My Journey Through Vet School

Carnival weekend

2013-03-29T17:40:00.002-07:00

So the carnival went pretty well. The turn out wasn't as good as we had hoped but one of the semesters had block exams(3 exams back to back) that monday and I believe another had another exam later that next week.

I feel though that everyone that attended had a blast. We had a bouncy house and carnival games for the kids, BBQ for the hungry, and beer gardens for the thirsty. The beer gardens even had a life sized "beer pong" table using 55gal drums.

Human sized Beerpong or more correctly stated "Beiruit" as there are no paddles involved.

The class was also able to get a hold of some wonderful raffle prizes they gave away as well as a wonderful donation for some of our professors...A Pie the Professor Raffle!!!

Our Bacteriology professor Dr. Soto even allowed us to draw two names just to make it a little more interesting. He is one of the best sports. Another professor Dr. Belle Nibblett got the wonderful opportunity of letting me pie her in the face. We won't have her until next semester for Mechanisms of Disease where I'm pretty sure she'll find some way of paying me back ;-)
Our old anatomy professor Dr. Spencer also showed up with her child and allowed us to use her as another pie target. Overall I think it was a great success. Not necessarily a financial success as it was a big risk running this event. However a success nonetheless. Especially when you figure there were two students in our class that were planning the entire event outside of studying for one of the most difficult semesters in our program. They definitely deserve a very large pat on the back for doing such a wonderful job on a very fun filled Saturday afternoon.

Jess repping her 7th.

I'm probably going to regret this in a few weeks ;-)

So that was last Saturday. It will probably be awhile until my next post as Finals are coming up and 3rd semester is one of those "constant fear of failure" semesters, at least for me it is. It definitely keeps you on your toes.

Fundraising!!!

2013-03-22T10:58:00.003-07:00

Here's a bonus post because you all have been waiting so patiently.

At the end of our stay on the island each semester has a very elegant banquet where we invite all the professors as well as past members of our class to come together and have one last fun time before finals and leaving for clinicals.

This party is of course not cheap and can sometimes run as much as 80,000ecd (~$30k). But that covers the venue, food for about 400 people, DJ, as well as open bar for the majority of the evening. Because of these high costs, each semester's class fundraises through the 7 semesters here on the island to pay for the event. This is usually accomplished with different bake sales, useful items, clothing, and events.

Some of the fun bake sales we've had in the past have been: cup of dirt(pudding/oreo cookies), taco bar, thanksgiving(turkey with all the fixings), kebabs, pulled pork sandwiches, etc. Each semester usuallly runs a bake sale which occurs once or twice throughout the semester and the profit goes towards their banquet at the end.

Sometimes a semester will come up with an item that they personalize and sell that's useful.
We've had...

digital stethoscope timers that help with measuring pulse and respiratory rates
pens with a tablet stylus in one that have Ross University written on the side
penlights in different semester colors that help with determining pupillary light reflexes

Clothing is also a big seller. Each semester comes up with designs for a t-shirt that usually have an inside joke associated with them that has to do with life down here on the island, or veterinary medicine in general.

There's a shirt that says "FOCMA Life" on the front with a cross section of a feline leukemia virus. FOCMA is the acronym for a type of protein that shows up in infected cats that can help us determine if in fact they have been infected. It also sounds like something else that a stressed out vet student might say ;-)
We have another shirt that has "Vet School" on the front and "It's like med school, only harder" on the back.

There are definitely a lot more but those are some of the funny/most interesting ones that I like.

One of the last fundraisers we have down here on the island are events. Each semester usually is response for an event that occurs during the semester (6th semester always is responsible for running the Mr. RUSVM event I spoke about earlier). Other semesters have their special event that they will run through their stay on the island (Red semester runs an American idol-like event we call "Island-Idol").

This semester, Blue semester (my semester), decided to try and throw a daytime carnival which is happening tomorrow. It's going to have a bounce house, carnival games, easter egg hunt, food, as well as a beer garden for the adults. We're also going to have an auction to "Pie-the-Professor." I'm really excited to see how it turns out! I'll try and take some pictures to show you all after tomorrow.

So yea, these are just a few of things we do when we have a little bit of free time and it isn't being spent sleeping :-)

Treading above water...and doing just fine.

2013-03-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure my posts are following an exponential curve. I really hope I can fix that next semester with a little self discipline.

As of yesterday I am done with all of my midterms for this semester. All I have left is my Bacteriology laboratory final exam as well as four final exams for my four classes (Pathology 1, Bacteriology, Virology and Pharmacology 1).

This semester feels like it has gone by extremely fast (at least compared to the other two I have for reference). Of course that happens I guess with monotony throughout your weeks. Wake up, class, eat, study, bed. I definitely haven't gone out that much this semester. I'm hoping to also fix that next semester. I think the fear of failure in 3rd has driven me to enjoy very little downtime between studying. Virology contains so much material that a good portion of the people that fail a class at Ross, usually fail this class.

Ok now I'm done complaining about 3rd. What are some good things you say? Well, I'm finally learning things relevant to medicine. We'll learn about an infectious agent in Viro or BacT, and then learn about a disease process (pathophysiology) that occurs because of that agent. It's nice being able to draw relevance to something being learned as opposed to just brute force memorization because it's "important for your profession." Now all I have to do is keep it all straight in my head for the exam... and for NAVLE boards.

Mr. RUSVM Jan 2013

2013-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

The post you all have been waiting for. The first Saturday evening of every semester there is an event where the students of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine host a male student pageant. It's a way to relax and enjoy the island before classes start getting stressful.

There are so few of us in the program (men that is) that for each semester, one man from each of the seven semesters is paraded around and performs in different categories for the entertainment of the other students/faculty. It is an extremely fun event for all involved. The winner is usually (not always) rigged with 7th semester winning first, 6th semester winning second and 5th or 4th winning third place.

I was chosen/volunteered for our semester this time around. Boy was I not prepared for what I was getting into. The current 6th semester class runs the event and makes up the categories for the men to perform in. This semester the events were:
Only In St. Kitts (OISK) - A statement we use down here for things that annoy us that are particular to this island (sometimes it's out of annoyance and other times it's more as a joke)
Favorite Animal Planet Show - A parody of your favorite animal planet show.
Professor impersonation - Pretty self-explanatory. Do your best impersonation of a professor on campus.
Talent - this is a free for all category to basically do whatever you want

I first have to say that I could not in any way do this event alone and make it look as good as I did. We have a wonderful team of people who have worked on the past 3 semesters and have done a wonderful job with brainstorming ideas and putting the final product(s) together.

We always start off with a choreographed music number with the Mr. RUSVM's from each class (with a bonus this semester with a member from the Very Important Significant Others). We also had a special guest or should I say guests along to help us out. Some of our very own professors. It was a really awesome evening.

For our OISK skit I chose to make fun of the fact that our power goes off on this island at the most inopportune times, such as during finals week while studying. I was the "Power Goblin" who worked for St. Kitts Electric Company and I stole the power from the stage while students were studying for finals.

For "Favorite Animal Planet Show" I decided to do a spoof on the Crocodile Hunter. I spent about 2 weeks over break trying to practice an Australian accent. It was very bad but still very funny. We did "Crocodile Hunter: St. Kitts edition." We had Steve Irwin discover and fight an exam from a very challenging professor here on the island who everyone has to "hurdle" over during their first two semesters. We then had Steve fight a Donkey Spider (my roommate in an awesome homemade spider costume). Very funny in my own opinion.

For professor impersonation there was only one professor, that we have had up to this point in time, that I could do a half decent job of impersonating...Dr. Reich. Here is a picture for comparison.

And last but not least Talent... we did a little choreographed number where three of us were munchkins. I can't give it justice with words so I've added a link to the youtube video of it.

I didn't take home the gold, but I made a lot of amazing memories down here with some of the best people I've had the pleasure to know. I also got tons of laughs throughout the night, and I still have people coming up to me 7 weeks later telling me how good of a job I did. So I'd say it was a success.

Happy New Year

2013-02-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

So I know I'm about a month and a half too late. No one can say 3rd semester isn't as time consuming if not more than 2nd semester. Made it through 2nd with a few mental scars but nothing too bad. No grey hairs yet.

This semester I'm taking, Bacteriology, Virology, Pathology, and Pharmacology. The last two are the first in a two part series of classes. It helps to split up some of the concepts over a 28 week period of time in this accelerated program.

Each semester is of course different but I think I finally have gotten into the balance of life on this island. Keeping studying, sleeping, eating, and finding time to relax in equal parts has been a one of the greatest challenges outside of the actual material being covered. Surprisingly the material isn't that bad concept-wise; there is just so much of it. We are almost through the first half of the semester and yet I still feel like I just landed on this rock recently, even though it was almost a year ago that this happened.

As I said in my last post over 2 months ago I was going to talk about Halloween and Thanksgiving. Of course, being a foreign country thanksgiving isn't really celebrated. We actually had class on Thanksgiving. However, being of the large population of U.S. expats, some of the local businesses decided to have "Thanksgiving Dinner" buffet specials. Jess and I decided to go along with a group of about 20 students from my class to the Marriott on the island (I like to call it the "U.S. Embassy of St. Kitts") It was such an amazing meal and the company was a nice break from studying.

You may also notice that "smudge of dirt" on my upper lip. For the month of November our class as well as some of the other classes had all of the guys pledge to grow mustaches for Prostate Cancer awareness month (which is November). The event is called Movember. It was a lot of fun and we got an awesome shot of everyone in our semester on the last day before we all rushed home to shave it off.

I wish you all have had a wonderful start to a new year. I know I have and hope the rest of the year is just as fruitful and fun. My next post I'll let you all in on an event held at the beginning of every semester here on the island, Mr. RUSVM....

Been a long time, been a long time...

2012-12-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

What a semester it has been! My only regret is that I haven't updated you all during this long marathon of studying. I also apologize in advance if my spelling/grammar is not up to par. My brain is losing brain cells to veterinary medicine at an exponential pace. I can spell equine protozoal myencephalitis but I can't seem to know simple basic words that used to be in my vocabulary.

My days have basically consisted of waking up, class, eating, studying, sleep. There has been the occasional(very very rarely) break on a Friday evening but for the most part it's been studying like crazy.

The way 2nd semester has been setup, schedule-wise, there isn't a lot of room for getting behind. After the third week, you basically have an exam/quiz in one or more of your classes every week until 3 weeks before finals. So you are always studying or preparing for an exam. Whether it be all arteries/veins/nerves of the dog/cat/horse/bovine, or all of the immunological mechanisms used throughout the body. My mind is basically on overdrive.

This semester has also been a very humbling one. Because of this type of studying I feel like I haven't been able to give my best effort towards learning the material and instead basically study for exams. This has led me to getting some subpar scores on these past progress exams. I will be going into final exams with more trepidation than I would have hoped. It's not a good feeling but unfortunately it's not like I haven't been trying to put in 100% everyday for the past 4 months. So it gets a little nerve racking at times. I can only speak for myself but I question myself at times if "this is really what I should be doing." I know I'm not alone with this thought but it still gets to me at times. Then of course I answer back with "yes of course, now get back to studying those parasites!!!"

With that thought I will leave this here until after finals. Hopefully I will have enough brain power left to have some intelligent comments to say about everything else that's going on, plus give a prequel to this post and talk about Halloween and TurkeyDay down here on the rock.

I will definitely post pictures as well... I promise.

Brain on Break!

2012-10-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Now that I have had some time off, I am starting to get back into the hang of living a life that doesn't involve a constant barrage upon my neurons 24/7. I'm able to think about things in life that may or may not have future impact on my career and life in general.

One of these is directly related to a press release by the National Academies on May 30, 2012. It states that because of budget cuts at universities and grant money provided, funding is leaving areas of veterinary medicine that in my opinion are THE most important with regards to global health. Veterinary medicine isn't just about treating sick puppies and kittens. It's about finding new ways to lessen our disturbances within this global ecosystem and the detrimental health effects to all life involved because of it. It's about being on the front lines of a microbial war that seems like a never ending struggle just to stay on top. And it's about educating others to do the same indifferent to where you are from or what your background may be.

Now I understand that money in an economy equals choice; however, it feels to me that those choices are being made ill-advised as to their detrimental effect on our health as a whole. And this worries me for our future. Veterinarians in these areas of expertise will definitely have wonderful job security as there will be less of them and possibly more problems for them to solve and overcome.

There was a line in that press release that since I saw it have posted it everywhere on my wall, computer screen, post-it notes, and phone.

Establishing a health-oriented think tank with the goal of advancing sustainable food-animal husbandry practices, welfare policies, ecosystem health standards, and the capacity of the veterinary profession in the developing world, is important and could help future generations of veterinarians collaborate across professions, disciplines, and cultures.

If money is going to be taken away from these industries, then the only responsible action is to figure out where we need to go from here and start putting those choices back to work towards advancing our global health.

Break!!!

2012-09-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful 2 week vacation! Enjoyed spending some much needed quality time with my beer on the beaches of St. Kitts with some awesome friends. We spend one of the days of break taking a catamaran over to the sister island of Nevis. Went snorkeling and enjoyed some of their special drink called the "Killer Bee." It doesn't have the horrible sharpness you sometimes taste with straight alcohol... but you can definitely tell that it is made with JUST ALCOHOL. One drink and you're good. Two drinks and you're gone. Spent the rest of my first week basically just enjoying doing absolutely nothing.

My mom came into town during the second week to take a much needed vacation and also to see this amazing island nation that I've decided to spend the next 2 years of my life on. Spent a lot of time at the casino as well as going out to the bars to hang out with the ever increasing group of returners to the island from break. We also took an amazing island tour taking us to Caribelle Batik and botanical gardens as well as Brimstone Fortress, two of the very big "touristy" places to go on the island.

Every flower was in bloom and looked extremely vibrant.

One of the many beautiful views you can see at the botanical gardens.

Heading up the hill to one of the many bastions on the fortress property.

Prince of Wales bastion at the fortress.

We also took a day trip out to Reggae beach to see the famous island boar Wilbur, luckily just days before he unfortunately passed away from old age.

RIP Wilbur. You brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people.

Reggae beach bar adopted some local abandoned monkeys and spoils them rotten. Wish I was a monkey staying at the Reggae monkey resort ;-)

Reggae beach on the Caribbean side of the island.

Saw the little bird perched on the beer bottle for the longest time. Good thing he waited for me to take a picture before flying away.

I'm writing this in the middle of a study break. That's right, I started back Monday to classes for 2nd semester so I will hopefully be finished writing/editing my post for that soon. Until then...

Move out, Don't mess around!

2012-08-18T14:59:00.001-07:00

Just as soon as finals is finished, there is no break for the 1sties. Whatever time was spent studying after finals was instead replaced with packing and cleaning.

1st semester students that apply to Ross enough in advance live in the residences that they have on campus. This helps them with the transition into vet school without having to deal with much of the hassles that can accompany "island life". However, that's only for the first 4 months on the island. After that they move out for the next 1st semester class to enter. So guess what I did over the past 2 days?! That's right, clean, pack, move, unpack. Moved from campus to a little place about 15min away in an area of the island called Half Moon Bay. It's a nice little 2 bedroom place with which I share with my roommate Ryan. Because we're on the Atlantic side we get a wonderful breeze that blows through the place when we open the front and back doors.

Our place in on the bottom left corner of this picture.

One of my favorite parts of the new place compared to my old one... it's got a real over and stove top!!! That means I can do some real cooking/baking.

Oh! And a full sized fridge. I can buy bulk sized things now instead of going grocery shopping every 2 to three days, which can really eat into your studying time.

My room is a good size. Not too big that it costs a ton of cool it, not too small that I can't live in it.

My bed to the right with a wall length window. My closet ahead with my desk on the right.

And how did I get all my things to my new place you ask? Why I bought an island mobile!

Got myself a '95 Honda Civic! It is an island car. For those of you that don't know what that is... let me enlighten you. It is extremely expensive to import cars to the island. So many of the cars on the island are older frankensteins(older shells with newer parts on the inside). As Ross students leave their 7th and last semester on the island, they need to sell their cars. Therefore these cars get passed down every few years to another student. So a '95 like mine could have a little as 5 owners up to this point in time. Now they aren't the nicest cars, but they get you from point A->B in one piece, and you can usually sell them for around the same price as you bought them for(technically selling an appreciated automobile). So it's a pretty good deal.

Now that classes are over and I'm almost done unpacking, I'm finding it difficult getting into a "relaxed" state of mind after running 110% over the past 4 months. Hopefully I'll find that state before my 2 week break is up and I have to start back in 2nd semester. Monday I will be going on a catamaran trip with some students who are also staying over break and then my Mom will be coming into town next week. Hope to show her all the awesome and beautiful parts that make this island one amazing paradise...when not sitting as a desk studying.

Round 1 Completed!!!

2012-08-18T13:59:00.003-07:00

About three weeks ago I was finishing my last set of midterms and starting the long haul to finals. I didn't think studying for finals would take all that time... but it did. In this past 4 months I have studied about 10 times more than the entirety of my undergraduate career. And it paid off!!! I will be joining our Blue class as it makes its journey into 2nd semester.

Finals was a very weird time for me. Spent copious amounts of time studying, very little time eating, and an even smaller time sleeping. I did get plenty of rest up until the week of finals. Then, when I did get to sleep, my "dreaming" consisted of canine and equine muscle groups being pulled away from bone with exposed vasculature. Or mixing of the feed of a dairy herd making sure that the right proportions of nutrients went in to make sure they all didn't get rumen acidosis(too much acid produced in the rumen during digestion).

One other very difficult part of finals is that they do not release your grades until all exams have been taken. The reason for this of course is to keep you from not performing well on one exam because you already found out you failed another one. It still is very stressful. You definitely learn how to compartmentalize your emotions and thoughts about other classes to try and focus on what's in front of you.

Grades are supposed to be posted my noon on the Saturday after exams... that would be today. We found out yesterday our class grades. The website to find these grades however, is a little confusing. At first I didn't know what unofficial transcript I was looking at (pre or post final exams). But it ended up being post, and I ended up passing. I also ended up passing with a 3.5, which made me eligible for the deans list!!! A few friends of mine made it on the President's list which is 4.0. A very large accomplishment considering the stress and copious amounts of material needed to absorb in the short amount of time available.

I just moved out of the dorms on campus into my new place which I will talk about soon once I finish unpacking and getting pictures uploaded. Bye for now!

"Insert witty title with veterinary pun here"

2012-07-12T16:19:00.003-07:00

So it's been just over a month since my last post. So much for that post a week nonsense I was talking about when I started this. :-) I didn't really think I would be as busy as I have been over the past 5 weeks.

So I have had 1-2 exams/quizzes every week for the past 5 weeks which has kept the majority of my awake time busy with studying. It has even cut into the sleeping time as well. I cannot remember the last time I had a dream that didn't involve some subject in vet school. It's actually kind of funny. You just can't escape this stuff, even in your dreams!

Grade-wise I am doing well. The consensus here seems to be: study for exams but never feel truly prepared, take the exam, leave the exam room feeling like you failed the exam, get your grade back a few days passing said exam. It's definitely a different feeling than from undergrad. And the most interesting part of that whole process is, most of that information actually stays in my brain... at least for now it does. Ask me again 10 months from now which epithelial layer lines the bladder and I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell you ;-)

Even will all the "complaining" it's amazing things we are learning and I still can't believe I'm on this amazing tropical paradise! I will probably never truly believe it until I leave.

After my last midterm Wednesday, I have two weeks off then a week of final exams. At that point I will be packing up my things here and moving off-campus. My hope is to have an entire post related to that milestone: talking about finding the place, getting a car, island license, etc.

Until then, Same island time, Same island channel!

Starting vet school out with a bAng!

2012-06-02T15:12:00.003-07:00

Wow have I been busy! This post may seem like a stream of consciousness, because it is. I'm taking a "mental break" from studying neurotransmitter receptors to write this down.

So just took my first exam of veterinary school monday...histology. I got an A! Not a bad way to start vet school off. Only a few weeks in and I've got myself into a nice little schedule. Class, study, eating, and sleeping like clockwork. Now just need to find the energy for 10 more weeks. I'm hoping great friends and Friday night beach time will help.

I can't believe I've already been here over a month! I have a feeling the next 10 weeks is going to fly by, and probably most of vet school when I look back on this in a few years.

I have two exams next week, physiology and gross anatomy. Not too worried about my physiology exam. I have found most of it to be review and in less detail than undergrad physiology classes, thank you undergrad neuro and physio professors for your awesome teaching skills! You know who you are.

Anatomy on the other hand I'm starting to freak out a little bit. There's just sooooooooooooo much information to pack into such a short amount of time. The names of all of the bony protuberances on the fore limb bones and hind limb bones. As well as the names, attachments, and actions of each of the muscles in each of those two limbs. Plus, all of the ligaments of those two limbs. Ok so get all of that done for the canine limbs, now learn about the differences in the equine(horse) as well as bovine(cow) limb for which there are a few. One interesting thing I learned is that horses basically walk on the "tippy toes" of their middle fingers. Yes, horses are constantly flipping you off as they walk. Cattle walk on their "middle and ring" finger tips similarly. Just one of the many many many differences between difference animal species.

I'm understanding the thought process now behind the statement used here on the island, "Real Doctors work on multiple species." Although I really don't like this statement as human doctors are pretty awesome and if I had the choice between a veterinarian and a human doctor, I will probably would want a human doctor...most of the time.

My take on the first few weeks of vet school

2012-05-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

So after the nice week long vacation is over(orientation week), I guess I need to get down to the reason I'm here in the first place... studying. Professional school is definitely very different than other programs of study. All of your classes, although how different they may seem, are all interconnected. Vet school, at least my very limited take on it within the past couple weeks, is more about learning how to connect ideas from multiple disciplines towards some goal(such as determining a disease). It also seems that the 40 months spent here is about building confidence in your own life long learning abilities so that when you're out there on "your own," you will trust the information gathered even if you've never seen that particular case before. This of course is a very different take than undergrad which seemed more like getting fundamentals down than confidence building in your own critical thinking abilities.

So I've been getting a few questions from people regarding my schedule. Mainly because I keep telling people I'm busy with classes and then they see a picture like this on Facebook. :-P

We work hard down here, but we also know how to play hard. I'm very blessed to be able to take a 10 minute break from class and walk down to the beach. Definitely picked the right school that's for sure.

Anywho...

So this is a pretty typical day for me, at least over the past 2 weeks.

5:30am: Hit the Snooze Button a few times
6:00am: Wake up
Usually I'll spend this time making breakfast and going over my schedule for the day. Each class' location can change based on what is being discussed that day. If I'm doing small animal anatomy I could be out with the dogs. If I'm doing large, I could be out in the barn working on the horses. So figuring out if I can wear flip flops to class or not is usually determined during this step. :-P
I also usually spend some time catching up on e-mails/facebook if I have a few minutes while my coffee/tea is brewing.

8:00am: Anatomy Lab/Lecture (2hrs)
Depending on whichever day it is I can either be in the cadaver lab or the classroom. The majority of my week however, is spent in the cadaver lab. This is basically our time to look over preserved and plasticized specimens as opposed to just looking at them in a book. Definitely makes it easier when trying to remember: the name of a muscle, where it attaches to, and what the muscle actual does. Our professors are excellent in pointing us in the right direction but really making sure that we are finding the information on our own. Again we need to be confidant in our own learning abilities. Usually an hour is spent actually in lab and then a secondary activity is presented to us depending on whichever day it is. We are usually split up into 1/6th and each head to an activity whether that be, clinical skills, animal palpation, diagnostic imaging, or cadaver lab. Other groups may just do cadaver lab and have a free hour to study, or catch up on sleep :-).

10:00am: Histology Lab/Lecture (2hrs)
This part of my day is spent looking at either powerpoint slides of cells or looking in a microscope at them. This is where we start to connect the idea of microscopic structural anatomy learned in textbooks with how they actually look in the real world. Sometimes it's not always interesting but it's definitely necessary.

12:00pm: Lunch (1hr)
This time is spent either at club meetings or running errands, oh and sometimes eating.
1:00pm: Nutrition (1hr)
One of the highlights of my day. From what I hear this class can be fairly difficult; however, the material being presented, and of course the presenter of the material, seems to make it fun... of course I will probably be regretting I said that after the first exam hehe.

2:00pm: Physiology or Intro to Veterinary Medicine (1-3hrs)
Again depending on the day my class or time spent in class changes. Physiology is basic comparative animal physiology... so glad I took lots of physio classes in undergrad.
Intro to Vet Med is an interesting survey of our field. It's a mix of learning health professional study skills, communication skills(with clients as well as colleagues), as well as an introduction into professional ethics. Interesting course it can sometimes just be a bear to get through depending on your current blood caffeine level.

3:00pm-5:00pm
Try and hit the gym before it gets busy just to burn off any extra anxiety from the day. Then I try to head back and get a game plan for studying. I'll also get a hold of a few people and socialize to get out of my head from the day of classes.

5:00pm - 11:00pm
I then realize at this point that I should probably make some dinner. I'll then head down to the anatomy lab for a few hours or just stick around and go over flashcards. I'll try to pick one or two other subjects and spend some time reviewing past weeks material as well as going over a little of whatever was discussed that day. I try(emphasis on try because by now I'm pretty done) to then briefly look over the material for the next day so I'm sorta prepared.

After all that I try to quiet my mind down and head to sleep.

Overall, looking back on it though, I get a lot done.
The weekends look a little differently (refer to picture above), however I also try to catch up on any straggler material and review anatomy. Lots of anatomy review. Lots...

Orientation week

2012-05-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, it definitely has been awhile. Just finished my first official week of classes in Vet School. I'll post more on that later. I wanted to first say thank you to all of the family and friends that have contacted me with their well wishes over the past 2 weeks. It has definitely helped during this transition to island life.

The last 2 weeks have been nonstop, one of the reasons I didn't post last week. Orientation week was a blast.

I think we lucked out with arriving so early because we had a few extra days to get acclimated to our new home away from home. Plus our actual orientation group really "clicked" well.

During our orientation we had many classroom sessions going over the "ins-and-outs" of being a vet student, as well as safety and security concerns living away from home on St. Kitts. It was very informative and laid out extremely well(they definitely have their act together which made us all feel a little more at easy in this new environment).

We also spent the majority of this orientation week getting our apartments situated for the upcoming semester as well as lots and lots of beach time. We were at the beach almost every day, I had the burns to prove it.

Our taxi driver also took us on a tour of the island one of the days which included a trip to Brimstone Fort which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Really amazing place as well as a good upper leg workout.

This "staircase" was about a 40% grade and really long...really really long.

Out in the distance is one of the small dutch islands neighboring St. Kitts.

Welcome to da Caribbean Mon (with a Caribbean accent)

2012-04-27T21:21:00.001-07:00

So finally touched down yesterday in my new home for the next 28 months! It was a long 48 hour journey from the Ontario airport to St. Kitts but I'm here now so ha!

Left Ontario Wednesday morning and flew to Dallas, then to Miami. I had a 14 hour layover in Miami which is over their 12 hour bag holding limit and so I had to first go get my bags, then drag them all to the hotel for the night. Good thing I had my trusty travel buddy with me to help me with all the bags. My friend Aroon came down to Miami on the same flight heading to the Ross Medical School so we at least got to start the adventure off together. As his flight was about 7 hours after we touched down we decided not to sleep that night and headed down to South Beach Miami for the evening.

Definitely a fun time ta boot.

After a very long evening, I picked up my bags at my hotel room(which ended up being more of a storage area for my luggage than a bedroom) and headed down to check in and go to my gate. A few hours later and I was in St. Kitts!!!

We got our luggage(most of us as apparently our airline couldn't fit all of it on a plane because of some weight concerns) and headed to the dorm complexes on campus. Found my room in the basement of one of the dorm buildings which was a little creepy walking to at night with flickering lights and a strange echo that seems to come from nowhere.

Once a dropped my bags off in my room I headed back to the orientation group van and we all went to the grocery store to help stock up on our mini kitchenettes. The first thing I must say is the exchange rate really messes with the mind sometimes. My bill came out to about 650XCD which ended up being a little under 250USD. We just had enough time to get back and drop off the frozen food in the freezer before hopping back in the van to head to dinner, it is now 9pm. Mind you... I have not slept yet.

Finally got back to my dorm and had a few minutes to put some food away and partially make my bed before falling asleep, (my fitted sheet rolled up around me and I woke up as a mummy, I wish I had another person to take a picture of it because it must have been pretty funny seeing it on the outside).

I have a lot of activities planned over the next few days but I hope I have some time to make a few quick posts. In the mean time I hope this gives you exciting incite into the fun activities of a soon to be caribbean vet student. (I'm getting all the fun out now before I spend the next 28 months inside with a book attached to my face).

♫My bags are not packed, and I'm not ready to go.♫

2012-04-19T09:31:00.002-07:00

I am on single digit days now! It's been a long time since my last post. I truly wish that they become closer and closer once I actually get on the island.

So I finished my Banfield externship last Saturday. It was a wonderful eye opening experience into the world of corporate veterinary medicine. Being a multiple hospital practice requires the necessity to adhere to certain standards that may not necessarily be upheld at some other private practices. I felt like I was working to the same standards as some human hospitals and it felt pretty awesome. I also met a lot of awesome individuals I hope to stay in contact with for a long time to come. I feel a lot more prepared going to veterinary school now having completed this externship and being able to practices my skills as a technician at another practice to see how they do things differently.

I had a wonderful going away party as well last Saturday. I was able to see some wonderful people that have helped me throughout my life that I have not been able to see in years. I'm hoping over the next 6 days to be able to see some one last time before I leave.

I also sold my car 3 days ago. It was a win-win all around as the individual who bought it from me I used to work with and could really use a reliable car that would last them years(My Honda could easily get another 150k on the engine the way I took care of it.) I was a little sad at first as it was my car, a symbol of my independence. But after realizing that the whole reason for selling it was not only to have some cash to buy another car on the island, but also to not have to worry about registration and insurance for the next 28-40months.

If you look very closely you can see a yellow Virginia registration sticker on the front windshield. That was my favorite way of telling my black Honda for the fifty other ones that seemed to always be in the same parking lot as mine.

And of course, I have yet to start packing. Not necessarily because I'm lazy(although that may have some truth to it) but more so as it is difficult to figure out not only what to bring with you for 2 years, as well as which of the 4 bags to pack it in to make sure it arrives safely and under 50 lbs.

This picture above is only about half of the things that I have planned on taking with me not including actual clothing. I'm hoping to spend the better part of today after I finish writing this packing the rest of my suitcases/duffle bags so I can be done with it.

My flight leaves Wednesday morning (6 days!). From there I head to Dallas and then onto Miami. I'll be staying in Miami the night as I have a 12-14 hr layover until my flight to Saint Kitts and Nevis. This may be my last post from California but hopefully not from the states, so until next time....

Rule #1: If it doesn't come in a sealed bottle, do not drink it in Mexico

2012-03-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Y'all! Been really busy getting a sun burn and all. Had a wonderful vacation down in the Mexican Riviera. Wonderful staff aboard the Carnival Splendor made the trip so much more enjoying for us. Definitely addicted to cruising now. Guess I will be seeing lots of cruise ships where I'll be going. Didn't end up attending the Western Veterinary Conference as some personal things came up that would have meant I wouldn't have been able to go on my cruise the week afterward. So... vacation cruise or conference in vegas. Not really a tough choice.

Took an off road mini jeep to the beach in Cabo San Lucas

Got out and took some pictures once we got to the beach

Starred in our very own Corona beer commercial

One of the 7 different towel animals left for us on our bed each evening.

Just started my internship at Banfield this past week and I must say, what an eye opening experience. It is definitely not the practice of veterinary medicine that I'm used to. Much more professional and, well, medical. A complete 180 from where I have spent the past five years of my life working. Not that that wasn't an amazing experience, it was just different. I'm very happy that I have had the chance to see extreme differences of how veterinary medicine can be practiced ethically and humanely. To any vet students that are reading this and have the opportunity to work in Banfield's summer job program, I would recommend definitely taking it. There are some negative rumors about the Banfield practice out there; but I must say, one of them is definitely not their caring, healing attitude and focus towards the care and welfare of animals.

Only 45 days left! Hoping to have more updates as we get closer.

I'm in a hurry to get things done...

2012-02-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

All my vaccines are done! Another check box to mark off on my never-ending list of todos before I leave. It is still a wonderful feeling to know that something you never thought you would get done in time is slowly starting to all come together. As time gets closer I will probably post less and less as my time will become less and less free :-)
Next week I will be attending the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, NV. This is one of the largest veterinary conferences in the world where the majority of great minds within our industry come together for round table discussions as well as symposiums on practically any subject matter that has to do with animal health (human or otherwise). I hope to have much to report after this amazing opportunity that pretty much just fell into my lap about three days ago. The week after that I will be taking a week long well deserved vacation with my girlfriend. We got a deal on a cruise about four months ago and thought it would be a wonderful trip to spend before we both go off to our respected professional schools. And the week after that I start at my new six week long internship as Banfield: the Pet Hospital. Busy busy but I cannot wait to soak it all in and tell you all about it!

It's the Final Countdown!

2012-01-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

We're already 1/12 of the way through the new year. Wow that went fast! I haven't posted in awhile as work and my leaving to-do list has kept me rather busy these past two weeks.

What I find amazing about social media is the fact that one no longer has to wait for the first day of school to meet their classmates. Facebook especially has assisted with this venture. Other programs should start what I think Ross has done a great job doing. New students are added to a Facebook group containing officials from the institution as well as current students so that any questions we may have (official or otherwise) can not only be answered in a timely fashion, but also can be answered very honestly by those who have lived it. It allows you to get excited about a new journey you're about to embark on as well as prepare yourself in ways we have never been able to before.

Students visa requirements can be a pain in the arm sometimes... literally. I had an LVN give me a rabies shot the other day and I believe it was the first one she had ever given. Before she put the needle in she said, "Ok, here goes nothing." I must say, that was very reassuring! Needless to say I will not miss getting these vaccinations and look forward to just having my blood drawn every two years. All of the pain is completely worth it though.

My boss was showing me pictures from a trip to Saint Kitts that he attended on behalf of a Novartis veterinary leadership conference. I kid you not, each picture he showed me taken from a little disposable camera looked like this.

I know that the majority of my time will be spent with my head inside a textbook, but honestly, it's still nice to know that I can walk out my front door and down to this whenever I want for the next 28 months after I arrive.

I just found this neat little countdown timer so I set it up to show my departure date from the States. Can't believe it's less than 100 days now. I have sooo much I need to get done still before I leave.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Already 2 weeks in to the new year. I wish you all had a productive 2011 and I wish you all have an excellent 2012. I know I will.

This past week I sat down and started planning out the next 14 weeks of my life in order to get everything done needed before heading to the carribean. When you actually sit down and start planning something like this, 14 weeks is nothing. Before I know it I'm going to be on a plane for 12 hours heading to a tropical paradise (I say this as I haven't associated the carribean with 60-80 hour school/study weeks yet)

I've learned many new things when it comes to traveling/moving outside of the U.S. For one, a student visa isn't as easy as I thought it would be. After being on the island for over 29 days I need to have filed paperwork for a student visa in order to stay on the island. This paperwork requires certain vaccinations be up to date, certain diagnostic tests come back negative, as well as a police background check to make sure you aren't a criminal. All which must be completed before you leave for St. Kitts. Not an easy feat to accomplish with only 14 weeks left before I travel, but I'll get it all done.

I should be hearing back from my new student advisor within the next few days. It's nice that an institution like this pretty much holds your hand through all of the miscellaneous shtuff you must get through so that you can focus on the studying portion of your stay. This includes finding a place to stay, figuring out where to get groceries(and when), class scheduling, book and supply purchasing, etc. So it sounds like as long as I show up and pay attention, and possibly soak some of the information up like a sponge, the next 40 months shouldn't be as bad as people say. On the plus side, I am in an island paradise whose mean temperature doesn't drop below 70F.

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line,

2011-12-19T21:32:00.000-08:00

So I realized the other day that I have just over 16 weeks before I will be starting veterinary school. Surprisingly that doesn't leave me with much time to spare. Attending veterinary school in another country apparently comes with some extra tasks that must be completed before attending. Like most schools a deposit is made to hold your seat; however, that isn't the only thing required of you before even starting to talk about financial aid, fees and tuition.

Traveling and studying in another country, especially one as interesting and hot as Saint Kitts requires some extra pieces to the puzzle. Visa paperwork must be filled out, background checks must be made, and the all time fun piece, a health certificate and Rabies vaccine. That last one will be a little chuckle to those in the veterinary field as they are a requirement of any interstate/international travel with any type of animal. I made a joke that other day at work that I would simply have my boss finish that last piece and I would just give myself a rabies shot sitting in our vaccination fridge.

These are many steps that require time in between to complete and therefore I have a feeling 16 weeks is going to come and go by the time I get them all done.

Then comes the financial aid... For some this is a dreadful time. For me it is the final question to be asked before starting on this journey...

Is this really what you want to do with your abilities, time, and energy? The financial aid I see as the final litmus test to determine if this is truly something you want to do. Vets don't get into the business for the money. Schooling costs rival next to other medical science programs while providing upon graduation many less professional choices as well as starting salaries. But I digress. I hope to spend more time on another post in the future focusing on this problem.

So as you may see, my next 16 weeks will be fairly busy making sure all the 't's are dotted and the 'i's are crossed. But, hopefully everything will go off without a hitch and I will be writing to you all real soon from 61st parallel.

Graduation Day

2011-12-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

It's official, I am no longer an undergraduate student. This past weekend I was able to enjoy a wonderful ceremony as well as dinner at Kobe Steak house in Rancho Mirage with family and friends to celebrate me finishing my Bachelors of Science degree in Biology.

To give some people some background, this has been a journey that started back in 2005. It started up in Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, pursuing a degree in Computer Science. Through a few hiccups and life changes I was pulled towards Crafton Hills community college to finish up general education requirements and finally Cal State, San Bernardino to finish my degree. This journey has had many twists, turns, u-turns, lane changes, and full on stops to ask for directions. But, all has finally paid off.

I discuss this, as all of this work has led up to my acceptance into veterinary school. All of this work has been the key required to simply open the door to an education that will allow me to pursue a profession that I have grown to love after my experiences throughout this 6.5 year journey.

Now the real work can begin.

Acceptance!

2011-12-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

So it is official. No more prerequisites, no more work experience hours, no more letters of recommendation. That's it! I will be attending Ross University, School of Veterinary Medicine starting May 7, 2012! It has been a long journey to this point; and now, the real journey can begin.

It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you of your admission to Ross University's School of Veterinary Medicine for the class beginning May-07-2012. My sincere congratulations on this important step towards realizing your goal of becoming a veterinarian.

Sincerely,
The Associate Dean of Admissions

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Chris. After 6.5 years of undergraduate work I have finally put in my paperwork to graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from Cal State University, San Bernardino.

I wanted to make this blog as a way to share with others the trials and tribbles associated with being a student in veterinary school, as well as give myself a place to document the milestones associated with the next 40 months of my life.