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What's up vet school buddies. I'm in my first year of the four year program at the Royal Veterinary College in London. I'm a UK Citizen but an international student as I have been living in Florida the last 15 years. How do the US schools run their exams? Our final exams in June/July seem pretty horrifying. We have five days of exams. Three days are written exams that include multiple choice questions, problem solving questions, and essays. One day is an oral Integrated Structure and Function exam. You go in with two professors and they can ask you about anything and you have 6 minutes to answer as many questions as possible. It could start with identifying the olecranon on a live horse and go onto joints, muscles, innervations, blood supply, etc, or start with histology and move into immunology. You get two of those questions. It's madness. The last exam is a Spot test where you have 25 stations you rotate through every 2 minutes. At each station is a radiograph, or a dissected specimen, or a picture of histology/pathology, and you have to answer three questions about it. Every 5th station is a rest station. It's all going to be a blast? Feel free to share your uber veterinary school study techniques with me. I'm just glad I have five years of veterinary nursing work to stand on. For fun, here is an image I made while studying the other day: 
YourCreation fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Mar 3, 2012 |
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Mar 3, 2012 21:20
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 01:29 |
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Topoisomerase posted:Those exams sound awful. It appears you are right. It was something a lecturer mentioned in passing in a parasitology lecture but I wrote it down because it sounded ridiculous.
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Mar 4, 2012 00:43
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Khelmar posted:"Starter topics" for conversation: Two. I applied to three schools the first time and 13 the second. 2. What weight did your school place on different components of the application? I am not sure to be honest. I had worked as a veterinary nurse for five years prior and also had a background in research and customer service, so perhaps that helped or perhaps it didn't. 3. Did you interview? What were the questions like? I interviewed with the Royal Veterinary College. I was interviewed by a radiologist from their teaching hospital and an endocrinologist/lecturer who is now one of my lecturers. When I walked in and sat down they had my personal statement sitting infront of them with annotations and that made me excited/nervous. The majority of my interview consisted of them asking me questions about my personal interview, ranging from clarifications to where I came up with certain opinions or statements. They then went on to ask me ethical questions and hypotheticals. They gave me an offer at the interview and I about poo poo myself. 4. What do you like LEAST about vet school? The amount of work required in things that I have no interest in. I understand that I need a knowledge of everything from microbiology and genetics to reproductive physiology to be a great veterinarian, but it does not mean I have to like it. 5. What do you wish you would have known before starting? The amount of work truly required and how to engage my brain while studying. When I am active doing things like dissections or practicals my brain is very active making connections and asking/answering connections, but I just can't seem to get that same level of engagement while studying. I am getting better, but I am certainly not at the level I would like to be at. There really is 2+ hours of work required for every hour of lecture, and that's just to start. 6. If you could start over with undergrad, what would you do differently? I would have stayed single, spent more time with my fraternity brothers, and enjoyed college more. Yes I did research and learned a lot, but hell you only get to do college once. I also would have taken comparative anatomy A LOT later in my college career and powered through the basics (chem/bio) earlier and faster than I did. I would also would have liked to take a critical thinking class.
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Mar 6, 2012 16:30
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Carebear posted:Yup. We're a low cost shelter/hospital, so for whatever reason (cost?) that was their procedure. Morphine and Hydromorphone cost next to nothing, while Buprenorphine is quite expensive. You could be hitting everything (that is healthy) that comes in the door with Hydromorphone as a sole pre-med and have great results.
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Mar 7, 2012 10:48
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Enelrahc posted:Yeah! I don't know where he came from, but I love him. I would be thrilled if he made a RMB thread like the original trainwreck. That's easily the best thread in the whole site, ever. Have to love how rabid people get about their favorite food. I remember one of my old colleagues talking about the crazy Australian guy and what a shitstorm VIN became. You should also check out the Issues and Arguments board for all of your political commentary needs!
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Mar 7, 2012 22:31
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Enelrahc posted:Here you go. Sorry for non-vet people - it's restricted access. You have to go to vet school to get access (probably isn't worth it). Oh this is so much fun.
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Mar 8, 2012 01:09
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But oh so respect for their utter dedication
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Mar 8, 2012 01:59
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So Khelmar since you're a rockstar Pathologist now (and since you stood me up for a Gainesville tour hehe), perhaps you could share with us students some study strategies for learning Histology/Pathology. It would be greatly appreciated!
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Mar 8, 2012 15:49
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That makes great sense, thank you. I have a hard time initiating my brain during solo study. When I'm doing practicals and clinical work my brain is firing, but it just grinds to a halt when I sit down.
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Mar 8, 2012 21:20
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Finished my Term 2 exam yesterday. Only 30 MCQs - 20 theory and 10 practical. It was not as bad as I thought. These little ones are only worth 5% and do not have a pass requirement so they are very low pressure. Now I get to spend Easter doing three weeks of Lambing and two weeks on a Pig farm with a 10 day break in between.
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Mar 10, 2012 19:57
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HelloSailorSign posted:There are some internships which are NOT good - they are there simply to get the vet hospital a cheap labor who will work 100 hour weeks because they're worried about looking bad during their internship. I have seen a few people lie through their teeth that they loved their internship - while knowing that they had several nervous breakdowns and hated every minute of it. That describes the intern experience at the clinic I worked at as an ER/Referral technician. I am really glad I had that experience and exposure so I will be better able to pick a rotating internship in the future.
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Mar 10, 2012 19:59
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HelloSailorSign posted:I literally broke someone's nose because they sat in my seat. I'm with you. If I have to tilt my head back to see the projector screen I will smash something
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Mar 14, 2012 00:36
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I am not too worried anymore. I think we all might be a bit better off if we had some parasites lurking within us to keep that darned immune system busy.
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Mar 17, 2012 01:14
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Lioness is a badass. She gave me a lot of advice while I was applying to school the first time around. She must be in the UC Davis program by now?
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Mar 22, 2012 18:38
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Chaco posted:2 weeks of oncology, 2 weeks of surgery, 5 weeks in the Florida Keys, and then I'm DONE. Now, if only someone would hire me.... Good luck with the job applications! http://www.vinfoundation.org/ has some great resources for job seekers.
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Apr 1, 2012 20:03
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Asstro Van posted:We had a client who refused to use anything for pain beyond aromatherapy. The only way I can really think to approach this is to try to get them to understand the situation from the animal's point of view in a non-anthropomorphic way. Explaining that people refusing pain meds is fine because they understand why they are in pain and can make an active decision to suffer it. Animal's do not understand why they are in pain and would be well served by pain medications. Pain medications also quicken healing and recovery time.
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Apr 2, 2012 11:54
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I would not be at all worried at that temperature in a small dog like that - most small dogs will lose heat quickly during surgery if not mitigated. In regards to the bradypnea/apnea, you have to take all of the factors into account. Pre-medicative drugs, induction drugs, gas inhalant, and what doses of all are given. If the patient is not breathing you can manually ventilate for a short while (never going above 20mmHg/H20 and making sure you do not forget to open the pop-off valve) and lower the amount of inhalant given if you are comfortable with the anesthetic depth. Be careful not to manually ventilate the patient too long as you can drive the CO2 levels down and reduce their drive to breathe as mentioned above. There is a happy medium. Just remember that changes in anesthetic depth do not happen too quickly so any changes you make should be small and with enough time in between to allow the patient to respond.
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Apr 4, 2012 16:08
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The rules essentially say that general explanations about disease processes, etc, are allowed if people are knowledgable about them or have experienced them with their own pets, but that comments about specific cases are not allowed. I know that there is a lot of grey area there, but at the end of that post HSS commented about that animal's bloodwork specifically, which goes against the rules.
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Apr 10, 2012 11:01
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Seems like HSS just pissed off that mod in general based on his ban/probation history.
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Apr 10, 2012 17:03
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Enelrahc posted:Can't we just agree that anyone who didn't grow up in a place with a winter is a terrible driver? Cause that's what my highly precise research has shown! As an ex-Floridian I will say that I am a good and careful driver but I would not have a clue what to do in ice or snow. I am now in England and have been taking lessons to drive a manual (Florida is flat so everyone is in automatics) and it has been an experience. It is much more active driving and the rules here are very different. I have to drive back and forth from London to Windsor for a pig farm placement every day for the next two weeks and today's drive was almost a little scary. I only stalled once on the motorway!
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Apr 16, 2012 14:54
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Crooked Booty posted:Oh god my classmates are retarded about behavior. I got a puppy recently and in the last 48 hours I've been told: And this is why I want to be a veterinary behaviorist.
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Apr 17, 2012 16:22
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Here are some things I would like to see: 1) An incredibly small teacher:student ratio during dissections. I think all professors should stop what they are doing so that they can assist during dissections. We only get to do each body part once and it would be amazing if we had someone there asking questions and guiding us towards applications. 2) More exciting practicals or group learning activities. 75% of them at my school would be better served done as solo work. It would be great if they caused excited and active engagement for all group members. I am only in my first year so I cannot comment about the clinical stuff, but I would like to think that there is a healthy mixture of facts and PBL in my future.
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Apr 19, 2012 15:19
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I am in the last class to be interviewed in a traditional manner. I was interviewed by two lecturers - one endocrinologist (non-vet) and a veterinary radiologist. When I walked in they had my personal statement sitting infront of them with highlights and annotations. I was very pleased/terrified because my mentor and I had spent ages working on my personal statement. They made me an offer on the spot right after the interview.  (It was the only school out of 13 I even got an interview from let alone an acceptance so not that slick hehe). My school now does the multiple interviews and apparently some are group. The class sizes over here are a lot bigger so that is their reason for multiple interviewees. One station that will have a skull on display and ask what you can tell about it - carnivore/herbivore/omnivore etc and perhaps lifestyle. I am not sure about that others. I was very glad for the traditional approach because the interviewers got to build upon my previous answers. They asked me ethical questions and asked for further explanation of my personal statement, as well as what I wanted to do with a vet med degree. As for PBL, here is an example of a rather lengthy activity did with our exotics dude. We had a few hours scheduled for this but you do not have to stay the whole time or even show up. quote:
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Apr 25, 2012 14:58
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6-Ethyl Bearcat posted:He was definitely glad to have the ET tube and kept it in for ages after he woke up. First good breath he's had in years probably. Hehe yeah, we had a Pug that happily kept his E-tube in post-op for ages. He was walking around with it and I think would have gladly gone home with it still in. 
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May 4, 2012 09:48
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HelloSailorSign posted:Oh, to see the younger classes taking on the media via Facebook... you guys make me so proud. Explain
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May 13, 2012 17:36
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Well it's official. My first final exams start in a month and I am terrified 8( Locomotion Organs of Digestion Endocrinology Pathology Immunology Infections and Responses Virology Bacteriology Animal Husbandry Neurology Renal and Urinary Tract Reproduction Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Systems Hematology Parasitology Did I mention I am terrified?
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May 15, 2012 16:04
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Braki posted:That does sound cool, Solis. You know what I saw today? A dog that was brought into emerg for a tick. It wasn't actually a tick. You have now poked a stick at the angry gods of emergencies. You will be rewarded with 3 blocked cats, 2 bloats, and a Serval who fell out of a pear tree.
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May 24, 2012 11:00
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Sounds like it's time to seek a second opinion my friend
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May 31, 2012 21:16
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I was manually ventilating a patient after a ventral slot gone wrong when the owner came in for a visit with rosaries and holy water. That was certainly an experience.
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Jun 3, 2012 22:07
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Countdown: 10 days until finals begin. I do not think I can last much longer.
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Jun 9, 2012 23:52
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Dr. Chaco posted:
HELL YEAH CHACOOOOOOOOOO
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Jun 16, 2012 00:35
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Congrats duders. About to head out the door to take my first final exam of the week (six 30-minute essay questions). Yee haw!
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Jun 19, 2012 13:21
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Ends? I still have an oral exam and a SPOT test to go 8( Monday night I will be on a tequila CRI, yee haw.
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Jun 28, 2012 02:33
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Oral exam down, one more to go on Monday! Got asked about bird/reptile renal anatomy and physiology, muscles of mastication comparison in carnivore vs herbivore + innervation (forgot pterygoid muscle even existed), thyroid histology and function, and brain/meninges anatomy and function. Phew.
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Jun 29, 2012 15:38
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Shnooks posted:Man, how do you guys remember all of this stuff? I'm a kind-of-rusty veterinary assistant in the market for a job in a different state I was trained in. I'm trying to read up and remember all the state legislative stuff and I'm just overwhelmed. Split it into manageable chunks, set a schedule, quiz yourself, draw things, anything to stimulate interest. Just learn it once then re-learn it in different ways. Make flash cards, board games, mind maps, whatever you have to do to get it in. Generally the more visual you can make the material the better you will retain it.
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Jul 5, 2012 21:21
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Shnooks, check out this website, it may be quite helpful: https://www.atdove.org/
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Jul 6, 2012 22:40
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Just get creative 8) Don't be afraid to ask questions about how much exposure/mentoring you will get at the clinic. Show them what you've got, let them know you are a hard worker, and ask who will help you build on your weak points.
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Jul 7, 2012 14:11
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VSPN was an amazing help to me over the last five years. Everyone there is so brilliant and supportive. AtTheDove must have just introduced that because they were a free site when I joined.
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Jul 8, 2012 23:23
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I Love You! posted:That's basically the breakdown so far - what else should we be looking at? A kick-rear end personal statement. My vet school interview pretty consisted of a discussion about my personal statement with two professors.
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Jul 15, 2012 22:25
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 01:29 |
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HelloSailorSign posted:Be a pro - do a csf tap in your bathtub using expired ketamine. nbd
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Jul 20, 2012 13:01
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