Still Learning

It's nearly Christmas time! I'm thankfully not on call for Christmas Day, but I am surrounding both Christmas and New Year. It's to be expected I think. Don't really mind as I'm not heading home anyway.

Work continues as usual. After the bad couple of weeks with many euthanasia consultations it seems to have calmed down for now. I did my 2nd bitch spay today. It seemed to go ok, no oozing from the stumps, happy with all my ligatures and closure. She should be back in a couple of days for a post-op check so we will see then.

We've got a great vet student with us this week - someone I know from uni. I'm quizzing her on various cases I've seen, and learning in the process. I have learned a lot over the past couple of months. It's very surprising to see gaps in her knowledge, and I have to wonder if I was like that last year. And now I'm a proper person...Scary stuff!

Christmas Cull

The cold weather is harsh on everyone. With a pet it can bring out illness that was previously undiagnosed. Worst case scenario these animals don't improve and the owners opt for euthanasia.

I've had quite a few PTS (put to sleep) cases recently, breaking the 3-a-day barrier on more than one occasion. In recent memory there have only been 2 days when I haven't had a euthanasia consultation, and on those days I actively avoided anything that looked liked it would die to the point of hiding in the server room for a few minutes until someone else took it.

In some cases it's people I've met before. For one Labrador I'd become the personal vet for the past few weeks. The owner respected my open-ness when I told him that his dog wouldn't survive beyond Christmas. That was a home visit, particularly tough. Technically it went fine, jab went in to vein, dog died. Reminded me of my own dog though quite a bit.

Other cases I have just picked up. The cat that possibly had antifreeze toxicity. Turned out to have a horrible heart problem that we picked up ultrasound scan. The cat was only with us for a day, but I stayed with it monitoring its condition all night as it had tried to die in the morning. Successful resuscitation only for a PTS 10 hours later.

There are times when I really hate my job. I know I wouldn't do anything else though.

Snow!

As a kid snow was amazing fun, it meant time off school and general play until you were too cold having built a snowman and thrown snowballs. As a student not a lot changed! Snow days were still fun and spent playing and building snowmen.

As a mixed practice vet living close to the practice, snow is a pain in the bum. For a few days this week I had sole charge of the hospital with only a receptionist, a nurse and myself looking after the place. Scary stuff! It was good fun, though a little manic at times. I can't get my car to many of the farm clients so I'm just being a small animal vet for now.

So far I've only nearly died twice driving in the snow. Blizzards are not good fun when you can't see the road. And the emergency pager going off when I was driving nearly got me killed yesterday due to shock. Oh well!

First Days

Work has started! At the moment I'm mostly trying to settle in and find out where everything lives around the practice. Everyone is really helpful, and the mix of work is just what I need at the moment.

So far I've been out to see calves and horses, stayed in and treated cats, dogs and rabbits and been on call a couple of nights. It's going pretty well! Not too many fun stories yet, but I'm sure they will come along in time.

The only downside at the moment is we don't have internet in the new flat, and won't for another 2 weeks. I'll be back then...

Moving House

Ahhhhhh! Packing!

I'm uncovering things that haven't seen the light of day for about 3 years, finding lost notes that may have been helpful for uni, and generally making a mess. There's dust everywhere. Not too much actual packing has been done.

Unprepared? Me? Never.

Tigers!

There's a new button, and it's all about tigers. As the information from the WWF says:

"Right now, there are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild and that number is falling. Tiger habitat is being lost at an alarming rate and poaching has surged over recent months."

Tigers are amazing creatures. If you have a spare moment, take a look at the petition which aims to help increase tiger numbers, or just click the button on the sidebar.

I'm the proud sponsor of a tiger, thanks to a friend, called Kamrita. Her avatar, a cuddly tiger, goes quite a few places with me. She's now a regular at the pub, has been photographed with Nessie, driven 3 boats and will go out on call with me. Photos to follow maybe...

More Goodbyes

Today was spent with the vet practice where I have spent a good portion of my life, saying farewell to the various people.

Some people, such as one of the office staff, I've known since I first went there as a kid about 13 years ago. The vets change fairly regularly but some I've known for the past 4 years, others for just 2 years, but we still get on really well. I've worked with the head nurse since she started in 2001. New people to the practice generally got me to work with when I was on EMS as I knew the place so well.

At interview I was asked why I didn't want to work with this practice. It's mainly because it's not what I need in terms of support for a first job, i.e. there is none really.

Maybe one day I will come back. I love the area, I love the people I'd be working with. Sadly not all the memories are as amazing though. One for the future.

More On The Job

So a bit more about the job situation...

In the end I applied for about 6 or so. I had interviews with 2, rejection letters from 2 more and I've heard nothing at all from the final 2 - strangely enough the first and last ones I applied to.

The two interviews all seemed fairly straightforward. I've heard some horror stories from others about aggressive questioning and other badness. For me they just seemed to want to chat! Very nice.

So my work in a mixed practice job with a couple of other branch practices in the Edinburgh area. The best part is they really seem to be switched on to the requirements of new grads such as myself. I'll start off slowly according to their schedule, learning various procedures until I'm comfortable with them.

All sounds pretty good really! I can't wait to start. There's just the small matter of having to pass the driving test first.

Really need to revise everything too before I start. My medicine isn't as great as it should be, and I haven't done any surgery for months. Hopefully it will all come back.

Job

I have a job! Very excited, just accepted it.

It's a mixed practice job in Scotland, close enough to Edinburgh. I don't start for a few weeks so time for getting sorted.

Yay!

Meeting Freshers

I'm back in Edinburgh and helping out with a few of my old societies during the rush. This means meeting a whole bunch of new people, mostly freshers. They aren't all bad by a long shot, but I had this conversation at the sports open day last week...

Me> So what do you study?

Fresher> Oh, I'm a vet student.

Me> Just started? How's it going?

F> Yeah we've just done the first week. It's really easy so far, I expected it to be harder. We went out to Langhill farm and had to practice handwashing. They gave us cold water! And we have to have an exam on handwashing in December when the water will be colder! This is terrible.

Me> Don't you think you may have to put up with that kind of thing as a vet?

*cue 10 minute talk about how great she was and shouldn't have to put up with it*

F> So...what do you study?

Update

I'm back in Edinburgh for a week or so for some sanity restoration. Sadly I didn't pass my driving test. It was going perfectly until right at the end when I completely messed up a reverse parallel park. Last thing on the test! It wasn't even slightly wrong, it was terrible.

I've booked another one, sadly the first test available is at the end of October! Kicking my heels until then.

At the end of the week I visited Chester Zoo with a friend. It's such an amazing place. Just how a zoo should be. All the animals looked happy and well cared for. The facilities were brilliant too.

Cute animal picture time.

Hi There!

Tiger

On Lookout

After all that fun I fled to Edinburgh for a week or so of relaxation and time spent actually seeing people I know. It's full of freshers though. I feel old.

Geocaching

A new form of entertainment has presented itself - geocaching! I've always wanted to play, but never had the kit. Now with GPS found pretty much everywhere it's easier to get involved.

It started a few days ago, but everything kicked off this weekend with the hunting of 16 caches all around the North Wales area. Today we were in Llandudno and found quite a few. Some of the fun is trying to bag the cache without others seeing.

Good day. Tired now as there was somehow no lunch due to being on a hill. More job hunting tomorrow, then driving test Tuesday. Paws crossed...

Boredom

Well I've applied for more jobs...and heard nothing back! Ah well. Just going to carry on applying. Someone has to reply at some point.

There's still nothing to do around here. My excitement of the week was getting a new book in the post. Haven't even managed to get out to the animal shelter due to a lack of transport. There are several walks around here to explore, but I lack puppy-based company.

Instead I've just dug out my old soldering iron and ordered a couple of electronics kits online. I'm going to build a small signal generator and amplifier, set it to about 200Hz then hopefully attach a speaker and play with non-newtonian fluids. It's worrying when watching goo jump around is considered fun.

I've forgotten so much of my electronics knowledge. Can't even remember the resistor colour codes any more. I'm hoping that's because my brain is full of great vetty knowledge, but I think I'm just kidding myself.

Jobs

I've applied for a couple of jobs, both mixed, for the moment, and I may be applying for more soon when I get myself motivated. Still not sure if I want to go in to small or mixed straight off.

The first job is in west Wales with 2 jobs going and I was meant to hear back today from them. So far it's all quiet. Don't think that's a good sign! I guess I'll just wait until next week to find out.

Apart from that, life here is the same - fairly dull. At least I'm getting a break, although I feel I'm losing knowledge at the same time. I need to practice somewhere.

Volunteering

Unfortunately the puppy was not to be. Mum has just had to increase her work and the dog would have to be left for 12 hours whilst she was at work. So that's going to happen.

On the plus side I volunteered to work at the North Clwyd Animal Rescue where I'll be walking dogs whenever I want. NCAR is a great place that looks after dogs, cats, as well as rabbits. At the moment they have around 100 dogs, so they have a lot of walking to be done.

For me it's pretty much perfect! I cycle over there, walk some dogs for an hour or two, then cycle back home again. The weather is amazing at the moment so I'll be spending a lot of time up there.

Oh, but I haven't told them I'm a vet yet. Seemed easier.

Dog!

My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find a suitable dog for my Mum. It's going to be a tough assignment, but it may get me out of the house.

I'm going to head off to the nearest animal shelter soon. It's only 3 miles away so should take too long to run over. I may even volunteer to go back and walk some dogs or something if the places is nice. There's nothing else to do, and I miss the time with animals.

Cute pictures when I get back.

Leaving Again

The past 10 days have been spent in Edinburgh, hiding away from Wales and enjoying doing the touristy type of things I always seemed to have missed when I was studying up here.

The main event was the whisky fringe. Over the 4 hour period I sampled various whiskies, mainly Scottish, although there were some others in the mix. They ranged from the excellent ones to the just plain nasty. From the smooth, to the smoky, peaty type. It's all personal preference, so this is just my opinion.

Recovery the next day was uneventful thanks to the magic healing powers of Lectade Small Animal. Tastes fairly horrific on its own, but mixed with orange juice it's pretty useful stuff.

Over the next week we visited Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Moffat and various other places on the way.

One of the more shocking places was the Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park at Kirkcudbright. Some of the enclosures were so overgrown you couldn't see animals, in others the animals appeared ill - one poor stork had terrible bumblefoot - and it looked like it could do with a good tidy. There was a snake handling session where no-one was instructed to wash their hands afterwards. I could go on, but it's just depressing.

Anyway, today I'm heading off back to Wales for about 3 weeks. I don't know when I'll return to Edinburgh. It feels more like a final goodbye this time. I'm just off to uni to say goodbye to various people, then I need to pack.

Hopefully I'll return soon.

Wales

It's been a while since graduation, and I'm still checking the results once a week!

Now I'm in Wales, in a little village in the middle of nowhere with maybe 2 buses a day and not much of anything else. I don't know anyone around here, so things I can do with my day are limited.

I applied for a locum position at the local vets due to parental intrusion, but nothing has come of it. Still looking for proper jobs anywhere that isn't here really.

My next challenge is to pass my driving test. The theory was fairly easy, but I'm not too sure if the practical bit will be that simple. The only problem is that the first available test date is September 14th. I may have gone insane by then. Regular trips to Edinburgh, and to see friends are required.

Still Searching

I'm heading back home for a bit, but still on the lookout for jobs. There are several people waiting with computer problems that I can fix, but I really want to get on with vet work. I don't think I'll believe it until I do my first consultation.

So close, and yet so far.

I may go insane at home. There isn't too much to do in rural Wales apart from run and walk the non-existent dog. Although it may mean I get fitter. Final year really destroyed me.

It's Official

I'm a vet!!!

Graduation was a great day. We first had to get our degree certificates, then there were various photos, then back for the swearing of the oath and signing of the register.

I'm now BSc(hons) BVM&S MRCVS.

Might have to change the name of the blog...oh and find a job.

Graduating

Graduation is tomorrow! I'd like to say I'm all prepared, but it'd be a lie. I'm very much not prepared.

On the plus side I've found a shirt that fits, my trousers, a bow tie and some cuff-links. I know where I'm going and when I'm meant to be where. And which pub to go to afterwards.

On the down side I've lost my shoes. Somewhere, somehow. Shows how often I go to formal events! Oh and my family are here and annoying me already.

I may go insane(r).

Passed!

Woo! Marks from finals were out today. Passed with credit. So very happy...

Done

That's it, I'm done with uni! Hopefully. Not counting my swans before they hatch. Today was...well, not great. Ortho wasn't much fun, although I think that's mainly my fault for not knowing and revising more. The others may have gone OK, but I was in a bit of a mess after the ortho station and not really knowing what was going on.

So I've spent the afternoon not really knowing what to do. It feels strange to be able to do what I want without having to feel guilty about not revising. Guess I should tidy up the huge mess that is my room. For now though I'll go for a walk in the park in the sun.

48 hours

In just under 48 hours I'll be done with uni, hopefully forever! It's been a long 8 years and I think I may deserve a holiday afterwards. Plans at the moment include heading to Loch Ness for a couple of days to relax, walk and generally mess around.

So tomorrow are the large animal orals. At the moment it looks like I'm stuck with 2 equine stations, rather than more farm :-( And maybe even equine anaesthesia! Oh joy. At least every single animal seems to get the same drugs - romifidine & opioid pre-med, then ketamine & diazepam to induce. Easy. I think.

Friday will be the more fun part with smallies and, to finish off my time at uni, a bit of a chat about my case reflections. Not too sure if I should reflect on the reflections. Or reflect on how my reflection on the reflections went. You see where this is heading.

However it goes I have a hip-flask of Balvenie Doublewood for afterwards.

3 days

Not long to go until all is over. The last exam....well we won't talk about the last exam. It was not optimal. Very little time, and some really crappy questions that weren't in the notes. But it's done. Hope I've scraped a pass.

Not long now until the practical exams, and for some strange reason I feel less stressed about these. This obviously means things will go horribly wrong on the day though. Some random question about disease of the ferret, or the budgie or something odd like that.

To be honest I just wish it was over. Time without exams looming overhead would be great. I intend to take the weekend between exams and results off and climb as much as possible. Haven't hit the walls for months now so hopefully the routes will be new and exciting. As long as they've kept the overhanging route of insanity I'll be happy.

Pharmacology

Whilst trying to be productive for a change (it does happen), I have managed to delete pharmacology.

Balls.

Tomorrow

It starts tomorrow with the spot exam. Ahhhhhh! I've done most of the cases and got a successful outcome from all of them. My drugs knowledge isn't too bad either. Now I just have to remember to take everything with me to the exam (calculator, laptop etc) and try not to panic.

One of my lecturers tips for passing finals:

• Sleep
• Show up
• Don't panic

It'll all be over in 8 days...

Finals

Well finals start in 8 days with our written spot exam. There are 35 short answer questions over 3 hours on pretty much every aspect of the course:

• Cardiology - 3
• Dermatology - 3
• Diagnostic Imaging (LA or SA) - 3
• Pathology - 3
• Herd Health - 2
• SA surgery - 3
• Exotics - 2
  
• Neurology - 2
  
• Pharmacology - 3
• VPH (to include 1 pig Q) - 3
• SA Internal Medicine - 3
• Professional skills - 2
• Equine Medicine 1
• Equine Surgery - 1
• DVEP First Opinion - 1
  

This could either go very well, or very badly, depending on how much detail is required for each question. I'm not really sure what will happen for pharmacology, possibly a discussion of prescriptions or mode of action of various drugs. Hopefully not the latter!

Anyway, back to equine medicine.

Gratuitous Dog Pic

Title says it all really... I took Kim to see the swans. That's his happy face!

Revision Week

Or not as the case may be. The week off has gone all too quickly with not enough work done really. Managed to blitz most of anaesthesia yesterday and took an abbreviated tour of cardiology drugs again today in the hope that one day it will stick. All I know is the Vaughan-Williams classification is just daft.

I'm on elective now for the next 3 weeks at the small animal practice at uni, then we have about 10 days off, then it's finals time. Very, very scary. On the plus side I'm planning to escape to the Highlands post-exams with a friend, the dog and maybe some climbing gear. There may even be photos.

Farm Practice

Farm animal hospital went well last week. I learned quite a bit in a short space of time and got to practice skills we hadn't used for a while.

This week is farm animal practice. Basically we go out with the vets from uni on farms and get involved. It's great! I seem to have become involved in one of the projects on a local farm because a) it's fun and b) you get to see loads of different things, although it does involve being in to uni really early and sometimes long days. Ah well.

Quick Update

It's been a busy past few weeks, thus been light on the blogging. Here's the highlights:

- Survived equine ICU! The weekend was fairly relaxed and we spent some time in the sun. I escaped Sunday evening to...

- Head to Wales for a week. More EMS, which is great during lambing time. Did some sheep caesars, assisted on a cattle caesar, plus the usual array of consultations, surgery and banter.

- Now back to Edinburgh to start the final rotation on farm. Day 1 has been great! There's usually 1 person per group that can hit sheep veins, and turns out that's me.

Now it's sunny, so I'm off to go and revise outside somewhere. Only 8 weeks (ish) until finals. A truly terrifying though.

ICU

I survived!! It was not great, but at least it's over. A friend wanted to switch weekends, so I have to go back, but the end is in sight.

1/4

Well, I failed equine ortho! It was to be expected really with not really knowing what was going on. I do feel a little short changed as my practical skills (which were scored as poor) weren't even seen by my assessor! This week my practical skills have already been assessed as good...

We are only allowed to fail 4 rotations before we have to justify ourselves and maybe resit the year. Hopefully there won't be any more, I don't think I could take it this late in to the year.

So enough complaining. This week is far much more fun!

We are spending time away from the hospital off visiting equine cases all around Edinburgh seeing everything from vaccinations to lameness. It's brilliant to be outside in the sun. Love it. Apart from the horses that is!

Equine Ortho

It goes badly. Very very badly. Only a day left to survive.

Anaesthesia

Wow those 2 weeks went quickly! We covered so much in a short space of time that my brain had problem processing it.

Equine anaesthesia was so quiet with only 2 horses the entire week, so we spent our time enjoying tutorials! Two a day for the entire week covering a range of topics such as blood gas analysis, farm animal anaesthesia, drugs, emergencies and breathing systems. The days weren't too long, but very intense. On the Friday I placed my first IV cannula in a horse though! Very excited. Got it in first time without too much hassle - the are much easier than in a sick calf.

This past week has been small animal anaesthesia, and it was hectic. Often non-stop days from 9 until 5, and later, where we put the theoretical skills from the previous week to good use. It's a busy service, and at times can be slightly dull, but there are moments of total chaos that make up for it. All of my patients survived too, so can't have been doing things too badly.

Next week is the start of equine, and I'm dreading it. It's not something I enjoy, and the idea of covering the intensive care ward at the same time as being on medicine rotation doesn't fill me with joy.

Nursing

A new challenge this week - professional studies. We get assigned a section of the hospital and follow people around. Either nursing, pharmacy, reception or finance, and I got nursing.

For the most part I really like nurses, and have several really great friends that I've either worked with or know from various places who are vet nurses. They do an amazing job and are highly skilled.

Unfortunately this week has been very quiet in the hospital meaning we haven't actually done much! Most of my days have been spent studying for next week or chasing up radiologists for the scans I need. It's been fun though. Made some new friends, learned some new things, taught some things too. Must get on with creating cake for them for Friday.

Next week is equine anaesthesia. Watching an unsteady half-ton animal wake up from a general anaesthetic is just scary.

5 Months

There are only 5 months until graduation. Things are seeming rather more scary now and real. I've started looking for jobs, and should probably start revising all the rotations from last year fairly soon.

We had to teach the 4th years this week on radiology. They knew quite a lot, but we were all amazed about how much we knew. My knowledge seems to be coming together with everything linking - history, radiographs, blood tests all come together to form some kind of diagnosis which has various treatment options with it, plus all the side effects of those treatments. It's really quite scary at times!

ill

I've been away from uni for most of this week with a cold, so nothing really exciting has happened. I would have loved to be in, but they don't want me infecting the rest of the hospital. Missed canine medicine, but hopefully back for feline medicine next week.

Reasons Why I Shouldn't Be A Doctor

When you have a few ill people with no diagnosis, you must not kill one, PM them, and then treat the rest of the group. Apparently.

Human medicine is nothing like farm animal med.

Back To Work

The holidays are over, and it's back to uni for another 11 weeks until the next break. So far it's been a short week - with the snow very few clients are coming in for the basic things. Today there were more than a few clinicians off leaving hordes of students without cases and they *unfortunately* had to go home. Very sad.

This week is oncology. Some people complain it's not a day 1 competency, but it's useful to getting knowledge about the kinds of drugs used in practice and what to expect from both the owners and the animals. The obvious ethical debates are going on as well. Should we be treating these animals as we do? Or should we just decide on euthanasia at all times? Difficult one.