Celebrating Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

Happy National Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month! We celebrate all our Latinx colleagues and the voice and perspective they bring to the profession. Follow and support Latinx Veterinary Medical Association at @latinxvet and www.latinxvma.org for more information and resources!

Relating to our Patients

For one of our final Volume 55, Issue 3 winner spotlights, here is a funny anecdote from Alexis Book who attends the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine!

In college I worked as a vet tech and this is one of the funniest moments I think I had working as
a tech…
This lady brought her cat in because she believed that it was going into labor. So, I brought her
and her cat into the exam room and started asking her the usual history questions. I asked her
why she thought her cat was going into labor and she said because she thought had seen
something sticking out “back there”. The cat had really long hair and was slightly matted. I
started trying to part the hair so that I could find the cat’s vulva to see if there was a kitten
hanging out, a prolapse, or any swelling so that I could report it to the vet that was seeing her. It
was not an easy task seeing as the cat’s hair was so long, so I apologized to the owner for taking
so long in an attempt to get a look. She said, “No need to apologize, I should have trimmed up
her hair by now anyway so that she won’t be a mess when she has her kittens.” I said that it
might not be a bad idea and that if she wanted, we could do that for her today. She then
proceeded to say, “In fact, I really ought to shave my own “kitty” (she used more colorful
language) because its been a while since it’s seen a razor.” It took every bit of self-control to not
outwardly show the horror that I’m sure still managed to show in my facial expression or bust
out laughing!!

Externship Spotlight

Even though international travel is currently limited, we can still reflect on and learn from our past endeavors.  Thank you to Leanne Jankelunas for sharing her externship experiences from her time in the U.S. Virgin Islands!

Oh the Place’s You’ll Go: Externship Opportunities in One Health

By Leanne Jankelunas

“Oh the places you’ll go.” This Dr. Seuss statement could not better describe the possibilities that you can partake of in the field of veterinary medicine. In 2019, I applied for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemiology Elective Program. This is a highly competitive program dedicated to recruiting 3^rd and 4^th year medical and veterinary students for 6- or 8-week externships at a variety of places including the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, CDC regional locations, and state, local and territorial health departments. The program’s goal is to provide medical and veterinary students both hand-on experience and training in applied epidemiology, public health, and global health. When I applied in March 2019 to this opportunity, I stated I was open to be placed anywhere in the country.

Click to read more ...

A Unique Perspective

Recent world events have definitely given many of us a new perspective on life, whether that is how we go to school or work, spending more time at home, or the importance of self-care.  Speaking of perspective, Kyleigh Tyler from Ohio State University snapped these photos with some unique perspectives of her own!  Thank you for sharing these beautiful shots with us Kyleigh!

Wednesday Wisdom

As we really get into the swing of the most unique semester of veterinary school, I would like to share some words of wisdom delivered by our very own National SAVMA President, Mrs. Marie Bucko!  A helpful reminder that no matter what stage of life you are moving into, taking care of your mental and emotional wellbeing is of utmost importance:

WOW – is this really happening? Who would have thought we'd be heading into a new academic year amidst a pandemic during vet school?! Whether you are carrying out didactics or clinics – it's a new season and I hope you can take a moment to pause and soak this in. Look what you have accomplished just by being in veterinary medical school!

This semester is unlike any other and how you move through it is entirely up to YOU. Life can present us with a lot of distractions (cough…pandemic…cough), but you are the captain of YOUR vet school journey.  Meaning, do you, friend.  Sure you may find yourself questioning your study habits ("am I doing enough?" or "should I be studying like they are?"), you may play that comparison game or struggle to find a school-life balance-it happens to so many of us.  But I'm here to tell you – YOU ARE DOING THIS RIGHT. Read that again. Stay focused on what works for you even if you have to discover that through trial and error (it's ok to give yourself permission to make mistakes).

We all move through vet school in our own way – focus on you, unapologetically.  Take that extra 15-minute break, or heck take that day off if that's what you think you need.  Vet school is a marathon! It can get very tiring in many ways. In flights (remember those big aluminum tubes that bring us to world-wide destinations), they tell you to put your air mask on first before you can help others. If you meet your needs first, everything around you will then get your best self. That's how we make this world a better place.

I'll leave you with a quote shared with me on my 1^st day of vet school: "Don't let your education get in the way of your learning".  You are in that seat for a reason and gosh, our profession is so fortunate to have you.  I'm here for you & our SAVMA is here for you.  You got this friend-don't forget that. *fist bump*
-MB

Thank you for always lifting us higher Marie!