Vet School, Semester 1: COMPLETE
"Everyone should have a therapist! Someone to talk to... a physical therapist... a massage therapist... there's just nothing wrong with a therapist!" -Dr. L
I SURVIVED!!!! It's been a while since I've posted. Why? Well, because... WOW. What a transition. I was legitimately afraid for a while that maybe I wouldn't make it. But, I did. And now that I've had some rest, I feel like I can tell you a little bit about it.
I'll keep this to a minimum for now - just basic info about the semester as a whole. I'd like to do more posts later that may address some specific things, answer questions, and offer maybe a little bit of guidance for chasing the same dream that I'm living. If you have anything you'd like to see, send it my way!
SO many things happened this last semester. I got COVID (10 days before my first vet school exam), I dealt with family problems (as many of us did), I learned a LOT about myself as a person, I learned not only the medical side of what chasing a Doctorate degree is but also, I learned what vet school really is. And let me tell you - no one could have prepared us for what we really walked into.
A certain favorite doctor of mine, at the beginning of the semester, told me this: "It's kind of like a tsunami as it approaches. You see it. You know it's coming. You're scared, you're nervous. But you don't know what's truly about to hit you. And suddenly, you're overwhelmed. You're drowning, and you're not really sure why. All you know to do is just to keep swimming. And so you do. And somehow, you come out on the other side. And you've survived!"
^^ Sounds dramatic, right? Yeah, I thought so, too.
In reality, I suppose it is dramatic. But I also see now how it lines up with vet school. Because, let me tell you, it really did change my life in just a single semester. I sacrificed a lot, and it affected not only MY life, but also those around me. (Hence that quote at the top! Maybe more on that later??)
Yeah, scary stuff. Enough about that.
I also look back now and I think of how much fun I had during this first semester. I learned SO much. On an average week, I trudged through life at a steady pace of 80+ hours. On a busy week, it was more than that. I never stopped.
But during this crazy time, so many things happened that I wouldn't trade for the world.
I made new friends. I learned some really neat things. I had my first rotation in the farm animal unit. I worked through hypothetical cases, learned anatomy (at a far deeper level than I would've imagined possible), worked through basic cardiology, neurology, physiology, microanatomy, behavior, radiology, immunology, and more. I studied more than I ever have before. I learned new studying techniques. I took a break from life, quite honestly, and dove deeply into the world of true veterinary medicine. And I loved it.
I've added some pictures to this post that were all taken during the progression of the semester. I hope they tell the story a little better.
*I have permission to share all of these photos*
Thanks for taking the time to read about my first semester as a veterinary student. Like I said, if you have anything you'd like to read about, send it my way!
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