers crossed I get something. I really like UC Davis and enjoyed my visit there, so here's hoping they liked me too!

Anyway, that's my life right now. Can't say that I have much to complain about, and it could be a lot worse.