Springing into Action--Week 1

What a hectic first week back it has been! I wanted to post about this week earlier than I normally do because I'm anticipating a busy weekend, and I don't want to abandon my readers!

Monday I had a meeting to finalize the details of my internship and to learn what to expect and what my  a responsibilities are as a student and as an intern. I actually started the internship on Tuesday. Luckily, I have a very nice friend who is letting me borrow her car on Tuesdays and Thursdays for just that purpose. The large animal clinic is about 45 minutes from school, so it's quite a long drive, especially when I have to get up at 6 AM and leave at 7 AM. However, it is a pretty scenic drive since I travel through open fields and farms on my way to the clinic. It's actually quite freeing and enjoyable when I turn the radio on and just go with the flow. Anyway, when I arrived at the clinic, dressed in my navy blue coveralls and hiking boots, I had to wait a few minutes before Becky, one of the receptionists, let me in. She showed me around the clinic and introduced me to Mrs. F, the lone veterinary technician at the clinic. I learned that Dr. W, who I will be shadowing this term, built the clinic. I can tell that it was designed by a vet because it has many different kinds of rooms, some of which are on separate heating and cooling systems. He really seems to take a lot of pride in excellent animal care, which I deeply admire. I did not meet Dr. W until a couple of hours after I arrived because he was already out on a call. He had woken up at 5:45 that morning to assist in the birthing of a calf, which was not going very well. The calf was upside down and backwards in the birth canal, and the mother's obturator nerves (nerves that help control the hind legs) were damaged, making it difficult for her to stand up. The calf did not make it, but Dr. W said that the mother would probably make a full recovery. I kind of wish I could have seen it, but Dr. W said he was glad that I was not with him. I would probably just have been in the way. It wasn't long before we were off on another farm call, but not before I was redressed in a pair of lined coveralls with a zip-up hoodie and rubber boots and gloves. It appears that I was not as well prepared for the experience as I thought I was going to be. However, the clinic luckily has extras of everything so that I never have to worry about being improperly dressed. Anyway, Dr. W and I took off for a farm, where 21 pregnant cows waiting for checkups and vaccines. Because it is hard to ultrasound a cow on-site, the progress of the pregnancies must be assessed the manual way. That is, rectal palpations, where the doctor thrusts his arm into the birth canal and feels for the calf. In this manner, he can tell how far along the cow is. Obviously, cows do not like this process, so they must be put in a chute and sent into a cramped holding device to give the doctor axis to their hind ends. Indeed, the process itself is called "chuting." After awhile, it becomes very rote and assembly-line-like. I enjoyed seeing all the new tools that Dr. W uses on cows. They are much different from those used on small animals, particularly the syringes. They look more like guns than medical devices. One of the cows, Number 8, was particularly stubborn and shoved herself into the holding dock with the cow in front of her. Dr. W couldn't do anything but examine them as a pair, which he did with surprising success (maybe he's just done it a million times before). He is very brave, and I can only hope that I will be like that someday. He also really seems to enjoy working with the farmers, and this is something that I hope to do one day, too. After we left the farm, we went back to the clinic for a cat spay and a cat neuter/declaw on a gray feline named Gracie (a boy, sadly). Our joke was that Gracie was such a jerk because he was mad at the world about his name. Overall, it was not a bad first day. I only hope that I am able to go to more farm calls next week. I did not go on Thursday because Dr. W had continuing education seminars, which means he was not in the clinic, so there was nothing interesting for me to see. Mrs. F and the receptionists said they would have something for me to do, but they were also okay with my not coming. Besides, I am there to get large animal experience, which I would not get without Dr. W.

We had our Circle K Exec Board elections on Tuesday, as well. I was unaware of this, but I was also nominated for Fundraising Chair along with this girl named Catherine. We were running together because she will be gone Spring Term in Ireland, and I will probably be at home Winter Term since I don't really need to be here for three terms next year (which you know already). Anyway, that position was up for voting before Social Chair, so I had to give my nice speech earlier than I thought. Well, I must have been pretty convincing because I was elected Fundraising Co-Chair, without any chance of being Social Chair. It's odd how I originally wanted to be Service Chair, then had just come to terms with being Social Chair before the role of Fundraising Co-Chair was thrust upon me. However, Heather tells me that it is easy, and it is that ever-elusive Circle K Exec Board Position that I have wanted since I joined. I'm excited to work with the other members and have another leadership role (since I'll probably be Secretary or Co-Secretary for Vet Med next year, too).

I'm really enjoying all of my classes, too. My physics professor is really funny and approachable, and he seems really enthusiastic about the subject, which is really infectious. His lectures are easy to follow and enjoyable, so I think this term will be even better than last term (I still don't know how I pulled off that A...). He's great because he emphasizes understanding the concept behind the questions more than the nitty-gritty math and such, which is often what tripped me up last term. Anatomy is a pretty cool class because it's biology and because it's so practical. I enjoy learning about the human body, and even in a human science, I can see parallels to animal science. I agreed to participate in a research study that the professor and her colleague are conducting along with some professors from St. Ambrose University in Davenport (almost like our sister school, if you want to call it that...or maybe just our neighbor across the river). They are examining whether computer programs help Anatomy students better learn and understand the human body and its 3D structure and relationships. The study offers bonus points for participating students, awarded in the form of surveys and a final 60-minute test given during Finals Week to test our retention of anatomical information. I am looking forward to contributing to scientific research. Having done a little myself, I have a greater appreciation that I did before of the process as a whole, and I want other people to be as successful in their studies as I feel I was in mine. Finally, my Argument and Oral Advocacy professor is freaking hilarious. He is a young guy (just 29 years old) from Texas who talks with a very slight accent and uses very Southern phrases. He told us the first day of class that his brand of humor is a mix of sarcasm and self-deprecation, which are my two favorites. I don't need to tell you that I was pretty much cracking up most of the time. He seems really nice and accessible, and he told us that he is in the learning process, too, which means he is a pretty fair guy and wanting the classroom to be an inviting, supportive environment of collective learning and teaching. However, he also told us that we really have to earn our grades, and that even "doing things right" does not guarantee an A. Well, you can imagine that I take that as a kind of challenge of sorts to strive for excellence in all of my assignments in the class. I am a bit nervous for the four speeches we must give (one of which is less than two weeks away), but the first one is pretty casual, and I'm sure I will get more comfortable as I become more familiar with him and the class.

So, as you can see, I've had quite the week. I'm really looking forward to the weekend because my homework load is relatively light (lighter than it will probably be for the rest of the term) and because I am going to do a lot of fun things. Tomorrow, Sarah and I are driving to the movie theater to see if we can get our Hunger Games tickets early and then to Hot Topic at Southpark Mall, which has lots of Hunger Games merchandise. After all, we have to show up to the premiere properly dressed!! Later in the afternoon and evening, I am going to the QCAWC to help with Trivia Night. I love trivia; it reminds me of my Knowledge Bowl days. When you combine that with cute, furry animals, it's a recipe for instant success and good times! Sunday will be pretty low-key, but that will be okay because I will need some down time to do homework. So, that's everything new for you. This next week doesn't look too exciting, but it's still a few days away, so you never know what might happen. Obviously, I will share everything noteworthy with you. But until then, have a great weekend, and don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday!!