New Years 'Resolutions'

Winner, Life as a Vet Student
Stephanie Silberstang, Cornell University

I want to start a gym and call it ‘Resolutions:’ for two months it’ll be a fully functional gym and for the rest of the year it’ll be converted into a bar.” My friend told me that joke and I had to stop and think about how true it was. Every year millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, mostly to lose weight or end a bad habit, and buy new gym memberships and subscribe to blogs on their resolution topic in a fervor. However, these same people typically forget within the first few months the unhappiness and enthusiasm that motivated them in the first place and resort to their old ways.
 
That is why I never wait for New Year’s to make and start a resolution. Throughout the year I often think of something that I need to improve such as studying harder, exercising more frequently, keeping in touch with friends and family, or keeping my room clean. When these thoughts pop into my head, I try to start them as soon as possible. If I am feeling sluggish I will go online and buy a few yoga passes to my favorite studio that expire within the month or if I think my room is looking messy I will commit to picking five things up immediately, which tends to lead to full out cleaning of the apocalyptic aftermath that is my room.

However, I understand that many people need a good kick in the hind end that is a large brightly-lit sphere dropping in the middle of Times Square and a kiss from a loved one at midnight. And although making resolutions that you intend to start on January 1st may not last, I think it’s a great idea to attempt self-improvement at any point in your life. If the new year gives everyone an excuse to reflect introspectively and decide that they can make their lives better then I support the tradition. This year, my New Year’s resolution will be to stick with the other resolutions I make throughout the year and, of course, to be an awesome veterinarian (Class of 2013!)! 

Discovery

Winner, Creative Corner
Ashley Bredenberg, St. George's University

  Taken at the One Health One Medicine Fair in Grenada

The rewards of forming a non-profit

This edition's Life as a Vet Student topic:

'Each day the veterinary profession becomes less national and more global. The AVMA states, "In recent years the AVMA has turned to the global stage to advance its strategic goals, particularly in the areas of animal welfare and veterinary education, and has worked hard to ensure that the U.S. veterinary profession's voice is heard in international settings." 

Are you interested in global health? How have you contributed or plan to contribute in international veterinary medicine?'

Winner, Life as a Vet Student Category
David Kim, UC Davis

As I walked along the dirt road, telling people in my broken Spanish that International Veterinary Outreach (IVO) was having a free animal clinic today at the local community center, I thought about my last experience here.  This past December, we arrived in Jiquilillo and Padre Ramos, two rural fishing villages on the northwest coast of Nicaragua for our first trip to provide free veterinary care, and we had now returned during the summer.  As I told the natives about our clinic, I saw a bemused look on many faces, and I knew what I looked like, a chinito gringo trying to speak their tongue.  But I didn’t care.  It felt good to be back.

 

I could write all about the communities visited, the animals seen, the surgeries and treatments performed, the number of Toña beers imbibed, but I think the excitement and opportunity to do international field medicine often overlooks the brunt of the work of making a trip like this even happen.  So what kind of work goes into making a project like this succeed?

 

When my friends and I first got together to brainstorm for our group, we quickly realized the limitations of being a school club because of the Healthcare Vendor Policy (HVP) and decided to take on the arduous process of becoming a 501(c)(3).  As you can imagine, it was a lot of paperwork.  After numerous redrafts and advice from lawyers, we finally sent our application to the IRS last spring and had to wait months for it to be approved.

 

Next, we had to form groups to plan various aspects of the trip from logistics to outreach and education.

Click to read more ...

Little Moments

Winner, Experiences
Danielle Lindquist, North Carolina State

Most people are familiar with dogs that assist their blind or otherwise disabled owners.  Certified therapy dogs offer a trained and therapeutic service to many elderly and hospitalized patients.  When you think of a therapy dog, most people envision a beautiful golden retriever in a vest, proudly sitting next to a sick child or consoling an elderly patient. Have any of you ever thought about shelter dogs as therapy animals? These “run of the mill” canines are often forgotten, although they have so much to give to the communities. This was the basis for a program I helped start up in my undergraduate years at NC State, and have continued volunteering with throughout my first year in vet school. 

 

These shelter dogs are part of a program called Canine Assisted Rehabilitation for the Elderly Inc. (C.A.R.E. NC Inc), a 501-C3 non-profit based out of Raleigh, NC that has dedicated its mission to training these shelter dogs into therapeutic visitors. These dogs, trained by pre-veterinary students, are evaluated by a professional animal behaviorist at the Wake County SPCA and professional dog trainer for temperament and learn basic commands in order to prepare them for their life changing visits. 

  

Once a week, these selected dogs are trained, and then are taken to local assisted living facilities to meet and mingle with the elderly who otherwise would not be able to see their animals, since many had to give up out upon moving into these residential facilities.  When I walk around with dogs such as Firefly, a american staffordshire mix who was picked for this program for her love of people and that contagious smile, people who would normally shy away from such a large dog came up to ask questions, give her a hug and a nice pat on the head. Usually, I have a very hard time distinguishing who was having a better time together 

 

Some therapy dogs pay informal social visits to people to boost their spirits, while others work in a more structured environment with trained professionals like physical therapists and social workers to help patients reach clinical goals, such as increased mobility or improved memory. C.A.R.E. NC’s mission is simple:  to transform the lives of the elderly of wake county through the healing power of dogs.  I encourage all veterinary students to remember that life during these four years is not always about making the grade and class rank. Sometimes, it’s the little moments of watching a senior citizen in your community smile for the first time or that pitbull you thought would never get adopted, walk out of the SPCA to spend the rest of her life in a very loving home.   Veterinary medicine has many goals, and first and foremost is service to the animals and the people who love them. 

The "Lab" Look

Winner, Creative Corner
Rena Smith, Mississippi State