Jess - The First of Many (Hopefully...)

Jess here!

Thanks again for taking the time to read our thoughts and catch up with what’s going on in our lives. If you can’t already tell, we’re super excited to be starting clinics. To all my friends and family reading, Love you! (This next part will be a little boring though…) And to those who may not know me very well, here’s a brief history:

·         25 year old, intact female, Caucasian/brunette – previously blonde.

·         Hx of residence in Panama, New Jersey, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Georgia, and Alabama. Suspected dermal allergies associated with moving.

·         Current diet of coffee, candy, cookies, meat, cheese, almonds, Cracklin’ Oat Bran, Chick-fil-A, and variety of fruits & vegetables. But mostly cookies.  Recommend counseling on appropriate nutritional management for current life stage.

·         Regular exercise including running and mild weight lifting, currently to the musical stylings of one Justin Bieber.  

·         Pt is UTD on rabies and tetanus vaccinations as of 2/17/2011.

·         Currently shares home with husband, a 29 year old, intact male, Caucasian/brunette/ginger-beard.  Husband works in Atlanta as a project manager for a roofing company and is an avid hunter of any and all wild & winged creatures.

·         Other residents of Pt’s home include:

-   5 year old, spayed female, HuskyXBorder Collie – “Coach Suggs”

-   4 year old, intact male, Labrador Retriever – “The Deacon”

-   10 month old, castrated male, terrier mix – “Patrick Swayze”

-   3 year old, spayed female, DSH – “Ninny”

-   3 year old, castrated male, DSH – “Muggins”

So…how on earth did I end up here in Alabama, legally rolling trees, inappropriately conjoining pronouns and studying dirty things, like the various qualities of dog poop and how to palpate the reproductive tract of a cow?

Well, once upon a time, in a frozen land called “New Hampshire,” I participated in animal sciences at my high school. This was much to the dismay of my guidance counselor, who thought I’d be better served by AP US History during my last block of the day instead of Animal Production. Boy, was he wrong. And not to sound ungrateful, but I’m glad that I didn’t listen to his guidance or his counseling. Granted, he was correct in that I would not get into my first choice college. (Touché, Mr. Seraichick.) But in retrospect, if I had been accepted, I would have never moved to the southeast, studied in Atlanta where I met the love of my life, or discovered my calling for veterinary medicine and Auburn University. God works in mysterious and wonderful ways.

During my stint in Atlanta I was a premed student by day and a waitress by night. It was by the end of my third year that I realized I didn’t want to lay a finger on any human body part, much less in one.  I was, however, much more comfortable with the idea of going shoulder deep into the rectum of a cow. And it was at that moment that a pre-vet student was born.

My husband and I met through mutual friends (insert shout out to Wilkes and Whitney here à Woot woot!) and we started dating during my last year in the city. Despite the distance, we stayed together when I moved to my parents’ country home in Alabama post-graduation. I took the year off of school to get my veterinary work experience together and begin the application process. I applied to only one program– Auburn University’s. I was certain I wouldn’t get in the first time around and didn’t want to waste a bunch of money on applications to other schools. In the mean time I worked at a local mixed-animal practice for about nine months. In April of 2008 I got my acceptance letter in the mail, and a week later, Mike proposed!

Mike & I have been married almost 2 years now, and he is very understanding about the time and money that my schooling currently demands. He usually spends his weekends here with me on campus and his weekday nights closer to his job in Atlanta. Unless he’s on vacation slaying birds – in which case you might find him in the swamplands, rice fields and marshes of Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, and Georgia, among other places.

My ultimate goal is to work in a rural mixed-animal practice, meaning I’d like to work with both large animals and small animals somewhere out in the country. For those of you not familiar with these specifications: large animals are your basic large domestic species that include animals like horses, cattle, swine, and small ruminants (goats & sheep). Small animals are your typical domestic house pets, like dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. I love the variety that mixed practice has to offer and can’t wait until I’m working in a job where I can see and learn something new every day! I’ve toyed with the notion of pursuing a residency and certification in theriogenology (mammalian reproduction), but for now I think private practice is where I’ll end up in a year or so. Not exactly sure where yet, as far as location is concerned, but certainly somewhere rural enough to support a healthy large animal case load.

Now, armed with my new white coat and a sweet Littmann stethoscope, my first rotation in the clinic is Small Animal Critical Care – nothing like throwing the baby in the water to sink or swim, right? Here’s to the doggy-paddle. Wish me luck!

War Eagle!

Jess