Y2S1 Week 8: Back to Teaching, Client Simulation, and Fish Circulation!
This week started off with a quick run around the neighborhood with Churro followed by our third cardiology exam. We then had a little break before diving into a fun case-based discussion on the clinical consequences of congenital defects that affect the heart. This was a nice way to review information from the previous week in a clinical setting.
I then had some time to hang out with Churro before heading back to campus to teach the undergraduate Knight’s Landing course! Since the undergraduates are on a quarter system, this was the first class of the year and we discussed animal restraint, Fear Free handling, and how to address their level of FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress). I have always been passionate about teaching and had the privilege of assisting with 16 classes during my undergraduate career. Being back in a teaching position is such a blast and a fun way to connect with students that are interested in a similar career path! The rest of Monday involved some quality time with Churro.
Tuesday began with an awesome hot yoga session followed by two lectures on the anatomy and histology of the respiratory tract. Since we are roughly half-way through the cardiorespiratory block, we are now shifting our focus to the lungs. Lung histology is fairly unique since it is involved in the exchange of gas. After those lectures were over, I got to take Churro on a nice walk and catch up on some things that I neglected over the weekend. I then headed back to campus to help instruct the Knight’s Landing Lab section. This section runs more like a discussion than an actual lecture so it was fun to meet some of the students and get to hear about their interests!
Wednesday started out with a nice 6-miler with Churro followed by a mentor meeting with Dr. Melissa Rioseco! She had prepared an awesome set of pathology case-studies and walked us though the important steps of making a diagnosis. It was fun to step out of cardiology for a bit and learn more about how pathologists approach different cases. I then had a meeting with Dr. Jeff Lowery, a PetVet 365 Pod Owner in Denver. We had the opportunity to catch up and plan the semester's upcoming lunch talk meeting.
Wednesday afternoon consisted of our second, and last, client simulation lab of the semester. This lab was fairly similar to the lab that we had done about a month ago except this time, instead of having our classmates be the “client” we had outside actors. The goal behind this was to make the situation feel more real and closer simulate what it will feel like when we are out in practice. I was given a scenario of a dog in left-sided congestive heart failure which tied in perfectly to the cardiology block! I honestly enjoy these labs and am glad that we have the opportunity to practice difficult situations in a controlled environment so that by the time we are clinicians, we have developed adequate communication skills! The rest of the evening consisted of a long walk with Churro followed by some review of the prior day’s lectures.
Thursday morning began with a hot yoga session followed by a lecture on radiographic imaging of the upper airway. Imaging lectures are always a good time, and I enjoy learning how to interpret radiographs since they are such an important aspect of veterinary diagnostics. We then had two lectures on gas exchange which was a good review of undergrad material.
Thursday afternoon we had a great histology lab that helped tie in a lot of the concepts discussed in Tuesday’s lectures. It was interesting to see the histological differences between species such as bovine, equine and monkeys! The rest of the afternoon consisted of an officer meeting with the Canine Medicine Club. We were able to touch base and plan out some fun events for the remainder of the semester. One of which is the Howl-o-ween Dogstume (dog costume) Contest that will happen at the end of this month!
That afternoon, Churro and I were also surprised with yet another gift from Standard Process! This company continues to go above and beyond and if you have never heard of them or their products, I strongly recommend checking them out!
I then had the opportunity to meet up with the SVVMA board members for our monthly meeting. This was a special meeting because we got to interview applicants for the Class of 2028 student rep position! I remember being in their position and am excited to get them involved with SVVMA. We also had time to discuss Colorado’s Prop. 129 which proposes creating a new veterinary professional associate profession. This position would require a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care (5 semesters) and upon graduation, they would be allowed to diagnose animals, perform routine surgeries, and order/perform tests. If this proposition passes, all of the above skills have to be done under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Regardless of the situation, this degree still gives a lot of free-reign to these professionals and the extent of their tasks is up to the discretion of the supervising veterinarian. Those supporting this proposition are the Vet Care Coalition stemming from their concern about a shortage of access to veterinary care. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians are all in opposition. As with most people in the veterinary profession, I am also against this proposition because these veterinary professional associates would be allowed to practice medicine far beyond what their training can appropriately prepare them for. This would unintentionally put pets at risk and would also put the supervising veterinarian at risk if something were to go awry. Click here for more information on Prop. 129.
Friday morning started off with a nice run with Churro followed by an interesting lecture on the circulatory system of the fish! In case you didn’t know, fish are wild little creatures with some unique adaptations that allow them to thrive in sub-optimal conditions! One especially interesting character is the Antarctic Icefish. Icefish are the only vertebrates that lack red blood cells and hemoglobin which is the protein that carries oxygen. They also have several adaptations that help them survive in freezing waters including anti-freeze proteins in their blood that prevent their cells from freezing! We then had two lectures on respiratory physiology followed by one on blood gas exchange. The day ended with an awesome radiology discussion where we had the opportunity to look through 10 cases and use our knowledge from Thursday’s lecture to come up with a radiographic diagnosis! The rest of the afternoon included some fun field time with Churro!
Saturday morning kicked off with a quick whirl around the park with Churro followed by Steve’s Inferno Hot Pilates class! I then had the opportunity to get in a swim with my triathlon coach from Cal Poly. The UC Davis tri team was hosting a race so some of the Cal Poly athletes came up to compete. Scott and I did a fun sprint workout and got to catch up on life. It is always fun to hear how the team is doing and sprinting is not my go-to activity so having a buddy to do the workout is always a blast! The majority of the afternoon was spent studying and hanging out with Churro and the evening ended with a fun celebration of three awesome people! Amelia, Carol, and Sydney had their birthdays this weekend and so we all went to Ruhstallers to celebrate and take a break from studying! It is always great to connect with friends outside of the classroom.
Sunday started out with a 6 mile run with Churro followed by some meal prep and studying. The majority of the afternoon was spent reviewing for the upcoming exam and getting some things done around the house. I then met up with Madeline and we watched a seminar on treating congestive heart failure in dogs which was interesting and gave me the opportunity to step back from the respiratory tract and dive back into cardiology!
Quote of the week: “The one rule in radiology is that nothing dies in radiology” -Dr. Johnson
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