So I wrote a really long blog post right after school ended, but it got stuck in some sort of published, but not published limbo.
Because it was really long, I am not going to try and retype it, mostly because I have no clue what I wrote at this point. I'm just waiting on the blogspot fixers of things to figure out what is going on!
I'll just skip straight to break instead. I have had the most lazy but productive break ever. Having an unstructured day is beyond weird. I don't have to get up at anytime except for when my cat wants to be fed, and I don't really have anywhere I need to be. So I caught up on back episodes of Vampire Diaries and have been doing crafts like a bandit. Our house has so much ModgePodge, beads, papers, paints, everything one could ever need to make everything Pinterest has ever shown me.
I also got my grades back, and while I do have one that I am not insanely proud of, it was in a class that is difficult and where I felt like I learned the most. If I keep thinking about it in terms of learning to be a good veterinarian, it makes everything seem so much better. In general though, I passed everything! In V school, you have to get a C in everything to be considered passing and are only allowed 9credit hours of D level grades. That may seem like a lot of hours to get a D in, but our Physiology class is worth 6 credit hours, so if you struggle in that class and maybe had some issues adjusting to school and couldn't quite pull it up, you pretty much only have one more class you can get a D in before you are "let go". Sometimes they will give you the option to reapply and come in with next years class, but you have to prove that things will go differently this time. Plus you just spent a whole year's worth of living expenses and tuition for nothing.
We have already lost 5 of our classmates. Some of them were 3 and 1 students which means they were in Mizzou's program where you do 3 years of undergrad and then your first year of V school counts as your last year of undergrad. The 3 and 1 students actually dropped out right before finals because if they had not dropped out on their own, the grades would have affected getting their bachelors degree. While a lot of my classmates did not take 4 full years of undergrad, I believe those that did are sometimes more mature and seem more centered and able to deal with the stresses. Now that is a complete generalization because I have friends who did 3 years and are mature and kicking my booty as far as grades go, but I do think in general that the fourth year is important.
We hear a lot from our professors and administrators that as vet students we are ambassadors for our profession, so I am going to try and do a better job of being informative about issues that affect the public. If you don't care about these kinds of things or don't have a pet, feel free to skip the next paragraph.
For example, there is an act called the Fairness to Pet Owners Act which, as always, sounds like a great thing.
Fairness? We love it! Pet Owners? Hey that's us!
But this act is backed by Walmart and is a push to let corporations and random businesses dispense drugs instead of just veterinarians. It requires that for every single prescription that a vet doles out, that he write a written prescription that can be taken to a human pharmacy. Besides the issues that would face veterinarians (waste of time, loss of business) this method would also be unsafe. Most vets already write out prescriptions for medications that can safely be replaced with a human form such as insulin, but there is a reason that vets do not do it for every prescription. It is potentially dangerous.
The pharmacist at your local drug store has no clue if the human version is the same as the one formulated specially for canines.
Is it mixed with a different carrier? Is the coating on pill toxic to cats? What about that other medication your pet is on? How will it react with those? Does this pharmacist even know your pet is on heartworm medications?
This is simply a way for big businesses to encroach in area of science where they have no business being.
The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) is opposed to this act and is fighting hard against it in congress. Don't let yourself be swayed by the pretty name, this act is not in your best interests.
Sorry for the brief political outburst, but these are things that don't always get talked about. If you ever have any questions regarding animal issues, the AVMA is one of the best sources for a well researched and informed opinion.
I'm off for a long shopping day with my dad and brothers. We always go before Christmas to get the last of mom's presents. Dad is a little picky when it comes to what she will be getting, so it may take awhile.
Have a great holiday!
