I will let this post get a little personal. In about two months, I will start my fourth and final year of veterinary school. In about two and a half months, I will get married. To prepare, my fianceé and I have been meeting with a married couple to receive pre-marriage counseling. The reason for…
I think community is a big deal. Recently, we had a mentor day at our school where the state veterinary medical association brought 80 veterinarians to meet with us as a reminder that the community is one of the greatest parts of the profession and a strong force against any struggles that come. We have…
I only met Shannon because of blogging; she has her own here. We would otherwise have no reason to know each other. I am in the United States, and she is in Canada. But now that I know her, I know that she is a force to be reckoned in the battle against poor mental…
The mental health problem in veterinary medicine is multi-layered. There are aspects at the individual level that must be handled. Individuals have the responsibility to do things to take care of themselves to prevent and treat the symptoms of mental health issues. Institutions have the responsibility to try to reduce the causes of a lot…
Thank you to the veterinary student members of the UC Davis Health and Wellness Club for giving their time and insights into what makes their club so successful. This club is the result of students seeing a need and doing their best to fulfill it. It looks like they are already making a big difference…
This is a good time of the year. The semester has ended, and we are taking a quick break before we start our next classes. The seasons have just changed over, and with that, many more changes. Perhaps some of us are gearing up for the New Year and the change that it represents. It…
Last year, at the third annual Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges’ Health and Wellness Summit, Jennifer Brandt, director of individual and organizational development at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, said, Eating properly, getting adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water while limiting alcohol consumption, and getting exercise may seem unimaginative, but they’re…
Fail fast. Fail often. Fail forward. That’s how you got into veterinary school, right? A series of failures? That’s probably not how you think about it. You probably had a great GPA, lots of relevant experience to put on your resume, and a fine-tuned essay. Any time you did experience failure, and you did because…
Nice to meet you. Tell me about yourself. “Well, I am inherently high stress, anxious, and competitive. In fact, competition makes me even more stressed and anxious. I have to have my way and I think I know best, even though I often feel that I am not good enough. How about you, what are…
You know one thing we do at this blog is ask veterinary students important questions, and then see what we can learn from that data. We have changed the format in order to make use of the scientific information that is already published and to not detract from the work of those continuing to learn…
Beasts, Unburdened 