Time Management

Upon receiving my email from LSU about signing up for my elective rotations and my welcome packet, elation set in!  My required rotations are Canine and Feline Medicine, Companion Animal Surgery, Diagnostic Pathology, Radiology and Diagonistic Imaging, Clinical Anesthesiology, Equine Medicin and Surgery, Farm Animal Health Management, and two rotations of externships.  The electives I am enthusiastic about are Exotic and Zoological Health Maintenance, Applied Veterinary Dermatology, another rotation of an externship, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Advanced Canine and Feline Med, Small Animal Emergency, Shelter Medicine, Animal Control, or Integrative Medicine and Acupuncture.  I will be finding out my schedule during orientation in May, so here's to "patiently" waiting.
This weekend I did indulge in researching different externship options and contacted a few different places about setting something up, including places in Cape Town, Belize, Arizona, Chicago and New York.  It would be a passion for me if I can travel for an externship.

This week will test my time management skills especially with trying to find time to study for my exam on Thursday.

Starting my ceaseless week off , Monday was my dentistry rotation. We reviewed how to clean teeth as well as how to look over radiographs and assess the severity of gingival disease.  Working along side another student on anesthesia rotation, I cleaned half of the mouth of a kennel dog, then my partner did the other half.  Because everything we do this semester involves paperwork, we wrote up our dental report and discharge instructions.

My second surgery, a epididymectomy and castration on our sheep, was on Tuesday!  It felt like a fantasy to be doing a surgery with minimal supervision including my partner, Christine's support and check points from the professors.  I started the surgery off with the first epididymectomy, then my partner did the other as well as the first testicular castration, and then I finished with the other.  The surgery was straightforward with moderate bleeding, and our sheep woke up from anesthesia very smoothly.  Now, we will be SOAPing him twice a day for 21 days, so pretty much the rest of the month, to ensure proper drainage and healing.

To continue my busy week, on Wednesday, my partner Amanda and I had the anesthesia for our spay.  The job of the anesthetist is to come up with a protocol (calculate which medications we want to use, how much to give, what to do if certain episodes happen under anesthesia) exam the dog, give her the pre-medications (sedation and analgesia), place a IV fluid catheter, give her induction medication (another sedative), intubuate her, monitor her heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, CO2 etc during surgery, and then exabate her. Our rushed machine set up made us anxious and overwhelmed the entire time but once our dog was under anesthesia, she did so well and the surgery couldn't have gone better.  Great job to our surgeons Becky and Jillian!  Hopefully when we are the surgeons in a few weeks it will go just as smoothly!

With only a few hours of sleep, I was up early Thursday to study and meet with the anesthesia technician for my Nerve ID anesthesia on our donkey next week.  My Therio exam was that morning, followed by two classes, and nap and SOAPing that evening....whew....

To finish off my swamped week, I had sheep ultrasound on Friday as well as bovine palpation. This weekend I will be studying for my LAM II exam on Monday and my anesthesia on Tuesday.
I am absolutely in my element....bring it on.

The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.