STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Submitted by Daniela Lopez Chanique, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine

My name is Daniela López Chanique and I am a 4th year veterinary student from Ross University of Veterinary Medicine. Due to being a Rossie, I had the amazing opportunity to complete my clinical year at Michigan State University. On their curriculum, they give clinical students the opportunity to go to externships. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, on July 2023 I chose the opportunity to return to my roots in order to experience veterinary medicine in my hometown. There are no words to describe the amazing experience that I had working at Centro Medico Veterinario in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico with Dr.Jose Marcos Vega. I was very eager to be able to join Dr. Marcos Vega and interact with locals, who are Spanish speakers, during my time there. Days prior to arriving to Puerto Rico, the realization hit. Due to learning and being taught in English the whole time during my veterinary school years, I realized that I do not have the same level of medical Spanish as I had when I talked to my clients in English during clinics. Due to this, I was very nervous but excited at the same time. Being able to work with Dr. Marcos Vega really helped due to being able to see his “bedside manners” with his clients. I was honestly impressed and will apply all the skills that I learned beside him whenever I have the opportunity to talk with Spanish speakers when I start working in my future job in the United States.

Setting my language adventure aside, I had an amazing time. Something that this clinic has that makes it stand out compared to other local vet clinics in Puerto Rico is that Dr.Marcos Vega has an amazing dentistry suite in his clinic. During Dr.Marcos Vega’s veterinary career, he had the opportunity to work with a Board-certified veterinary dentist which helped him develop amazing veterinary dentistry skills. As a soon-to-be graduated veterinarian, I was amazed at the surgeries that he had the skills, tools, and capabilities to perform. This came with the realization that during our didactic and clinical rotations in school, we were not taught as much about veterinary dentistry as I thought we would. Dentistry is a very important aspect of our pet’s life and I believe that vet schools should create more emphasis on how important it is. Due to not having much experience in oral surgery, I was very grateful to see Dr.Marcos Vega performing advanced oral surgeries such as repairing mucocutaneous oral fistulas, mandibulectomy, advanced stomatitis cases, and difficult oral mass removals.

Overall, I had an amazing experience during my three weeks in Centro Medico Veterinario. I was very grateful to be able to return to my hometown and being able to experience veterinary medicine in Puerto Rico. Additionally, I was able to learn and experience medical and beside manners in Spanish which really boosted my confidence whenever I need to speak any future Spanish speakers during my career. This has really sparked a curiosity in me and hopefully, I will be able to practice more veterinary medicine in Spanish in Puerto Rico or whenever I travel to other countries.

Paw-some Partner

Thanks to Laci Taylor for sending us the cutest receptionist of all!  As we prepare to head back to the classroom and the clinic, please be safe and practice COVID courtesies!

VICE Rounds - Online Learning

The VICE (Veterinary Isolated Clinical Education) Rounds Channel was created by veterinary educators in Florida in response to the quarantine and social distancing measures required to slow the spread of COVID-19 in order to allow clinical veterinary student education to continue while students are unable to be on campus. The idea is for veterinary educators from different universities to contribute recorded rounds for sharing with all veterinary universities.
 
The complete video catalog can be found here (this includes the “Workup for Canine Lymphoma" Rounds from last week)
 
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClQbhJjqT_KPD2rv5j82iFQ/about

 **Our sharing of links, images or videos provided/maintained by others does not constitute endorsement: SAVMA does not endorse products or companies. The content is being shared on this page because SAVMA feels this topic would be relevant or appealing to this community.**

Getting Prepped for Clinical Year

Cassandra Hoy from Ross University speaking about her recent externship experience.

Over the semester break I had the opportunity to extern in a private practice with the help of a Professional Development Fund scholarship from the RUSVM SAVMA board. This was my second time working with them to gain hands-on experience. Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity to see the kinds of cases I would expect to see in a general practice setting. Morning appointments were covered by one veterinarian while the other veterinarian handled the surgeries of the day. Both were very welcoming and happy to explain their methods of diagnostics and patient work-ups. A typical surgical caseload included a couple of neuters, spays, mass removals and 6-7 complete dentals with or without tooth extractions. Most of the room appointments related to gastrointestinal upset, itchy skin, wound lacerations, tumors, or wellness exams. I acted as the technician by assisting in restraining pets for their physical exams and got to see how each vet established a strong rapport with their clients. 

Some of the more interesting cases involved a HBC Labrador showing neurological signs, an older dachshund who needed a canine tooth extraction, a geriatric shepherd mix with colorectal neoplasia and a rabbit neuter. Client communication was integral to ensuring everyone understood the plan going forward.  Throughout my externship, I was given the opportunity to perform blood draws, insert intravenous catheters and place endotracheal tubes. As I get closer to 7th semester, I feel much better prepared for surgeries and moving on to clinical year!

Externships During Clinical Year

Kaitie Ban, Ross University

Externships during your clinical year are like the little prizes that come with a kid’s meal. Your clinical year in general is the time you finally get to touch things, do things, and put all the hours of memorizing into practice. Realistically, at your university, you will often be writing SOAPs, surgery reports, and treatment sheets for post-operative orders. You’ll be reading literature relevant to your current cases and learning how to use a professional medical library. All of this is important to your education in fourth year, even if it means more paperwork than hands on experience. That’s where externships come in. More often than not, you’ll be even more hands- on with your patients and your cases than at your clinical affiliate. While on an externship you may find yourself as the only other assistant scrubbed into surgery or even performing your first solo spay! 

I have been lucky enough to do the majority of my externships at different veterinary universities on either their anesthesia services or their emergency services. As I am planning to become a veterinary anesthesiologist, it is important to me to see how other universities perform the same tasks/procedures that my clinical affiliate has taught me. I have appreciated the varied exposure to familiar disease processes and procedural work-flow. Each new clinician and house officer I have worked with has taught me something new and that is my favorite part of externships - the never-ending learning. 

I have also used these externship weeks as working interviews or meet-and-greets. I have chosen my externship sites based on where I think I would like to pursue an anesthesia residency. Many classmates have similarly scheduled externships in places they may want to apply to work as a new grad. This has been beneficial in many ways, as I have been able to rule in or rule out programs as well as adjust how each program falls on my rank list. I have heard good and bad reports from students externing with possible future employers. Truthfully, the only way to really get to know the vets, support staff, and workflow of a hospital is to spend time there. That is what makes externships so fruitful! 

Choose your externships wisely, my friends! Make sure that you know what the two to three weeks will entail. Will you be able to touch patients, write treatment plans, take histories? Will you be able to work one on one with a clinician or will you work with a technician? It’s always best to go in with eyes wide open and with a good understanding of what will be expected of you. Consider, also, what you will want to pay attention to and what questions you would like to ask of them. Most externship locations are expecting an inquisitive student and will offer time to answer any questions you have. Take advantage of these opportunities to get to know the kind of clinic or hospital you are considering! These externship weeks are what you make of them, so do your research beforehand and most importantly - have fun!