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| Tizzie, Mom's pug, at home over break |
The trip back home for the Christmas break did not start off really well. The day of my last final, the day before I was due to leave the island (at a very early hour), I went out to start my car about 10 minutes before I was supposed to head to town (yes, I know, environmentally bad but it was COLD)... except the car wouldn't start. I tried unsuccessfully to get it to turn over a couple of times and by the time I was done attempting, it was time to be driving to school. My stress level was pretty much through the roof at that point, but fortunately my neighbor is very nice, and even though her section of the exam did not start for an hour after mine she agreed to bring me to school early, and we left my car to deal with it after the exam. What was odd about the car was that the lights came on when I used the power unlock button, and at full strength. The interior lights also all came on without an issue. This made me wonder if was something other than my battery that was the issue.
I took my last final, which went fine- though it was a final where you had to sometimes go demonstrate/explain processes to examiners on the live animals. It is not that I didn't know what I was doing or looking for, but having to explain things to people without much time to formulate my thoughts, and knowing it counts for a grade, really makes me flustered. Thankfully, it went well. When I finished my exam I went to try and find a place on the island that was open past 5 PM on this Friday, had time to change the battery on my car assuming I could get it jumped, and it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. Turns out, last minute problems, especially when there is a storm due to hit, make any of the above nearly impossible. I was really concerned that driving the car and having to stop for gas might lead to the battery dying somewhere not convenient (looking at you, Houlton ME... with your middle of nowhere gas station...) especially since we were hoping to be off island by 4:30AM, in order to beat the impending storm at home. My landlord came by, and when he jumped the car for me- it started without a minutes hesitation once he had the charge pack connected. That made me feel better, and I decided if the car started easily in the AM (when the high temperature was -10 F) I would drive it home... but leave later so that I wouldn't be stuck somewhere in the wee hours of the morning.
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| Cherry all ready for our trip home- in her princess seat of course |
The three weeks at home were great. The only catch was that I managed to leave the majority of my 3 weeks of dirty laundry sitting on my floor in my cottage... not terribly helpful to only have 2 pairs of sweatpants, 1 shirt, and some random under garments. I ended up having to shop a little while I was home for myself, always such a shame. The time at home went too quickly, but I was also looking forward to coming back up here my little quiet cottage. On the drive back to school, I was able to stop and catch up with the room mate I had my very first year of college! We don't get a chance to chat or catch up nearly as often as I would like, and it was great to start where we left off! Plus, getting to her is right on the way for me to go back, and I bypassed 2 tolls in the process! It made for a nice break in the trip... though next time, I will leave earlier so I am not pulling in my driveway here on the island at 2 AM, with class the next morning.
And classes. There are 8 full semester courses, and 1 shorter course this semester. So far, I really like most of them, and they are as follows:
Aquaculture and Fish Health- A course that teaches you all about health of fish, and veterinary management of fish and aquaculture systems. I really had my doubts about this course when I started this semester because I knew nothing about fish. Turns out, there is a lot to know, they are pretty neat and the labs we get to do are fun too! So far, I have had one lab where we did a bath treatment. Basically, this consists of calculating the volume of their tank and adding salt (or other chemicals) to the water for the fish to swim through. It was a neat experience, and I certainly had no idea what it meant to do a bath treatment.
Clinical Pathology- This class teaches us about the biochemical changes we can appreciate in an animal, especially using things like bloodwork reports, and lab work. I always have enjoyed this subject matter, though so far a lot of this has been review for me. I always enjoy when I get to add something new to my learning and I have now a better understanding of how something gives a result- not just what the result means.
Systemic Pathology- A continuation of the first semester study of the disease processes in the body. We have started with the neurology aspect of it, and brains are fascinating to me. I like this class a lot, and seeing the specimens lets me understand better what is going when I am presented with those cases.
Principles of Medicine- This class is kind of a catch-all course that is working to familiarize us with common medical problems and ways in which we can approach handling the cases. I like it's practical approach, and I like that it is finally a chance to delve a little deeper into vet medicine.
Principles of Surgery- Pretty self explanatory really. We are learning the background that is going to allow us to perform surgical procedures, including in the not to distant future the suturing aspect. So far we have done gloving, gowning and draping and talked about instruments- which is review, but I like it. I am nervous about doing real surgery, and who wouldn't be, so hopefully this will help me gain some confidence before we start junior surgery next year.
Principles of Anesthesia- Also self explanatory. For me so far this class has been a lot of review, but not in a bad way. Now I am also learning practical things like when to select specific drugs- whereas before I could tell you what drugs did what things, now I can understand why you pick them out. I really like the professor, and I really enjoy anesthesiology in general- since there are so many ways to get the end result you want- a safely anesthetized patient!
Pharm and Tox- A continuation of last semester where we learn about the drugs, the systems they affect, and when to utilize them. It's a lot of work to keep all the material straight and organized, and it is definitely an advantage that I have seen a lot of drugs used, so that I have to work a little less to keep it all straight.
Theriogenology- The study of reproduction! I must say that at this point it is overwhelming the sheer number of hormones and feedback loops that play a role just in general in the way that reproduction occurs. I have a fantastic professor, though he teaches in a very auditory learning style dominant manner- and I am largely a visual learner. He goes off on incredible tangents and tells great tales, and the class is so dynamic. I may not follow a lot of what he says in class til I go home and read the material, but it is always enjoyable to go to class. (PS- he says the uterus goes ape shit... this does not make pregnancy appealing at all, in the least.)
Lastly, my absolute favorite and unfortunately the short course for the semester: Clinical Behavior for Companion Animals. I pretty much have always been interested in behavior... I read the studies, the texts, the books that come out on the topic... It fascinates me. When I first came to vet school I thought it was maybe what I wanted to pursue as a specialty. My interest in specialty waned a little over the course of last year- but now I remember why I want to do it... I LOVE IT. And, I love this professor. She had me excited when she threw dominance theory out the window in the first lecture. I suppose you could say my enjoyment of her as a professor is somewhat biased since she is echoing things I have read and ascribe to pretty much to a tee, but truly, I feel it is time that someone stands up and says these things! I could write a whole other blog on the trouble with jargon, the trouble with the dominance theory etc. and so on- but I will avoid digressing further and simply say that this is my passion. In some way, I will have this play a large role in my post vet school life- even if I do not go on to become a specialist in the field. I need to get on the ball and looking at doing some external rotations for fourth year in this subject as the opportunities are limited and there are always more people attempting to do the externships than they can take on.
In closure for the post tonight, I'll just say that there is a lot coming up this semester- our class has a major fundraiser on the horizon, there is a pub crawl for the school towards the end of February, and our midterm and finals schedules are a bit crazy-- much better than they were to start off-- but certainly I will be busy. I am sure I will post an update before too long!
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| Good night, all! |
