Surgical High

For most of us, phase three is the first time we have been allowed to participate in surgery. Some individuals are fortunate enough to have had mentors that allowed them to handle the scalpel, but most, including myself, have been patient observers, craving the opportunity.

At the OVC, we are lucky to be able to perform spays and neuters on local humane society animals. It is a nice symbiotic relationship: we get to work on our surgical skills under supervision while local humane society animals get one step closer to adoption. Win-win!

So why is surgery so enticing? It is a clinical skill that really makes you feel like a veterinarian. It is the ability to make your hands do something useful to make an animal’s life better. Its a more hands-on venture, and gives a very different sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from medicine. It takes persistence, steady hands, discipline, knowledge, and confidence; all qualities that we strive to have as practitioners.

I have now entered into the world of solo surgery. I did the whole procedure, cutting to closing, by myself, with the help of my peers and supervising profs. It felt liberating and terrifying. The first time I had to digitally separate the suspensory ligament I was convinced that I would break something important and blood would go gushing everywhere. But it didn’t. It did exactly what it was supposed to do, rip neatly and allow me to see the ovary. When the suture broke and I dropped my pedicle, I was sure my prof was going to yell and fail me on the spot. She didn’t. She simply reached in, clamped it, and handed it back to me to finish. I had put so much pressure on myself that I felt defeated, but after a post-op discussion I realized that not only was the rest of my surgery well done for a rookie, that I had been handed a valuable teaching moment, one I will not soon forget.

As I proceed in my career I look forward to more surgery. I can’t wait to get better, and faster, and be able to manage with smaller incisions. I also look forward to trying large animal surgery. C-sections, LDAs, torsions, and colics, oh my!

Surgery is definitely a very interesting and fulfilling thing to do. It comes with its own set of challenges and complications, but with persistence, confidence and great support, it is yet another powerful tool in the quest to provide the best care for our patients. 

I want to say a big "Thank you!" to the OVC Junior surgery clinicians and techs, and thank you to my little kitty for being such an awesome patient! This experience definitely has whet my appetite for surgery and I can't wait for more!

Kay

Comic Time!

Wow! I got my juices flowing kids! Another comic for you! Hopefully you find it amusing!

Stress relief

SO my newest comic was inspired by my life. Stretched too thin and trying too hard I had allowed my self to make some mistakes in my professional and personal life. Unacceptable.

I just needed to step back and appreciate the little things in life. Appreciate those people that raise me higher, and ignore those trying to bring me down.

And yes these "people" may also be furry!

:) Keep on keeping on!

Challenge Cup update

Highlights from recent games:

On March 7th, the Caracals squared off against the Elephants in a fierce game, with the Caracals ahead 3-0 at the end of the first period. The Elephants fought their way back with 2 goals, but were tusk was unable to best tooth and claw as the Caracals scored on an empty net to secure their win with a final score of 4-2. 

On March 14th, the Stags took on the Elephants in what proved to be a much heated game. The Elephants scored first but the Stags soon caught up, scoring 2 goals to take the lead. The Elephants fought to regain control and with a couple of mad dashes across the ice, took back the game with a final score of 4-3. Both goaltenders had some amazing saves, and both teams roused much cheering from their fans and mascots.

Differences: 3

So the one I have for you tonight needs a bit of introduction.

I was walking one cold morning this semester from the parking lot into class. There were two people walking in front of me; one a prof and one a student. It was hilarious the small talk that this prof decided to delve into...

I guess he was referring to hurricaine and tsunamis... and the fact that we don't normally have parasite control in effect in the winter months... Not sure but it made me smile!


Please enjoy this silly comic and let me know if you have an idea for one!

Kay<3

Equine Medicine: The ups, downs, and all arounds.

By Jeremy Shaba, OVC 2015

A career in equine medicine has always been something I have had my eye on. From a young age, I caught the horse bug. Learning how to ride at YMCA Camp Nissokone in the summers was where it all started. I pretty much grew up at camp in northern Michigan and eventually ended up becoming the ranch director for a few summers. I did my undergrad at Michigan State University where I majored in animal science. I had a ton of great experience there and owe a lot of my passion and drive for veterinary medicine to a few great mentors I had during my time there. All that’s in the past now and I have an exciting future ahead. The real question is where will I end up? I certainly don’t know and I think a lot of vet students interested in equine medicine have no idea where they will end up either. I thought I would talk about a few of the options and paths that people can take if they are interested in working exclusively with horses.

I think the most important part of any vet students education is getting out and shadowing in private practices during their 4 years in vet school. There are only so many things we can learn in the confines of our school walls and we have a unique opportunity while we are students to go out to as many practices as we can and observe and learn as much as possible.  

20 years ago it was very uncommon for graduating veterinary students to do an internship after they graduated. Most students were hired into a market that was booming with growth and success. Today, that’s not the case and there are a couple camps of thought as to why internships have become so popular. Some say that the lack of jobs available has resulted in new graduates looking to put off finding a job for another year. Others say that new graduates are not confident in their ability to do well on their own and therefore seek the shelter of an internship. The final camp of thought is that an internship should be required- that you don’t learn enough in school and even under good mentorship there is a lot to be gained from a good internship program. Whatever the reason may be, internships are becoming extremely popular and are considered the norm for an aspiring young graduate eager to pursue a career in equine medicine.

Performing X-rays on a horse's leg

One option for graduates interested in equine is to specialize. Most residencies usually require completion of an internship in order to apply. The two most common residencies that are equine focused are medicine and surgery. You get a mix of species in other residencies like ophthalmology, dermatology, anesthesia, and radiology but if you think you want do exclusively horses, most people go with medicine or surgery. Residencies for medicine and surgery are typically 3 years long and usually accompany some sort of graduate coursework and research. The majority of residencies are at universities but there are a few select larger equine referral centers that train residents.

If you don’t think specializing is for you, the next most common thing is to become an ambulatory practitioner. You will get to see a plethora of things and I think the best part is watching your patients grow throughout the year. A big focus of the ambulatory practitioner is preventative health. Vaccines, deworming, and floating teeth usually bring a veterinarian to a farm annually which allows a great opportunity to build a relationship with the farms in your area.

There are definitely pros and cons to each path and not every path is for everyone. That’s why we all get to choose our own! Besides the career paths I mentioned above there are also smaller sectors like research, industry, and government which all have their own pros and cons as well.

People often ask me where I want to end up and I haven’t really decided yet. I can see myself very happy doing a lot of the things I mentioned above. I am in no hurry and am trying to take in everything I can while I am in this great position as a student. The best advice I can give to aspiring students interested in a career in equine medicine is to get out and see as much as you can. Visit as many practices as you can, ride with as many vets as you can, and chat with your mentors about what you are interested in and see what advice they have for you.

That’s all for now. I hope you enjoy the ups, downs, and all-arounds of equine medicine as much as I do.

-Jeremy Shaba