POD and October

It got cold here in South Western Ontario very fast. September and October have been blustery, rainy, and cold. But who even has time to think about weather with how busy we have been recently.

POD:
- Might be the death of me
- So far we have covered cancer, tissue repair, inflammation, granulomatous inflammation, necrosis and apoptosis, hypertrophy and hyperplasia, basic terminology, and in gross pathology, how to make a morphological diagnosis
- Every other day there is a module quiz and every other week there are unit tests. All must be passed with a 70% or higher... failure means you take the test again. yay...
- There has been a surprising amount of histology - that means to you first years, learn histo the first time, because relearning it in conjunction to learning all this has been a major headache.
- It is kind of cool to actually start seeing "medical" stuff - there is an obvious, clinical problem and what is going on in the body to make it happen

Therio
- We have started our cow palpations
- This is a learned skill, it takes practice to master
- By "palpation" I mean rectal palpation of the reproduction tract
- Once we are comfortable and can start actually feeling and identifying structures we can move to mares! They are more challenging because they are less tolerant and have smaller tracts

Euchre Tournament
- I ran a fundraising euchre tourny last week with the help of my fellow SoCos!
- $120 raised for our class (goes towards running events, our fourth year play, and our grad/prom) and had a $50 cash prize for the winners
- 64 people on 32 teams - 3 games of round robin then quarter finals lead to single eliminations
- I was so happy to have members of each phase (Caracals, Stags, Elephants, Pheonixes) come out, to see friends, housemates, and significant others participate, and even an enthusiastic prof show up!

Winners "Trumper Thumpers" getting their Certificate of Trumping

Halloween
- Frat party is this Friday!!!
- My costume is done thanks to my Mom, but the buyf still needs his pants to be sewn and my housemate still needs help with her dress
- We are going to Trick-or-Eat (www.trickoreat.ca) again this year! So far we have a team of 10 but I hope that I can rally a few more in the final week! We had a blast last year and I know this year will be the same. It is such an easy way to give back to the community
- Pictures to come

Other things of note:

- New Ink

- My family got a new puppy in May, Winnie, she is 9 months now and so full of life! Her and Pippa "get along" - Winnie pretty much just chases Pip around the house while Pippa plots world domination and naps in the window sill.

- Hockey this year is going really well. I feel like I have come leaps and bounds since last year! I even got an assist last week!

- Weight loss has seemed to plateau since September so I am working hard this week to get back on track and reach my goal by Christmas!

- I am still very much in love <3

- Movember is coming....

Stag head plus Rod of Asclepius

Winnie chasing a Balloon

<3

Please visit my friends blog "Life in Vet School". I write sometimes for him, as do other members in my class, and he illustrates sometimes!!

http://vetsintraining.blogspot.ca/

A couple fun sites you may enjoy to help you procrastinate:

- Rainy Mood www.rainymood.com

- Vet School High http://vetschoolhigh.tumblr.com/

- 4 years of vet school http://4yearsofvetschool.tumblr.com/

- Vet school paradise http://vetschoolparadise.tumblr.com/

- Cat Bounce http://cat-bounce.com/

- How To Pet A Kitty http://theoatmeal.com/comics/kitty_pet

- Robot Chicken "Euthanasia" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnWDfc2fS54

- Baker Cat! http://belarr.com/bakercat/  ****WATCH WITH SOUND! I PROMISE YOU WILL SMILE!

- A baby racoon http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2vofH7/:1tVb8+z3$:SFx6dkGQ/www.firecold.com/videos/an-orphan-baby-raccoon/

- And to show you how Bad Ass Stags are http://video.insider.foxnews.com/v/1882322579001/

Early morning....

What?! No one else is up a 2 am, outside, filling a plastic booty with handfuls of grass because their patient is getting "3/4 of a booty" every 6 hours???!?!?! #vetstudentproblems

August Heat

Finally, finally, finally.... some rain. Our poor Ontario farmers really need it. The price of hay is going up, and the quality is going down since this crazy draught of a summer started. Also worried about corn and soy... Consumers will be the last to feel the economic burden of feed prices sky rocketing. Another point to the vegetarians. Ha.

Ok, so other than being dog sick right now. Not much on the exciting news front.

My colleague and I are finished with the 2016's Orientation Handbook. It was nice to clear some unimportant info out of there. Turned it from a 50 page document with changing formats to a set of "chapters" that can all be accessed seperately so you can print out only what is important to you (30 pages in all). It is formatted beautifully and illustrated by us. It looks amazing, if I do say so myself! Our next project is a map of the OVC. Older classes mentioned that they have seen some, but no one can direct us to a person who knows. Alas, we have to start from cratch, drawing up the floor plan ourselves. Then we will artsy-fartsy it up with some more illustrations. Because we can! Ha!
His link as promised: http://vetcartoonist.blogspot.ca/
Please visit and give love :)



Illustrations © 2012 Vishal Murthy

I am prepping (at least mentally) to take on next years courses. This year is going to get a lot tougher, but the trade off is that it is much more practical.

VETM*3220 - Art of Veterinary Medicine II
Continuation of AVM I - communication and general knowledge of the profession
VETM*3410 - Health Management II
Continuation of HM I - more herd health <3
VETM*3440 - Clinical Medicine II
Continuation of CM I - we will continue with how to take proper histories, do physical exams, and perform basic procedures, with some more emphasis on abnormal findings
VETM*3450 - Principles of Disease in Veterinary Medicine
Our 2.75 credit course X_X - covers basic pathology, immune responses to trauma and disease, bacteria, viruses, parasites, other infectious agents. you get the picture. it is a lot of content and will include a lot of weekly or biweekly quizes.... and lots of labs... and a huge lab exam as well as written. So it will be similar in structure to anatomy with more content.
VETM*3460 - Theriogenology
A course just on sex! Hhaha. Also gestation, parturition, and life up to weaning.
VETM*3470 - Anaesthesiology and Pharmacology
A course just on drugs! :)
VETM*3510 - Principles of Surgery
Our first glimpse into the large world of surgery. pretty general stuff to start. i will give you lots of details once we get into this later.

Ok one quick patient story:
We had a client call us saying that her newly purchased miniature pony just foaled.
"Okkkkkkkay....?" Not really a concern. Did it struggle? Is the foal alive? Premature? What?
Well just gave birth. After a 5 hour hot trailer ride. And no one knew she was preggos.
"Oh shit."
Needless to say it was premature and a bit dummy. Was on foal watch for a bit, fluids, oxygen, nasogastric tube. Went in for an umbilical hernia surgery, recovered well. After a week of intensive care she got to go home relatively healthy.
BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MINIATURE PONY FOAL??????!?!?!?!?!?!
SO EFFING CUTE.
Obviously I cannot show you pictures but it looked similar to this:

Squeee worthy for sure.

We also had some jerseys in this week. I am in love.

Until next time.

Alpacas, alpacas, alpacas

I have honestly touched an Alpaca once before this summer. Now they are everywhere. We have had four alpacas in in the last month, and a llama. Camelid city! My knowledge is growing but I still have much to learn.Apparently the OVC doesn't get a lot of camelids and all the clinicians/technicians have been in shock about our 5 in July. They are gaining popularity but as hobby farmer stock, there is not a ton of money in the industry, so not many people are willing to pour cash into emergency vet fees.

Alpaca 101:
- Alpacas are a different species, but highly similar to Llamas.
- Mostly fibre industry
- Three chambered stomachs; high fibre low fat diets
- Will spit, but most are very well handled and are relatively comfortable with humans around
- Have dental pads just like cows and sheep; also split lips like sheep
- Have a cartilaginous fighting pad to protect their necks/carotid/jugular
- Veins have many valves (that make catheter placement a long and tedious process!)
- Come in two breeds; Huacaya and Suri
- Suri's are more rare (something about the fibre texture being simple dominant trait.... the literature is vague and incomplete on this subject), their fibre is less curly, more wavy, and much finer, worth way more (crias can go for 5 grand!!!)
- Babys are called "Cria"s, but there is no real industry wide name for the males and females (cloesest for males is "Herd Sire") nor castrates
- They have a more "flat footed" confirmation where phalanges 2 and 3 are level with the ground and 1 is 45 degree angle to the metacarpophalangeal joint (in horses known as Fetlock), also they have two toes!


And that is about it. End knowledge.
We have seen them in for broken femoral head, heat stress, interphalangeal luxation, acute abdomen, and neurological weakness of the legs. All seem to be related to heat, dehydration, anorexia, and trauma from injury. So important tip: offer lots of shade and water, and don't let them fight each other. (Easier said then done, eh?)

All Legs and Neck!

Also a cool thing today, had the farrier in to look at a foundering horse (all four feet). Founder = Laminitis FYI. Applied these wooden shoes with plasticine and rubber soles. No nails or screws, just casted then on after a good clean out. They are called EVA Wooden shoes (see www.equicast.us for more info). They reduce shock and wear and allow the coffin bone to stop migrating during the healing process. I had never seen them before. It really made me think about how important it is to have a good farrier-client-veterinarian bond because all the vets just watched as this guy did his thing. The horse is on his way to being a fat happy cart horse once again. Although the "fat" part is probably what started the laminitis in the first place. I definitely will invest in a good farrier for my clinic in the future, or even in a technician with farrier training. That would be awesome, and well worth the salary!

Casted to the hoof!

MCAT

So in Canada the veterinary schools require the completion of the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). American veterinary schools require the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations). These both are standardized tests for getting into graduate schools. I think it is silly, but they won't drop it so you should just suck it up, pay the money, study hard, and kick this stupid things bum. Also, Internationals just have to take one or the other; the OVC will look at either if you are an international student!!

MCAT - https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/
GRE - http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register

MCAT covers:
Multiple Choice (1-45) - 26
Biological Sciences (Bio and Organic Chem)
Physical Sciences (Chem and Physics)

There are seven 'scenarios' for each. You have to answer 5-7 questions about the scenario. And one or two of the 'scenarios' are just science questions that are free of a scenario. It is frustrating because 50% is actual knowledge of science. The other 50% is your ability to read and understand the question. They try to trick you. The material is pretty much first and second year 'science' stuff. Physics is exactly the same as my intro to physics courses in first year. This is why they suggest (and so do I) you try the MCAT first AFTER second year but BEFORE third year (summer seems to be perfect!!!).

Verbal Reasoning

There are 5-7 writing samples that you have to read and answer questions about. Again, you don't have to have ANY background in the subject material to get the answers right. In fact, you do better on the random architecture or political ones than the science and nature ones... The subject material can literally be anything. Newspaper articles, sections from novels, scenes from a play/movie, journal articles... anything. This was a section I would have failed miserably at if not for my MCAT prep course. It takes a very different part of your brain and you must go against common sense.

Written (L-T) - My score = Q
Writing Sample

You are given a statement like "The sky is blue" and you must write a sample including why this is true/right with an example, and why it is false/wrong with an example, then summarize. This section is retarded. I am sorry I have no advice for it, I am not really sure how they mark it and I was SHOCKED to get a Q.


Here is that big kicker, it is not a raw score. So if you get 40/45 questions right, you do not get an 88%. It is bell curved in some way. You get compared to the previous year's section. Totally silly.

Ok so prep course or no? I needed it because I am a poor self-motivator. I needed to have someone telling me what sections to read when. Also, their books had ALL of the info I needed in one place, I did not have to sort through my old notes and worry that I missed a section. Another thing was the access to TONS of practice tests which helped you gauge how well you were doing and gave me a sense as to what the test would feel like day of. It is a 5 hour test so getting used to timing was nice. Another helpful part was that my teachers would mark and walk me through the verbal and writing sections (which I had NO IDEA what I was doing for). I honestly would not have figured that out on my own. Now, can you do well on the test without a prep course, yes. No prep at all, no. So look into AT LEAST getting a prep book and working through the stuff they offer on their website!

I took the whole summer to study, I did not work, and I took the Princeton Review 16 hour/week course. We did MTWTh 4pm - 8pm. I signed up early and only had to pay $1500 for it (costs $1700). So I financially invested in myself. But that was my decision. I planned on only doing this once so I was throwing myself into it. The test it self costs $300 and I suggest signing up way in advanced. The med students take the MCAT WAY more seriously because they need a 30-S to even apply to med school, so us vetties are not nearly as intense. My class's average was about 22-O. So you do not need an amazing test score.... you just need to try a bit and score average. But the meddies will take up all the good seatings. BUT they have to have their scores ready for OCT 1st (ours is JAN 1st) so they won't write any later than August. I suggest mid-August.

It is stupid and you will hate your life, but you all have to do it so just give'er!

Prep Courses:
Princeton Review - http://www.princetonreview.com/medical/mcat-test-preparation.aspx
Kaplan - http://www.kaptest.com/MCAT/Home/index.html
Prep 101 - http://www.prep101.com/mcat/
Oxford Seminars - http://www.oxfordseminars.ca/MCAT/mcat_about.php

Test Day:
- ARRIVE EARLY!!!!
- It is all online so you don't need any paper or pens (they provide you with scribble paper)
- You need government ID and I think your AAMC registration info
- They will take your finger print
- Wear comfy clothes that are weather conscious with layers (you will have to show all of your pockets to get in and out of the room)
- Stay hydrated, have a good breakfast, and GET SLEEP BEFORE!!!
- Have someone drive you if you can, you will feel like shit after

Then when it is all done, drink heavily! :)

Melting

Scorching hot in Southwestern Ontario. Just gross. 42 C today. I feel for the people and animals living/working outside.

I got to see Stallion Semen collection this week. Same as all the videos I have watched in reproduction class, but now I can officially say I have seen it happen live. It really is a quick procedure.... 10 sec flat.

I also helped out with some porcine x-rays (broken humerus repair with pins and K wire). So we can add that to the list! I applied a belly bandage onto a heifer that had come in for an umbilical hernia as well. She was so sweet! But ringworm positive so I had to dress up to see her... I look lovely in bright yellow!

So orientation week for the 2016s approaches and the committee is deep in preparation. I am helping revamp the handbook that will be emailed out to the newbies at the beginning of August. Our years was 50 pages, which is just ridiculous. So I am working to shave it down to 30. Another thing we are trying is to make a more fun/creative/useful map of OVC and Downtown. My peer is an excellent cartoonist and he is working with me on the project, so I am very excited about the end result!

Speaking of him actually, he is working on a cartoon blog to represent the students of OVC as we go through the program here. Once his link is up, I will post it!

I also realized that there were some pieces missing from my advice section that I should have posted when I started this thing. I will look back and try to fill in the holes, especially because I have been talking specifically with some people who are trying to get in to the OVC recently!! You guys should have as much info as possible.

Any questions or requests, please comment or email!

Summer Lovin'

Hello, so now that my first year is done, I have taken the last two months to relax.
HAHAHA nope.

Ok so let us start by saying CONGRATS TO THE OVC CLASS OF 2016!!!! I am so excited to meet all of the new "first" years!!! Which means that I am now considered, a "second year"!!! Has a year really gone past? geezus.

Now lets get into the nitty gritty about my summer job. Working at the OVC has it's benefits and disadvantages.
Pros:
- Lots of my friends are working here too! I get to see them all the time!
- I get to know the facilities and softwares better
- I get to bond with the clinicians, residents, ordelies, techs, and agriculture assistants...
- I am learning the "OVC procedures and protocols" so that in fourth year, when I do rotations, I will not look like a fool!
- The BF works here so we get to spend lunches together sometimes
- I am learning some good technical skills
- I have gotten to work with a pig and some goats!!! (as well as allllll the horses and cows)

Cons:
- I spend WAY to much time in this building
- Night shifts are the worst
- I get minimum wage
- The caf is closed for the summer :(
- This kind of work is not "field" friendly... meaning you do not three step prep and follow sterile gloving procedures when you are standing in a field!!!! I am not learning anything that will help me with herd health.
- Sometimes I get sent home early... then on days that I would like to go home early, I cannot...
- Each tech that I work with is VERY different and I have to be careful how I respond/act in front of each one


But over all, I am very fortunate to have this job. I am learning ALOT and this is going to make my fourth year rotations SOOOO much easier. I am glad I did this, this summer, so I have some decent skills and experience so maybe next summer I can get a job in a mixed animal practice!

I mentioned "technical" skills. You may be wondering what those imply.
Things I have performed:
- Aseptic jugular catheter placement
- Equine/Bovine/Neonatal TPRs
- Spiked fluids
- Bottle feeding calves/foals
- Hanging/Changing fluids
- Jugular blood sample collection
- Facial crest blood sample collection
- Tail vein blood sample collection
- Running a Blood Gas test
- Running a Packed Cell Volume test
- Running a Total Solids test
- Plasma transfusions
- Tubing fluids through a fricspeculum
- Tubing fluids through a nasogastric tube
- Drawing up medications such as Flunixin, Sodium Penicillin, Procaine Penicillin, Ceftifur, Omeprazole, Phenylbutazone, TMS, etc
- Administering intramuscular injections
- Administering intravenous injections
- Administering oral medications
- Administering eye medications
- Complete isolation procedures

Some cool things I have gotten to watch:
- Urethroplasty
- Castrations (on Stallions and on a Jack!)
- Lameness work up
- Fetlock injections
- Injections into the cervical intervertebral spaces
- Hip joint injections
- Bronchiole-Alveolar Lavage
- Nasolacrimal duct flush
- Equine teeth float (Dentistry)
- Equine euthanasia
- Eye surgery (they removed some cysts from the eyelid)
- TVEC procedure to correct atrial fibrillation
- Cecal torsion surgery
- Spinal blocks for flank surgeries
- Porcine spay (ovariohystorectomy)
- Arterial blood sample collection
- Ultrasoundography
- Radiographs of legs, neck, thorax, and head
- Joint and belly taps


And so on. I wish I could show you some of the pics I have, but it is all confidential so tough cookies.


If you have any questions about those procedures, please ask and I can walk you through them.


I should get off this darn computer now and go enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather we are having in Southern Ontario this summer. :)


Until next time!


***Sorry about this weird highlight thing... can't seem to get rid of it!!!

1/4 Vet K

Well, the semester is done here at the OVC. And The Scarlet Stags made it through. Marks will be going up next week and rewrite dates are for late May. Hopefully I do not have to do any, that would be fantastic. But, Histo and Immunology were tough for me so I will have to accept the fact that I may be rewriting... Until then I am going to prep for the next things in my life.

1. Packing
Moving into a new room. Same house. It is a great location but the room I am in currently is just not big enough for all my shit.

2. Work at the Teaching Hospital
Orientation starts Monday 8:30 AM. No rest for the wicked.

3. Class of 2016's MMIs
I am personally prepping some close friends, but I also will be an interviewer for the actual ones in late May.

4. Dog Sitting
I have taken on quite a few jobs, but am still hoping for a couple more this summer. I am booked til the first week of June. It is really good money, and with the recent passing of my laptop AND Blackberry, well, I need the money.

5. Veterinary Experience
No kids. The fun of volunteering does not end once you get accepted into OVC. You have to keep expanding and broadening your horizons. As a person that has a strong interest in Food Animal Medicine, this is especially important for me. I need to get out into the field and get my hands dirty. So what do I have planned? Wellll, Dairy experience with a fellow Bovine Club member. Her Dad has agreed to take on some volunteers this summer to work on his Dairy farm and learn the ways of dairy producing. I have a lot of theory under my belt and I would like to ACTUALLY PRACTICE some of it! Another thing is poultry experience. I am trying to book a couple ride alongs with a local poultry vet. these are tough to set up, but if I can get one or two in this summer, I will be pleased. And continuation with Wild Ontario and Ruminant Field Services.

6. Health
I have gained weight this semester, for sure. So back to the gym it is for me. :) Also I am going on a Herbal Magic program, but money is tight so it may be a short 8 week kick. Maybe a jumpstart will be all I need? Hahaha, no, but every bit counts. Things that I would like to kick by the end of the summer: Daily beers (no more beers with dinner, or just cause ones on a hot afternoon) - I don't want to give it up completely, but save them for a special night out to the pub, frat parties, and big hockey/football game days; ice cream (it's a delicious, creamy, fatty vice!); coffee (I know you are laughing but I am really addicted and it is really bad... moving to herbal and green teas); chocolate (I never liked it as a teenager and child, but Uni has turned me into a chocolate hound. No more chocolate bars, chocolate chip cookies, Walkers chocolate.... Save it for Hot Chocolate and Bailey's for the hockey games next year... and the occasional chocolate milk after a work out); Gelatin (as a pectarian, I really should not be eating gelatin. This will be hard, but I should commit!). Also, I would like to try eating some local raised meat this summer. A friend of mine has a Broiler farm at home. Her parents raise, kill, and prepare chickens - seeing as this is what I would like to be able to do on my own farm in the future, it would be a good idea to try it now, as well as support my friends' farm.


Anyway. To anyone applying to vet school for next semester, I wish you the best of luck! Please, if you have any questions about Canadian school applications, MMIs, or the background information forms, I would be MORE than happy to help any way I can!

Happy Start of the summer! <3

Word from the Wise

Here is a tip: Study Immunology....
Don't play Tetris instead.

You are welcome.

Some pictures...

I haven't posted pictures in a while. Here are a couple to go along with what has been going on.

Spring Fling 2012: Masqurade Ball

Challeng Cup Mascots - Stags, Elephants, Pheonixes, and Foxes

The Cup with The Silversmiths and the Mascots

R.I.P. Woody - May you have ALL of your 'babies' now! He sure loved a good squeeky toy!

Me and the Stag

Studying for Live Animal exam....

Feathery necklace <3 - Retail therapy! I will post more of the fabulous stuff I bought later...

Feathery headband <3

yup

Exam Time

Wow. 11 exams. 3 weeks. Then my first year of vet school will be over.
Hard to believe.

Ok so Monday (April 2) we had our histology bellringer then went immediately into the anatomy lab for our anatomy lab bellringer. It was 3 hours of torture. But I survived.
The Histo bellringer was not a 'final' but was our last one. We have had four over the course of the year. It was not cummulative, but covered immune organs, endocrine organs, kidney, and hematology. It was VERY hard.
The anatomy bell ringer was technically cummulative, but major focus was on pelvis and limbs because everything else was already tested on our winter midterm bellringer. The class avg was 78. So hopefully I did not do too poorly *fingers crossed*

Tomorrow is Live Animal Anatomy exam. We get 15 minutes infront of each a dog, cow, and horse. There will be 10 cards on a table, at each i have to pick 3 and answer the questions on them. Questions will be anatomical (and a bit clinical) but on a live creature. Things like, 'Point to the tuber coxae. What is it called in cattle?' and 'Show and tell me which muscles you could do an intermuscular injection in.' and 'Show me where you can palpate lymph nodes.' and 'where would you put your stethescope if you wanted to auscultate the rumen? cecum?' Not too hard, but it still requires review of our lab manual.

Thursday, Radiology. Bellringer style. 5 radiographs at 5 stations. We will have to hang them ourselves. Describe abnormalities, confirm normalties, describe boundaries and regions, state which structures you can't see on rads, etc.

Next Tuesday, Art of Veterinary Medicine (AVM). This is our communications class. We will be tested on the Calgary-Cambridge Guide (I posted about the CCG earlier!), what all of the Canadian and Ontario legislations due, roles of a vet, etc. Boring as manure, but hey, it'll be an easy one. *again fingers crossed*

Wednesday and Thursday (April 11 and 12) are our combined finals. Physiology and Histology. These will be super hard.... damn immunology!!!

16th - Health Management final (multiple choice!!!)
18th - Genetics (ew. we will be tested on our presentations... which sucks because in order to study, i have to read through all 24 project outlines and abstrcats that my class mates wrote)
19th - Clinical Medicine final (similar to the midterms)
20th - Biochemistry (our biochem prof got pneumonia half way through the course and the only other prof was on sabbatical so he recorded audio lectures for us... that means I have 12 hours of lectures to listen too and take notes from. super. and unlike the midterm, there will not be a nice bank of questions to practice on!)

Then I am done. So I am at 2 out of 11.

Other stuff on my mind:
- Boyfriend with Bronchitis - you know what men are like when they are sick :(
- Summer job schedule is not posted yet and I am trying to book dog sitting jobs and reception desk shifts. It is difficult not knowing if i will be on Days or Nights...
- Moving into a bigger room in the same house - trying to pack and clean/put winter clothes away
- Volunteering with the Birds of Prey still - not sure if I will be able to keep this up during the summer with such a full workload
- Easter weekend :) Yay leftovers! And I get to see my baby cousins!
- My uncle's dog recently passed away (R.I.P. Woody the Springer Spaniel)
- Lost Challenge Cup AND the intramurals finals for hockey... boo... At least our class won the spirit award! Now I am looking for some summer rec hockey to keep in shape
- My dog (Jesse) has a tumour on her back that the vet keeps having to lance and extrude material out of. I think it is in the hair follicle because chunks of hair come out. She takes it like an angel, never complains, but she is 14 and I know she will only take this for so long and then it will be time to make difficult decisions. :(

So much for such a little brain! Ha.

Ps. I found some more links to some very helpful resources!
Histology Lab and Lectures - http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/education/Curriculum/VM8054/Labs/labtoc.htm

Veterinary Consultant - http://www.vet.cornell.edu/consultant/consult.asp
(You can enter symptoms in and get a list of possible diagnosis OR you can search the symptoms of a disease!! Very cool! It will be really helpful in Phase 3 and 4!)

Immunology review on Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA62C39CA82823B6D

Anatomy themed Sporcle quizes! - http://www.sporcle.com/user/ntrabbitguy/contributed
(Made by a peer in my class!)

Immunology resource by KUBY - http://www.whfreeman.com/Catalog/static/whf/kuby/

Objective Pathology (OVC Histology Slides) - http://images.objectivepathology.com/default.aspx?curfolder=%2fUoGuelph%2fOVC%2fVETM3120
(There is more than just histology - go to: http://images.objectivepathology.com/)

Radiology resource - http://vetmed.illinois.edu/courses/imaging_anatomy/index.html

Enjoy!

Just a Couple Online Resources

As I am up late studying for my practical exam tomorrow, I realize that there are TONS of online videos that are super helpful and I can post to you and not break the copyright laws of the University!

All of the following are from Youtube (the medical students BEST friend!!!):

Shotgun Histology:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shotgun+histology&oq=shotgun+histology&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=30578l36975l0l37317l17l17l0l9l9l0l115l844l3.5l8l0

Injection Sites and Methods:
Cattle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am-3L3IVQBs
Horse - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSxegxets1k&feature=related

Giving Oral Medications to Large Animals:
Sheep - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFrsBQWwepE&feature=related
Nasogastric in Cattle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuX5SKXEs4k
Oragastric in Cattle (fric speculum) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNDgCpisnKY

Blood Collection:
Cattle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2fy9CwYRDw
**** DO NOT use your teeth to uncap or recap a needle....
you will A) Prick yourself and B) Fail Clin Med....
Small Ruminants - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47tlmqXX3eE
Coccygeal Vein - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylfip7tolT0

Urine Collection:
Cattle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ__wNhbWn0

Vitals:

 

Bovine (mature):

Rectal Temperature 38 - 39 °C

Heart Rate 60 - 80 bpm

Respiratory Rate 10 - 30 brpm

Equine (mature):

Rectal Temperature 37 - 38 °C

Heart Rate 28 - 40 bpm

Respiratory Rate 8 - 16 brpm

Ovine (mature):

Rectal Temperature 39 - 39.5 °C

Heart Rate 70 - 80 bpm

Respiratory Rate 12 - 20 brpm


Enjoy!

Large Animal Ward

Exciting news. I was officially offered a summer job at the Large Animal Ward on Friday! This is an amazing opportunity for me to gain some clinical experience. It is a full-time position over the four summer monthes; 12 hour shifts, 3 days on, 4 days off; alternating between days and nights. With my days off I plan to up my volunteering, hopefully with food animal producers learning on farm stuff. I am definitely lacking the practical hands on stuff, and now I have an opportunity to learn it. There is a very nice third year who has offered me a chance to come volunteer on her Dad's dairy farm for a week before she goes off on her externship. This opportunity/connection occured during a Food Animal Prof lunch talk held by the Bovine Club. SEE how IMPORTANT joining clubs is!!!!!

Exam weeks approach and I have my Large Animal Clinical Medicine exam tomorrow. We randomly select a poker chip with a prof's initials on it then that prof tells us to 'pick a cue card' which will have one of three tasks on it. So we have to be prepared for anything. Some examples of tasks may be to identify the type of feed in the bucket and tell who it gets fed to and why, do a full physical exam on the horse, demonstrate how to give oral medication to a cow, or safely and correctly tip a sheep.

Off to practice bovine restraint knots on the dog.... She doesn't mind! hahaha

Keeping Busy

Busy busy busy...
Between studying, class, and general life maintenance (cleaning, laundry, dishes, cooking, showering, etc.) I still have my volunteering and social comittee stuff going on. It feels like a lot of time is spent just answering and sending emails to people I need to contact and planning meetings and such. Crazy times. We are preparing for our big Family and Friends Day where the phase ones invite guests to come and tour the campus and have mini lectures given by our profs. Then we have Spring Fling, another Bar Night, and a Dog Wash that we have to plan. I like doing the computery stuff and the poster design but I am so picky with it that I spend way to long fixing sizes and colours...

Also, at Wild Ontario we are getting a bunch of new volunteers. We need to start their training and training is always a pain in the butt. I also moved to a new bird. I am now with Indian Jones the Red Taled Hawk. We are flight training him right now so it is  a nice treat to be on a bird with a higher level of difficulty.

ALSO... very exciting news...
I DID MY FIRST RECTAL PALPATIONS LAST WEEK!!!!!!!!!
This seriously is really great news! I was volunteering with the Ruminant Field Services here at the OVC and we got to go do some pregnancy checks on a milking herd. Palpation is a skill that needs to be developed and in school we don't learn it until phase two! It's great to get some extra practice and have some one on one instruction from a prof. We also got to collect urine from a few. This is also a skill worth practicing. Collecting bovine urine is NOTHING like chasing a dog with a laddle or doing cystocentisis on a cat. You have to rub the escutcheon (the skin just ventral of the vulva) without getting your toes stepped on while she postures.... and the little tiny collection cup means that you get your hand very dirty.... I love large animal medicine :)

Calgary-Cambridge Guide

I lay awake here because the fire alarms have gone off twice tonight and the whole house smells like burnt popcorn. SO mad at my house mate... He is very inconsiderate and very fat and obnoxious.

Now that that is off my chest, I can use this awake time to bring you the AVM stuff I promised. The following is the Calgary-Cambridge Guide to becoming a better communicator in veterinary medicine. Some of it feels silly, but it is actually much harder to incorporate these when faced with the situation head on. We have had a chance now to try this in class with fake clients.

Our simulated client interviews are taped so we get the "pleasure" of having to critic them. In first year we get easy ish ones, just trying to give empathy and praise to the client and try to get a bit of a rapport going. We also have a student coach and a proffessional coach with us to help us through the interview. The nice thing is that we can pause resume and rewind if we are unsure. I feel that I prepared just enough, any more and I would not have been able to handle the "curve balls" they throw at you half way through. I think I did well, but I guess we'll see when I get my tape back.

My first scenario was what we refer to as "The Crazy Rabbit Lady". She was so angry and unmoving. She shook her leg, and crossed her arms and only looked at me when she vented about her ex-husband. It was terrifying. However, I learned a lot. She was upset that she had to care for a smelly rabbit that her two young daughters loved and that her ex-husband gave them for Easter. I had to give her lots of sympathy and ask about her daughters, then let her shred her ex-husband apart verbally before I got anywhere near to asking questions about the rabbit. So crazy...

My second was total opposite. This was a woman who was super chatty and wanted to ask some questions about declawing. For her I had to let her ramble for a couple minutes then change the subject to her cat gently and fluently as not to offend her and ruin the relationship we were building. She wanted to talk about her daughter too and she clearly missed her as she was at university. It made her feel bonded to talk casually. Then I had to let her know that she has some surgical and non-surgical options to deal with her husband's wish to declaw the cat (which she was opposed to). She liked knowing that she was not the only one who felt this way and I praised her for coming in to talk about it so she got all the information to make a proper decision. I actually felt nervous when she wasn't yelling! hahaha

Clearly these were made up and performed by trained actors. The characters were well planned out and actually felt like real people. My class mates expressed some upset that we have to do this exercise but I think it's good that we got the practise. More clients are "difficult" then are easy. It normally is a struggle to get info out of them and build a good relationship with them. There is ALWAYS outside, personal issues that will be affecting them and their pets so as clinicians we will see lots of "crazy ladies" during our careers. I am glad that we get to do this again next year, i just don't want to have to write up a silly report based on my recording....

Before I leave, I would like to say that if anyone out there is reading this and is prepping their vet school applications, please contact me with any questions kmarinac!uoguelph.ca

So here it is, the Calgary-Cambridge Guide:

Step I: Start the clinical interview

Skill 1 – Establish rapport with the client

• Warmth in tone of voice and a smile à connect with client
• Greet client(s) before patient(s), but always both
• Shake hands (if possible)
• Introduce yourself by name and role
• Generally formal mode of address (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc.) until invited to do otherwise by client
• Find something in common to start off interview (e.g. weather)
• Squarely face the person (whether you are sitting or standing)
• Open your posture and lean towards the person
• Eye contact as appropriate

Skill 2 - Identify reason for the consultation

·         Ask appropriate opening question

·         Listen to client’s opening statement

·         Open ears; close mouth

·         Resist the urge to interrupt the client to clarify a point à make a  mental note to come back to it

·         Don’t just focus on the first issue the client brings up - they may have a ‘list’

·         Establish an agenda to confirm you understand client’s needs and expectations

Skill 3 – You use appropriate non-verbal behaviors

• Provide appropriate eye contact, facial expressions, posture, vocal cues (‘minimal encouragers’)
• Use notes, records, computer appropriately

Skill 4 – You reinforce rapport

• Acknowledge client’s views and feelings

·         Empathize with the client 

Skill 5 – You involve the client

• Explain what you are doing            
• Share your thoughts about what you are finding

Skill 6 – Explore the problem

·         Use open or closed ended questions when appropriate

·         Clarify/paraphrase

·         Summarize interview up until now

Skill 7 – Work to understand the client’s perspective

• Determine client’s ideas and expectations
• Assess effect of problem on client and patient

Skill 8 – You provide timely & appropriate information

·         Ask what client already knows & what other information they want to know (“start where the client is at”)

·         Explain at appropriate times

·         Give information in manageable chunks and check in with client

• When will results of the diagnostic tests be available?
• What are the risks of the disease and the treatment?
• What are the options for treatment?
• What are the costs?
• What is your recommendation?

Skill 9 – You share decision-making with client

·         Share your thinking

·         Negotiate a plan

·         Check for acceptance and concerns

·         Client is educated

·         Client feels that he or she is heard and understood

·         Joint decision making emerges from the conversation

Skill 10 – You summarize and check in

·         Recap interview briefly and clarify plan

·         Do a final check to see if client willingly agrees to plan