Idiopathic Issues

Vet school is undoubtedly one of the busiest and most stressful times in your life. With all that you’ve got going on, it’s important to stay physically healthy and mentally sharp to get you through it all. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy:

1. Exercise! Staying active and having a regular exercise schedule is helpful in many ways. Whether it’s running, walking, biking, yoga, volleyball, or turbo kickboxing, keeping a scheduled exercise routine will help you stay both physically and mentally fit. Getting your blood flowing and your heart rate up will keep you mentally alert and focused for studying and for sitting through long lectures. It’s also a great way to reduce stress and prevent some of the general lethargy and malaise that sets in around the middle of the semester. A short exercise break is also great during marathon study sessions to help you clear your mind and re-focus.

Each month we will highlight a veterinarian in our Spotlight Veterinarian segment.  Our goal is to bring you different points of view from veterinarians in various specialities throughout our diverse profession.

September Spotlight Veterinarian

Our inaugural veterinarian is Dr. Mauricio Dujowich, DVM, DACVS. He is a multi-talented veterinary surgeon from Gainesville, Florida. He is a 2004 graduate from the University of California, Davis and pursued his surgical residency at Iowa State University. He is both a board certified surgeon and entrepreneur. Currently, he has two active positions as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Small Animal Surgery and also as President at XPrep Learning Solutions (the creators of VetPrep, VetTechPrep and most recently ViralVet).

Like it or not, finances are an extremely important aspect of veterinary medicine. Just like every other industry, money makes the world go round.  Veterinary students are graduating with record debt.

Veterinary hospitals are struggling to pay living wages for all employees while simultaneously keeping the lights on. Owners are scrounging up funds for improved veterinary technology and sometimes that plight is heartbreaking.  

Veterinarians hate talking about money because we don't like being accused of not caring.  Somehow charging for our services makes us evil. It's ridiculous because there are very few people working full time jobs for free, so why do we always feel guilty? Getting paid is not actually something to feel bad about.

Taking advantage of a client is something to be ashamed of, but earning an honest living and being able to pay off your loans is just being a responsible member of society.

A common misconception about veterinary professionals is that we play with puppies and kittens all day.  The reality is that very little of our time is spent snuggling adorable little pets.  However, you will have those awesome appointments when you get to meet a family’s recently adopted kitten.

It’s usually a long appointment discussing feeding, handling, litter box care, parasite prevention, spaying or neutering, and vaccination schedules.  Typically it ends with ridiculous amounts of baby talk and playing with the kitten. Imagine the horror when 4 weeks later, instead of coming in for a vaccination booster, the kitten presents with a decreased appetite, increased respiratory effort, abdominal fluid and a fever.  

It was late November. After waking up, having a bite to eat, and trying to cram the last few facts about pig diarrhea into my brain before my NAVLE, I headed out to the most important test of my life. 

The tests are given at Prometric testing centers, which are rooms with rows of computer cubicles. I made sure I had everything I needed: wallet, keys, a set of notes for last minute cramming, and a set of directions to the testing center, and I was on my way.

I don’t know if it was the stress of the morning, my usual lack of sleep as a senior vet student, or my usual poor sense of direction, but as I made it to three-fourths of the way there, I could not find the next street on my set of directions.