Internship, anyone?

Internships: are you planning on pursuing one or have you already been accepted?  Internships have been viewed as a way to gain more clinical experience as well as hone in on a specialty area.  But with the low salary figures and rising student debt, is it worth it? It might be the only path for those wishing to become board certified, but what about those who aren’t? Some say students may pursue an internship because they are still exploring career options, while others state that some grads lack the confidence to jump directly into practicing high quality medicine without the guidance of an internship program.  Are we getting all of the knowledge we need in veterinary school to dive in after graduation? Weigh in on the pros and cons of the internship experience and tell us how you decided whether or not to participate in one.

Winner, Life as a Vet Student category
Oneal Peters, Colorado State University

Mid-way through my second year of vet school, I began to ponder the internship dilemma. Perhaps it is not a dilemma to those of us who are absolutely set on a certain path after graduation, but for me, I am not one hundred percent sure what I want to be when I grow up, other than a general practice veterinarian with an equine focus.  For me, and many others I suspect, there are an astonishing variety of opinions about internships, and you feel as if you are talking to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde when you hear the myriad of contrasting thoughts on the matter. To further complicate the matter, small animal practices seem fine with hiring new grads, and internship tends to be reserved mainly for those wanting to specialize. On the opposite end of the scale, equine veterinarians generally prefer to hire veterinarians that have completed at least one year of an internship. All this information was like a school of indecisive fish swimming through my head. After a while, I became so confused that my own opinion and life plan changed week by week. Week one: Internship for sure. Week two: why shouldn’t I just go get a job? Week three: Maybe I won’t be ready? Back to internship. And it went on and on, but after a while I stopped fretting and listening to all the buzzing around me. Instead, I closely evaluated my goals and began to reflect back on advice I received before the internship question became so confusing.

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The Water

Winner, Creative Corner
Tia Chambers, Ross University

ShipwreckBeach, St. Kitts, West Indies

The water...

… is quiet, serene, and crystal blue. The waves playfully slap the board as it glides through them…some even splash up and onto my toes. Wispy clouds swirl around in the sky like cotton candy and brown pelicans soar overhead searching for their evening meal. I use my body like a sail and the wind is my energy, filling me up…pushing me closer to the horizon. I taste the salt on my lips and feel it sticking to my skin as I slice through the sea with my oar. On the shoreline, caramel and black volcanic sands mix and swirl together in the surf. Tiny hermit crabs scramble away from the water onto a few black rocks, peeking out from the sandy bank. Further inland, the tropical green, leafy vegetation thickens. Palms sway and play in the clean air, while some distance away a cactus stands at attention. The mongoose slithers into the darkness as I glide past his refuge. Time seems to stand still. I anchor my small vessel and stand up tall, reaching for the wispy clouds…breathing in deeply. Then I exhale and swan dive down to touch my toes. I hear the birds chirping their sleepy songs as I stretch…balance…relax into my surroundings. As the sun sinks into the sea, vibrant colors of the heavens begin to appear…a honeysuckle yellow mixes with a flamboyant red…violet, lavender, and magenta kiss the clouds goodnight as the stars start twinkling their tiny beacons onto the water…it is quiet and serene and crystal blue.

…paddle board yoga

experienced by tia…

Abstract: Granulomatous colitis in French Bulldogs

Winner, Cases and Abstracts category
Alison Manchester, Cornell University

GRANULOMATOUS COLITIS IN FRENCH BULLDOGS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INVASIVE E. COLI AND CLINICAL RESPONSE TO FLUOROQUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS.

A Manchester1, S Hill2, B Sabatino3, R Armentano4, B Kessler1, M Miller1, B Dogan1, SP McDonough1, KW Simpson1. 1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 2. Veterinary Specialty Hospital, San Diego, CA. 3. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. 4. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

   French bulldogs have been reported to develop a form of inflammatory bowel disease that is histopathologically similar to granulomatous colitis of Boxer dogs (GCB). GCB is associated with mucosally invasive E. coli, whose eradication correlates with clinical remission. We sought to determine the clinical features, presence or absence of intramucosal bacteria and E. coli in colonic biopsies, and response to fluoroquinolone antibiotics in French bulldogs with GC.
 FISH staining to identify multifocal accumulations of intramucosal E. coli in colonic biopsies
   Five French bulldogs (4M, 1F; median age 10mo, range 5-12mo) with a histological diagnosis of GC were studied. Bacterial colonization was evaluated using eubacterial (EUB-338) and E. coli-specific FISH probes. E. coli were isolated and antimicrobial resistance was determined by broth microdilution MIC from available fresh biopsies. Response to fluoroquinolone antibiotics was determined by monitoring clinical signs.

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Should we incorporate ourselves?

Corporations and private investors are becoming a growing part of veterinary medicine.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of increasing numbers of corporate owned veterinary clinics? What are your experiences with this type of system, and will you or are you considering getting involved in corporate veterinary medicine in the future?  Why or why not?

Winner, Forum category
Becky Lee, UC Davis

 “Don’t work for them if you can help it.” This was advice I received from a vet working at one of the large corporate-owned veterinary hospitals. For some veterinarians, the reputation of these corporations can be dismal. In my personal experience, working for these corporations in the summers during vet school and on externships, I feel I’ve gained a general understanding of the pros and cons.  Although I try to keep an open mind, I have seen sides of the corporate behemoths that would make me think very carefully before signing a contract.

    I must admit that the compensation from some of these companies is very appealing, and the benefits they offer help keep our industry standards high. In some ways, I am grateful. This is important to us as students with our colossal loan debt. Of course, money is not the bottom line for us; otherwise, we would all be working on Wall Street or managing hedge funds instead of being vets and treating hedgehogs.  

    Large corporate-owned practices also have an abundance of resources. There is consistency in staff training and likely similar technology available between practices. If you are out of heartworm tests, you can drive over to your neighboring corporate location and borrow a few. Or if you have a staff member out sick, it’s probably easier to find a back-up technician as a substitute compared to working at a single, independently-owned practice. I also have to admit that I think wellness plans can be a good thing and encourage preventative medicine, so long as these plans are not rammed down the client’s throats, and the pets aren’t receiving unnecessary services.  Fortunately, I think the medical services provided with these plans have improved over the past few years. Lyme vaccine and tonometry, anyone?

However, despite the ample resources these corporations have, one issue that left a negative impression with me was the pressure to sell. “Were you sure to offer the wellness plan?  Did the receptionist, nurse and doctor all offer the plan to the client? Why aren’t you getting people to sign up for these wellness plans?” Questions like these were emphasized and re-emphasized by regional directors in their visits to the hospitals. In my opinion, the pressure to sell was much stronger in corporate veterinary medicine than compared to the independently-owned practices where I’ve worked.

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