Roaches

I had an amazingly relaxing weekend, full of movies, sleep, and junk food.  The West Indies Conference kicked off on Sunday, so I went to one of the lectures and a speed networking event.
Monday was back to hitting the books for my exam next week.
I canceled belly dance class on Monday because a few people weren't able to go since there are still a lot of exams going on this week.
I helped to set up the black semester Johnny Cake sale on Wednesday and Friday I had double surgery lecture.
I've been fostering the whiter male from the three kitten liter, since the other two siblings got adopted.  He's adorable, very energetic and super cuddly and I would love to take him, but there are too many factors saying that it probably won't work out this time.  So, I'm taking him to adoption day on Saturday, and hopefully he finds a home.

Rant:  I do not like cockroaches; I think they are disgusting.  I will take any other insect over them.  The other day I had one land on my arm when my lights were out and I was getting ready for bed.  I found him under my dresser and then he ran off so I couldn't find him.  Needless to say, I couldn't sleep very well that night.  A few days later, I heard a weird noise come from my AC unit so I turned to look and sure enough a cockroach fell from my AC and then proceeded to die...on my bed.... Let's just say I washed my bedspread right away and now I'm extremely tempted to move my bed.  152 days and counting

Operation Rescue

Halloween: 

On Monday we had an exam review, but the software we use for the exams messed up the grades, so we ended up having another one on Tuesday.  We received our schedules for next semester and a lot has changed in the lower semesters.  Of course, my class doesn't like that there will no longer be block exams, and 6th and 7th have a class together.  Frustrations were very high.  We also received our confirmation that we can register for the next semester.  Here's to hoping it actual counts for me this time!

I attended dinner at Bombay Blues for the shelter vets that came down from UF on Wednesday night.  Ironically, moments before leaving I found the kittens I've been looking for. So the story is, we've had a stray wandering around our complex for about two months now. We noticed she was pregnant but I was unable to catch her before she had her kittens.  She still came around the complex but without her kittens.  We talked about getting her to FCP for their spay day, but we had to wait until the kittens were old enough.  Well, this past Sunday marked about six weeks since she had the kittens, so we caught her and I brought her into FCP for this Saturday's spay day.  I was hoping that since mom wasn't around that the kittens would venture out from wherever they were hiding, and so on Wednesday night they did!  My neighbor ran up my stairs telling me that another neighbor saw the kittens when one of them tried to approach her dog.  So, I went searching for them which didn't take long because they were meowing for each other.  The first one came right up to me, the second one was more hesitate but once he saw that his brother was with us, he came to us as well.  The female was harder to catch; I actually had to go into the neighbors yard to grab her (a local that lives directly in front of our complex).  I am so excited that we got them all!  We were right about them being around 6 weeks old and luckily they looked very healthy.  PAWS is taking them in so hopefully they will all find great homes!

Friday, there is a night cat trip with pink semester!  I haven't been on a night cat trip before so I'm excited; it should be a wild time.
The West Indies Conference starts on Sunday.  I am registered to attend any lectures I am interested in as well as a speed networking event.

Vet Law

It's June!  For this month, I would like to do a song for the week.  I would do a song of the day, but this semester I think it will be easier to summarize my weeks instead of doing it day by day like I have in the past.
Beyonce - Save The Hero

My weekend was laid-back and I got some work done.  I'm going to try to take on some fitness challenges and we will see what kind of results I get out of it.  I got some PAWS kittens on Saturday!  I can't believe in the 2.5 years that I've been here I've resisted adopting one....there is still time however!

So, we had no LAM all week, except for Monday.  Instead we had a lot of VPF class....almost too much. It was all veterinary law lectures and it was very disorganized and the professors kept bickering and making fun of each other. On Monday, we had it from 8-11am, Tuesday from 8-10am, and on Wednesday from 8-11am.  I know it's a good thing to know, but there is also so much information and every state is different, that's it's not logical to learn all of this at the moment.  Plus, we have blocks on Monday, so that's where my mind is, not how and when I will be sued.
This week started grand rounds for the 7th semester, but as 6th semester we have to attend and answer clicker questions as part of our surgery class.  It will also give us an idea of what we will need to do next semester. Grand rounds is basically where you are given a topic and you have to do research on that topic and then present it in front of other students and professors.
My aspetic exam is on Friday.  I have to make sure I scrub in correctly and basically do everything sterility up until cutting into the "patient".
Steps:
1) With hair not exposed and mask on, unwrap the outer wrap of the instrument tray, gloves, and gown.
2) Scrub/rinse hands
3) Unwrap inner wrap of gown and wipe hands in downward motion and not going back up
4) Place on gown by only touching the inside and allow technician to tie you in.  Make sure your fingers aren't exposed
5) Place gloves on with sleeves, still not exposing your hands.  Make sure gown stays around the palm of your hand
6) Unwrap inner instrument pack.  Make sure not to have gown touch table at any point
7) Drape patient with quarter drapes making sure the drapes are 2cm away from incision line.  Start on nondominant side and move, without your back being exposed to table, to other side
8) Place towel clamps in corners
9) Technician will hand you large drape.  Instruct them how to open it over the patient.
10) Place towel clamps over the first towel clamps
11) Grab suture and scalpel blade from technician without turning away from patient
12) Place blade on scalpel handle and put down on sterile tray
13) Grab saline bowel for technician to fill
14) Do all of this in 15mins

Friday I am going to dinner for my friend's birthday to Rock Lobster, however other than that, my weekend will consist of studying for blocks on Monday...didn't I just do this??

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the heat here.... this place ever froze over it would literally be hell freezing over.  I would kill for some snow right now.

My neighbor brought me some cupcakes!  I don't even know the last time I had sweets, so I pretty much devoured them within 10mins of her brining them over....these are on my diet right?

Feeling Like A Doctor

It's hard to keep coming up with different "themes" for the month, since the day to day life in vet school is pretty routine (class, study, try to relax before next exam, repeat).  I have to find a way to keep you interested in reading! For March, I'm going to do a different quote everyday.  I have a lot of quotes that mean a lot to me, so each day I will share one with you!  I get a lot of my quotes off of Pinterest, so I apologize if I don't know who said a lot of the them.

"Take time to do what makes your soul happy" -Unknown 
This past weekend, I brought two cats into PAWS, one of which is currently at my place learning tricks.

Monday:  (My all time favorite) "Love like you've never been hurt, sing like no one is listening, dance like no one is watching, and live like it's heaven on earth" - Unknown
I gave the avian talk and performed my first canine ansethesia!  My group and I had to calculate the drug dose for the premediations and induction agents and administer those drugs, while knowing the effects of those drugs.  We put a catheter in, intubated, did different breathing methods, monitored, had to figure out if a value wasn't right what to do about it, and then woke the dog back up!  Starting to feel like a doctor more and more everyday!  I had belly dance that night, where I taught the class a new choreography because the girls are learning so fast, that I have to come up with more dances for them!  We also got our schedules for next semester...ahh it's so scary and exciting at the same time! 

Tuesday:  "I chose to be unstoppable..  I am bigger than than my concerns and worries. The strength of others inspire me daily.  I focus on my goals. I trust my intuition and live a courageous life."  -Unknown
Happy Mardi Gras! Normal day of class, where I was done at noon.  I went and picked up four kittens to bring into PAWS.  They are afraid of me, but I'm sure once they see I'm not a threat, they will feel more comfortable. They are pretty adorable though!
 
Wednesday: "I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated." -Unknown
Totally didn't realize that today was Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent, so I didn't get a chance to go to church. There was a VBMA speaker at lunch and that afternoon.  They are great speakers and talk about subjects that we just aren't going to learn about in school, such as hospice, the art of euthanasia, and how to have a life once you start working.  After next week I will have completed my Gold certification!  Very exciting!  I also had my ophthalmic lab this afternoon where we looked at eyeballs!  I had dinner at Carambola this evening and it was amazing!  Probably the best food that I've had on this island so far.

Thursday: "My daily routine: get up, be amazing, go back to bed." -Unknown
I dealt with A LOT of PAWS stuff  today.  The kittens had their appointment, so I had to bring them in and then give them to their new fosters. This will probably be my last litter of kittens that I bring in!  I usually let the fosters name them, but I wanted to name the last ones!  They are Ottley, Serendipity (Dips), Timothy, and Calypso.  All named after places around the island.
 The woman that gave me the cats this weekend now wants one of them back, which we normally don't do, since we have them sign a form over to us and everything.  She gave him up because she is going back home, but will be back in the summer.  SInce PAWS hasn't really invested anything in him yet, then I gave her the ok to take him back.  However, now since I've been fostering him, I have to now help her find a foster until she comes back in the summer.  I normally wouldn't have a problem helping her, but it's just bad timing with everything else that I should be doing right now (maybe like studying). Then I got more emails about more cats that want to come into our program.  There was a VBMA speaker at lunch about The Art of Euthanasia. I then went to the DI TA sessions and then home to study!

Friday:  "Party hard, make mistakes, and laugh endlessly.  Do things you are afraid to do. After all, you're only young once." -Unknown
I have two VBMA speakers today.  I feel incredibly behind in my studying, so I will be staying in tonight to study for my two exams, ANS and SAM, next week.

This weekend PAWS is putting together a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard)  relay fundraiser along with one of the professor here.  I will be working some of that and then studying for ANS and SAM for the rest of the time.

Kittens!

Weekend - studying for MOD and played with kittens

Monday
BEST: Free food at lunch talk for VBMA gold certification.

Tuesday - MOD exam
BEST: I got to catch up on a lot that I haven't been able to do.

Wednesday
BEST: We got new remotes to our apartment gate, so it's finally working again!

Thursday - Happy Halloween!
BEST: Out to Shipwreck beach for a Halloween party.

Friday is November 1st!  I had no classes today, so instead of making it a beach day, I studied all day....sigh.

This weekend I will be studying for ClinPath and maybe go to some of the Halloween parties.