Life of a Vet Student

Seriously, it doesn’t matter how many I see. They are just so precious. Give me a kitten over a puppy any day! I work at an animal shelter, so I see A LOT of kittens and I’m still not over their adorableness :3

ERMEGEERRRD!

Hi Tumblr, it’s been quite a while since I last posted. Just checking in to let you know that yes I am alive. I’ve also survived my first 8 months of being a newly graduated veterinarian - hurray! 

Hello friend. I go to Melbourne and I think it’s okay, all courses have their good and bad sides, it’s what works best for you. I haven’t had to do many oral presentations and they’ve removed the oral examinations for final year this year, we only have to do a multiple choice exam - this is because majority of our assessment in final year is based on our internal rotations. 

I think if you think you’ll fit in the Murdoch course best and you’re fine with the adventure of moving away from home then go for it! I’d recommend going to their open days and checking out the campuses. Have a look at what your study environment would be like. 

Also just as an fyi, you can go to Murdoch straight out of high school but for Melbourne you need to have completed a bachelor degree (it’s a post graduate course). 

I thought this would be a fun post and I know there are a few pre-vets kicking around on Tumblr. Feel free to add to it friends, I’d love to hear your stories!

Before vet school I never:

- touched a cow let alone; milked, muster, put into a crush, picked up a foot, performed a rectal...if I keep going the post will be even longer

- touched a sheep let alone; tip one, drench, shear, muster

- touched a pig...and I hope to not have to again, I find them creepy

- had first hand experience with death before my eyes

- drove a quad bike

- lead more than one horse let alone; inject, take blood, perform a rectal, heck I didn’t know what the bloody hell ‘Bute’ was (I stand by that it makes more sense for it to be short for butorphanol)

- used needles; I was actually pretty scared of needles

- got drunk...or hung over and they kind of happened at the same time, don’t drink the cheap stuff

- drove a dog sled

- worked or volunteered in a vet clinic

 - traveled overseas; vet school really brought be out of my shell and comfort zone and helped me find other passions, turns out I like traveling

-  had moments where I could smell really really bad or be covered in so much shit

- listened to lectures on 2 times speed; now that’s efficiency

- drank this much goddam tea

- had this much fun (I thought I’d end on a positive)

If all goes well I graduate in around 4 months time and I thought it’d be a nice time to reflect on the four year ride that is vet school. 

1. I learned about death. Horses run towards it, cats go quietly seething, dogs give it their best shot and cows just say ‘fuck you’

2. PPP is inevitable. Poos pus and pee on all of the things

3. There are some really cool people who do vet school. Some of them are crazy but they’re a pretty awesome bunch. Neurotic for sure but fun

4. ‘Professionals’ are still human. You can break that glass ceiling! No one knows everything and we’re all forever learning and trying to better ourselves

5. Don’t compare yourself to others. I don’t even look at class averages anymore, it’s a lot more peaceful that way. I just keep trying my best

6. Nasty people are normally unhappy people. Do happy people belittle other people? No, because they’re happy people, they get their kicks doing other things

7. There is more than one way to do a thing. More than one way of getting into vet school, getting through vet school and progressing your career, heck even putting a bloody catheter in

8. There is such a thing as studying too much. You get burnt out...and end up crying in the middle of your exam as everything you thought you remembered seems to leak out of your ears

9. Work life balance is important! Note lesson 8

10. It helps having a good support network. It could be friends, family, whatever!

It was a quiet week for surgeries when I was at the hospital. It was great when I was able to get my hands dirty (with sterile gloves on of course). One of the surgeons really let me have a good crack at a dog castration, which, at the end of the day desexing is what I want to get comfortable with, I won’t be doing any TPLOs any time soon.