Sunday, May 19, 2013

Horse show days!

Been pretty busy lately, working a lot. I had five euthanasia cases at work last week which was pretty bad. I did get to see two necropsies though, which was a great learning experience. The first, a rabbit, had an abdominal mass (it was huge!) as well as ovarian cancer. I got to feel everything as well as see a bladder stone out of the body. I actually have the stone in my room. Kind of weird, but I think it's cool! I also got to learn to suture on the rabbit by closing it for the doctor. 
The second necropsy was a poor cat that had thoracocentesis done a couple of times and had almost 200 mL fluid removed over three days. The owners refused to admit anything was wrong and wouldn't take it to the emergency clinic because they had to go to a wedding, even after we told them we didn't have overnight staff. 
When we cut the cat open, the lungs were pretty much full of fluid and one of them was really dark purple. She had tumors on her lung and liver. 
I took the last three days off of work to horse show in Ocala with Nick, my jumper: 

and Wally, my two year old: 

Nick was great and won his first two classes and then I don't think I placed yesterday. Wally didn't do too hot in his hunter breeding but that's because he's small and awkward right now compared to the other two year olds. But, I did ride him for the first time away from the farm and he was great! We just walk/trotted because the footing where I rode him wasn't treat and he fell over while he was lunging because he tried to kick out. He hasn't quite figured out how to canter and kick out at the same time. 

Being a good baby!

Trotting around the ring like a big boy

I went and saw Paul McCartney last night and he was amazing! For a guy in his seventies, he put on a great show. I'm so glad I got to see him live, and mark that off of my bucket list. 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Loans

Been working a lot, and getting my errands done! I work every day, except for Tuesdays now, and I actually have to head in, in a couple of hours. 
Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so I just went and did the shopping I should have done before. I'll just have to pick up a couple more things on the way home from work and then I'm done! I've got to order birthday presents for my little and grandlittle next time I get paid too. 
There's been a lot of talk about Elizabeth Warren and student loans lately. I don't know enough about the Act to comment on it directly (I need to read into it more) but I do know that student loans are something looming on the horizon for me, and it's pretty scary. I'm planning on applying for the full amount ($40,500) from the Direct Stafford Loan and that won't even be enough to cover tuition. There's a huge bubble right now, as far as veterinary medicine goes. Tuition keeps on rising, and salaries are dropping. A lot of doctors are becoming GPs and going into private practice, so that market is pretty saturated. I'm lucky in the sense that I want to be an ACVS Diplomate, and the low salaries for internships and residencies will help me qualify for IBR or PAYE but it's becoming more of a reality that I may have to become a relief doctor or work in an ER a couple days a week for some extra money. 
Loans are becoming such a standard for students, whether it's undergrad, postgrad, or professional school. I was lucky enough to have my parents pay my way through undergrad, but vet school is all on me. 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

First post!

Hey, to anyone reading this! I'm a recent UCF alum (University of Central Florida, for those of you outside of Florida), and I'll be attending the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine (yeah, it's a mouthful) this fall. I'm so excited to start my vet school journey, and I can't wait for classes to start.
A little about me: I was born in Australia, but moved to America when I was seven. I started college full-time when I was sixteen, and graduated high school when I was eighteen. I'm nineteen now, and received my Bachelor's of Science in Biology just last Saturday.
This is me at my graduation, with my awesome parents!

As you can see by the stole, I was part of a Greek organization during my time at UCF. I was a member of Delta Epsilon Mu, a pre-health co-ed professional fraternity with multiple chapters across the US. I was a member of the Zeta chapter, meaning we were the fourth chapter to be founded, and I was a member of the Lambda class meaning I was a part of the ninth class to be initiated. I was the Executive Board Secretary for 2012-2013 and recently passed the reins down to an amazing member of the Xi class who will do great things! I have an amazing big, Amanda, getting ready to graduate in the summer -- she's interested in animal sciences too. My little, Demie, graduates in about a year and she's pre-vet. I recently became a grandbig too! My grandlittle is the cutest thing ever, and he's interested in going to PA school. DEM was definitely a source of a lot of motivation and a lot of help over the years, and I'm lucky to have them as my family.
I have four amazing horses, and have been lucky enough to qualify to travel to Saugerties, NY to compete in the HITS adult jumper finals. It's a long drive from Florida! I even managed to finish up third last year. Look, they mention me in a press release!
I'm in the process of training my two year old foal; he's out of my first horse. He can be a jerk sometimes, but that's probably because he's not gelded, plus he's just a baby! I've started riding him: walk, trot, canter, and we've even jumped a couple of poles. The baby stuff is all new to me, and I love it all.
This is me sitting on Wally for the first time, with my awesome trainer coaching us along!

I work part time at my local Banfield and really enjoy it! I know Banfields don't have the best reputation in the veterinary industry, but due to its nurse-run nature I've been able to learn a lot of skills I don't think I'd have adequately grasped at other hospitals.
This is going to be a blog chronicling my veterinary school experiences, and maybe even recounting the path I took to get there.