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Enelrahc posted:I want to play D3 so badly, but I just don't have time or a machine to play it on. Dang dude. I don't really know any sage advice I could give ya. I tend to bounce between passive and confrontational in those situations - means I either give one word answers or several sentences with emotional facial expressions and the solo eyebrow lift. Otherwise, keeping yourself as physically and mentally stable as possible is extremely important in clinics. I don't know the number of people I've been trying to tell that to - to not stay up every night until 2am doing records and reading on cases for the next day, or dwelling on bad things (I'm guilty of that sometimes) - because it's simply not worth doing that to yourself. But if you need to  , that's what we're here for.
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Jun 28, 2012 06:05
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This Saturday, the interns are having a party at midnight to celebrate their intern year officially ending and their work visas officially expiring. I am conveniently working night shift that week, so I will get to partake in the cake and champagne! I'll really miss this batch of interns. This means I'll have to now spend a bunch of overnights with the new interns while they freak the hell out.
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Jun 28, 2012 10:06
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Khelmar posted:The semester ends and you all disappear? WTF? trying to forget that I'm a vet student for a little while summer plans!! Going to Pittsburgh, PA (my hometown) to do an externship with a neurologist there for 2 weeks at the end of July, then in the middle of August doing another 2 week summer clinic in our Neurology/Neurosurgery service. Other than that just chillin, working at the microbiology lab at the VMTH and reffing hockey games on the weekends and just generally having fun. 
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Jun 29, 2012 07:30
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Oral exam down, one more to go on Monday! Got asked about bird/reptile renal anatomy and physiology, muscles of mastication comparison in carnivore vs herbivore + innervation (forgot pterygoid muscle even existed), thyroid histology and function, and brain/meninges anatomy and function. Phew.
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Jun 29, 2012 15:38
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I have a pretty good one for you guys. I called in a client the other day, who was very concerned about a potential anal abscess on her female dog. The vet was stumped, until the owner pointed with much concern to the dog's vagina... Official Bizness posted:Request for some honest input! If I were to undergo Penn-Foster's vet assistant course, is that really on the same level as a diploma from a brick and mortar school? Catching up with this thread, I just read this post. Was a while back, and you don't have PMs. If you are referring to the "certification," it is absolutely not worth it. However, if you are referring to the 2-year degree offered by AMVA accredited schools, be aware that some clinics may look down on an online degree. I really do think its much better to actually GO to a school. That said, I personally am unable to physically go to a school so I am halfway done with an online program right now. In one more year I will become an LVT. Do not do schooling online if you have better, local options. But if you have to, do not go with Penn-Foster, it is terrible. I recommend my school - San Juan College. In order to be in the program, however, you must work at a clinic. A licensed/certified/registered technician or a doctor must sign off on certain tasks completed in clinic, you must log clinic hours, and you have to take videos of you performing tasks. The AMVA is constantly scrutinizing the program, and they improve it every year. I am flying to Texas next year for a week to work with the veterinarians in the program at their laboratory and farm. Fun stuff.
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Jul 1, 2012 05:12
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Depending on where you live you don't really need to take a class to be an assistant. In fact, if you're going to take courses I'd just go all the way and get your certification as a vet tech. I'm pretty new to this, though. I have 4 years or so experience being an assistant and I'm getting back into the field and I just feel like most of what I do I can learn very well on the job.
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Jul 1, 2012 07:57
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I'm in College Station this summer and I have a few questions: 1. How do you guys who go to Texas A&M stand this heat? This place is ridiculous. 2. I'm going to be a senior in college this year and trying to see if I can apply to vet school this cycle. This is a somewhat recent idea for me, so I have no vet experience, but I do have a lot of other animal experience. I've got a position lined up for when I get home in August, but does anyone know a place where I could get some experience before then? I've called all the veterinary offices in the area but couldn't find anything. It would be nice to get some hours in before then because the deadline to apply is quickly approaching and I want to see if I really want to go to vet school.
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Jul 2, 2012 16:31
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Pladdy posted:I'm in College Station this summer and I have a few questions: 2) I got lots of my vet experience through volunteering at the vet clinic in an animal shelter. It was hard work and free work and often depressing work, but I learned a lot. Not having any vet experience so late in the game might make it a little tough for you for this year's cycle unless you have a lot of research experience with animals. They want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Make sure you address that in your personal statement.
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Jul 2, 2012 17:26
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Pladdy posted:I'm in College Station this summer and I have a few questions: 2. When you called around to clinics, were you asking about a job or just volunteering/shadowing? It can be pretty hard to find a vet-related job in College Station due to the huge number of pre-vet and vet students, especially a temp summer job, especially without experience. If you didn't already try this, I'd call around to clinics and ask about shadowing or volunteering. Even better, take a resume and cover letter to clinics in person, and explain that you're a student interested in vet school. You may also want to try clinics outside of Bryan/CS that you'd be willing to drive to. The Brazos Animal Shelter always needs volunteers, but that will probably be more "animal experience" than "veterinary experience".
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Jul 3, 2012 03:27
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Pladdy posted:I'm in College Station this summer and I have a few questions: Not from Texas (but it's hot here in PA too!) but I'm applying this cycle as well and I had the same issues as you when it came to finding a place to get experience. None of the local clinics had job openings and they wouldn't accept volunteers because they don't want any non-staff behind the closed doors, I think for insurance reasons. I managed to get a temporary position cleaning kennels and eventually giving injections during vaccine clinic which helped but I think I was pretty lucky there. Since you're in college I would definitely recommend trying to get a research assistant position in a laboratory working with animals if your university conducts that kind of work. You'd probably be working with rodents but all of the work is supervised by the campus veterinarian meaning that you could list it as veterinary experience on the application. This is the route I have been taking but I can't tell you if it's good enough to get into vet school until later this year (finger's crossed!) By the way if it's at all feasible for you I would consider waiting a year to apply so you can gather some veterinary experience with your new position. The VMCAS application opened a few weeks ago and deadline's in October (as you know) so there might not be enough time to get some good experience/solid letter of recommendation by then. A year ago I was in the same boat as you; I wanted to apply but had just lined up a position as a lab animal tech in the summer so I decided to use the upcoming year for experience in preparation for next year's cycle. If your grades are really good though (mine aren't...) then the experience might not hurt you too much if you wanted to try this cycle. Also make sure you have all the pre-requisite courses in case you're not a life sciences major but I'm assuming you probably are. Good luck!
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Jul 4, 2012 01:14
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Man, how do you guys remember all of this stuff? I'm a kind-of-rusty veterinary assistant in the market for a job in a different state I was trained in. I'm trying to read up and remember all the state legislative stuff and I'm just overwhelmed. I've been doing self-study by reading vet tech textbooks and I'm just overwhelmed.
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Jul 4, 2012 03:36
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Crooked Booty posted:You got here just in time for record high temps! 109 here yesterday. I'm in Alvarado at the mixed animal clinic up here. Middle of nowhere. It's way less hot than I thought it would be though...
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Jul 4, 2012 03:38
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Shnooks posted:Man, how do you guys remember all of this stuff? I'm a kind-of-rusty veterinary assistant in the market for a job in a different state I was trained in. I'm trying to read up and remember all the state legislative stuff and I'm just overwhelmed. Split it into manageable chunks, set a schedule, quiz yourself, draw things, anything to stimulate interest. Just learn it once then re-learn it in different ways. Make flash cards, board games, mind maps, whatever you have to do to get it in. Generally the more visual you can make the material the better you will retain it.
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Jul 5, 2012 21:21
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Shnooks posted:Man, how do you guys remember all of this stuff? I'm a kind-of-rusty veterinary assistant in the market for a job in a different state I was trained in. I'm trying to read up and remember all the state legislative stuff and I'm just overwhelmed. I also found that having people to talk it over with really helps - either discussion or (especially) teaching. Not just "oh hey, let's recite the Krebs Cycle again," but put into a case perspective.
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Jul 5, 2012 22:06
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Ear plugs help keep it all in once you get it there.
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Jul 6, 2012 00:48
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Dr. Chaco posted:Ear plugs help keep it all in once you get it there. Oh good, I have a box of 200 earplugs from when I was living with my ex. I'm going to remember everything! Just out of curiosity, what do you think clinics expect out of techs? I feel like I get mixed messages at every interview I go to. Some want me to do a little bit of everything, some want me to just basically draw blood all day. I had a really weird interview where the guy wasn't even entirely sure why I was there (I don't think he read my resume before hand, considering he asked me if I even graduated HIGH SCHOOL).
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Jul 6, 2012 01:36
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Unfortunately, every clinic is different. I worked one place where the doctors had the techs/assistants do a lot of things, including holding animals during the exam (I think this is not terribly common), drawing blood, placing IVs, setting up surgery, monitoring anesthesia, treatments on hospitalized patients, vaccines and other injections. We also answered phones, occasionally acted as a receptionist, typed and filled prescriptions, mopped floors, and changed lightbulbs (I was the tallest). Other places, the doctor may do more of the procedural stuff (eg, draw blood themselves). In my opinion, the doctor's time should be too valuable to be doing things a tech can do quite well, if the techs are available, but every clinic is a little different. Some places will also have more techs or more vet assistants, so the types of tasks will be a little more split along those lines.
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Jul 6, 2012 04:16
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Shnooks posted:Oh good, I have a box of 200 earplugs from when I was living with my ex. I'm going to remember everything! Agreeing with Chaco on this one: it depends a lot on the clinic. What the chief vet thinks people should do, how staffing works out, and what skills you can bring to the table and demonstrate are all major factors into determining what you end up doing. Some vets who just want to do everything. I tend to think of those as the ones who were techs in a previous life and just continue doing things out of habit/not wanting to forget learned skills. There are some who are "holier than thou" in terms of wanting to do everything themselves, but I'd consider that a rarity. There are some clinics where staffing is limited. There may be only 1 vet and 1 tech - and depending on your relationship with the vet can determine how much (or how little) you end up doing. That said, I'd expect a newly minted tech to: - Draw blood (from several sources), place catheters (IV or urinary), IM/IV/SC injections, surgical prep, surgical assist (as needed, usually things like retracting/handing instruments... so knowing you won't faint would be a plus), knowledge of surgical equipment (in case I yell out, "I need a debakey/brown adson/hemoclip now!"), basic cytology/smears/urine sediment, appropriate animal restraint, good client communication, "animal interaction," and maybe a few other things I can't come up with at the moment. A more experienced tech you'd add routine dentals, some minor ultrasound usage (more with experience), advanced cytology (aspirate samples, etc.), wound repair (suture or bandage) - most of these with veterinarian oversight - and making sure I'm not completely full of poo poo on my treatment plans.
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Jul 6, 2012 04:33
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Yeah, at my old job where I was an assistant the vet did 90% of the work. It was a 1 doctor, 1 tech practice and she liked being hands on. With all that said, what about an assistant? that's where most of my experience is. Of course I'm willing to learn everything I need to to become a technician in the future but going and getting certified isn't going to happen right now.
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Jul 6, 2012 15:42
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Of an assistant, I'd expect: Appropriate animal restraint (of most animals, certainly not the crazy ones), routine blood draws (not like on a dehydrated kitten or anything, and that comes with experience), SC/IM injections, and the rare surgical assist (holding instruments in place, but not necessarily knowing their names), and then clinic upkeep (cleaning, stocking, etc.). With an assistant, you may just start with some animal restraint - or even just the clinic upkeep. Really, as time goes on at the clinic you work at, you'll know if the techs/docs are willing to put the effort into teaching you more things or letting you do more things. It also counts as to what your attitude and interactions with the staff - if you're happy and helpful, even with the most menial of tasks, I see people be far more amenable to showing the "cooler" things an assistant can learn. In addition, if they know you're looking to do technician schooling, they may be more inclined to teach you things. At the clinic I worked at before vet school, I was an assistant. I told them I wanted to go to vet school. Because of that, they were more likely to teach me things than the other assistants.
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Jul 6, 2012 16:10
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HelloSailorSign posted:Of an assistant, I'd expect: Cool, that's kind of exactly where I'm at right now. Most of the clinics I've interviewed at seemed OK with training me because I've expressed interest in getting certified. I'm a bit more confident in my abilities now, thanks guys  hopefully I can get a job soon
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Jul 6, 2012 16:34
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Shnooks, check out this website, it may be quite helpful: https://www.atdove.org/
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Jul 6, 2012 22:40
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YourCreation posted:Shnooks, check out this website, it may be quite helpful: https://www.atdove.org/ Whoa, this is overwhelming. Thank you so much. I have two "working" interviews at some clinics next week. Wish me luck  Edit: Wait, do I have to be with a practice to register for this? I'm not with one right this moment.
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Jul 7, 2012 03:15
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Just get creative 8) Don't be afraid to ask questions about how much exposure/mentoring you will get at the clinic. Show them what you've got, let them know you are a hard worker, and ask who will help you build on your weak points.
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Jul 7, 2012 14:11
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Boo, that site is awesome but a lot of the videos are for premium users which is $300 a year  I'd shell out but I'm kind of in between jobs. I like the videos, though, so I guess I'll peruse youtube
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Jul 8, 2012 21:34
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If you're looking for another site for tech/assistant stuff, you could also check out http://www.vspn.org/. It's a sister site to VIN (Veterinary Information Network), and the thing that caught my eye is the FREE thing (with registration). I haven't looked around it much at all. Sounds similar to VIN in that it has message boards, CE, and handouts on various things.
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Jul 8, 2012 21:54
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VSPN was an amazing help to me over the last five years. Everyone there is so brilliant and supportive. AtTheDove must have just introduced that because they were a free site when I joined.
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Jul 8, 2012 23:23
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HelloSailorSign posted:If you're looking for another site for tech/assistant stuff, you could also check out http://www.vspn.org/. It's a sister site to VIN (Veterinary Information Network), and the thing that caught my eye is the FREE thing (with registration). I haven't looked around it much at all. Sounds similar to VIN in that it has message boards, CE, and handouts on various things. Lol this place rejected my application because I am currently not a veterinary technician and assistant. Oh well!
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Jul 9, 2012 01:51
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Here's my thoughts: Trained assistant: I expect them to be able to hold animals and not get me or them bitten. Eventually, I expect them to draw blood, give pills, give IM, SQ, and IV injections, take temp, pulse, and respiratory rate, work the computers, answer phones, and clean kennels and equipment. LVT: I expect all the above, plus ability to monitor anesthesia and warn me of varying trends or areas of concern, ability to train assistants, knowledge of sterile procedure (to help in surgery if needed), and analysis of stocking / ordering. I also expect knowledge of controlled substance laws, since they'll probably be doing the inventories for DEA. However, I worked at a practice that wanted the doctors to diagnose, prescribe, and do surgery (since those are the things you must be a DVM to do), and techs to do everything else. It's skewed my perspective (in a good way).
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Jul 9, 2012 03:53
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If anyone cares the interview was an absolute blast. I forgot how much I missed doing this work. I asked a ton of questions about everything which I hope wasn't too annoying. I even got to see a yeast infection from a cat's ear under the microscope  and I got complimented on my restraint skills
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Jul 9, 2012 16:22
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The Federal Trade Commission (USA) is looking into distribution of pet medications. http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=23335 One of the reasons this has been brought to the light is that legislation is on its meandering way through the US government that would require all veterinarians to write out prescription slips (at no charge) for medications that they recommend, whether the client asked for a slip or not. This is being heavily pushed by Wal-Mart (who really wants to sell you your pets medications), while being opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (who would much rather have the vets sell the medications). How do you all feel about this legislation? I feel that this legislation is a complete grab for money by companies like Wal-Mart and has nothing to do with fairness (the legislation is called HR 1406 — The Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2011). What's even worse is that the legislation would make it illegal for the veterinarian to charge for writing the prescription. I have no problem with the idea of writing a prescription slip for a medication I want to send home as long as I know that the client will get that medication in a timely fashion. That's something I'm worried about - people either deliberately or simply forgetting to get the medication. Here's the url to the bill itself: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR01406:@@@L&summ2=m&
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Jul 15, 2012 00:27
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Hello, a vet school question! My girlfriend is about to finish her pre-vet bullshit, but she's gotten some B's in some of her chem/bio courses and obviously it's really easy to get shirked out of the running for vet programs, despite her other creds being pretty solid. Organic Chemistry 1 and 2 being the big things that she would prefer to have A's in. The crux of the issue: i know a lot of people don't get in the first time, and we're totally ready if this happens to her based on the odds - so we're trying to put together a backup plan. The two primary options seem to be retaking the classes she has B's in, in an attempt to improve her grade, and finishing a chem degree, since she'll be relatively close due to all the past credits she accumulated through previous majors. What do people recommend for admissions purposes? Basically, she is not terribly concerned WHICH accredited school she gets into, so much as whether or not she gets into one at all, so any advice for using an extra semester or whatnot for simply landing that sweet, sweet admissions letter is most appreciated.
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Jul 15, 2012 06:02
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What does the rest of her application packet look like? GRE scores can be a big factor at some schools (as much as grades when I was admitted at UCD), and the amount/quality of veterinary experience can be important. If everything else was solid I wouldn't be too worried about a few Bs. Personally, I would finish the chem degree instead of retaking Bs--I think some schools won't even let you retake classes with anything above a C. Finishing the degree demonstrates the perseverance necessary to complete big projects, is a bit different than all the bio majors, and could potentially be useful for something until vet school works out (research maybe?) or a back-up if it doesn't.
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Jul 15, 2012 06:29
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I also wouldn't worry about a few B's. I definitely had a few B's (and a C, in a 1 or 2 unit class... 3.48 woo) and got in to UC Davis. One thing I learned from the vet school admission process is that who you know can take you FAR - I am pretty certain that my letters of recommendation are what pushed me over the edge. If there is a time off period, taking the time to work on some quality letters of recommendation is what I'd recommend.
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Jul 15, 2012 06:54
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Dr. Chaco posted:What does the rest of her application packet look like? GRE scores can be a big factor at some schools (as much as grades when I was admitted at UCD), and the amount/quality of veterinary experience can be important. If everything else was solid I wouldn't be too worried about a few Bs. She has been working in a clinic and doing volunteer work for several years. Has a good relationship/promised letter of rec from one of her upper-division bio/chem professors, already has a degree in Studio Art, had a career in marketing for several years, has a good relationship with at least one of the vets in her current clinic. She will probably have letters of rec from her current vet/boss, and is considering getting a letter from her old boss at the advertising firm she worked at, under the assumption that showing proof of a successful professional career to go alongside vet-related studies is a good idea. She has not yet taken the GREs. That's basically the breakdown so far - what else should we be looking at?
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Jul 15, 2012 20:53
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I Love You! posted:That's basically the breakdown so far - what else should we be looking at? A kick-rear end personal statement. My vet school interview pretty consisted of a discussion about my personal statement with two professors.
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Jul 15, 2012 22:25
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After 3 months of clinicians telling me I was being a paranoid vet student, it turns out my puppy (GSD mix  ) probably either has a sliding hiatal hernia or a vascular ring anomaly. Fluoroscopy next week.
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Jul 16, 2012 16:51
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Crooked Booty posted:After 3 months of clinicians telling me I was being a paranoid vet student, it turns out my puppy (GSD mix Vet student curse is a motherfucker. I'm sorry!
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Jul 16, 2012 18:17
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Enelrahc posted:Vet student curse is a motherfucker. I'm sorry! see: my dog having her second seizure less than 24 hours after I leave for an externship 3000 miles away.
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Jul 17, 2012 00:41
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Topoisomerase posted:see: my dog having her second seizure less than 24 hours after I leave for an externship 3000 miles away. Be a pro - do a csf tap in your bathtub using expired ketamine.
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Jul 20, 2012 01:54
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