What a week.

Last week was a tumultuous week for me.

I haven't posted it here, mostly because it was really depressing and partly because I didn't really want to say anything. I put my lovely little ginger man, Rory, to sleep on Monday. He started to get sick mid-way through October and as the weeks wore on, it was clear that he had FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis). My heart is a bit broken still, but I'm glad he's at rest. He was very ill towards the end and euthanasia was the kindest thing. I did stay with him until the end, because I couldn't stand leaving him. He knew my love in his last moments, and for that I'm forever grateful.

Tuesday was pretty rough; I was on rotation at Beaumont (small animal first opinion practice run by the RVC) and thankfully, everyone was very understanding. I managed to get through the day, get home, have a good cry over Rory's blanket, and sleep.

Wednesdays, it seems, have always been one of those days for me. I got my invitation to interview at RVC on a Wednesday, got a promotion at my old job on a Wednesday, and I got accepted to RVC on a Wednesday. This Wednesday, it seems, was no different. I woke up early, mostly because my body was still used to getting up early to fix Rory something to tempt him to eat. I took a glance at my phone and saw that I had an email from Dr W at Rood and Riddle offering me an internship position at the Saratoga NY practice.

Pretty much the second I read that I was awake. And freaking out. I think I said "holy sh*t, oh my God" about a dozen times over. Because this is exactly what I wanted. I loved my visit to Rood and Riddle last month, and was mentally praying that I would get a position there, either at the Lexington or Saratoga hospital (secretly hoping the Saratoga one, because it's closer to home and lots of friends).

So on the heels of great sadness came this amazing news that I am one step closer to realizing my goal to be an equine surgeon. It took me a few days to process this, and it still doesn't feel real. I'm still overwhelmingly sad over my loss of my sweet cat, but so happy and thrilled that I've got a plan set for after graduation.

My good friend S (from my rotation group) said that maybe this is Rory taking care of me because I took such good care of him. Silly, I know, but the sentiment was touching.

Anyway, that's been my last few weeks. Emotionally exhausting. Next up, I'm in Wales for two weeks with my rotation group, and I really couldn't be more excited. I'm very blessed to have a wonderful core rotation and sister rotation group, and we've got so many crazy and fun things planned for the next two weeks. And after the last few weeks, it will be a balm to be out of the house for a little bit.

If I don't update before I get back, I hope everyone has a wonderful and family-filled Thanksgiving!

PS: this is my 200th post! Cray cray.

KY Visit

I got back from KY this past Friday, and I have to say I had a great time. It was beautiful, warm, almost like a vacation. Even got to do some touristy stuff with a friend! It was amazing. Much better than my last visit to KY.

Oh, and the equine hospitals I visited were pretty awesome too. I saw lots of surgeries, which was nice after not seeing many while here in the UK. And if I'm offered an internship at either of the hospitals I visited, I think I'd probably accept with no qualms.

Of course, I really hope that I'll get time off to attend graduation, since they both start by the end of June.

Also, RP2 first draft is complete and sent off to my advisor! That's a big weight off my back. Now it's just the waiting game until she sends it back with edits. Hopefully it's not too many.

Last Day in the QMH

I have officially completed my last rotation in the QMHA.

Feels weird. And wonderful. And inextricably terrifying.

I mean, maybe it's not that terrifying. I'm blowing it out of proportion. BUT. This means that I've only got 5 more rotations to go: Beaumont Animal Hospital, Wales (PMVPH), Equine out of hours, Equine Medicine, and Pathology.

Holy mother of potato chips. I'm almost done with rotations.

So yeah. This is terrifying.

I remember the countdown to STARTING school. Now I'm starting to experience the countdown to FINISHING school. Which, in my opinion, is kah-ray-zee.

Tomorrow I leave for KY for 11 days to check out two places I'm applying to for internships, and hopefully I will make a good impression and not look like a total tool. Tiredness makes my brain have the dumb.

Then, I'm coming back here to finish writing my research project. I'm planning on writing the majority of it while on the plane tomorrow (what else would I do with my close to 9 hour flight? Watch movies? Psh. Amateurs.)

And oh goodness. My poor kitten is already snuggling extra long this morning because I think he knows that when the suitcase comes out, I disappear for a little while. At least it's only a week and a half this time and not close to 8 weeks!

Beer-drinking (and other things as well)

The last event of Fresher's Week at the RVC is called Beer-drinking. Suffice it to say, it's about drinking beer. And other more amusing things that only us RVCers have the privilege to know about.

Because, you know, it's an RVC thing.

I participated, and it was such a rush. I had a great time. And I think I'll leave it at that.

Two more days left on Small Animal Diagnostics. It's been pretty good, and it's encouraging to be told that we have the knowledge, it's just applying it to see what's relevant and deducing from there. Which, to be honest, should be a big "DUH" but us vet students need to be reminded of it every now and again.

I'm still struggling with letters of intent for my internship applications, but I have quite a few hours during my flights on Saturday to get some cracked out. Especially since I'll be visiting to of the places I'm applying!

Prep time.

I've finally signed up for a day to take the NAVLE. So now my revision with VetPrep is becoming a little more frantic.

My problem with revision is that I don't really know how to organize myself in it. I've got one notebook for the random stuff that I'm not quite familiar with/need to go over in more detail. I pulled out my 3rd and 4th year revision notebooks the other day (which scares me a little) so I can go over those as well.

Also, VetPrep makes me nervous because you're given a percentage of time left before the subscription expires, how far along you are in the revision AND how far along others are in their revision. I've never been very good at comparing myself to others when I study. Everyone studies differently, so usually I try to avoid measuring myself up to others.

Anyway. I've now finished ECC and Large Animal Diagnostic Imaging. Both were really great rotations, and I'm glad that I'll be tracking in diagnostic imaging in December.

Also, the new roommates are finally mostly settled in, which is one less stress for me.

And I need to write my letter of intent. Yikes. Still having a hard time writing good things about myself. It just sounds so fake when I try.

AND.

One more week until I'm in KY for a week and a half. Busy busy!

Have I got a bone to pick.

Careercast's 2nd Most Underrated Job - The Vet

So I came across this beauty of an article while browsing my twitter feed this fine evening/morning (yay for crazy sleep schedules on ECC). And I have a MASSIVE bone to pick with this one.

It states, and I quote: "With a median pay range in the top 20% of the 2013 Jobs Rated report, veterinarians can be well compensated for rewarding work. People love their pets, and as a result the demand for veterinarians is expected to increase 36% over the next seven years per Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates. Combine that with low stress, and veterinarian is a promising career option."

Now, I'm not going to argue with the fact that the job is rewarding. Getting to hang out with animals as a job, helping them and sometimes saving their lives is an amazing feeling. I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Here's the list of problems I have with this article: 

1. Being a vet is the opposite of low stress. 

Dealing with irritable cats, horses that are trying to kick you, and trying to explain to clients that yearly check-ups are necessary to renew a prescription is NOT low stress. Which brings me to my second problem with this article.

2. People may love their pets, but they love their money more.

I'm not saying that some people won't do everything in their power (and wallet) to save the family pet. But when it's perceived that we've not done our job (when we have) or that we're trying to squeeze money (when in reality we just want to make sure our diagnosis is correct or that medication is effective), we're accused of being in it for only the money. I've seen it while out on practice, and I've had vets tell me about it time and again. There's a lovely blog out there called Vets Behaving Badly that posted a very well-written explanation about this (aptly entitled "You only do _Blank_ for the money!").

3. An expected job growth of 36% is bullshit. 

Yeah, I said it. Bullshit. We're all grown ups here. With veterinary class sizes increasing and loads of new vets flooding the market, logic (and my sophomore economics course) tells me that the laws of supply and demand mean more vets equals more competition which means lower salaries and fewer jobs. Again, I don't think I can find a way to express this bullshit any better than the lovely vets over at Vets Behaving Badly. 

4. The pay may be good, but the debt is overwhelming.

I think I remember reading a NYTimes article to this effect in the past year. Something about the average veterinary graduate getting out of school with an average of over $180,000 in debt? (Oh yeah, I think I mean this one.)

I mean, that's not even close to what I've taken out in order to achieve my dream. And it's not just veterinary students suffering from massive amounts of debt. My generation is coming to terms with the fact that we will most likely never be as prosperous as the previous generation (click here to read the wonderfully articulated frustration we all feel by blogger Adam Weinstein). 

I'm trying to decide whether to specialize in something that I've wanted to do for YEARS, and the ONLY THING keeping me back is the fact that most internships and residencies pay what should be below poverty line (especially considering that my loan payment each month will probably be twice my parent's mortgage). And I don't get a break from paying back loans while an intern or resident just because I'm only making enough to live in my parent's house/a crappy studio apartment and eat practically nothing. I'd like to someday be able to afford to get married. Maybe even have a few kids. Buy a house. This all feels impossible when I think about how much I'll end up paying back by the end of things. 

So pardon me if I've ranted and raved a little bit, but when is the constant sugar coating of this whole situation going to stop? 

Dermaholiday!

This past week I was on rotation in Dermatology, aka self-proclaimed (by the head of Dermatology) as 'dermaholiday.'

Seriously, though. That's what they call it. Because you don't have to be in until 10am and you leave around 3pm. And it's very laid back. And they're all really nice.

AND YOU'RE ONLY IN FOR 5-6 HOURS A DAY.

After my manic weekend at Bell Equine (we had 3 colics in a day) and a lot of not sleeping, having a week of dermaholiday was exactly what I needed. And I actually really enjoyed it as well.

Next up: Emergency and Critical Care. Mostly doing 4p-4a shifts, which will screw with the good ol' sleep schedule, but it should be interesting nonetheless.