Y2S2 Week 20: The Y2 Capstone Experience!

Just like that it is the final week of my second year of vet school which is crazy! The year has flown by so incredibly fast and was packed with amazing memories. This week was a little unusual since it was purely exams. At UC Davis all of the second year students are assessed with the notorious "Y2" exam which is a 6 part comprehensive exam that covers all of the material from the past two years. We are assessed on our client communication skills, injection technique, venipuncture technique, physical exam capabilities, and then there is a fun little written exam at the end of the week.

Monday started off with a nice run with Churro followed by Steve’s hot Pilates class to kick off the day. I then spent most of the morning reviewing for the Y2 written exam. That afternoon I had a mock clinical skills exam to practice my blood draw and injection technique that was going to be evaluated later in the week. The rest of the afternoon included some quality time with Churro on the field followed by more studying.

Tuesday morning started off with a quick run with Churro followed by some strength training and a quick swim. While I was in the pool I ran into a familiar face; my tri coach from Cal Poly! He was in town visiting his daughter, so I got to finish his workout with him and catch up for a bit. The rest of the morning was spent reviewing for the upcoming written exam and practicing for the client simulation. That afternoon I had my client simulation which was based on an itchy hedgehog. It was a fun way to assess our history taking skills without worrying too much about our clinical knowledge since most people, including myself, have little to no knowledge of hedgehogs. I also had the privilege of being proctored by THE Dr. Jim Clark who is the one that published the WISE COACH model in JAVMA which was the communication method we were being assessed on. I also had Dr. Alyssa Shelby, the president of the Sac VMA, as another proctor. I’m one of their student reps so it was nice to have a familiar face in the room. The rest of the afternoon included some quality time with Churro followed by a hot yoga session and some studying.

Churro is tired of being my practice dummy

Wednesday morning started off with a nice 8 miler with Churro followed by some studying a reviewing before the afternoon practicals. It was also my beautiful mom’s birthday, and I got to chat with her for a few minutes while running. I hate missing special events but sometimes a phone call needs to do the trick. Living fairly far away makes the time we get to spend together in person even more special.

That afternoon we were assessed on our ability to draw blood from the cephalic vein of a model and give a subcutaneous injection and intramuscular injection to a cadaver. The last part of our practical assessment was to perform and narrate a physical exam on either a horse, cow, or dog. I chose to do my exam on a dog since I anticipate that will be the species I work with the most in my career. After those assessments had concluded, I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging with Churro and studying for the final written assessment.

Thursday morning started off bright and early with a run with Churro followed by some strength training, hot yoga, and a swim. I then spent most of the day reviewing for the upcoming exam and getting things packed. That afternoon I spent some time at Madeline’s clinic so that we could catch up before I left for the summer. Having her as a mentor and most importantly as a friend this past year has been such a huge blessing, and I am privileged to learn from such an incredibly smart woman!

Pre Y2 Exam

Friday morning started off with a quick run around the block followed by some packing. I then took the comprehensive Y2 exam which covered all the lecture material from the past two years of vet school. It was fun to see how far we have all come in the past two years, and it is wild that we are half-way done with vet school! As soon as that exam was over, I hopped in the car with Churro and headed down to San Luis Obispo for a weeklong vacation. The Central Coast is one of my favorite places and it also happens to be the home of some of my favorite people so starting summer in this place is perfect!

Quote of the week: "That was a triple banger" -Dr. Vernau

The whole gang made it to SLO ♡