What an experience!

Hi there; Birdie here!

Yes, I'm back! I've just finished my first week of second year, but I'll get to that blog in a couple of days. Right now I want to talk about my one veterinary-related experience over the summer: the Veterinary Leadership Experience in Post Falls, Idaho. I meant to do this blog soon after it happened, but...well, blogging doesn't happen on breaks! Now that I'm back in BR, though (and having a crazy weekend, but more on that later) I think I'll take some time to reflect on VLE.

Lindsey (the other LSU student who went) and I got into the Spokane airport around one in the afternoon on Monday, June 2. Once we got our bags, we found the people with the VLE sign and joined a large group heading across the street to a hotel, where we waited and ate snacks for a bit and talked with some other participants before we boarded the bus to head to Ross Point, the camp that would be the site of our activities. It was beautiful! There was a lake (which was way too cold for my Southern self to swim in, but other people did) with really nice houses across from us, and pine trees everywhere, and a park with trails next door. Just wandering around at first, I made friends with a few VLEers who were there for VBMA. One of them even ended up in my small group!

That night we mingled as a large group, then did a couple of activities in our small groups. Lindsey and I were in different groups, but my group (Teeeeeam SEVEN!) did have an LSU SVM clinician, Dr. Burba, as a facilitator. I absolutely loved my small group. After the first day, most of our time was spent in small groups, with some time for large group activities.We made team posters that showed some of our core values as well as things we would try to avoid, and Team 7 was great at living out the values we chose: Inclusion, Encouragement, Patience, Trust, Communication/Listening, and Fun. I love that we made one of our core values Fun, and man, was it ever!

One of the major themes at VLE was Challenge by Choice: the idea that each activity is a different level of challenge for everyone in the group, and so it was each person's own choice whether to participate. One of our group members had some physical issues that made her unable to physically participate in certain activities, but she was still always a phenomenal and important part of the team. In fact, she was one of the people I grew closest to in my time there.

Every day, we started with a TED talk and went over a Meyers Briggs letter pair and a communication skill. This was, of course, the second time I talked Meyers Briggs since I started vet school and got my new type, but going over them this time made me feel really comfortable with my new letters. I do feel like I have to add the strength of each preference, though: Strong I, moderately strong N, moderate T, very weak J. We also did some communication skills training as like half of the large group: consensus model and conflict resolution, for instance.

That's not all this leadership training was about, though! Most of the small group activities were sort of obstacles or puzzles that we had to physically and mentally work together on. One was "whale watching," a moving platform we had to get everyone onto--and then move people around!--without letting either end touch the ground. Another used 4 logs to get everyone onto one side of a "river." Others didn't have such an environmental element, like the balloon train where we had to all move together (which we rocked--"chugga chugga"-ing all the way!). After each activity, we reflected on it together. Some of the activities were really frustrating. But others were really fun, especially Fay's Amazing Race on the last day! And I definitely learned something from each of them.

We did some individual activities, too. One such activity started with an introduction that characteristics of vet students are associated with "left-brained" people (of course that whole "only using half your brain" thing is total bunk, but as groups of personality traits it's alright) and VLE wants to foster "right-brained" type characteristics. Then we each got to paint a little 4"x4" canvas! I love doing artistic stuff, so that was really fun for me. Other people had more trouble with it, but at the end everyone had a little piece of art! There were sheets on each table that talked about meanings of different colors, so I took my inspiration from that. I made a (anatomical) heart full of passion and courage and happiness (reds and oranges and yellows) surrounded by green for protection from the demands/expectations of others. It's really a symbol of what VLE is to me. When we put them all together, I really liked some of the others--but I think mine still would have been one of my favorites if someone else had done it (and that's the first time that happened).

Another major thing we did was craft "Gladiator statements." This is a statement that "reveals yourself," like the main character in the movie Gladiator; a statement of where you come from, what you are, and what you are going to do. I don't think I want to post mine in its entirety, but here's mine minus the first few lines:

I am shy, but I am not weak. I am excited about experiences, strong in my friendships, and I basically don't know how to give up or try less than my best.

Of course, it was also basically camp, and we did a bunch of less serious, incredibly fun, things. One of the first things we did every morning was dance, led by all the group facilitators, camp directors, those sorts of people. Every day started with happiness and fun (even if it did get emotional sometimes in other activities)! We also had a thing called fun on the field, with little sports relay type of things that were incredibly silly. One was sort of a rock-paper-scissors-based team tag, some of them needed partners...one made us try to knock each other over while keeping our hands on our ankles. I got my glasses knocked off on that one. There was also a karaoke night, which was FANTASTIC. Lots of groups sang, from Bohemian Rhapsody to my group's gender-swapped Summer Nights. Betsy, the lady in charge of VLE, did Ice Ice Baby. I sang a song on my own, too, and it was AWESOME! I did Unwritten, about halfway through the night (...I thought it was at the end when I signed up...but it was okay). I don't know if it was for me or the song, but when I got up on stage everyone was cheering like crazy! That definitely helped me be confident--and I owned the stage! It was so much fun. One of the last evening activities was a dessert cruise on lake Coeur d'Alene, which was beautiful. We were blessed with great weather for it, if a little chilly. But at least we all had our VLE jackets!

Oh, and the videographers who were there all week for the highlights video (see the end of the post if you want to watch it) also shot a music video to the song Happy. I don't really like that song...but I like it a little better now that that happened. The video is pretty great. I may have videobombed one part (there was a group dance-walking in front of my cabin...so I might have leaped out behind them.).

There was also the less official fun...there was a bar within walking distance, and on the last night I went with some of my friends there. Where I got a huckleberry Italian cream soda instead of anything alcoholic, 'cause that's the kind of nerd I am apparently. It was tasty, though. Up in the Washington/Idaho area, huckleberries are a big deal apparently. There was also a huckleberry salad dressing that I enjoyed--and I don't even like salad dressing.

Of course, we did trust falls on the last day. Well, I didn't do a trust fall...after I got fussed at for talking when someone else was on the table, I stopped being in the catching line, so I didn't feel like I deserved to do the fall after that. I did do the two steps prior to that, even when the second step was something that made me uncomfortable, so at least I can be proud of that.

In the morning before we left, there was a final assembly. They called it the Gauntlet of Happiness--we walked up and got some little bits of swag (like the VLE pin) and our paintings from the stage, then passed through high-fiving and hugging the facilitators as we left. One of those bits of swag is a rubber bracelet that says Live with INTENTION--if you see one of those, it's a VLE thing. A Mizzou professor started it a few years ago. It's another symbol of what VLE means.

In conclusion, if you get a chance to go to VLE, go for it! It was such a great experience, and I'm so very glad I got to do it. One of my favorite parts about it was the chance to really make friends with clinicians and practicing vets and teachers--people I would normally think of as sort of superior to me. But at VLE, I was able to interact with everyone as a peer, and that let me learn so much from others. I sort of assumed everyone was a vet student until I was told otherwise (why not? our class has a resident old guy, so age became irrelevant). I guess I'm still not used to thinking of myself as an adult, so people with actual jobs and stuff seemed sort of "other," but at VLE they were my peers. That's probably one of the biggest things I want to take with me from VLE...that and the feeling of being a rockstar at karaoke!

And if you want the highlights reel of the whole week:

Goodbye snow, back to vet school

Hi there; Birdie here!

Yes, I am writing this at 4 am. I'm currently at the Houston airport thanks to a 3 hour delay on my originally planned flight and no seats on my backup, so I'll have to miss at least the first hour of class tomorrow. I can't quite decide whether I'm lucky or not--that first hour is Intro to Vet Med, so it's not something I need to learn for an exam, but it is the one class where attendance is mandatory. Oh well, it's not like I'd planned to skip a different two sessions (we can miss two and still pass the pass/fail course).

The break was really nice. We read half of the first Percy Jackson book, and it turned into a family affair--my brother was somewhat reluctant at first, but my parents liked it so I read "to them" with him in the room for a chapter or two until he wanted to listen of his own accord. I also got to do some skiing for the first time in 8 years. My dad and I skied together, and one day we had a lesson, so I learned how to ski like an adult! Last time I took ski lessons I'm pretty sure they told me about pizza (wedge) and french fries (straight skis). At any rate, I took all of my turns with my skis pointed together, but I can do better now! I didn't get to go ice skating, since they were tearing up the rink for some reason yesterday when I left, but it was still a good trip. And I really liked playing and hanging out with my family instead of studying! Don't worry, I finished my neuro review questions before I started typing this. ;)

Since I have the time now and nothing better to do while I wait for my flight to be somewhat closer (it wasn't worth getting a hotel and trying to sleep since the full flight was at 11 and my next flight leaves at 7, which would mean leaving at 5 to get through security--throw in the trouble of finding a hotel and it comes up to Not Worth It), I thought I would write about the current Blog Topic of the Week. This week's suggestion: Your favorite thing about vet school.

There's a lot of things I don't like about vet school sometimes, but what I like best is when I remember exactly why I'm here. That means when I actually get to do things, which pretty much translates to wetlabs! Don't get me wrong, I do like doing the Spay Days and Dream Clinic, but I either feel a bit overwhelmed (at the Dream Clinic I'm the doctor, and I've never really been taught how to do a physical exam!) or like it's more tech work than vet work (I did a lot of surgery prep in my pre-vet experience). Club wetlabs are just the right amount of challenge, where I get to learn (be taught) actual hands-on stuff I'll use in practice (or at least on clinical rotations). I've done ultrasounds, "mass" aspirations and blood smears, and CSF taps. I'm actually keeping a spreadsheet of my experience...pre-vet habits, but it also helps to have it to look back to. Even the clin path wetlab I did last semester was awesome--I didn't know much, but the way it was taught, with the clinicians asking us questions...well, it would have made me feel more like a real doctor if I actually knew the answers to any of the questions. But still, it was real cases! Actually, clubs in general are pretty great. See: last week's surgery meeting, where a local practitioner talked about his work and showed videos of a couple of surgeries. In conclusion, the best parts of vet school are the parts that are more vet but still school, as they teach me how to properly do things I will one day do on my patients. :)

Everything is Awesome

Hi there; Birdie here!

All in all, this has been a great week, and it's about to get better! In about an hour, I'm leaving for my flight to Colorado for skiing with my family over Mardi Gras break. I'm really excited about the snow (which I don't have to drive in :D) and about spending time with my family, especially my little brother. He's going to see snow for the first time, which will be super adorable, and we're going to start reading the Percy Jackson series together. ^-^ I will need to study a bit for neuro since that final will be Friday after break, but it shouldn't be too bad, and I'm looking forward to quite a bit of not-studying as well.

The week didn't start out so great, though. Although I really, really appreciate my study group--both at a friend's house and in lab, I spent 8 or 9 hours studying both Sunday and Monday, and being with my classmates made it more productive and also more enjoyable. Then Tuesday was the practical. It started out fine, but about halfway through it got bad. There were about 3 things where I hadn't studied anything in that area, and it really didn't help that I started physically not feeling very good (not eating much lunch + formalin isn't really a great combination and I try to avoid it, but it was a catered lunch that I wound up not liking). I left that exam feeling awful about it. The written on Wednesday felt a little better, but not by much--there were a lot I wasn't really sure about. I pretty much kissed my chances of an A in that class goodbye. We have our grades now, though, and actually I did REALLY well! I got A's on both parts, and not just 91.5 barely-an-A-on-our-grading-scale. Actual, solid A's. The study group clearly helped a lot, and I have hopes of pulling off a 4.0 for the semester!

As for other classes, nothing super exciting. Finished the last of our neuro lectures, did well on my phys exam, started diagnostic imaging class. I actually had my lab yesterday, and it was a lot better than last semester's lab. Half of it was spent explaining DLPMO/DMPLO views of the equine carpus, which was necessary and a lot clearer than the lecture. The other half was much more fun, though. One of the radiologists went through a couple of cases with us, pointing out what area we should look at in the radiographs and showing some ultrasound images, and asking us about differentials. We didn't really know much, and it was at the end of a long day so we weren't as interactive as we could have been. But if all diagnostic imaging labs were like that, I wouldn't really mind having two or three extra lab sessions like the course coordinator is threatening to do for next year (she has problems with people switching lab times, which is a whole different issue).

Also on Wednesday, between classes ending and diagnostic imaging lab, I went and met with one of the clinicians. He went to the same (small, upstate NY) undergrad that I did, and I actually emailed him a bit before making my final decision to attend LSU. We chatted a bit, and he offered to help me find a research position for next summer, or for this summer if the things I applied to don't work out, which was really nice of him.

This week I also got to go to one of my potlucks. I made a cheesy garlic bread with a cauliflower base instead of a bread base, and (other than being slightly over-broiled and brown on top), it turned out wonderful. I love that I get to cook and try out new recipes for these things--I used to cook and bake all the time, but I don't have too much time for that now. And it's a lot better when I get to share it with friends. :) The guy who cooks made delicious pasta alfredo and pesto, and I got to talk with a bunch of third years about how their clinics are going.

Then after I got home from that, I got to talk to several of my undergrad friends for the first time since graduation! Definitely one of the best things to happen all week. We did it through google hangouts and basically had a massive video chat (I think there were 6 or 7 of us). We just talked for a while, and I did my nails (Mardi Gras colors: alternating purple and green with gold spots) just like old times. I haven't been anything like as social in vet school as I was in undergrad, so it felt really nice to be the way I am with my friends. Gosh, I've missed them. I'm sure we'll do it again sometime soonish, too, especially since one person who really wanted to set it up wasn't able to make that time.

Today at lunch I went to a Surgery Club meeting, which was great. A local practitioner came and talked to us--the same doctor who I work with at the Dream Clinic! He showed us some really interesting cases and even some video of a couple of the surgeries. Plus he showed some pictures from international trips he's done, and generally made me really excited to be a veterinarian. I'm signed up for the Dream Center next weekend, and I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, and we've got 3 clin path multihead microscope wetlab dates set up, and Feline Club wants to work with us in Pathology Club for a cat necropsy wetlab, so that's awesome. I love that the club I'm part of running is going to actually be doing things!

Missed me?

Hi there; Birdie here!

Excluding the physiology exam this morning (for which I hope my guesses were educated enough), today is a really great day. I had a surgery club meeting at lunch, which meant I got free Chinese food and got to learn about arthroscopy. Apparently all the time I spend playing video games is practically training to be good at arthroscopy! Then in anatomy lab, it was a bone day. I spent most of the time wandering between tables and talking with different little groups of people. We talked about a lot of random stuff, and I learned all the major bones of the skull and the hyoid apparatus. All the little tubercles and foramina can wait a little while longer. ;) Then I went with a friend to walk her roommate's dog and my roommate and her dog, to a little park where we jumped the dogs over benches and played with them. And then later I went out to dinner with a bunch of my classmates to celebrate being done with tests until after Thanksgiving break! The weekend should be good, too--see above, no tests. Plus I'm going to see the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special in 3D tomorrow! I don't usually like movies in 3D, but I'm making an exception for this.

It's been a while since I've written, hasn't it? Two Fridays ago it was our Fall Break. I'm not sure why LSU decided that we should only have two weeks between Fall Break and Thanksgiving, but that's what it is. Unfortunately, we had our anatomy exam (specifically, "the one everyone fails") the next week, but I did go home for the Thursday and Friday that we had off. Then I spent the next two days in the lab and in a study room at school. Considering the warning, I consider that it paid off--I got a B! Then last weekend I went home again. We got a coupon for tickets to the Renaissance Fair about half an hour away from my parents' house, so we all went together. Unfortunately my little brother was being a jerk for pretty much all of it and I didn't get the twisty dragon or crystal hair ornament I wanted, but I got to ride a dragon swing, see a joust, and drink a pumpkin pie smoothie. Then on Sunday night I went to see Celtic Thunder in concert! Last year one of my friends got free tickets to see them in Albany (or thereabouts) and took me and another friend, and I've loved them ever since! Ryan sang House of the Rising Sun, which got a big reaction considering that the concert was in New Orleans. Anyway, between having little school stuff to share and being busy driving on Fridays, I haven't had much time to update.

It turns out that maybe I shouldn't have bought that concert ticket, though. Did I mention how I had to get rabies vaccines back in August/September? Well, the school just cashed my check (from three months ago), so my bank account was suddenly down $600. So if you're going to start vet school and get rabies vaccines, watch out for that.

I've done a couple more wetlabs since I last wrote. One was for diagnostic imaging club: small animal ultrasound. I wound up at the hardest station first: the adrenal gland. I managed to find it really quickly, though! I guess I used up all my luck at that station, though. I couldn't quite follow the intestines or find the bladder easily. I didn't get to the liver/spleen table, either. Oh well--next time! I also did a clinical pathology wetlab, practicing mass aspiration (on banana chunks in caulk) and blood smears and dip staining. I wasn't very good at either of the clinical skills, but it was good practice, and the clinician we were working with was really cool. He spent a good bit of the time telling stories about a trip with his kids to Disney. Oh, and a much less clinical thing: there was a grad panel (with free dinner, always a plus). They had like 6 veterinarians (including a radiology resident) talking about post-graduation stuff. There was a bit of a debate about whether internships are worth it, and the whole thing took 3 hours, which I was not prepared for. I'm still glad I went though, even if I didn't have business cards to "network" yet (I'd just ordered them, and didn't get them until the next weekend or so).

If you're wondering about the novel I mentioned last time, I'm still writing it. I'm only one day behind the target word count for today, which I consider acceptable--I can pretty easily write 3,333 words (two days' worth) in a day on a weekend when I've got more than a couple of hours to write. I've also done a few write-ins; it's really nice to have a group to write with, as opposed to just doing it on my own like I did in undergrad. I've also discovered a great coffee shop in Baton Rouge: it's called Brew Ha Ha, and they're famous for cake balls. So far I've had funfetti (my personal favorite), wedding cake, pumpkin, and oreo flavors. Also, my variation of a drink (I don't like coffee, so I ordered a frozen drink with chai instead) is famous now, apparently.

Last thing: I've figured out what I'm applying for this summer. I'm applying to three things, so hopefully I get one of them. The first deadline is the end of December, and I need to submit my part of the application before I can get my recommendations in, so I'm hoping to send that in this weekend. I think that's for the serious 100% research one--but it's with NASA, so it's really cool. The other two are more directly veterinary: the Tulane Primate Research Center Fellowship and the Banfield student job program. I learned about the Banfield one when they had a lunch talk--since what I probably want to do is small animal, it would be a super great experience for me to get some real clinical skills experience, and they have great mentorship. I'm honestly really excited about whatever one I'm writing about at the moment. Hopefully I get into one of them!

I guess I'm officially oriented now

Hi there; Birdie here!

I've never felt so official as a vet student--we had our coating ceremony this afternoon. I got my blue coat and I'm ready to put it to use! The stage in the auditorium is apparently equipped to show cows--there's a drain in the middle--but none of us tripped on either that or the raised bits at either end by the stairs. Apparently at least one person does usually, so our coordinator was proud of us. Most of the girls wore dresses, but I was in slacks and a short-sleeved button up blouse I've worn to interviews. I felt very doctorly in it, especially with my security ID badge stating that I'm a vet student clipped to my belt loop. At the end of orientation, I fully feel like I'm going to be a doctor--and that, hard as it will be, it will be worth it.

Let me back up and start from the beginning.

Our first day of official orientation (as opposed to our fun leadership activities) consisted of a lot of sitting around and listening to people. First sitting in the auditorium and being introduced to people, then sitting in our classroom and listening to people talk about the army and SCAVMA. I seriously considered applying to the army scholarship, but more of my debt is from undergrad so I'd be better off in a post-graduation repayment program--not something I have to think about right now. I'd already joined SCAVMA as soon as the email went out about how to pay dues--I'm not sure I want to be part of our student chapter of the AVMA (American vet med association), but it's the umbrella for all of our clubs. Which means you can't join clubs without being in SCAVMA, and I definitely want to join clubs. We also got our ID badges for the vet school, but unfortunately those aren't actually student IDs and we still need the student IDs from main campus. Those were a pain to get--the office is only open 8-4:30, which means it's pretty hard for us to be free to go there when they're open.

Days two and three were more of the same, except that we sat in our classroom the whole day. There were a lot of talks about stress management, about how hard this will be, etc. We got tons of free stuff (backpacks, water bottles, even a set of scrubs!) from food companies and other sponsors. I'm going to miss the free food...although honestly I'll probably still be set for a while with club lunch meetings. Four pet food companies came and talked to us--I think they all have discount/free food programs for students, too. Luckily I took notes in case I acquire a pet and those become relevant. Okay, for when I acquire a pet. I got a tablet to take my notes on, and I've been using orientation to figure it out. OneNote seems to be what most people I know use for tablet notetaking, but in my experience, it sucked. I ended up downloading LectureNotes--I paid $5 for it, but it recognizes my keyboard, is searchable as long as I type, and lets me highlight and draw, so it's better than anything else I tried.

One major talk we got that's actually worth writing about was "Your Financial Future." I was totally expecting it to be doom and gloom--I know the state of the profession lately. But actually, despite being realistic, it left me feeling positive. The average starting salary was higher than we as a class had expected, and he ran a debt calculator that showed a reasonable debt load (15% debt:income ratio) that could be paid off on a new vet's starting salary was pretty close to the debt I'll have when I graduate. And that would be paid off in 10 years, without consolidation. It's the first time I've seen anything that made this seem manageable, rather than doable with great sacrifice, and it's made me feel a lot more positive about vet school.

That doesn't do much to reassure me on employment prospects of course. I'm still worried about that, despite the fact that approximately everyone tells me I don't need to yet. One of the alumni who came in (who works in private practice, a non-specialist) could only get part time work and had to fill in with relief work. She's very happy with it, but it wasn't originally by choice. There was something promising here, too, though: apparently, there's some guy who recruits heavily from my school for vets to work in Las Vegas. They were the highest paid new graduates last year, and they get tons of respect. It's hard hours and maybe it's not what I'd want to do for long, but it might mean I can have a job right out of vet school! And if not, well, maybe the army will take me.

That logical, cautious hope combined with the feeling of signing my oath and going up on stage in my new blue coat make me more excited than ever to start vet school. This isn't just a dream anymore--I'm doing it! I hope I can make it, but for now I'm going to assume I can. Classes start tomorrow--wish me luck!