Once upon a time there was an ambitious vet student who thought she had time to have a blog. Oh how wrong she was...
Kidding - I still love having a blog, but somehow the past 5 weeks have flown by in the blink of an eye. Literally - I can't believe it's already dead week. And I really can't believe it's May. Where did the month of April go?
School has been going fantastic. Of course it's had its ups and downs - the same as anything else - but overall I'm very happy where I am right now. Grades are going very well (however, there's still time for that to change) and I have excitedly accepted a part time position in the Veterinary Hospital's Radiology Department.
I am caring for feline hyperthyroid patients that are receiving radiation treatment. When cats have hyperthyroidism they are essentially have an overactive thyroid. This means they are producing too many thyroid hormones and have a very high metabolism, increased heart rate, and are extremely skinny and hyperactive. These cats receive an injection of i-131 radiation which basically "kills" cells in their thyroid to give it a more "normal" level of activity (at least that is my understanding). After this injection these cats are radioactive for about 2 weeks and can't go home. I go in and feed/water them twice a day, give medication, and dispose of their waste in a special way - because it too is radioactive. I also am responsible for checking their radiation levels using a Geiger counter to find out when they can be cleared to go home. It's a pretty small time commitment, the pay is well, and it's something I can keep the rest of my time at the vet school. I am getting to work with the 4th year who is finishing up his last few weeks here, and then I'll be doing it all on my own. On my first weekend, 4th year Phil was gone for a family emergency, and therefore I was all on my own. Lucky for me, the crankiest cat I've ever met gave me great experience on learning how to cat "wrangle." I ended up having to call my supervisor for help, but now have successfully learned some new "cranky cat" techniques.
Still waiting to hear about some plans for the summer - somehow it crept up on me. Luckily I still have quite a few options open - and they are some very diverse options that's for sure. Hopefully, I'll hear back soon.
Nothing else too exciting here. Just spending all of my time studying and then when I'm done studying.. I study some more :)
Please say your prayers for finals - I'm almost done!!!!
Happy Tuesday,
Alex
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