Because it's going too fast!
Seriously, where has the semester gone?!? Only four more days of class (and two pesky little exams in the way) before Spring Break is here! After that, only three more weeks until Easter and the end of semester classes. I do NOT feel ready to face the fact that I'm almost 1/4 of the way to a DVM. I don't know enough yet...
School is rolling along, but it's not even funny how "out of love" I am with anatomy right now. Last semester, yes, it was a pain in the neck sometimes to be learning all of these itty bitty pieces of animal and how they connect and where they go. But it was bearable. It was still very new, sometimes interesting, and usually only mildly painful (ahem, neuroanatomy). This semester? Ouch. I'm so, so, so sick of that class. I'm sick of sitting in lab for eight hours. I'm sick of cramming my brain with a bunch of teeny details that I know I won't remember next year or use in practice. I'm sick of the smell of moldy cadavers. I'm sick of hugely ridiculous exams that are worth two credit hours a piece. Don't get me wrong, it's still kind of fun to joke around with labmates and learn some of the really weird or cool bits of anatomy, but overall? I'm over it.
/end whiny rant.
Ooooother than that, same old, same old. Immunology and renal physio exams this week which, hopefully, will go okay. We just about wanted to kiss our current physio teacher because she decided to make the test multiple choice - a first for the semester in any of our classes and a huge load off! It's probably bad, but I definitely study for a multiple choice test differently than for an essay test. My brain is slightly fried, and I'm excited that recognition and recall rather than regurgitation and comprehension is the name of the game on Thursday.
After that, I get to pack up and head home for a few days to see my mom and puppy dogs! Hoping to visit a few friends in the area and get some nights of good sleep before then flying out to Omaha to spend a weekend with the boy at his new project site (how's that for an exotic vacation locale?). As much as I don't want to...I probably will have to do some work over break seeing as how we have an exam the Wednesday we come back. Ugggggh.
I also got word that I got a position in the research program here for the summer! I'll be doing work on respiratory epithelial cell transitions that occur during fibrosis, which is pretty nifty. Hope to learn a lot!
And, in happier news, I'll be on a baking frenzy this week for the many bakesales at school. On the docket? Pumpkin pie bars, white chocolate coconut blondies, and cinnamon rolls. Tasty!
P.S. I want a dog. Bad. *sigh*
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Valentine's Day studying
Geez, I need to be better at posting in this. It's not that my life is so boring there's nothing to write about, it's just that it's so BUSY I don't have the time to write about it!
Tomorrow is our big exam day with both our first anatomy and virology exams of the semester. Apparently it's school policy to not have two exams scheduled for a class on a single day...not quite sure how this one managed to happen but hopefully it won't be too much to our detriment. Anatomy covers four species and their necks, backs, thorax cavities, and abdominal cavities. Sooooo, kind of a lot. But at least it's a known "unknown" since we've been through this once before with small animal anatomy last semester. While the comparative stuff can bog you down with details (the last centrifugal coil of the goat spiral colon? The medial and lateral cecal arteries in the horse only?), there doesn't seem to be as much teeny minutiae as last time (muscle attachments, innervations, etc.). Plus, now that we kind of know the language and how to study best for this, it's not as challenging the second time through (hoping I'm still singing that tune tomorrow afternoon!).
Virology has me a little more worried. I think know everything I'm going to know for the test but I have this feeling that the questions are going to be asked in a way I won't recognize. The first exam from a class or professor is always a little frightening, especially now that the school has made it a policy to not allow old exam sharing between classes. *sigh* That'd be awfully nice to have in place.
Extracurricular stuff has been interesting lately, too. I entered a baking competition run by the theriogenology (animal reproduction) club and actually won! It was a brownie Oreo cheesecake recipe that turned out to be pretty deadly. Definitely going to be making that again sometime in the future! SCAVMA (kind of the student-wide government for the school and the student part of the AVMA) applications are now open for board elections and someone nominated me for secretary, so I'll be running for that. I think I'm up against a second-year, so not really sure if I'll be getting it. Doesn't hurt to try!
I also interviewed for the school representative for Bayer pharmaceuticals, which is a two-year position. The interview was...weird and it made me kind of unhappy. I showed up ten minutes early and the room was closed with an older gentleman and a student talking - figured it was either an interview or they were discussing applicants. In either case, I decided I'd wait outside until they were done and it was time for my interview slot. A good fifteen or twenty minutes went by before they realized I was outside and let me in; not a good start and they probably thought I was late and not just waiting for an invitation to come in. The interview itself only consisted of two questions (What are the duties of this position? Why do you want the job?) and then an invitation to ask them questions. To me, it was not a fair evaluation of me as an applicant, especially considering the application only asked for our GPA and identifying information. I brought resumes along (which they also didn't ask for) and they took them, but I had a feeling that they'd already made up their minds about me before I even entered the room. In a bad way. Oh well. It was a pretty sucky feeling considering I actually spent some time researching the products, preparing some answers, and finding out more about the company. They haven't announced the pick yet, but I guarantee it wasn't me. :(
And Valentine's Day! I told the boy that this past weekend was NOT a good weekend to visit (see exam schedule above. Gross), so we're spending time together this coming weekend. And I won't have a ton to study, so it should actually be quality time! He surprised me with a flower delivery which was not red roses. Those are some of my least favorite flowers and the white, peach, yellow, and deep pink ones he picked were way, way prettier. He did good. :) I have a gift for him and will likely be baking something tasty to bring along (I'm leaning toward some giant chocolate chip cookies or red velvet whoopie pies). I looooove baking!
Tomorrow is our big exam day with both our first anatomy and virology exams of the semester. Apparently it's school policy to not have two exams scheduled for a class on a single day...not quite sure how this one managed to happen but hopefully it won't be too much to our detriment. Anatomy covers four species and their necks, backs, thorax cavities, and abdominal cavities. Sooooo, kind of a lot. But at least it's a known "unknown" since we've been through this once before with small animal anatomy last semester. While the comparative stuff can bog you down with details (the last centrifugal coil of the goat spiral colon? The medial and lateral cecal arteries in the horse only?), there doesn't seem to be as much teeny minutiae as last time (muscle attachments, innervations, etc.). Plus, now that we kind of know the language and how to study best for this, it's not as challenging the second time through (hoping I'm still singing that tune tomorrow afternoon!).
Virology has me a little more worried. I think know everything I'm going to know for the test but I have this feeling that the questions are going to be asked in a way I won't recognize. The first exam from a class or professor is always a little frightening, especially now that the school has made it a policy to not allow old exam sharing between classes. *sigh* That'd be awfully nice to have in place.
Extracurricular stuff has been interesting lately, too. I entered a baking competition run by the theriogenology (animal reproduction) club and actually won! It was a brownie Oreo cheesecake recipe that turned out to be pretty deadly. Definitely going to be making that again sometime in the future! SCAVMA (kind of the student-wide government for the school and the student part of the AVMA) applications are now open for board elections and someone nominated me for secretary, so I'll be running for that. I think I'm up against a second-year, so not really sure if I'll be getting it. Doesn't hurt to try!
I also interviewed for the school representative for Bayer pharmaceuticals, which is a two-year position. The interview was...weird and it made me kind of unhappy. I showed up ten minutes early and the room was closed with an older gentleman and a student talking - figured it was either an interview or they were discussing applicants. In either case, I decided I'd wait outside until they were done and it was time for my interview slot. A good fifteen or twenty minutes went by before they realized I was outside and let me in; not a good start and they probably thought I was late and not just waiting for an invitation to come in. The interview itself only consisted of two questions (What are the duties of this position? Why do you want the job?) and then an invitation to ask them questions. To me, it was not a fair evaluation of me as an applicant, especially considering the application only asked for our GPA and identifying information. I brought resumes along (which they also didn't ask for) and they took them, but I had a feeling that they'd already made up their minds about me before I even entered the room. In a bad way. Oh well. It was a pretty sucky feeling considering I actually spent some time researching the products, preparing some answers, and finding out more about the company. They haven't announced the pick yet, but I guarantee it wasn't me. :(
And Valentine's Day! I told the boy that this past weekend was NOT a good weekend to visit (see exam schedule above. Gross), so we're spending time together this coming weekend. And I won't have a ton to study, so it should actually be quality time! He surprised me with a flower delivery which was not red roses. Those are some of my least favorite flowers and the white, peach, yellow, and deep pink ones he picked were way, way prettier. He did good. :) I have a gift for him and will likely be baking something tasty to bring along (I'm leaning toward some giant chocolate chip cookies or red velvet whoopie pies). I looooove baking!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Early spring?
After that massive snowstorm hit just about the entire United States while I sat here in Raleigh enjoying 65 degree January days, I wonder if winter is just about over for us down in the south. It doesn't get much below freezing, even at night, and the days reach about 50 degrees. It'd be nice to have some warm weather as we start up our outdoor labs again, but I hope spring holds on for a long time because I'm in noooo hurry to see a hot sticky summer!
Our first round of exams is over which means we've finished one immunology, one physiology, and one embryology exam in addition to our first behavior quiz. They weren't bad at all, but I'm just sad that now our attention has to turn to the big anatomy exam and virology exam, which are BOTH next Wednesday. Eeek! Considering how far off these were, I've been kind of pretending that they don't exist and haven't been paying tons of attention to them. Really going to be a nasty week catching up and getting ready for those.
The good news?
1) Just had a weekend with the boy to keep me happy. It was kind of lame since he had a ton of work to do, but even just watching him take a practice GMAT is quality time when you're juggling the joy of long-distance.
2) Heading up to my undergrad alma mater in two weeks with the boy to see a ton of friends and his family!
3) Pet-sitting for a classmate this coming weekend - a bulldog and four cats! Too cute!
4) There's a baking contest at school next week. Thinking of entering a recipe for chocolate-chip cookie dough cheesecake. Mmmmm.
5) Boy and I are hoping to go somewhere fun for spring break. He's having a heck of a time organizing with the whole frequent flyer miles restrictions, but he tells me it will be fun. Honestly, I don't care WHERE we are. It'll be nice to get more than 48 hours at a time with him.
6) I got a pretty high number for my selectives choices, so I'm hoping that I get my first choices - sample collection and small animal dentistry.
7) Necropsy and gross pathology rounds on Saturday morning!!!
8) We're already 1/3 through our classes this semester. O.o Why do I feel like I don't know anything yet?!?
On another note, I applied for the Bayer student representative position and have an interview on Thursday. I have a feeling a good dozen of my classmates also applied, so I'd be shocked if I actually got it. We'll see! I think I'll throw an app in for the BIVI representative spot as well to see what happens.
Our first round of exams is over which means we've finished one immunology, one physiology, and one embryology exam in addition to our first behavior quiz. They weren't bad at all, but I'm just sad that now our attention has to turn to the big anatomy exam and virology exam, which are BOTH next Wednesday. Eeek! Considering how far off these were, I've been kind of pretending that they don't exist and haven't been paying tons of attention to them. Really going to be a nasty week catching up and getting ready for those.
The good news?
1) Just had a weekend with the boy to keep me happy. It was kind of lame since he had a ton of work to do, but even just watching him take a practice GMAT is quality time when you're juggling the joy of long-distance.
2) Heading up to my undergrad alma mater in two weeks with the boy to see a ton of friends and his family!
3) Pet-sitting for a classmate this coming weekend - a bulldog and four cats! Too cute!
4) There's a baking contest at school next week. Thinking of entering a recipe for chocolate-chip cookie dough cheesecake. Mmmmm.
5) Boy and I are hoping to go somewhere fun for spring break. He's having a heck of a time organizing with the whole frequent flyer miles restrictions, but he tells me it will be fun. Honestly, I don't care WHERE we are. It'll be nice to get more than 48 hours at a time with him.
6) I got a pretty high number for my selectives choices, so I'm hoping that I get my first choices - sample collection and small animal dentistry.
7) Necropsy and gross pathology rounds on Saturday morning!!!
8) We're already 1/3 through our classes this semester. O.o Why do I feel like I don't know anything yet?!?
On another note, I applied for the Bayer student representative position and have an interview on Thursday. I have a feeling a good dozen of my classmates also applied, so I'd be shocked if I actually got it. We'll see! I think I'll throw an app in for the BIVI representative spot as well to see what happens.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
And so it begins.
First exam of the semester was this morning! It wasn't really an exam - more like a glorified quiz - but it covered some of the basics of immunology. Not too bad since it was only a few pages of true and false questions and definitions. Cardiovascular physiology is on Thursday, and that's a big one. Our physio is divided up by body section/system so each exam only covers that one system in detail. I think it'll be tough and comprehensive, but at least this stuff makes sense to me (for the most part). There's also a behavior quiz on Friday, but I don't think that's even on the radar for most of us right now and should be cake.
As much as I would have loved to get some of that nationwide band of snow and ice (it's just not wintry enough down here!), it's a relief that we don't have to worry about making up our missed lectures. In undergrad, a delay or closing didn't really matter (even though we only got a total of one snow day in four years). Teachers just sped up a little or omitted the missed material. After our snow day on the second day of the semester, we had to find time to attend make-up sessions with our lecturers. It's so much of a hassle when we're already cramped for time that it's not even worth the fun of snow! All the same...having days of 65 or 70 degrees in January is freaking me out a little. It's not normal, and it's also not the best way to stay indoors and be productive on weekends!
It's been interesting to see the changes in students since last semester. There's definitely been more backbiting and high school attitude going around. I don't know if people are more stressed, getting sick of each other, or just realizing that this constant go-go-go is how our lives are going to be for the next 3.5 years. Overall, the class still gets along great - we're cohesive, support each other, and are very enthusiastic. There's just been more complaining about each other or little tiffs between students. Hopefully it's just the stress of the first round of exams...
The only issue I have with the class as a whole are the grade-A stressors. I used to be one back in high school and early undergrad. Panicking, crying over tests, weeping over missed points, making myself ill before exams, etc. Sometime during sophomore year - I think it was because of organic chemistry - I just sort of realized that all I could do was study the best I could and see what the exams threw at me. You can't know every single detail and major stressing was only setting me back and making school miserable. That adjustment has really helped me stress less, study better (and less on the whole!), and do better in my classes. It's an important skill to learn, and I think it comes to students at different times (if at all). So while I sympathize with the study-holics and know where they're coming from, sometimes I just want to tell them that it will all be better for them if they take a deep breath and relax. Nothing aggravates a day of school when you arrive perfectly happy with your level of knowledge and grasp of concepts and then have to hear constant cries of, "I'm going to fail!" I mean, I study a lot, but not every single night for every single hour I'm home. I've found a way that works for me, and it's cut down on how much I have to spend with the books to get the grades I want and need for further training. Also, there are a few things I won't sacrifice for school even if it means getting a B rather than an A on an exam - my sleep, my sanity, and my relationship.
However, according to several professors and other classes, we're one of the most relaxed groups to come through the school recently. Don't know how I would have handled being in a class with MORE of this kind of anxiety!
As much as I would have loved to get some of that nationwide band of snow and ice (it's just not wintry enough down here!), it's a relief that we don't have to worry about making up our missed lectures. In undergrad, a delay or closing didn't really matter (even though we only got a total of one snow day in four years). Teachers just sped up a little or omitted the missed material. After our snow day on the second day of the semester, we had to find time to attend make-up sessions with our lecturers. It's so much of a hassle when we're already cramped for time that it's not even worth the fun of snow! All the same...having days of 65 or 70 degrees in January is freaking me out a little. It's not normal, and it's also not the best way to stay indoors and be productive on weekends!
It's been interesting to see the changes in students since last semester. There's definitely been more backbiting and high school attitude going around. I don't know if people are more stressed, getting sick of each other, or just realizing that this constant go-go-go is how our lives are going to be for the next 3.5 years. Overall, the class still gets along great - we're cohesive, support each other, and are very enthusiastic. There's just been more complaining about each other or little tiffs between students. Hopefully it's just the stress of the first round of exams...
The only issue I have with the class as a whole are the grade-A stressors. I used to be one back in high school and early undergrad. Panicking, crying over tests, weeping over missed points, making myself ill before exams, etc. Sometime during sophomore year - I think it was because of organic chemistry - I just sort of realized that all I could do was study the best I could and see what the exams threw at me. You can't know every single detail and major stressing was only setting me back and making school miserable. That adjustment has really helped me stress less, study better (and less on the whole!), and do better in my classes. It's an important skill to learn, and I think it comes to students at different times (if at all). So while I sympathize with the study-holics and know where they're coming from, sometimes I just want to tell them that it will all be better for them if they take a deep breath and relax. Nothing aggravates a day of school when you arrive perfectly happy with your level of knowledge and grasp of concepts and then have to hear constant cries of, "I'm going to fail!" I mean, I study a lot, but not every single night for every single hour I'm home. I've found a way that works for me, and it's cut down on how much I have to spend with the books to get the grades I want and need for further training. Also, there are a few things I won't sacrifice for school even if it means getting a B rather than an A on an exam - my sleep, my sanity, and my relationship.
However, according to several professors and other classes, we're one of the most relaxed groups to come through the school recently. Don't know how I would have handled being in a class with MORE of this kind of anxiety!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
It's the final countdown...
Only ten days of class left of my first semester of vet school - can't even begin to describe how fast it has gone! After tomorrow we only have three quizzes total to worry about before our exams start, which will feel amazing. Our last day of classes is two Tuesdays from now followed by a study day followed by our finals week. Definitely am feeling like I will not be ready for those exams and have to keep reminding myself how far away those really are. Plenty of time to get prepared!
Tomorrow we have our fourth anatomy quiz on the head and cranium structures, and we started cranial nerves and the central nervous system this week in lecture. Looooots to learn but at least it's interesting stuff! We're continuing with endocrinology in physiology, and we're specifically learning about reproductive physio. I'm super-thankful that I took a pretty in-depth repro class in undergrad, so I've at least heard all of this before (even if it was a while ago). The last bacteriology quiz of the semester was also this week, and we've started working on the mycology (fungi) aspect of the course. Today he mentioned that we only have four of those classes left before finals...it's seriously difficult to comprehend that I'll be 1/8th finished this program in just a few weeks.
It's also finally starting to feel like fall outside! Beautiful chilly weather, and the leaves are changing colors. Can't wait to start making tons of soups for winter dinners! I've also got to get working on Christmas and birthday shopping since I have no idea what I'm going to get most people in my family. I feel like some people can be extremely difficult to shop for; I hate getting a gift for someone simply because it fills that gift requirement. I wish I was good at finding that "perfect" item or experience or whatever for everyone on my list.
Other than that I've been starting to think about summer employment and what to do over my breaks. For Christmas I think I'll be heading home for the holiday itself for about five days and then going out to see the boy for another five or so. That means that I'll be here in Raleigh for over two weeks of my break with nothing to do. In the next few days I want to start contacting some of the clinicians in the hospital to set up some shadowing experiences. Since specialization is something I may be interested in, I want to experience as much as I can as early as possible and also get some quality time with clinicians before fourth year. There's also a meeting next week about summer research opportunities, which are compensated projects that you complete with an assigned PI (usually a clinician or researcher at the school). I'll definitely be applying to the clinical pathology externship here at the school, but some of the projects are pretty interesting as well. I figure it can't hurt to put in multiple applications to ensure I get a job or project that I'll be happy with.
Two more days left of this week before I get to spend a weekend with the boy. Unfortunately I have a weird, funny feeling that my body is fighting something off right now and that it's on the brink of losing. Hopefully my immune system does it's job so I can enjoy my time before the craziness of finals sets in!
Tomorrow we have our fourth anatomy quiz on the head and cranium structures, and we started cranial nerves and the central nervous system this week in lecture. Looooots to learn but at least it's interesting stuff! We're continuing with endocrinology in physiology, and we're specifically learning about reproductive physio. I'm super-thankful that I took a pretty in-depth repro class in undergrad, so I've at least heard all of this before (even if it was a while ago). The last bacteriology quiz of the semester was also this week, and we've started working on the mycology (fungi) aspect of the course. Today he mentioned that we only have four of those classes left before finals...it's seriously difficult to comprehend that I'll be 1/8th finished this program in just a few weeks.
It's also finally starting to feel like fall outside! Beautiful chilly weather, and the leaves are changing colors. Can't wait to start making tons of soups for winter dinners! I've also got to get working on Christmas and birthday shopping since I have no idea what I'm going to get most people in my family. I feel like some people can be extremely difficult to shop for; I hate getting a gift for someone simply because it fills that gift requirement. I wish I was good at finding that "perfect" item or experience or whatever for everyone on my list.
Other than that I've been starting to think about summer employment and what to do over my breaks. For Christmas I think I'll be heading home for the holiday itself for about five days and then going out to see the boy for another five or so. That means that I'll be here in Raleigh for over two weeks of my break with nothing to do. In the next few days I want to start contacting some of the clinicians in the hospital to set up some shadowing experiences. Since specialization is something I may be interested in, I want to experience as much as I can as early as possible and also get some quality time with clinicians before fourth year. There's also a meeting next week about summer research opportunities, which are compensated projects that you complete with an assigned PI (usually a clinician or researcher at the school). I'll definitely be applying to the clinical pathology externship here at the school, but some of the projects are pretty interesting as well. I figure it can't hurt to put in multiple applications to ensure I get a job or project that I'll be happy with.
Two more days left of this week before I get to spend a weekend with the boy. Unfortunately I have a weird, funny feeling that my body is fighting something off right now and that it's on the brink of losing. Hopefully my immune system does it's job so I can enjoy my time before the craziness of finals sets in!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Urgh.
I'm exhausted.
Anatomy exam was lame and difficult, and I felt crappy afterwards.
Anatomy lab and lecture tomorrow despite crappy exam today.
Arm is sore from second rabies shot.
My brain is already on Fall Break, but I have two more days of waking up at 6:00 am.
Hung out with friends tonight and griped, which was a plus.
I'm exhausted. Bedtime.
Anatomy exam was lame and difficult, and I felt crappy afterwards.
Anatomy lab and lecture tomorrow despite crappy exam today.
Arm is sore from second rabies shot.
My brain is already on Fall Break, but I have two more days of waking up at 6:00 am.
Hung out with friends tonight and griped, which was a plus.
I'm exhausted. Bedtime.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Learn and purge commences...now.
Learning, regurgitating, and purging information is NOT what I want to be doing. I mean, I'd rather do anything but study at this point, but I am referring more to the purging step. I want to retain everything I can. I want to learn and make lasting connections. I want to feel like I will get to the point where I can quickly rattle off a diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan immediately after a physical exam. And stuck in first semester midterms without enough time to fully digest everything, it's hard to see how that will happen.
On Tuesday, I spent two hours in the hospital ICU observing patient care and shadowing the staff. There was an intern and an internal medicine resident there, and I got to listen in on rounds as they switched off the patients from the day to the night staff. I could follow a lot of their discussion, but there were times when I felt just awe-inspired by how confident they were in their clinical skills - and the intern is only four years ahead of me in training! It was an awesome night, and I learned quite a bit - there was a post-PDA surgery puppy, a kitty with a chylothorax, a dog with splenic tumors, etc. It was pretty cool to see so many of the topics we've discussed in lecture presented there as real, live cases. But at the same time, as I was leaving for home, I couldn't help feeling this niggling doubt that getting to the point where I was the intern left on duty for the night was more than I could handle.
I'm doing fine in school - better actually than I thought I would be - but being trapped in this cycle of "learn this piece of information, process it as much as you can (but only half as much as you'd like), write it on an exam, tuck it away or flush it to make room for more" is demoralizing at times. I mean, I can barely remember the main channel blood flow from the thoracic limb, which we learned only two months ago, without reviewing! How am I ever going to learn all of the stuff needed to actually TREAT a patient? I guess it comes with time, but it's slightly overwhelming to think about right now.
But back to regurgitation.
In the next four school days I have a histology quiz (cardiovascular, endocrine, renal, and respiratory systems), anatomy quiz (pelvic cavity), bacteriology quiz (mycoplasm, clostridium, strep, staph), and our first major anatomy exam (everything but the head). There's just not enough time to really learn everything. All you can do is study and learn for the exam, try to make some lasting connections in your head with the material, take the test, and immediately switch gears for the next. It'll be a fuuuuun week ahead. I forsee a lot of time spent in the anatomy lab this weekend. But this time next week, I'll be waking up for class knowing I don't have another evaluation for over 14 days! Cannot freaking wait.
I also got my first rabies shot yesterday, which was pretty exciting. They pull out this huge needle to mix the vaccine, and it was kind of funny to watch everyone's eyes bulge out of their heads. It actually didn't hurt much at all (the needle they use for injection was pretty tiny), and my arm is only a teensy bit sore. The next in the series is next Wednesday and the last will be two weeks after that. It'll be pretty cool to finally be a vaccinated staff member at a hospital!
Heading in to school in a few minutes. Starting off the day with anatomy lab bright and early. The smell of formalin at 9:00 am is pretty glorious.
On Tuesday, I spent two hours in the hospital ICU observing patient care and shadowing the staff. There was an intern and an internal medicine resident there, and I got to listen in on rounds as they switched off the patients from the day to the night staff. I could follow a lot of their discussion, but there were times when I felt just awe-inspired by how confident they were in their clinical skills - and the intern is only four years ahead of me in training! It was an awesome night, and I learned quite a bit - there was a post-PDA surgery puppy, a kitty with a chylothorax, a dog with splenic tumors, etc. It was pretty cool to see so many of the topics we've discussed in lecture presented there as real, live cases. But at the same time, as I was leaving for home, I couldn't help feeling this niggling doubt that getting to the point where I was the intern left on duty for the night was more than I could handle.
I'm doing fine in school - better actually than I thought I would be - but being trapped in this cycle of "learn this piece of information, process it as much as you can (but only half as much as you'd like), write it on an exam, tuck it away or flush it to make room for more" is demoralizing at times. I mean, I can barely remember the main channel blood flow from the thoracic limb, which we learned only two months ago, without reviewing! How am I ever going to learn all of the stuff needed to actually TREAT a patient? I guess it comes with time, but it's slightly overwhelming to think about right now.
But back to regurgitation.
In the next four school days I have a histology quiz (cardiovascular, endocrine, renal, and respiratory systems), anatomy quiz (pelvic cavity), bacteriology quiz (mycoplasm, clostridium, strep, staph), and our first major anatomy exam (everything but the head). There's just not enough time to really learn everything. All you can do is study and learn for the exam, try to make some lasting connections in your head with the material, take the test, and immediately switch gears for the next. It'll be a fuuuuun week ahead. I forsee a lot of time spent in the anatomy lab this weekend. But this time next week, I'll be waking up for class knowing I don't have another evaluation for over 14 days! Cannot freaking wait.
I also got my first rabies shot yesterday, which was pretty exciting. They pull out this huge needle to mix the vaccine, and it was kind of funny to watch everyone's eyes bulge out of their heads. It actually didn't hurt much at all (the needle they use for injection was pretty tiny), and my arm is only a teensy bit sore. The next in the series is next Wednesday and the last will be two weeks after that. It'll be pretty cool to finally be a vaccinated staff member at a hospital!
Heading in to school in a few minutes. Starting off the day with anatomy lab bright and early. The smell of formalin at 9:00 am is pretty glorious.
Friday, October 1, 2010
And, Friday.
And one of our weeks from heck this semester is coming to a close. Phew.
I don't think I saw anyone in our class who wasn't looking a little sleepy or bleary-eyed at least once this week. Honestly, we didn't even have THAT much stuff to deal with (not compared to what finals week will be), but it sure felt like a lot to handle all at once.
Bacteriology was up first on Tuesday, and boy, do I wish I hadn't studied as much as I did. I had a feeling it was going to be pretty easy, but I think most of our class was walking out of there within about forty minutes of getting the test. Not bad at all! He asked a lot of very broad questions involving matching of bacteria with the disease processes they cause, so nothing was too tricky. Plus, he built in nearly a 10% curve with his bonus questions. Seriously. I think he really likes our class - we ask a lot of questions, stay pretty engaged in lecture, and had a really good showing to the review session this weekend. We've been told that the difficulty of the class and exams really does get based on a lot of these factors, so hopefully he continues to think we're doing a good job before the final exam.
Physiology was yesterday. Oy. Not nearly as much fun. I started studying this past weekend rather than focusing on bacteriology because I knew it would be the tougher exam. Now, this was way before a lot of my classmates started working on it. A lot of them only got the chance to really sit down with physio starting on Tuesday after bacteriology; given how I felt after the test, I can only imagine how others must have felt, especially functioning on only two or three hours of sleep. I studied quite a bit, felt okay (not amazingly great, but confident), and I don't really know how I did on the test. It was tough, and I thought some of the questions were tricky, worded in a way that didn't make me confident I understood what he was asking, let alone what he wanted in a response. There were definitely some not-so-happy students mulling around after the test, so it'll be interesting to see how the class does as a whole. Oh well - can't win 'em all!
I am currently working on my evidence-based-medicine exam which is a take-home due on Sunday. Not much to say except it's a very vaguely worded test, and I'm not quite sure I'm answering everything in the right vein. I was going to turn it in today, but I've already gotten two class-wide e-mails from him answering student questions that have made me change or revise my own answers. Think I'll hang onto it until Sunday in case there are any more alterations I have to make.
Other than that, I was so happy to get the chance to bake this week - great stress therapy! Cake for our class birthday celebration on Wednesday, pumpkin rolls for the bake sale on Thursday, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls which are currently in the oven...just because! Plus my apartment is cleaned up and de-cluttered, so life is good.
It's been raining tons and tons for the past week - we definitely needed it but geez, people cannot drive here in inclement weather! I almost got hit by at least three cars yesterday, half the cars don't have their headlights on during the storms, and people like to drive 35 mph in a 60 mph zone because it's raining. Not pouring, not majorly storming...just raining. Ugh. It's really cloudy and windy out right now, but no rain. Hope it holds off for a while because I have my goat handling lab outside this morning! Very excited!
Think I'm going to go wake up the boy for breakfast - he's here for the weekend and still asleep in the next room. I have to start studying for the anatomy quiz on Monday. Not sure when that will get done exactly, but it's definitely worth putting it off to have him here for a visit.
Two weeks until fall break!!!
I don't think I saw anyone in our class who wasn't looking a little sleepy or bleary-eyed at least once this week. Honestly, we didn't even have THAT much stuff to deal with (not compared to what finals week will be), but it sure felt like a lot to handle all at once.
Bacteriology was up first on Tuesday, and boy, do I wish I hadn't studied as much as I did. I had a feeling it was going to be pretty easy, but I think most of our class was walking out of there within about forty minutes of getting the test. Not bad at all! He asked a lot of very broad questions involving matching of bacteria with the disease processes they cause, so nothing was too tricky. Plus, he built in nearly a 10% curve with his bonus questions. Seriously. I think he really likes our class - we ask a lot of questions, stay pretty engaged in lecture, and had a really good showing to the review session this weekend. We've been told that the difficulty of the class and exams really does get based on a lot of these factors, so hopefully he continues to think we're doing a good job before the final exam.
Physiology was yesterday. Oy. Not nearly as much fun. I started studying this past weekend rather than focusing on bacteriology because I knew it would be the tougher exam. Now, this was way before a lot of my classmates started working on it. A lot of them only got the chance to really sit down with physio starting on Tuesday after bacteriology; given how I felt after the test, I can only imagine how others must have felt, especially functioning on only two or three hours of sleep. I studied quite a bit, felt okay (not amazingly great, but confident), and I don't really know how I did on the test. It was tough, and I thought some of the questions were tricky, worded in a way that didn't make me confident I understood what he was asking, let alone what he wanted in a response. There were definitely some not-so-happy students mulling around after the test, so it'll be interesting to see how the class does as a whole. Oh well - can't win 'em all!
I am currently working on my evidence-based-medicine exam which is a take-home due on Sunday. Not much to say except it's a very vaguely worded test, and I'm not quite sure I'm answering everything in the right vein. I was going to turn it in today, but I've already gotten two class-wide e-mails from him answering student questions that have made me change or revise my own answers. Think I'll hang onto it until Sunday in case there are any more alterations I have to make.
Other than that, I was so happy to get the chance to bake this week - great stress therapy! Cake for our class birthday celebration on Wednesday, pumpkin rolls for the bake sale on Thursday, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls which are currently in the oven...just because! Plus my apartment is cleaned up and de-cluttered, so life is good.
It's been raining tons and tons for the past week - we definitely needed it but geez, people cannot drive here in inclement weather! I almost got hit by at least three cars yesterday, half the cars don't have their headlights on during the storms, and people like to drive 35 mph in a 60 mph zone because it's raining. Not pouring, not majorly storming...just raining. Ugh. It's really cloudy and windy out right now, but no rain. Hope it holds off for a while because I have my goat handling lab outside this morning! Very excited!
Think I'm going to go wake up the boy for breakfast - he's here for the weekend and still asleep in the next room. I have to start studying for the anatomy quiz on Monday. Not sure when that will get done exactly, but it's definitely worth putting it off to have him here for a visit.
Two weeks until fall break!!!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Silly Spirochetes!
The whole first-year class is in full less sleep, more caffeine, less fun, more stress, less proper meals, and more studying mode this week. We take our bacteriology midterm tomorrow afternoon and our physiology midterm on Thursday. Oh, and there's a take-home exam for evidence-based medicine to finish in there somewhere as well. And an anatomy quiz that I think everyone's behind in on Monday. Ugh.
Bacteriology is going to come down to recognition for me. His exams are very repetitive year to year, and while I know it's awful to be studying for an exam instead of more ingrained knowledge, I just am not gaining a good learning pattern from the class to do that. I know a lot of generalities for each group - which cause shipping fever and pneumonia, which cause enteritis, which are intracellular, etc. - but a lot of the nitty gritty specifics aren't going to stick for very long. And that's okay. I think I'll be easily able to recall a lot of this stuff in second and third year when we get into medicine and actual diseases. Once I learn about the disease process more in-depth, pinning a bacteria to it will be easier rather than the other way around. Overall, I think/hope it'll be okay. Maybe not the best test ever but definitely not the worst.
Even though physiology is further away, I've started studying for that even more just because I think it'll be more difficult. It's a lot of neural pathways that we have to trace from beginning to end...and there are a lot of big, nasty words! Some of the exam consists of those gross multiple-multiple choice questions (A and B but not C or D, all of the above except E, etc.) and the rest is drawing and explaining pathways. Tough to keep them from getting mixed up a lot in my head, so I'm putting a lot of time into talking myself through all of the pieces.
I did well on some of the past stuff we just got back - aced my anatomy and bacteriology quizzes and rocked my histology exam. That class is freaking awesome. I've always been interested in microscope work and learning how everything "fits" together - which is why I can't wait for our pathology classes. The professor for histology is soooooo energetic and fun and keeps everything simple and comprehensive. A lot of the other histology stuff I've done before had teachers who just showed us slides and had us learn what they were; he actually takes the time to explain why we're seeing what we're seeing, how it relates to function, what the problems are with the structures, etc. Makes it a lot of fun (and simple) to see how complex but "natural" the body's organization is.
And that's my love affair with histology.
And I can't believe I didn't talk about our turkeys in TAU! My group had our poultry lab session and we got to go to the campus turkey house with about 2,000 turkeys! And they were adorable and had soooo much personality; it made me a little sad to realize that birds which are produced by the billions actually are that friendly. As soon as we got close to the house, they started running up and down the sides of the barn and fighting to get close to the door - they loooove people. While we listened to our lecture on management, we had dozens of them all around us pecking at our boots and coveralls and falling asleep on our feet. Too cute. Then we got to practice catching and restraining them (not difficult - they fell asleep in our arms) and then doing preliminary exams of their beaks, eyes, feet, cloaca, etc. Too much fun for a school day! It makes me want some turkeys of my own.
Otherwise, I'm getting over a nasty cold that hit me last Friday. I was wiped out on Friday and Saturday morning and am still hacking a lot. I don't get sick often, but when I do, stuff seems to stick around in my lungs for a long time. I did manage to get out this weekend to go to school for a review session and then to the farmer's market; picked up some apples and fresh veggies. Broke out the Crockpot tonight and made a huge vat of minestrone soup, so I have dinner for the next week. :)
Also, I get several chances to bake this week, and I'm sooooo excited. I put together a snack session on Wednesday morning to celebrate our September birthdays, and there's an SCEVCCS (emergency and critical care) bake sale on Thursday. Hooray!
Guess I'll do another half hour of bacteriology before bed. I think I'll be dreaming of enteritis tonight...as gross as that is...
Bacteriology is going to come down to recognition for me. His exams are very repetitive year to year, and while I know it's awful to be studying for an exam instead of more ingrained knowledge, I just am not gaining a good learning pattern from the class to do that. I know a lot of generalities for each group - which cause shipping fever and pneumonia, which cause enteritis, which are intracellular, etc. - but a lot of the nitty gritty specifics aren't going to stick for very long. And that's okay. I think I'll be easily able to recall a lot of this stuff in second and third year when we get into medicine and actual diseases. Once I learn about the disease process more in-depth, pinning a bacteria to it will be easier rather than the other way around. Overall, I think/hope it'll be okay. Maybe not the best test ever but definitely not the worst.
Even though physiology is further away, I've started studying for that even more just because I think it'll be more difficult. It's a lot of neural pathways that we have to trace from beginning to end...and there are a lot of big, nasty words! Some of the exam consists of those gross multiple-multiple choice questions (A and B but not C or D, all of the above except E, etc.) and the rest is drawing and explaining pathways. Tough to keep them from getting mixed up a lot in my head, so I'm putting a lot of time into talking myself through all of the pieces.
I did well on some of the past stuff we just got back - aced my anatomy and bacteriology quizzes and rocked my histology exam. That class is freaking awesome. I've always been interested in microscope work and learning how everything "fits" together - which is why I can't wait for our pathology classes. The professor for histology is soooooo energetic and fun and keeps everything simple and comprehensive. A lot of the other histology stuff I've done before had teachers who just showed us slides and had us learn what they were; he actually takes the time to explain why we're seeing what we're seeing, how it relates to function, what the problems are with the structures, etc. Makes it a lot of fun (and simple) to see how complex but "natural" the body's organization is.
And that's my love affair with histology.
And I can't believe I didn't talk about our turkeys in TAU! My group had our poultry lab session and we got to go to the campus turkey house with about 2,000 turkeys! And they were adorable and had soooo much personality; it made me a little sad to realize that birds which are produced by the billions actually are that friendly. As soon as we got close to the house, they started running up and down the sides of the barn and fighting to get close to the door - they loooove people. While we listened to our lecture on management, we had dozens of them all around us pecking at our boots and coveralls and falling asleep on our feet. Too cute. Then we got to practice catching and restraining them (not difficult - they fell asleep in our arms) and then doing preliminary exams of their beaks, eyes, feet, cloaca, etc. Too much fun for a school day! It makes me want some turkeys of my own.
Otherwise, I'm getting over a nasty cold that hit me last Friday. I was wiped out on Friday and Saturday morning and am still hacking a lot. I don't get sick often, but when I do, stuff seems to stick around in my lungs for a long time. I did manage to get out this weekend to go to school for a review session and then to the farmer's market; picked up some apples and fresh veggies. Broke out the Crockpot tonight and made a huge vat of minestrone soup, so I have dinner for the next week. :)
Also, I get several chances to bake this week, and I'm sooooo excited. I put together a snack session on Wednesday morning to celebrate our September birthdays, and there's an SCEVCCS (emergency and critical care) bake sale on Thursday. Hooray!
Guess I'll do another half hour of bacteriology before bed. I think I'll be dreaming of enteritis tonight...as gross as that is...
Friday, September 24, 2010
Time to live like a hermit.
Finally Friday! And honestly, despite the knowledge of the upcoming weeks of intensive exams and quizzes, it was a pretty good one. They're ALL pretty good weeks if you can manage to forget about how much studying you have to do!
The wetlab on Tuesday was awesome! There were several dog and cat cadavers there for us to practice the procedures on. We first learned how to perform thoracocentesis - a chest tap - which can be both diagnostic to confirm the presence of air or fluid in the pleural cavity or therapeutic to remove it. You have to count from the last rib toward the head to find the 8th intercostal (between the ribs) space. A syringe is then inserted at this space (you have to be careful not to hit the artery and nerves on the caudal/back edge of the ribs). If you lose negative pressure in the syringe, you've hit a pocket of air in the cavity that shouldn't be there which is called pneumothorax! We also practiced placing urinary catheters in both dogs and cats and venous cutdown, which is an emergency procedure performed when you can't find a vein to give medication in an injured, shockey, etc. animal. Learned a lot...plus it was great review for the anatomy quiz yesterday about the thoracic cavity!
The officer team for our class also held our first class meeting yesterday afternoon, which went great. Some of the students weren't too thrilled to be there for additional time after classes, but the overall mood at the end was positive, and it was definitely a success. Still have to finish up the meeting minutes and get those distributed to the rest of the class in addition to organizing the monthly birthday celebration for September and planning a gift for one of our anatomy instructors who is out on maternity leave. I also attended the officer's meeting for the internal medicine club (SCACVIM) where we discussed planning some wetlabs and case discussions for the next year - excited to get started!
And in not so great news...two exams next week that will be taking up most of my spare time in the coming days. Bacteriology and physiology, both of which are going to be tough. There's also a take-home exam for our evidence-based med class, but that doesn't really count. Plus I'd like to not fall super-behind in anatomy since we have quizzes and a huuuuuge exam coming up in just a few weeks.
Least I get to play with baby turkeys in TAU lab and hang out with some friends tonight before really getting started with all that stuff! :)
Also, in our careers seminar we had a talk yesterday about internships, residencies, and specializing. And holy cow, was it scary. I still think that specializing might be something I want to pursue, but now I'm scared to death about getting good enough grades and experience, brown-nosing enough to the right clinicians for letters, getting the "best" internship when geographical location will be more important to me (because of the boy), etc. Might plan a meeting with someone soon to talk through the steps and the whole process. I think I'm going to see if there's a way to shadow or assist a few of the specialties in the hospital over Christmas break to get an idea of what each is about. Too much to think about, and it's only first year!
The wetlab on Tuesday was awesome! There were several dog and cat cadavers there for us to practice the procedures on. We first learned how to perform thoracocentesis - a chest tap - which can be both diagnostic to confirm the presence of air or fluid in the pleural cavity or therapeutic to remove it. You have to count from the last rib toward the head to find the 8th intercostal (between the ribs) space. A syringe is then inserted at this space (you have to be careful not to hit the artery and nerves on the caudal/back edge of the ribs). If you lose negative pressure in the syringe, you've hit a pocket of air in the cavity that shouldn't be there which is called pneumothorax! We also practiced placing urinary catheters in both dogs and cats and venous cutdown, which is an emergency procedure performed when you can't find a vein to give medication in an injured, shockey, etc. animal. Learned a lot...plus it was great review for the anatomy quiz yesterday about the thoracic cavity!
The officer team for our class also held our first class meeting yesterday afternoon, which went great. Some of the students weren't too thrilled to be there for additional time after classes, but the overall mood at the end was positive, and it was definitely a success. Still have to finish up the meeting minutes and get those distributed to the rest of the class in addition to organizing the monthly birthday celebration for September and planning a gift for one of our anatomy instructors who is out on maternity leave. I also attended the officer's meeting for the internal medicine club (SCACVIM) where we discussed planning some wetlabs and case discussions for the next year - excited to get started!
And in not so great news...two exams next week that will be taking up most of my spare time in the coming days. Bacteriology and physiology, both of which are going to be tough. There's also a take-home exam for our evidence-based med class, but that doesn't really count. Plus I'd like to not fall super-behind in anatomy since we have quizzes and a huuuuuge exam coming up in just a few weeks.
Least I get to play with baby turkeys in TAU lab and hang out with some friends tonight before really getting started with all that stuff! :)
Also, in our careers seminar we had a talk yesterday about internships, residencies, and specializing. And holy cow, was it scary. I still think that specializing might be something I want to pursue, but now I'm scared to death about getting good enough grades and experience, brown-nosing enough to the right clinicians for letters, getting the "best" internship when geographical location will be more important to me (because of the boy), etc. Might plan a meeting with someone soon to talk through the steps and the whole process. I think I'm going to see if there's a way to shadow or assist a few of the specialties in the hospital over Christmas break to get an idea of what each is about. Too much to think about, and it's only first year!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Should I really care about the thorax?
Sitting in the library on a lovely Tuesday afternoon - no bacteriology lab today, so a ton of classmates headed home right at lunch. Unfortunately, my hopes of an early day home were quashed but by all good things! First, I had a lunch meeting (supplemented with palpation team's bake sale goodies) discussing feline diabetes, which was pretty informative. Second, met up with my evidence-based medicine group to discuss our case of the week, a young foal with a bad case of rhodococcus. Third, finally got around to putting up our class bulletin board. Fourth, waiting until 4:30 when I have an awesome wet lab scheduled. I got picked to be one of the participants in the SCACVIM lab detailing thoracocentesis, urinary catheter placement, and venous cutdown! Very cool, and I can't wait to do something outside of the gross anatomy realm!
Until then, I'm spending the next hour or so chilling at the library and catching up on some schoolwork. We have our first anatomy quiz on Thursday on the thoracic cavity, spine, and spinal/neck muscles. And I'm definitely not ready for that one. But I'm slightly more worried that we have bacteriology and physiology midterms next week for which I also have some major studying to do. Yikes. Hopefully I'm in a super productive mood in the next week!
Not too much else is new. The boy headed out to work early Monday morning, and we had a really great visit. Didn't get too much work or studying done over the weekend as a result, but I think the histology exam on Monday went pretty well all the same. He'll be back again in two weeks and then I take a drive to see him for part of Fall Break (which is in less than a month!).
Other than that, our anatomy group finally got rid of the cat and are back to a rotation with the dog. We had the cat for the past two weeks of lab and it was terrible. So glad to have a cadaver that has good staining and, ya know, humongous everything!
Until then, I'm spending the next hour or so chilling at the library and catching up on some schoolwork. We have our first anatomy quiz on Thursday on the thoracic cavity, spine, and spinal/neck muscles. And I'm definitely not ready for that one. But I'm slightly more worried that we have bacteriology and physiology midterms next week for which I also have some major studying to do. Yikes. Hopefully I'm in a super productive mood in the next week!
Not too much else is new. The boy headed out to work early Monday morning, and we had a really great visit. Didn't get too much work or studying done over the weekend as a result, but I think the histology exam on Monday went pretty well all the same. He'll be back again in two weeks and then I take a drive to see him for part of Fall Break (which is in less than a month!).
Other than that, our anatomy group finally got rid of the cat and are back to a rotation with the dog. We had the cat for the past two weeks of lab and it was terrible. So glad to have a cadaver that has good staining and, ya know, humongous everything!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Hey, hey, it's the weekend!
Been a while, sorry about that!
Rest of the week since Tuesday went great - same old, same old!
Class-wise we finished up the last of our histology information (nerve tissue) before our exam on Monday. I have a little bit of studying to do, but I'm not super worried about it. It's a lot of describing tissues, matching what tissues have which function and appearance, and identifying cells on slides, but we've been taught this stuff so well, studying should be easy. In addition, there's an anatomy quiz coming up next week on the vertebrae, axial muscles, and thoracic cavity that I am extremely not prepared for, so I'll be doing a bit of catch-up on that. Physiology and bacteriology are quickly creeping up on us the next week, but at least we've been doing almost all review of neural stuff in physio (easy-ish exam?).
Our class officers met for our first officer meeting yesterday and started talking about class dues, fundraising, gift, and constitution/mission statement. We have a great group, and I'm super-excited to get started this year. One of the things I have to get done this weekend is go shopping and prepare stuff for our class bulletin board. I'm going to run some sort of monthly contest for the class, so I want to think up something fun for the first one - maybe best veterinary-related Halloween costume idea? I also got elected for the class representative position for SCAVCIM (Student Chapter of the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine - woof!); can't remember if I posted about this before or not. I think that SCAVCIM, PathHeads, SCASRP (Small Ruminants), and SCECCS (Emergency and Critical Care) will be getting the majority of my time and energy as far as clubs go, but that can always change!
And in fun news, I picked up my guy from the airport on Thursday, and he's currently still asleep while I got up to get a head start on some work for the day. It was lovely coming home to him after school yesterday, and we went out for a tasty meal at the Cheesecake Factory - we have leftovers for the next two days! Today we're planning on hitting up either a biscuit or BBQ place for lunch (gotta go Southern while he's here!) then heading to the natural history museum, this huge downtown arts fest, then to see "Toy Story 3" (again for me, first time for him). Tomorrow, we have a diner recommendation to check out before I take him to go-karts and mini-golf. So nice to relax with him (even knowing I have to study).
Also - one month until Fall Break!!!
Rest of the week since Tuesday went great - same old, same old!
Class-wise we finished up the last of our histology information (nerve tissue) before our exam on Monday. I have a little bit of studying to do, but I'm not super worried about it. It's a lot of describing tissues, matching what tissues have which function and appearance, and identifying cells on slides, but we've been taught this stuff so well, studying should be easy. In addition, there's an anatomy quiz coming up next week on the vertebrae, axial muscles, and thoracic cavity that I am extremely not prepared for, so I'll be doing a bit of catch-up on that. Physiology and bacteriology are quickly creeping up on us the next week, but at least we've been doing almost all review of neural stuff in physio (easy-ish exam?).
Our class officers met for our first officer meeting yesterday and started talking about class dues, fundraising, gift, and constitution/mission statement. We have a great group, and I'm super-excited to get started this year. One of the things I have to get done this weekend is go shopping and prepare stuff for our class bulletin board. I'm going to run some sort of monthly contest for the class, so I want to think up something fun for the first one - maybe best veterinary-related Halloween costume idea? I also got elected for the class representative position for SCAVCIM (Student Chapter of the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine - woof!); can't remember if I posted about this before or not. I think that SCAVCIM, PathHeads, SCASRP (Small Ruminants), and SCECCS (Emergency and Critical Care) will be getting the majority of my time and energy as far as clubs go, but that can always change!
And in fun news, I picked up my guy from the airport on Thursday, and he's currently still asleep while I got up to get a head start on some work for the day. It was lovely coming home to him after school yesterday, and we went out for a tasty meal at the Cheesecake Factory - we have leftovers for the next two days! Today we're planning on hitting up either a biscuit or BBQ place for lunch (gotta go Southern while he's here!) then heading to the natural history museum, this huge downtown arts fest, then to see "Toy Story 3" (again for me, first time for him). Tomorrow, we have a diner recommendation to check out before I take him to go-karts and mini-golf. So nice to relax with him (even knowing I have to study).
Also - one month until Fall Break!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
When in doubt, it's diarrhea.
Subject line? That's in reference to the number of times I have read, heard, written, or thought about diarrhea over the past few days in preparation for our bacteriology quiz today. It covered E. coli, Salmonella, and a few other random genera of bacteria. And pretty much all of them cause some sort of diarrheal process. Fun!
Even though it was just a few days ago that we took our anatomy and physiology exams, it feels like weeks have already gone by. And our next round is starting up very soon. The first histology exam is this coming Monday, and our first anatomy quiz is on Thursday. I'm not too worried about histology - everything is pretty straightforward as long as your understand the function and structures of the different tissues and how they will look when stained. It'll be a long test, but hopefully it'll go well.
Anatomy is definitely switching gears. We were just settling into our pattern of memorizing muscles, attachments, innervations, etc. and now we're working on the thoracic and abdominal cavities. We started with the axial muscles attached to the spine, neck, and ribs and took a look at some of the blood vessels and nerves associated with those areas. Today we actually cracked into the thoracic cavity of our group's cat to start with the components of that cavity - the heart, lungs, vessels, etc. It's a very different type of information to learn and absorb, and I think it will require some rethinking of how to get it all in my head. Not to mention that this next exam isn't for practically a month and will cover the spinal muscles, vertebrae, thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities and all of the associated blood supply and innervation. Woof.
And have I mentioned lately how awful dissecting a cat is? Everything is this homogeneous clay-like color, so it's tough to easily differentiate anything. Plus, all of the nerves and vessels are tiny, thread-like, and very friable, so it's a little frustrating. Comparing a cat's thorax to that of a 70 pound dog emphasize how much more challenging the cat insists on being.
Also got my second anatomy exam back today and did exactly the same as I did on the first (to the point), so at least I'm consistent! If I can pull that grade on the third massive one, I'll be super-thrilled. We're supposed to get our physiology exams back tomorrow, so hopefully that'll have some good news attached.
Plus...less than two days until my next visit with my guy! :)
Even though it was just a few days ago that we took our anatomy and physiology exams, it feels like weeks have already gone by. And our next round is starting up very soon. The first histology exam is this coming Monday, and our first anatomy quiz is on Thursday. I'm not too worried about histology - everything is pretty straightforward as long as your understand the function and structures of the different tissues and how they will look when stained. It'll be a long test, but hopefully it'll go well.
Anatomy is definitely switching gears. We were just settling into our pattern of memorizing muscles, attachments, innervations, etc. and now we're working on the thoracic and abdominal cavities. We started with the axial muscles attached to the spine, neck, and ribs and took a look at some of the blood vessels and nerves associated with those areas. Today we actually cracked into the thoracic cavity of our group's cat to start with the components of that cavity - the heart, lungs, vessels, etc. It's a very different type of information to learn and absorb, and I think it will require some rethinking of how to get it all in my head. Not to mention that this next exam isn't for practically a month and will cover the spinal muscles, vertebrae, thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities and all of the associated blood supply and innervation. Woof.
And have I mentioned lately how awful dissecting a cat is? Everything is this homogeneous clay-like color, so it's tough to easily differentiate anything. Plus, all of the nerves and vessels are tiny, thread-like, and very friable, so it's a little frustrating. Comparing a cat's thorax to that of a 70 pound dog emphasize how much more challenging the cat insists on being.
Also got my second anatomy exam back today and did exactly the same as I did on the first (to the point), so at least I'm consistent! If I can pull that grade on the third massive one, I'll be super-thrilled. We're supposed to get our physiology exams back tomorrow, so hopefully that'll have some good news attached.
Plus...less than two days until my next visit with my guy! :)
Friday, September 10, 2010
Done and done.
Finished up my next round of exams this week - anatomy on Wednesday and physiology on Thursday. I know I made some mistakes on the anatomy practical (one or two of which being pretty stupid on my part) but overall, I felt like I did okay on both. It was such a great feeling walking out of school yesterday afternoon knowing that I didn't have anything pressing coming up in the next week or so. There's a bacteriology quiz this coming Tuesday, but that's small potatoes compared to the two evaluations of this week.
Even better than finishing the tests, about half of my class got together for a cookout at the beef educational unit at NC State that night. Sooooo much fun! It was great to be able to hang out with such awesome, fun people without classes or study sessions involved. Conversation naturally turned to vet school - it's kind of hard to avoid talking about tests, classes, teachers, etc. when that's your common thread - but it was still a blast. Plus, it was the best meal I've eaten in quite a long time! Can't really afford to spend the time or money buying and then preparing myself ribeye steak and all of the sides...
Afterwards, a couple of us headed to a classmate's apartment to watch a movie and chill for a few more hours. Again, being able to spend quality time with them outside of school is such a great break and one we all needed.
And today, I had my first lab session of our animal production and maintenance series. Basically, each semester we have a round of species-specific orientations followed up by one lab per species during that term. Totals to six sessions per species in total for years one to three and is meant to give those of us with limited or no experience with certain species at least some hands-on practical knowledge. Today, my group completed our first equine lab, so all of the stuff we did I was pretty comfortable with. Skills we had to practice and perform included haltering, leading, and trotting the horse, grooming, measuring, and cleaning and examining the feet. It was a beautiful day outside, and it felt amazing to be able to be out in the middle of the school day with real, live animals. We all loved it!
Tomorrow morning I get to head into downtown Raleigh to help out the the annual community Dog Olympics, which is sponsored by the school and its chapter of SCAAHA (Student Chapter of the American Animal Hospital Association). I think it'll be a lot of fun spending time with new friends PLUS tons of cute, adorable dogs. Pretty excited! It'll almost be as great as the hours of lounging in pajamas that I accomplished this afternoon. :)
Even better than finishing the tests, about half of my class got together for a cookout at the beef educational unit at NC State that night. Sooooo much fun! It was great to be able to hang out with such awesome, fun people without classes or study sessions involved. Conversation naturally turned to vet school - it's kind of hard to avoid talking about tests, classes, teachers, etc. when that's your common thread - but it was still a blast. Plus, it was the best meal I've eaten in quite a long time! Can't really afford to spend the time or money buying and then preparing myself ribeye steak and all of the sides...
Afterwards, a couple of us headed to a classmate's apartment to watch a movie and chill for a few more hours. Again, being able to spend quality time with them outside of school is such a great break and one we all needed.
And today, I had my first lab session of our animal production and maintenance series. Basically, each semester we have a round of species-specific orientations followed up by one lab per species during that term. Totals to six sessions per species in total for years one to three and is meant to give those of us with limited or no experience with certain species at least some hands-on practical knowledge. Today, my group completed our first equine lab, so all of the stuff we did I was pretty comfortable with. Skills we had to practice and perform included haltering, leading, and trotting the horse, grooming, measuring, and cleaning and examining the feet. It was a beautiful day outside, and it felt amazing to be able to be out in the middle of the school day with real, live animals. We all loved it!
Tomorrow morning I get to head into downtown Raleigh to help out the the annual community Dog Olympics, which is sponsored by the school and its chapter of SCAAHA (Student Chapter of the American Animal Hospital Association). I think it'll be a lot of fun spending time with new friends PLUS tons of cute, adorable dogs. Pretty excited! It'll almost be as great as the hours of lounging in pajamas that I accomplished this afternoon. :)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Sleeeeepy...
Even though we're already two days into the week (seeing as how Monday was a holiday), I'm still already exhausted!
I had a great and pretty unproductive weekend hanging out with the boy. It was definitely worth sacrificing a few points on the upcoming exams to spend time with him, even if we did nothing of consequence. Lots of lazing around in pajamas, cooking some tasty dinners, watching about half a season of "Fringe" (which is freaking fantastic, by the way!), etc. He did have a nasty allergic reaction to something in my apartment where his sclera got all swollen; he actually formed a fluid bubble under the upper layer of his eye. Grooooss, and I don't know what caused it. He swears it must be cat allergens since that's one of the only things that he's allergic to, but my family hasn't had a cat in about eight years, and we've deep-cleaned the couch since then. Oh well. He survived - even though he was out cold after two tabs of Benadryl!
We also took a drive to Greensboro on Saturday to visit his grandmother for lunch. His mom was also in town, so we got to catch up with her as well. They are both incredibly adorable and fun to talk to. And his mom was pretty amazed that he actually ironed his own shirts and helped with the dishes the night before. Like I'd have it any other way!
I got a few hours of studying in while he was here by waking up in the morning while he dozed...wasn't too effective but at least it was something! I also cranked out a really decent morning and afternoon on Saturday before he arrived and two or three hours last night while he caught up on his own work and packed. Despite the lack of quality study time, I feel okay for anatomy after some final reviewing tonight. I might not do as well as the first time, but I think it'll go just fine - and this one isn't cumulative, which is a HUGE help! I also have the first physiology exam on Thursday, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that one. I feel like I know the information in my notes and flashcards, but I mess up some of the sample questions he went over in class. It's the wording that the professor uses to ask the questions that keeps confusing me, so I have some more work to do for that one tomorrow.
The whole class is still wary of each other since the 24 hour plague is still in the air - another few classmates were struck down yesterday night and today. Praying I don't catch it before Thursday afternoon!
Off to bed. Sooooo tired, and I've only been in class a day this week.
I had a great and pretty unproductive weekend hanging out with the boy. It was definitely worth sacrificing a few points on the upcoming exams to spend time with him, even if we did nothing of consequence. Lots of lazing around in pajamas, cooking some tasty dinners, watching about half a season of "Fringe" (which is freaking fantastic, by the way!), etc. He did have a nasty allergic reaction to something in my apartment where his sclera got all swollen; he actually formed a fluid bubble under the upper layer of his eye. Grooooss, and I don't know what caused it. He swears it must be cat allergens since that's one of the only things that he's allergic to, but my family hasn't had a cat in about eight years, and we've deep-cleaned the couch since then. Oh well. He survived - even though he was out cold after two tabs of Benadryl!
We also took a drive to Greensboro on Saturday to visit his grandmother for lunch. His mom was also in town, so we got to catch up with her as well. They are both incredibly adorable and fun to talk to. And his mom was pretty amazed that he actually ironed his own shirts and helped with the dishes the night before. Like I'd have it any other way!
I got a few hours of studying in while he was here by waking up in the morning while he dozed...wasn't too effective but at least it was something! I also cranked out a really decent morning and afternoon on Saturday before he arrived and two or three hours last night while he caught up on his own work and packed. Despite the lack of quality study time, I feel okay for anatomy after some final reviewing tonight. I might not do as well as the first time, but I think it'll go just fine - and this one isn't cumulative, which is a HUGE help! I also have the first physiology exam on Thursday, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that one. I feel like I know the information in my notes and flashcards, but I mess up some of the sample questions he went over in class. It's the wording that the professor uses to ask the questions that keeps confusing me, so I have some more work to do for that one tomorrow.
The whole class is still wary of each other since the 24 hour plague is still in the air - another few classmates were struck down yesterday night and today. Praying I don't catch it before Thursday afternoon!
Off to bed. Sooooo tired, and I've only been in class a day this week.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Dynamo time.
Busy, busy, busy. See last post for all of the stuff I have coming up in the next few days, and you'll see why I've been spending a solid four to five hours a night studying. Ugh. Hope it all pays off soon!
Had a histology review after class today and that put my mind at ease. I think I can probably look over my stuff one last time and do fine on the quiz. The bacteriology quiz on Tuesday will also not be too bad (I hope!). We have practice materials for that class, which will help, and there are only a few big concepts to remember for the Enterobacteriacea family.
Bigger ones? Physiology is my last one...and I think it'll be doable. It's all stuff that I've had before - action potentials and neurotransmission, muscles, genetics/genomics, etc. - so hopefully it's just a matter of putting in some solid time and "re-learning" it. I've made some study sheets and flashcards, and that'll be the big piece to tackle this weekend. Anatomy is in a week, and I HOPE that'll work out well. For some reason I'm having a really tough time getting the muscle attachments on the os coxae (pelvis) to stick in my head and the artery names are also slightly confusing. But there are less parts overall than for the thoracic limb, so I have confidence that it'll just take a little time and motivation to learn it. Plus, I aced my first exam, so I'm really pulling for a repeat on this one!
Complicating factor? Hoping to cram as much as humanly possible into the next few days so I'm not doing too much catch-up work on Sunday and Monday when the boy is here. At least it's a good motivating factor! :)
Had a histology review after class today and that put my mind at ease. I think I can probably look over my stuff one last time and do fine on the quiz. The bacteriology quiz on Tuesday will also not be too bad (I hope!). We have practice materials for that class, which will help, and there are only a few big concepts to remember for the Enterobacteriacea family.
Bigger ones? Physiology is my last one...and I think it'll be doable. It's all stuff that I've had before - action potentials and neurotransmission, muscles, genetics/genomics, etc. - so hopefully it's just a matter of putting in some solid time and "re-learning" it. I've made some study sheets and flashcards, and that'll be the big piece to tackle this weekend. Anatomy is in a week, and I HOPE that'll work out well. For some reason I'm having a really tough time getting the muscle attachments on the os coxae (pelvis) to stick in my head and the artery names are also slightly confusing. But there are less parts overall than for the thoracic limb, so I have confidence that it'll just take a little time and motivation to learn it. Plus, I aced my first exam, so I'm really pulling for a repeat on this one!
Complicating factor? Hoping to cram as much as humanly possible into the next few days so I'm not doing too much catch-up work on Sunday and Monday when the boy is here. At least it's a good motivating factor! :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
And back to reality...
Had a fantastic weekend with the boy. We did essentially nothing - slept in, grabbed ice cream, walked around his neighborhood for a few hours, cleaned up his apartment, watched a few movies and episodes of "Fringe", and made a big pasta dinner. I brought along my school stuff and actually got a few hours of reviewing notes, reading, and bone part memorization in during the plane rides. But then proceeded to do nothing during my actual time visiting with him. When we only have two days out of every two or three weeks to spend together, learning the fossae and tuberosities of the os coxae bones or actions of cholinergic receptors during that time does not get a high place on the priority list.
After getting in late last night on my flight, I started my third full week of vet school bright and early this morning. I have quite a bit coming up on my plate but I feel like it'll all work out somehow...
Upcoming Assessments:
Speaking of which, back to studying!
After getting in late last night on my flight, I started my third full week of vet school bright and early this morning. I have quite a bit coming up on my plate but I feel like it'll all work out somehow...
Upcoming Assessments:
- Histology quiz on Friday - basic cell function, connective tissues, epithelial tissues
- Bacteriology quiz next Tuesday - stuff from lab, Enterobacteriaceae family
- Anatomy exam next Wednesday - pelvic limb (bones, muscles, nerves, blood supply)
- Physiology exam next Thursday - genetics, genomics, biomath, excitable tissues/action potential stuff
- Bills are coming up! Ugh...
- Schedule rabies vaccinations
- Research for evidence based medicine course
- Decide which clubs to get more involved with and then do so
- Cleaning at some point? Maybe?
- Meet with legal advisor about residency changes
- Sleep (will NOT sacrifice this!)
Speaking of which, back to studying!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Exam 1 - Done!
Whew! First anatomy exam and first exam of vet school is finished! And it wasn't tooooo bad. I definitely felt prepared and even though there were a couple of questions here and there that I fudged a little, I had an overall good feeling leaving the test.
All I care about is that it's done, and the exam proved to me that anatomy is, in fact, do-able. Time-consuming and lengthy, but do-able.
Spent the rest of the evening hanging out with a few vet school friends. We ordered in pizza and watched some movies instead of hitting the bars with another part of the class. After the build-up to this test, we were just too tired and worn out to go out and drink until late. We have class at 8 am again tomorrow, after all!
It's not even ten o'clock, and I'm about ready to head off to bed. Good night all, and I hope your sleep is half as restful as I know mine is going to be!
All I care about is that it's done, and the exam proved to me that anatomy is, in fact, do-able. Time-consuming and lengthy, but do-able.
Spent the rest of the evening hanging out with a few vet school friends. We ordered in pizza and watched some movies instead of hitting the bars with another part of the class. After the build-up to this test, we were just too tired and worn out to go out and drink until late. We have class at 8 am again tomorrow, after all!
It's not even ten o'clock, and I'm about ready to head off to bed. Good night all, and I hope your sleep is half as restful as I know mine is going to be!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
First Exam
First exam of vet school tomorrow - anatomy of the thoracic limb including bones, muscles, blood supply, and innervation.
My brain is totally full, and I don't think I'm going to study for very much longer. Another quick review of my notes, and off to bed in the next hour or so. Either I know it at this point or I don't...and I really feel confident that I know it. Hopefully it'll come out the right way on the exam and my brain doesn't decide to abandon me halfway through the practical.
Over and out.
My brain is totally full, and I don't think I'm going to study for very much longer. Another quick review of my notes, and off to bed in the next hour or so. Either I know it at this point or I don't...and I really feel confident that I know it. Hopefully it'll come out the right way on the exam and my brain doesn't decide to abandon me halfway through the practical.
Over and out.
Friday, August 20, 2010
TGIF!
I meant to post yesterday, but it totally slipped my mind - surprised much?
It's our first Friday after our first full week of classes, and I am freaking exhausted! The days sure are long (7:30 am arrival at school until a 4:30 to 5:30 departure) with an additional few hours of studying to do when I get home at night. Looking forward to being able to study on the couch in my PJs this weekend instead of heading into school all day.
We have our first anatomy exam this coming Wednesday, so all of us will be absorbed in that from sun-up to sun-down for the next few days. My plan is to take off tonight - no or very minimal studying for me (might skim my other classes). A group of us are going out to dinner after our mock practical, and afterwards I definitely need a break to get to bed early and have a full night's rest. Tomorrow I hope to get up early and head in to school at 7:30 or 8 am, pull out a dog and cat cadaver, and start going through identification of the muscles, nerves, and arteries for the forelimb. Head home at lunch and spend the rest of the weekend here with my books and my notes. Fuuuuuun.
So what sorts of things have I learned this first week?
1) Compared to others in my class, I'm positively mellow about my studies at this point. Seriously, it came as a surprise to me too.
2) Professional school is more physically and mentally demanding than any job.
3) Free lunches help me get through the day and will definitely be a favorite part of the week.
4) Everything in the body is way more complicated and has way more parts than I ever thought possible.
5) Free time? Haha.
6) My dreams have become super, super boring. They all have to do with studying and assorted muscle attachments for some reason.
7) I miss having pets here even more than I thought I would! It would be sooooo nice to come home to a little dog or cat to cuddle and study with.
8) Despite all of the work, I'm still having a blast!
It's our first Friday after our first full week of classes, and I am freaking exhausted! The days sure are long (7:30 am arrival at school until a 4:30 to 5:30 departure) with an additional few hours of studying to do when I get home at night. Looking forward to being able to study on the couch in my PJs this weekend instead of heading into school all day.
We have our first anatomy exam this coming Wednesday, so all of us will be absorbed in that from sun-up to sun-down for the next few days. My plan is to take off tonight - no or very minimal studying for me (might skim my other classes). A group of us are going out to dinner after our mock practical, and afterwards I definitely need a break to get to bed early and have a full night's rest. Tomorrow I hope to get up early and head in to school at 7:30 or 8 am, pull out a dog and cat cadaver, and start going through identification of the muscles, nerves, and arteries for the forelimb. Head home at lunch and spend the rest of the weekend here with my books and my notes. Fuuuuuun.
So what sorts of things have I learned this first week?
1) Compared to others in my class, I'm positively mellow about my studies at this point. Seriously, it came as a surprise to me too.
2) Professional school is more physically and mentally demanding than any job.
3) Free lunches help me get through the day and will definitely be a favorite part of the week.
4) Everything in the body is way more complicated and has way more parts than I ever thought possible.
5) Free time? Haha.
6) My dreams have become super, super boring. They all have to do with studying and assorted muscle attachments for some reason.
7) I miss having pets here even more than I thought I would! It would be sooooo nice to come home to a little dog or cat to cuddle and study with.
8) Despite all of the work, I'm still having a blast!
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