Aspire To Be Great

Please don’t bring your pet to me and insist that what I recommend is completely unnecessary or that you would know if certain issues were present even when they’re not obvious without tests or exams.

Please don’t bring your pet to me in a crisis state telling me to do anything to save it when you then decline an estimate and get mad that medication costs money.

Please don’t ask me if you can have discounts because you’re a nice guy.

I probably cheat myself out of several hundred dollars every single day because I don’t charge for things appropriately. I don’t want to watch your animal suffer because you won’t listen to me because you think your Google search means more than my 8 year college degree and real life experience. Stop pulling up to my clinic in BMWs and Jaguars and treat me like I’m a money hungry asshole who is trying to cheat you out of your earnings.

Anatomy gets a lot of credit for being the course people struggle with the most in first year, however, histology is one of the other courses people tend to struggle with. Hence, a list of things I found helpful to do to make histology less stressful. 

First off, let me tell you that if you have the opportunity to take histology in undergrad DO IT! It’s difficult to learn but if you put in the effort while you’re still taking an undergraduate course load, you’ll have a much easier time in vet school when your also learning one billion other things. I took it in my undergrad and while most people were freaking out, I was sitting there watching shows or something. Just kidding, I still reviewed my notes, but I had already been there done that so I could focus on other things. 10/10 would recommend. 

For those of you who don’t/can’t/shit I saw this to late/still want tips here are some tips I have for you to survive, nay, thrive in histology:

Go to the labs. If your school is anything like mine they will have all the slides you need digitalized so you can look at them at home. It may be tempting to just go through everything on your own. Try not to do this. The profs/TAs will be in the labs, they may even walk you through some of the slides. Plus they are there to help make sure you are looking at the right thing. Also try to prepare for labs

Read the lab manual. Just do it. Sometimes profs can’t go over everything in lecture and histology is just as much about function as it is structure. 

Try to find the object you’re looking for on your own first, then make sure you confirm with a prof/TA. This is where going to the labs comes in handy. 

Always try to relate structure to function. It will not only help you with this course, but with physiology and anatomy. Integrated learning in vet school is key. 

Google is your friend. Need another example of what you’re looking for? Google image that shit. Not only will it help you figure out or confirm what your looking at, it will also show variability in the thing your are looking for. 

You will probably never find a basophil on your own. Try not to confuse them with neutrophils and then snap a picture to all of your friends saying you found one… It’s just embarrassing. 

Know your four basic tissue types. Know them well. The four basic tissue types are love. The four basic tissue types are life. 

Helpful/Recommended Textbooks (you can find both as PDFs online):

Ross histology text and atlas — I didn’t use this book in phase one, but I found it very helpful in my undergrad, when I was taking histology for the first time. I’ve heard that this text is better then the veterinary histology one, but I never bought that one so I couldn’t confirm that. 

Veterinary Histology — I never bought this but you can find free PDFs online to check out before you commit.  

Helpful Websites: 

VMRCVM Site: http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/education/curriculum/VM8054/Labs/labtoc.htm Shotgun Histology videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7882068A01C370F U Penn Histology: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/histo/Index.htm

Cheesy histo poem time:  Protein is pink, Nucleic acid is blue,   Histolgoy isn’t that bad,  I believe in youuuuuuuu

-> I miss having a resemblance of a social life. 

-> I miss finding time to just sit around and not having to crack open a textbook.

-> I miss playing video games or reading a book or just about anything relaxing.

-> I miss being able to go to all the birthday parties or anniversaries or family get-to-togethers   

-> I miss having a day of class go by without the insidious feeling of burn-out creeping in. 

-> I miss hugging my dogs, my cows, and my goats more than anyone knows.

-> I miss not wondering if I will ever be good enough for this profession. 

-> I miss the absence of the brain-numbing haze after 12 hours of studying.

-> I miss not fervently worrying about how I’m going to somehow juggle school, exams, and life.  

Coming out of every dissection class looking like a serial killer

The first time you get to handle a real live animal in class

When someone suggests becoming a human doctor instead

Finding out your exam has a pass mark of 90%

Dealing with difficult patients

Sitting in an exam and realising how little you know

Get enough sleep. Your brain needs it. Set yourself a ‘bed time’ and fall into the routine of going to bed and waking up at the same times each day.

Drink water and lots of it. Aim for 2 litres a day. This one’s easy, you can do it. Ditch the juices and carbonated beverages, just add a slice of lemon to your water if you feel like something fancy.

Allow yourself to switch off. Don’t be afraid to read books that have nothing to do with your studies. Go to the cinema. Work out. Take your mind away from your workload.

Take care of your skin. Wash your face every morning and night. Moisturise after every shower and bath. Don’t go to bed with your make-up on, no matter how tired you are.

Talk to your friends and family about something other than school. Don’t let your studies detach you from the things going on around you.

Work out. Even just once a week, or whenever you can. Go for a walk or a run, maybe just for 15 minutes. Follow along with a YouTube exercise video from the comfort of your own home or try out some yoga moves.

Make time for your hobbies. Studying is your full time job, but there’s plenty of hours left in the day. Don’t neglect the things you love.

Cook. Sometimes all we have time for is microwave noodles, but don’t fall into the habit of relying on the basics. You’ll feel the difference.

Don’t forget to laugh. Watch a hilarious film. See a comedian at a local venue. Watch funny videos on YouTube. Reminisce with friends. It’ll do you good.

Ditch the caffeine. Don’t rely on Starbucks. It’s delicious but you don’t need it. Save up all the money you’d usually spend on coffee and treat yourself to something instead.

While we students are like:

You cannot say you failed an exam (which I have heard multiple times) when you haven’t even SEEN your grade. You can’t go around feeling sorry for yourself when you don’t even know what you made.

You cannot say you are a failure if you didn’t make the class average or higher. If you passed the exam, you have passed the exam. Learn what you messed up on and fine tune your study habits.

Please remember that the point of school is not being the 4.0 student, best in class, smartest person ever. It’s about LEARNING the material. Learning to save the animals. Exams are there to make sure you’re always studying and learning the material at a passable rate.