Fall semester of second year was a beast--the primary reason why I haven't blogged in a while. All in all, it went well, but I'm pretty glad that one is behind me. An unspoken rule of thumb in the curriculum is that the Fall semesters tend to be a little bit more difficult than the Spring ones. I had to buy a larger storage container aka "note tote" to fit my flashcards from last semester if that tells you anything. Looking back, I learned a tremendous amount, not only about my profession, but about myself. I excelled in some classes and had some struggles in others. Pharmacology proved to be really difficult for me, but with the support of Amanda and Heather I made it through and have faced the fact that I will probably always request that a colleague checks my dosages. On the other end of the spectrum, Systemic Pathology (the most heavily weighted class in the curriculum) was where it all came together for me. The format of the class and the tests pushed me to start making connections about what happens when things start to go wrong with each individual organ and how that problem progresses and affects the patient as a whole. I loved that class and the way it molded my thought process and understanding of veterinary medicine. And at the end of the day, I passed all of my final exams and passed all of my classes!
One of the highlights of Fall semester of second year are the Diagnostic Challenges or 'DCs' for short. DC's were developed to help second years start putting their knowledge to the test. We were placed in groups of 4-5 of our classmates and were given a simulated paper case to work through over the course of one week. We practiced client communication, diagnostic decision making, problem solving and a touch of finance during the challenge. The first case for us was held in Logan. I had a phenomenal group of classmates to work with. By the last day of the challenge, we reached a diagnosis (the 'dog' had a glomerulonephropathy with secondary pulmonary thromboemboli causing respiratory distress). Even though we reached a diagnosis, there was no long term treatment for our 'patient' so we discussed euthanasia with the client. The second DC was held up in Pullman. Our class was sent up and integrated with our WSU counterparts to work through another case together. Again, I was incredibly lucky to have been placed in a group that worked really well together. We also reached a diagnosis (rodenticide toxicity!) but we were able to manage and treat the 'patient' and he 'lived'! I learned so much from the exercises and received valuable constructive criticism. It was an awesome opportunity to get out of the classroom and start practicing.
Also thanks to this last semester, I now answer about 60% of the NAVLE questions of the day correctly and with confidence! It's difficult to imagine, but the board exams and fourth year are starting to creep up very quickly. This next semester marks the last semester that my class and I will be at USU. It seemed like forever ago and just yesterday at the same time that I received my acceptance letter and moved to Utah and started this program. At the end of this summer, I will be making the move up to Pullman, WA to join with the remainder of the class of 2016 for third and fourth year. The light at the end of the tunnel is faint, but its there.
Of course I still managed to sneak away for a little bit of adventure during the semester. I went to the Luke Bryan concert with Ryann, Kim, Janae and Katie in SLC in September. And Kristen and I hit up Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks and Cathedral Gorge State Park and Red Rock Canyon in November.
This next semester is shaping up to be a fun one. A mere 20 credits. It includes: Radiology, Anesthesiology, Toxicology, Communications, Public Health, Parasitology and Theriogenology. (There may be more that I registered for but just can't remember seeing as I still have six more days of winter break to enjoy and not think about school...)
And of course, knowing me, this summer is shaping up to be fun and full of more adventure. Some travel is in the works, and I've got tickets to Night in the Country again. And there is the big move at the end of the summer. This summer is kind of a last hurrah for me. There isn't much of a break between third and fourth year and once I graduate, I'll be busy looking for a job. My goal is to satisfy as much wanderlust as I can from now until the end of third year.
Wish me good skill for this next semester! Hope all is well.
Happy 2014!
Cheers and xoxoxo
C
Ryann, Me and Katie at Luke Bryan
Me and Kristen at Cathedral Gorge
Me and Burton at Cathedral Gorge
Burton! Cathedral Gorge State Park
Burton! Red Rock Canyon
Me, Burton and Kristen at Red Rock Canyon
Delicate Arch--Arches National Park
