Diary of a Vet Student

It's so nice in Glasgow at the moment. All the lovely spring flowers are coming up and it's just luvley luvley. It really gets you in the mood fora bit of parasitolofy revision. Oooh yeah. there's just something about this nice weather that makes more want to learn all about ixodes ticks. That's what I've been revising all morning.

I'm just in for my only lecture today on toxic plants. Then back to me books.

We had our virology practical exam yeasterday. It was all about using diagnostic tests like rapid immunodiffusion tests and ELISAs to help diagnose things like feline leukeamia virus and Feline Immunodeficiency virus. It was nee too bad, although my brain got a bit mangled, because the questions were quite like tongue twisters: "Is this test result a positive diagnosis because the negative control is negative or a negative diagnosis because the positive control is positive". Ahhhhhhhh!

I think I have nearly finnished my pharacology essay. Now we have been given a parasitology essay to do over the holidays. What's going on?! It won't be too tough really cos you just have to annalyse some scientific papers and use this new-fangled "moodle" internet thing they've set up. The moodle thing looks really good actually. It's going to replace the online student web server they already have at the vet school. It will let you chat directly to other people in the year and your lecturers about anything you don't understand and it's just all posh.


Anyway toxic plants are waiting.

It's that time again. Exams start on Monday. Actually I've got one tomorrow too on virus diagnostics in the lab, but it's not as heavily weighted as the big boys next week. So lectures are pretty much finnished now. Although I just had a pathology lecture and a quick pathology lab. it was quite interesting we were looking at the histology of liver failure and there was a ragwort case. However that's no as interesting as what the rugby boys did last night. Apparently one of them decided to streak along Kelvinway. Alas they are a cruel breed and the rest of them decided to have a wee small bonfire using the said streaker's clothes as fuel. Told you I'd give you some gossip. Anyway the people who were due to do their post mortems today have to wait until Thursday, because nothing has died yet. That's just so morbid isn't it?

I've got a lambing job sorted for easter now. i was going to do some clinical work experience, but because I'm intercalating next year there is no urgency to get my clinical ems done so I am using Easter to get some more work with farm animals and earn a bit of wonga . I am also going to steward on the British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual congress, which will be ace. There will be loads of amazing talks and loads of lovely people to meet and greet. I'm also getting paid and every little helps.

Right then back to the books. I'm doing lots of revision and the obligatory chocolate eating that is generally associated with it. It's all good.

Good morning. I think I have felled myself for the rest of the day actually. I went swimming this morning, which meant i had to cycle there and back and now I've got a lecture at 10.30. They should be pretty good today. We have a whole morning of complementary therapy followed by an afternoon of EMS lectures. The EMS lectures are all about preparing us for our EMS placements in practise. Last week we were learning how to clinically examine a cow. It's quite scary when you start seeing practise. It's hard not to beat yourself up for not knowing everything - especially because as a third year you haven't really had any clinical lectures. Also you are suddenly faced with the harsh reality that in 2 or three years time it'll be you under the stethoscope on the other side of the table or farm gate - furrowing your brow and trying to remember your pathology and it'll be for real. Funny because before I came to vet school I could always imagine myself as a vet. i think I stopped doing it in 1st and 2nd year and now I'm starting to get that mental image of myself again it's exciting but not just a tad eekish.

Anyway. We are all working hard on our projects. Our group is going to get it's finger out today and start working on our joint conclusion, which we'vejust discovered is worth 30%. Golly gosh.

I'm trying to get some lambing sorted at the last ,inute for Easter time as I don't need to do much ems in practise this year and may as well earn the cash, plus I love lambing.

Byesy bye.

Hellooo. Managed to get through last Thursday (after all the moaning) in the end. Friday wasn't too strenuous, wrote my essay for pharmacology- all about pheromonatherapy in behaviour. It wasn't too tough really. I quite liked doing the reasearch for that. Now our group (6 of us) have got to get together to work out an introduction for the project (we have each written an essay on a separate section of it). Then after that we all have to write individual conclusions about the whole projet and how our own little bitties are relevant. Will be nice just to get it out of the way now. It counts 3.5% to the final year mark so it's worth doing, but with the exams rounding down on us in just 2 weeks time we really want to be revising.

Indeedy the exams are looming and I was begining to feel the presssure a bit last week and started having nervous dreams about sitting in an exam room, having forgotten to put my trousers on (you know what I mean). Cue a relaxation tape in the post from my lovely Mum. Now I'm back to sleeping as if comatosed again and "going with the flow", "keeping things in perspective", "finding the inner peace within myself". You have to realise when you're doing this couse that it's going to be pretty stressful especially towards the end of each term and you can't take things too seriously or you'd just have no fun so I refuse to let myself get stressed. Ha

This morning it's virus toutorials. We've totally finished microbiology and parasitology lectures now, so have lots more time and they have scheduled some tutorials to help us revise.

Right that's it for now. No juicy gossip, sex, rock and roll or schandal, sorry.