Y2 S1 Week 5: Cardiology, SA Orthopedic Surgery Mini-Rotation, and Turning 24
We started off the week by diving head-first into our cardiology block! We had three lectures focusing on the anatomy of the heart and blood vessels which helped lay the foundation for the rest of the block. The first lecture covered the circulatory system followed by an overview of the thoracic cavity and the morning concluded with cardiac anatomy. We then had a little break before our thoracic anatomy lab. This lab was a fun way to put the lectures to practice and solidify those concepts. It is so much easier to understand three-dimensional concepts with a cadaver versus a two-dimensional picture. The rest of the day was spent with Churro and reviewing for the upcoming heart dissection lab!
Tuesday started with a fun hot yoga session followed by a quick run with Churro! We then transitioned into another lab on thoracic anatomy. This lab was slightly different than the one on Monday because we all got to dissect pig hearts instead of just look at our cadavers and prosections. Repetition is key in anatomy so this was a great way to practice visualizing what we had learned in lecture. After that lab session was over we had a lecture on cardiac electrical activity which lead nicely into the following lecture that was on conduction and genesis of the ECG. An ECG is short for electrocardiogram which is also sometimes referred to as EKG. They both mean the exact same thing but different parts of the world sometimes prefer one variation over the other. This lecture was clinically relevant and a fun way to connect what is happening inside the heart to what we see on the monitors. The final session of the day was a discussion based on lung sounds and identifying abnormalities. This was also clinically relevant and was a way to help prepare for the upcoming labs where we will be assessing the lung sounds of different species. The rest of Tuesday was spent with Churro and reviewing the lecture material.
Wednesday was the first mini-rotaion of the year and I was on small animal orthopedic surgery. This was a super interesting rotation and was lead by the amazing surgeon Dr. Kapatkin. The day started off with a fun “rounds” discussion. The residents did not have to present any cases so Dr. Kapatkin led the session and went over different types of fractures and what technique could be used to fix them. We then learned about different surgical implants (plates, screws, pins) and when they would be utilized. After this discussion was over we transitioned into seeing appointments. Even though it is an orthopedic surgery service, there are still plenty of consultations and rechecks. The first patient of the day was a super sweet pup that had a hip luxation. She had splayed out on some slippery flooring and her femoral head popped out of her acetabulum. Lucky for her, radiographs showed that her acetabulum (the little socket that the femoral head fits into) looked ok and was not showing any major signs of hip dysplasia. With the help of some light sedation and a little manual manipulation, her hip was able to be restored to normal positioning! She was sent home with hobbles (a nice little contraption that keeps her hind limbs close together and prevents her from sliding into the splits while her hip recovers).
Another dog that was seen by that service had bilateral carpal hyperflexion. This poor pup had made the mistake of jumping off of a pretty high platform and had damaged both of her “wrists” so severely that they would have to be fused. This procedure is called a arthrodesis (also known as a joint fusion) and involved the uniting of two bones at a joint.
The last case of the day was a super athletic dog that presented with a “flat foot”. The dog had not shown any signs of lameness but literally had a flat foot. The owners mentioned that the dog did not seem to be in pain but wanted to make sure things were ok since the foot did not look normal. The dog had previously been seen at their local clinic but instead of rushing into surgery, they wanted to get a second opinion. It was a good thing that they did because after reviewing the old medical records and performing a full orthopedic exam, it was concluded that the dog had damaged her extensor tendons. However, they were not causing her any pain/discomfort so there was no need to pursue further corrective procedures. This dog will be able to return to a normal activity level and this condition should not have any impact on his quality of life.
I thoroughly enjoyed shadowing this rotation and was able to witness a lot of interesting cases. It also helped bring some of the more recent lectures to life, especially the radiology sessions.
Wednesday evening ended with a dinner with Curtiss and the CVF officers. Curtiss is our region rep for the Christian Veterinary Fellowship club and earlier that day he had given an intro talk to the vet students on campus that were interested in hearing more about CVF. It is always fun to get together as a group and talk about plans for the upcoming year. I am so excited to be a part of such a committed team and can’t wait to see how God moves this year!
Thursday started off with a hot yoga session followed by three lectures. The first lecture was centered around vascular anatomy. This lecture incorporated some of the previous anatomical structures that were touched on earlier in the week and in lab, while also expanding on that knowledge. The second lecture of the morning focused on the cardiac cycle which was a segway into the final session of the morning. This session was on auscultation which is just a fancy word for listening to internal sounds of the body (usually heart or lungs). This is typically done with a stethoscope. This discussion was super interesting because we were able to tie in what we had just learned about the cardiac cycle and translate it to what we would expect to hear during a physical exam. We worked through some case examples and then had a plethora of recordings to listen to so that we could understand what different abnormalities could sound like and what they may indicate on a clinical level. Being able to differentiate between different heart sound, murmurs, and arrhythmias is a crucial skill and it will take some time to develop but it is super exciting to start practicing now!
The remainder of Thursday was spent reviewing lectures, hanging with Churro, and celebrating Dr. Gutierrez. Dr. G is our incredible anatomy professor that single handedly helps all of us enjoy anatomy which is a notoriously challenging subject for a lot of students. Dr. G is amazing at explaining things in a way that students can understand and is great at providing helpful resources, videos, and notes to clarify difficult concepts. Professors like him are hard to find so it was important that we were able to show him our appreciation on his special day!
The rest of Thursday consisted of a quick swim session followed by some lecture review.
Friday started off with a nice run with Churro followed by some fun time on the field with his friends. We then had an awesome lecture on cardiac embryology. It was super interesting to learn how the structures of the heart develop and what can happen if they develop incorrectly. The second lecture was on thoracic radiology which was also interesting and clinically relevant! This lecture went over imaging technique and how to produce quality radiographs of the chest. Technique is crucial while performing radiographs because if even the tiniest thing is off, it can distort the image in a way that may make it seem as though there is something wrong with the animal.
At lunch we had a great talk from Dr. Lance Roasa who wears the double hat of being a veterinarian and a lawyer. Dr. Roasa began the talk by explaining the average salary of new grads and then walked us through a bunch of crucial things to look for when reviewing contracts and getting ready to enter the workforce. Here were some of the main takeaways from his talk:
Signing bonuses: Should really be renamed retention bonuses, these are rarely given without some strings attached so it is crucial to read the contract. A $50k signing bonus is not uncommon but often comes with a commitment to the practice for a set amount of time. If this time is not met, the veterinarian will have to pay back the bonus which will actually be more then what they received because they had to pay taxes on that initial bonus. When they pay the company back, they owe them the full amount meaning that they actually lost money from this transaction. It’s also likely that they lost some of their mental sanity if they are at a point where they are contemplating leaving their job.
Know how you’re getting paid. Veterinarians can be paid based on a salary, production, or base or production. To put things simply, salary is a flat amount that the vet will be paid per year. Production is based on the amount of revenue that a vet brings in which is variable. Base or salary is a combination of both and is the most popular way small animal vets are paid. Veterinarians will get a base salary and then if they hit their production threshold (determined by the company) they will get a percentage of the additional revenue that they bring in. This can work well in their favor, but it is also important to look out for something called negative accrual. This is a sneaky way that can lead to some financial distress down the line. If a veterinarian is in a contract that agrees to negative accrual and they are not hitting their production threshold, they must make up the deficit before they get a production bonus. This incentivizes the vet to not take time off work due to the fear of not being able to make up for the missed time and production.
Dr. Roasa also went over why it is important to consider total compensation and not just wage. Total compensation includes the benefits that a company is willing to provide along with the wage. Understanding your benefits and maximizing them is crucial, especially as a new graduate because benefits are not on a W2. Therefore, they do not get taxed and as a result, they do not cause an increase in student loan payments.
Overall, this lunch talk was super informative and highlighted the importance of fully understanding any contract before signing!
Friday afternoon was spent working on a histology lab followed by some fun puppy playtime with Churro and Dr. Jankowski’s puppy, Clover. Churro and Clover had a blast running around and cooling off in the pool! The rest of the evening was spent reviewing lectures and getting some things done around the house!
Saturday started off with a quick run with Churro followed by Steve’s hot Pilates class. I was then greeted by my amazing housemates with some some breakfast treats. My parents came up to Davis celebrate my 24th birthday and we spent some time at the local farmers market, and I got to show them around Davis. They also got to spend some quality time with Churro which made his day. Churro absolutely loves my parents, and seeing them was such a fun surprise for him! The rest of the day was spent cruising through Rock Mama followed by some grocery shopping and a nice dinner with my parents and housemates. I am so fortunate to have such amazing people in my life and I would not be where I am without them.
Sunday Started off with a fun 8.5-mile run with my dad followed by a quick breakfast before my parents headed back home. It is such a blessing to be able to spend time with them and I am so appreciative that they made the trip out for the weekend. I only get to see them a few times during the school year so every time that we are together, we make the most of it! I then spent the rest of the day getting things ready for the upcoming week and studying for the first cardiology exam of the block!
I am also super happy to announce that I am officially the Standard Process Student Rep for UC Davis! Standard Process is such an amazing company that focuses on providing quality supplements to humans and their companions and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of such an amazing team. Special shoutout to Dr. Yamate for making this connection possible! Churro absolutely LOVES their products and I love the health benefits they provide him!
Quote of the week: "When things don't make sense or you have questions, don't just sit back and think it's going to magically come to you. If you figured it out, life doesn't work like that."
-Dr. Woolard
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