My schedule lately has been wake up, go on farm calls, have some lunch, go on farm calls, go home, study for NAVLE, talk to Danny and go to bed. Out of all of my internal rotations, I think my current rotation (farm services) has been the most difficult. It's physically challenging (I'm short and cow butts are tall, cows are big and not always the smartest creatures on the earth and flail around dangerously on the reg and retracting uteruses is tough), intellectually challenging (there are approximately five thousand and forty-seven ways to get a cow ready to breed; also, please remember all of reproduction) and we're outside in the frigid arctic temperatures of a premature Canadian winter. That all being said, I'm learning a lot, loving the people and generally having a good time.


The rest of my life is kind of meh right now. NAVLE studying is boring yet necessary. I need to finalize my clinical conference paper to submit this weekend. I should start getting my apartment ready to be packed up because, oh yeah, I'M MOVING HOME NEXT WEEKEND :) I've also been getting the cold shoulder from residency programs, panicking about my future and worrying that I'll never get to do lab animal medicine. But that's kind of another story all together and I know I need to be a little more patient. So I guess in a few weeks time I'll either have a post about having an interview or I'll be further into my identity crisis. Stay tuned.

I like to do blog make overs at the changing of the seasons; as my little corner of Canada got a dusting of snow last night, I figured it was finally time to surrender to the idea that winter is indeed coming.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want to do when I get home for good in 11(!!!) days. It feels like I have so much I need to do for vet-related stuff - finalizing my last two externals, taking boards, hopefully attending a residency interview or two, etc - but I want to do some stuff that I'm excited out, unrelated to school or my career. So here's my breakdown:

1) Food. My dad is a phenomenal cook, and I look forward to getting back into my parents' kitchen after six months of very, very limited kitchen supplies. They have a ton of room, a huge gas range, lots of useful gadgets and a dishwasher! I can't wait to make all kinds of things, from pecan pie to mashed potatoes to huge salads. I also want to go to all of the restaurants that I've been missing all this time: Chipotle, ChikFilA, Fuddruckers, any and all Mexican food places, Roti, Buca Di Beppo, etc etc etc.

2) Friends. I have so many wonderful friends back home that I haven't seen in six months! I have a couple of holiday parties I'm planning to attend, but I also just want to go catch up with these people.

3) Activities. Every year, my mom, sister and I go and paint Christmas ornaments. We've been doing it for years and whenever Danny and I get our own place, I know I'll take mine with me. Danny and I also go to the National Christmas Tree every year - it's just blocks from where he works and it's nice to walk downtown with him even if it's usually cold. I don't know what we'll do if we move away :( But I'm also planning some fun other activities, like going to see certain movies, maybe a hockey game, a couple of museums, etc.

After so long away from home, the last week or two before leaving always seems to drag for me. It doesn't help that this is the last time I'll be away from my husband for the rest of our lives! I get more and more antsy to start moving on - find a job/residency, find a place to live, start digging in for the long haul...all that fun stuff. Running on my last reserves of patience, but I just have to keep going!

This week was an epidemiology rotation and I can say with full confidence that it has been my least favorite rotation by a very long shot. I suppose I should mention that math isn't one of my favorite things, I resent busy work at this stage in my academic career and long drawn out Powerpoint presentations that talk far too much about little details of the regulatory government are not the best medium for keeping my attention; perhaps this rotation was destined to fail from the beginning. You would think disease outbreak and detective work and all that jazz should be exciting and engaging but in this context...no. So suffice to say I'm glad to put this one in the books.

Also this week, I presented my clinical conference case on Wednesday! Also glad to have it behind me, although I think the presentation went well despite the er, unpolished handling of certain questions afterward. I still have to polish my paper for the end of November and submit it for a grade, but my case advisor is encouraging me to publish it too, so I'll have some extra coordinating to do. Exciting, though!

Last but certainly not least, my match application is due on Sunday - ack. I had all of my materials save letters of recommendation in for a while and waiting on other people to contribute their pieces is nerve-wracking and terrible, per usual. It's a bit like applying to vet school, and I have faith that all will be sent in on time, but until I know that it's in on time for sure, I'm going to stress. Which is why I asked them to submit by today, so I don't have to fret all weekend about whether or not all my stuff is in. Instead, I will fret about possible upcoming preliminary phone interviews and whether or not I'll miss a call while I'm out at farms next week for my next rotation.

We finished early today, so I'm sitting at home in my sweatpants on the couch while it rains outside, working on my NAVLE prep. That's in less than a month, but I've made decent progress on my prep materials and I'm feeling...okay. Not confident but not panicked - yet.

I promise I haven't fallen off the blogging wagon, I've just been busy doing much of the same thing, with some variation on the theme depending on what rotation I'm on.

Last week was ruminant nutrition, where myself and three very cow-oriented people did some cow stuff in the mornings (palpations mainly, but I got to: give some IM injections, watch some foot trimming, give an epidural, chase some heifers, palpate a Jersey cow [which is my size cow!], amputate a tail, ultrasound [preg check] a crapload of sheep, dehorn some calves and the like) and nutrition stuff in the afternoons. I took a year of production animal nutrition in undergrad, so I knew I would understand and enjoy the subject material. Also, good practice for my three weeks on farm services ahead.

This week I've been on lab animal and exotics. If you've read even just one post on this blog, you know how I feel about this rotation, and it's lived up to my wildest hopes and dreams. We've been taking care of the wildlife patients (pigeons, a barred owl and a bald eagle) which includes radiographs and handling (a first for me when it comes to raptors) as well as: blood collection from turtles, ferrets, mice and snakes (I also managed a pericardiocentesis in the snake?!), some amazing field trips to a falconry and a snake breeder and lots of other amazing things that are slipping my mind right now because I'm exhausted from all of the crazy fun stuff we've been up to. Never a dull moment.

I've also been working away at my Match application. I got my materials submitted and am just waiting on two more letters of recommendation to come through (I have a bad feeling they're going to go down to the wire, which serves me right for being a procrastinator myself!) I'm excited to get everything submitted and start hopefully hearing back from places for an interview. Danny and I made our list of 10 programs, and looked into the areas that they're in for ease of job for him, income, taxes, etc. but I think getting to see the facilities and actually experience the area ourselves will be a big factor in my rank order. I was all nervous about where we'd end up but now that I'm actually applying, I realize that the most important thing is that I get to live with my husband and we get to be a normal couple for the first time in a very, very long time. I certainly hope I find a program with awesome facilities, amazing people and great opportunities too, though!

The other things on my plate include my clinical conference - my presentation is next Wednesday (eek!) and my final paper is due at the end of November before I head out. Match applications are due November 9 and I should start to hear back from programs shortly thereafter. Then home for the NAVLE, hopefully some interviews, holiday time with my family, catching up with old friends and externals. Match Day is February 9(?) and at that point, Danny and I can start looking into details on moving to our new place.

Crazy times ahead, but I'm excited :)

Another one bites the dust: small animal medicine is done! I didn't get called in on emergency last night so I just had to come in this morning and feed the pigeons (they're being cared for by our tiny wildlife group while they regrow their flight feathers) and now I'm finished with all of my obligations for the rotation. It wasn't nearly so bad as I was expecting - at least in part due to the decrease in cases coming through compared to the summer rotations but also because all of the technicians, interns, residents and clinicians were amazing to work with.


In other exciting news, Match applications opened on Wednesday. I've got all of my letter writers lined up, have a few last minute tweaks to make to my essay and a couple other odds little things to do before the special lab animal deadline November 9th. Fortunately, I should have enough free time through December and early January to attend any interviews I might be lucky enough to land. I'm going to apply to 10 programs (you pay for applications in brackets, so it's a set fee for 1-10, 11-20, etc) although there are four or five that I'm most interested in right now. It feels kind of like applying to vet school, except now that my grades are better I feel more confident in my application than when I applied to vet schools. So it's pretty exciting.

I have a lot of chores to get done today but I know I'll have next weekend to get stuff done too, as my next rotation is only a week long. I also have a paper to finish and a powerpoint to start for my clinical conference (which I'm terrified for...) as well as NAVLE prep to continue. Time is really rolling now :)

Two weeks of medicine down, one more to go!

So far, I really like this rotation and I feel kind of silly for dreading it as much as I did. Granted, I expected it to be like surgery with a lot of cases to juggle, late hours and crazy weekends. Fortunately the case load has been steady but not overwhelming and the weekends have been manageable. There have definitely been some late nights but I don't feel nearly so exhausted as I did during surgery. On top of that, I feel as though I've been developing my skills, both technical and diagnostic, and continue to feel as though this profession is absolutely the right place for me. There have been some sad cases but there have also been some very happy endings that make it all worth it. If I had room for it in my schedule, I would totally do a second block of medicine!

Since last posting, I also had two fun events: buddy dinner and awards night.


Buddy dinner is where our buddy groups (one to two students in each academic year plus a faculty adviser) get to sit down to a sponsored dinner, catch up and exchange advice. My buddy mentor is a great guy, always offering valuable advice on life, and my buddies are really sweet. I only got to meet one of my incoming buddies but she was really nice too! I like being able to help other students out (I got to chat with a gaggle of first years in the teaching hospital today which was awesome). Plus, you know, free dinner ;)

Awards night was Wednesday night. I love awards night because you get to see everyone rewarded for their hard work and achievements. I was selected by my class for an award recognizing courtesy, sincerity and integrity. The award was put together by a family in honor of their veterinarian son who passed away and the short speech the guy gave before it was so touching. I felt ridiculously honored to have been selected by my class. Definitely made my night :) But my favorite part of the evening was the presentation of the annual teaching award; the professors are always so happy and touched at being selected and I love being able to recognize them for having such an impact on our education and our future careers. The person I voted for didn't win - and I thought she really deserved it! - but the winner was totally deserving too. All in all a great night.

I've managed to be lazy and not accomplish much of my fall to-do list lately, but hopefully I get some time this weekend even though I am on call...

Another rotation behind me! I really enjoyed diagnostic services. Most of it was clinical pathology, which I like because it's pretty much just a puzzle you have to figure out and the clinicians were all great to work with. Lots of microscope time which hurt my eyes after a while, but I feel like I developed some good clinical skills as well as problem-solving abilities (read: I re-remembered everything we learned the first few years of school...)

Up next is small animal medicine, which I'm dreading more than a little. It is a notoriously difficult rotation, not all that different than the small animal surgery rotation that just ate my life for three weeks. I'm really not looking forward to early mornings and middle of the night phone calls, even if I do learn a lot.

But I still have two days before the madness begins. I'm going to attempt to make it an even mix of productivity (cleaning my apartment, starting my clinical conference paper) and relaxation (finishing "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King, sleeping in). The next three weeks also hold some things to look forward to: awards night, opening of the Match for applications and the buddy potluck dinner are all happening, which means I have one big thing to look forward to each week.

After small animal medicine finishes up, I have three one week rotations and then one last three week block. Then Danny comes to pick me up and I head for home for good! So nine more weeks of internal rotations, nine more weeks of long distance marriage, nine more weeks of no Chipotle...I hope it goes quickly :)

Over the last week, a lot of things have been teaming up to start overwhelming me: upcoming residency applications, my clinical conference presentation, homework for my rotation, an issue with my student loans and a million other little things that needed done. Yesterday, I was dangerous close to just bursting into tears. I felt like there was too much to do in too little time. Despite having kept myself together even through the most grueling of my clinical rotations thus far, I was letting the stress take over more and more of my thoughts. I wasn't sleep well, I was thinking of worst-case scenarios for every little thing.

After dithering around feeling sorry for myself yesterday morning, I got my shit together. I made a to-do list and just started working through it. I accomplished a lot yesterday, and I feel better today. I still have things that need to be done, and deadlines looming, but just making a list and starting into it helped me to feel more in control.

Some of the things I accomplished over this last week have included registering for my NAVLE (licensing exam) and applying to graduate. I've also been looking through programs posted on the Match website, and while the list is not yet complete, I've narrowed down some of my options. Everything is becoming more real with every passing day. I have a lot to accomplish this semester before I go home, and I hopefully have some residency interviews to plan for when I do get home. And already it's nearing the end of September! But remembering how efficient I can be when I set myself to it makes me feel a bit better. One to-do list at a time.

At long last: the weekend. Not just "a" weekend, but The Weekend: my first weekend in a month that I've had no responsibilities other than those assigned by my own conscience. (My mother remarked on the phone that it was like I was in medical school or something! Sigh.)

A month behind on all domestic responsibilities adds up quickly. My laundry has long outgrown the mesh baskets it usually inhabits until it can be cleaned and has puddled on the floor beside the over-stuffed aforementioned hampers. My dishes are all dirty - every last one of them. (I ruthlessly culled any semblance of excess when I made the last trip back North and have five each bowls, plates, spoons, forks and knives. I have one mixing bowl, one skillet, one saucepot, one pair of tongs, one spatula and one serving spoon. My splurges are one can opener, one cutting board and three - gluttony, I tell you! - kitchen knives.) The floors need a date with the vacuum desperately.

For all that I hope to accomplish this weekend, I will have to do it all over again in two weeks time in preparation for my last overly demanding rotation (or so I hope): small animal medicine. Like surgery, it will consume every last waking minute I have and I have no doubt that the chaos that is my little apartment will soon rear its ugly head again. But for now, on quiet Diagnostic Services, I can regather the pieces at leisure.

I was looking at the calendar the other day, and thinking about everything ahead of me:

One month until our awards ceremony where I get my Honor Roll certificate and unknown award(s).

One week after that, the Match opens and I can view programs and start submitting my materials.

Two weeks after that, lab animal materials are due (eek).

Two weeks after that, I have my clinical conference presentation.

Three weeks after that, Danny comes to pick me up and I leave Canada for good!

Two weeks after that, I take my NAVLE. Then I have Christmas break and can relax a bit.

In early January, externals begin. I should hear if I passed the NAVLE or not around this time.

In early February, Match Day!

In early May, graduation!

It seems like such a long time away until I find out what my future looks like, at least for the next few years. But when I break everything down like this, it looks like everything will absolutely fly by! I've always been a big planner and I love lists but I haven't really had to make one since I was getting my stuff together to apply to vet school. Another chapter is fast approaching and I'm excited to see where Danny and I end up :)