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Creative Wellness

Tori ChambersOn Friday, some of my classmates and I are taking a studying break and enjoying some wellness—we will be putting the books away and painting instead!

Having typically seen these people in the realm of professionalism and medicine-minded academia, it will be nice to let our creative sides shine for a change! I only hope my dog, Jethro, doesn’t try to join in!

It’s nice to be reminded that there is a life outside of veterinary school. So often in class, we are taught to try and balance the different aspects of our lives and set ourselves up for success.

But, as we are going through our second year of veterinary school, it’s easy to just plug along with the same routine day after day. We are learning so many exciting things each day in lab and lecture that it’s very easy to hyperfocus on our school work.

I have learned that we have to actively work on diversifying our time to prevent mental and emotional fatigue. If we set up these habits now, it builds the toolbox that we can use later in life.

New Year, New Mindset

Taylor SheffieldThe same old saying of “New Year, New You” really is one of my least favorite sayings. Instead, I like to think of it as a new year, new mindset.

Every year we create goals and ambitions for the start of the semester, and as life gets a little chaotic, we tend to forget those goals or think they are unreachable. So instead of trying to change who I am and my life style, I decided I am going to change my mindset.

I’ve set out to have a more positive outlook on life, and instead of adding more things to my plate (as a veterinary student, that is a lot), I’m going to focus on how to rearrange the plate to make it less full.

By being more positive and looking at the silver lining, I hope my life can be more focused on the “what can I do to make it better” versus the “this day really stunk.”

In order to do this, there are apps that send me daily affirmations and positivity quotes to start my week. The positivity train doesn’t stop there—I have decided I will try to pass it on to my classmates or fellow colleagues, because you never know who truly needs that small reminder that everything is going to be OK.

As veterinary students, our plates are filled with more activities than a normal student, so the question becomes how do you balance it all without getting rid of some things?

Well, that is where the thought of rearranging comes into play; sometimes you have to get rid of things that may not be of use or benefit to you in order to allot more space to things that are important.

If getting rid of that activity is not your style, I encourage you to look at your time as a puzzle and all of the activities are pieces. Each week may be a different puzzle, and each activity may be a different size, but that is a slightly different mindset than just piling up activities.

With the New Year and new semester, I encourage all students and faculty to think about instead of changing you, change the mindset around you and your life.

Be more positive about the small victories that happen throughout the day, versus focusing on the small mishaps. Spread the good energy from classmate to classmate or friends to family because you never know who needs it. Change the way you look at a busy schedule by focusing on what makes you happy and getting rid of things that are just extra. Piece it together like a puzzle rather than a pile of responsibilities in order to create so more structure.

Welcome to the New Year, and go for that goal!

Back in Texas

Kimberly holding a goatI can’t believe I’m back in the United States!

Studying abroad in Costa Rica for four months really felt like a dream now that I’m looking back.

I experienced so many things there that I could have never experienced here in Texas: trudging through the rainforest, walking through so much rain that my rainboots filled up to the brim, seeing thousands of sea turtles come up to the beaches to lay their eggs, and so much more.

It’s hard to describe how wonderful studying abroad is, and despite its ups and downs, I loved studying in Costa Rica!

Holding a cup of coffeeIt feels weird that I’m here taking classes with hundreds of people in a classroom rather than the 12 people I’ve gotten close with during the trip.

It also feels weird that I’m not surrounded by the rainforest.

As much as I want to go back to Costa Rica, it wouldn’t be the same, since I would be considered a tourist rather than someone who has lived in Costa Rica for four months.

Plus, I really missed Vietnamese food, so I don’t think I’d be able to live there.

I definitely advise undergraduates to look into studying abroad because it really broadened my mind about what’s out there.

You’ll get to bond with people as you work together to overcome the struggles of studying abroad.

In addition, you’ll bond with the professors on your trip.

For BIMS students, I definitely recommend looking into the Costa Rica Biomedical Science Semester Abroad program.

The optional two-week shadowing is a major resume booster for anyone who’s looking into either veterinary or human medicine.

I hope that more people study abroad and get to experience the same feelings I did!

My Last Semester in a Classroom

Brandi M.I’ve just started my last semester in the traditional veterinary classroom curriculum. It’s honestly a little weird to think that by this time next year I will have been in a hospital setting for more than half a year and will be just months away from being able to call myself “doctor.”

Over the winter break, I worked at a clinic that I have been at for years. These doctors and technicians have known me since I was a young, wide-eyed pre-vet student in undergrad, and I joke that they basically raised me in this medical aspect of my life.

During this break, I found that the doctors included me more in discussing patient treatment plans and case rounds and technicians would ask my opinion on diagnostics in comparison to the things that I have learned thus far in veterinary school. It’s an interesting situation to find myself agreeing or questioning medical decisions that I am asked to fulfill because I now actually have some limited understanding of the application of medicine.

While that’s super exciting and I’m so relieved that I’m relatively competent in the field that I have pursued for most of my life, I’m also realizing the amount of responsibility that I’m going to be handling in the near future.

I’m gearing up to start applying for big-kid jobs, refining my resume and making connections with future employers; I’m coming to terms with my financial situation once I graduate: salary negotiations, budgeting, and payment plans for my student loan debt.

But I also feel more appreciation for the dedication this school has to its students. It’s more than just making us DVMs; I appreciate that we have started an entire course dedicated to these “adult responsibilities,” in which we meet with financial advisers and veterinarians who want to help us overcome these life hurdles. I was so worried that I would be thrown into the real world and told to figure out all of these incredibly important things, but, instead, I am going to at least get some explanation of what is needed and expected of me.

Part of me still feels like a child being dragged kicking and screaming into the adult world. Yet another part of me feels a little less lost knowing that, so far, my education has, for the most part, stuck well enough for me to understand most medical practices. That side of me is excited to start the last leg of my education and to reach my childhood goal of becoming a vet.

Fueling the Fire

My first semester as a veterinary student was a whirlwind experience! I was finally living my dream and, ironically, sometimes it didn’t seem like I was living.

Looking back and reflecting on all the time spent studying truly amazes me. I learned so much new information, information that will actually be useful when I land my dream job. I surprised myself with how much stamina and drive I sometimes didn’t know I had.

Surely, though, you won’t be surprised that the end of finals was cause for celebration and relaxation!

The novelty and excitement of starting veterinary school wore off and winter break was spent refueling. I returned to the clinic where I got my start to immerse myself back in the clinic culture and put my new knowledge to the test.

It was fun to see patients again and watch the veterinarians care for them from a first-year students’ perspective. Watching surgeries and actually knowing the anatomy or seeing a patient and understanding the disease process justified all of the study time and created excitement to return to Texas A&M for my second semester.

As the second semester commences, it’s time to draw on everything I learned about myself from last semester and the experiences over winter break to finish my first year strong.

I will take things one week at a time. I will ask for help when I need it. I will exercise regularly and feed my body well. I will give each class my best effort. And I will be a second-year veterinary student in just four short months!

Touring my own School

As a veterinary student, I am in an environment in which I am constantly learning, so it is a nice change in pace to teach someone else.

As an Ambassador, I get to teach people about the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) every time I give a tour. Currently, as I am writing this, I just finished my third semester of veterinary school, and after this week I will be finishing my first full semester of being an Ambassador!

Being an Ambassador has been such a joy and has been a nice change in pace because I get to greet and interact with people outside of my classmates!

I went to Texas A&M for four years to get my Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences before I was accepted into veterinary school. I had taken most of my classes in the old veterinary school, but the beautiful new building was open for veterinary students and undergraduates, alike, to utilize at the beginning of my senior year.

Even though campus has been changing around me constantly, I felt like I knew the campus and its values already.

As I was getting trained to be an Ambassador, however, I was so shocked to learn about some of the features in the new Veterinary & Biomedical Education Complex that were so well thought-out. Of course, I am not going to mention those features right now, because I do not want to ruin any surprises if you do come on a tour!

Furthermore, I realized that I had never peered inside or knew anything about the hospitals. Giving my first tour was so amazing, because I was so excited to share all the new things I had learned about.

It just goes to show you that you could be somewhere for more than four years and still be able to learn more about that place. I can’t wait to learn and share more with my future tour groups as I continue to be an Ambassador for the school!

The Drive

Nantika (far left) and her surgical team
Nantika (far left) and her surgical team

As I am driving along State Highway 21 from College Station back to Dallas for winter break, I am feeling both joy and anxiety.

My friend’s words are stuck in my head: “We are 5/8 doctor!” as we just finished our fifth semester in veterinary school. The joyful part is that I’m more than half way through my veterinary education; the anxiety-laden part is that there are only three semesters left before I become a doctor and go out into the real world.

It feels like it was just yesterday when I drove along this highway from Dallas to College Station for my vet school interview. Five semesters have gone by very fast.

However, it has laid a very strong foundation. The highlight of this semester was the surgery class. It was stressful, but I gained more confidence after each surgery laboratory, which includes a surgery group of three students rotating weekly through the roles of surgeon, assistant surgeon, and anesthetist.

The surgeon needs to be certain in surgical procedures and the anatomy of the patient. Once the procedure starts and the patient is under anesthesia, we are on the clock.

The anesthetist must monitor how deep the patient is under the anesthetic gas and that adequate oxygen flow is delivered to the patient. The blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature must be within normal range. The assistant surgeon needs to be sure that the proper surgical equipment and aseptically (protected against infections) technique be prepared for surgery.

During this learning process, besides the surgical knowledge, I also learned to communicate effectively with my surgical team. Upon completing this course, I feel I’ve gained the confidence to continue my journey as a doctor.

I can see that next time I drive back home on this state highway, I will be driving as a “6/8 doctor,” and, finally, in May 2020, I will become “a doctor.”

Vet School: Myths vs. Reality

So, you want to go to veterinary school?

If, like I have, you have been dreaming of being a veterinarian for basically your entire life, then I’m sure you’ve heard all sorts of things about vet school.

Now that I’ve finished my first semester at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, I wanted to debunk two major myths I had heard before starting vet school.

Myth No 1:

Vet school is extremely competitive and cutthroat. No one will want to help you, and it will be really hard to make friends.

Reality:

This is FAR from the truth. In the past four months, I have made some of the best friends I have ever had—something about spending 12-plus hours together every single day really does it to you.

Our class Facebook page is FULL of shared study materials, reviews people have made, online flashcards, reminders, and important information professors have mentioned in classes or review sessions.

We all want each other to succeed and we try our best to help one another whenever possible. We are focused on collaboration not competition.

At the end of these four years, we are going to be colleagues. Together, we can make this profession better and provide the best care possible to our respective patients.

Myth No. 2:

You do nothing but study and have absolutely no free time.

Reality:

This myth holds some truth…veterinary school is HARD. You are going to study A LOT if you want to be successful.

However, you can make time for other things. You have to find an effective method to study that works FOR YOU.

Some classes require more time than others and some topics will naturally be easier for you to understand than others. This is normal.

There is no “right way” to go through vet school, but there are many wrong ways. So, find what works for you. Everyone needs to study for a different amount of time and that is OK.

You have to give your brain a break and do something fun, hang out with friends, exercise, go to a movie, or just relax. Your brain functions better when you allow yourself breaks, and you will be much happier. Sometimes you have to make time for yourself and not allow studying to completely take over.

You can study every second of every day and I promise you will STILL not know every single thing that you are supposed to know for all of your tests. Know your limits, plan accordingly, and give yourself some grace.

Looking into the Future

So, the good news is the semester is finally almost over! However, that also means I must make it through finals first.

The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy and filled with tons of information, but it’s all important to know for my future.

As I plan to attend veterinary school, I’m beginning to take more rigorous courses geared toward my specific career path, so my classes are getting more interesting than the typical core curriculum classes. I’m majoring in biomedical sciences, which helps to get a lot of the veterinary school prerequisites out of the way, but my schedule is always busy.

After this semester, I will have completed my first semester of my second year here at Texas A&M, and man, it’s been an experience. I’ve heard people say college is the best time of your life, and so far, it’s been really fun but full of busy schedules and lots of classes to study for.

With that said, it can get really busy when finals time comes around, since there’s so much to study. I enjoy the classes I’m taking, but as I’m sure a lot of people have heard, finals can be stressful for many people.

Although there’s so much to do at this time of the semester, it’s definitely doable if you don’t procrastinate. With there being several finals to study for, it helps to start studying early, rather than pulling all-nighters the night before the exams. I’ve tried studying both ways and quickly found out that I should start studying early so that I can actually understand the material for the test rather than cram the night before and remember only about half of it.

This can be one of the busiest times of the semester, but finding your groove ahead of time helps decrease the stress of studying. Just relax, take one day at a time, and everything will be OK.

My Strongest Supporter

When I was an undergraduate, I adopted a high-energy shepherd mix named Addie from a local shelter, and she quickly became my partner in crime and strongest supporter.

I had plenty of time to expend her endless energy, even between work and school commitments. But I knew going into veterinary school that I was going to assume a lot more responsibility and have much less time to spend with her; I was worried that it would add extra stress to my life and not be fair to her.

Soon after beginning veterinary school, however, I realized that having a dog while in vet school was the best choice for me.

Even after a long day, she constantly manages to make me smile when I get home. She’s the best kind of study buddy because she’s always supportive and doesn’t judge if I get it wrong. She has also helped me build relationships with other students with dogs.

And, most importantly, she reminds me to make time for brain breaks, whether that be taking her for a run or just throwing a ball in the backyard.

She’s even helped me with my classes; I’ve been able to practice physical exams on her and, a couple of weeks ago, I even used her for a palpation exam in anatomy!

Though I still have to make a conscious effort everyday to ensure she gets the attention she needs, I wouldn’t change it for all the positivity she brings.