Internalizing.

Gah! How does time get away so quickly?

Let’s see…Since I last posted I have started and finished Small Animal Internal Medicine – one of the more intimidating rotations that is known for long hours and incredible amounts of SOAPing (writing of medical records).

Instead, my experience on the Internal Med rotation was one with a great group of clinicians and some rewarding cases - none of which (all things considered) didn’t require the hours of typing that many other students have been plagued with. On top of that, one of my fantabulous rotation mates was fostering orphaned kittens, so down time was spent caring for and cuddling with the tiny furballs…or eating fortune cookies.

Some pointers for this rotation include:

1.       Be proactive and get your diagnostics requested, samples pulled and submitted asap.

2.       Sign up for cases that challenge you! You’ll learn something.

3.       Prepare the best that you can for rounds – make sure to read previous records from other office visits, even if they were with a different service.

4.       Transfer cases coming from other services can be kinda crazy – make sure you are familiar with the results of all diagnostics that are completed or pending. Get as accurate of a history as possible and call the owner if you are unsure about something in the record.

5.       This is a great rotation to get more practice with venipuncture and other technical skills. Especially because Cathy is super amazing. Love her.

6. Spoil the blood donors – the hospital uses several Greyhounds, each fostered by its own veterinary student, to supply the blood that is needed in case of emergency. When “on-call” for blood donation these guys hang out in the Internal Medicine ward, so treat them like the heroes they are. J

Always bring a stethoscope, thermometer, and a pen. It’s also handy to have a calculator, a clipboard and a leash too!

I have also started and finished my food animal block since the last time I updated (man, I’m pretty terrible at staying current). The food animal block is 3 core rotations: 2 weeks of theriogenology + 2 weeks of dairy + 2 weeks of beef = 6 entire fun-filled weeks of smelling like poo and/or goats. Uh-mazing. A follow up to this brief intro will give a rundown of all the fun and silliness (and I guess some of the learning, too) that went on.

War Eagle!

Jess