Idiopathic Issues

I saw this week that a raw diet was recalled for possible botulinum toxin contamination. I have only seen one suspected case of Botulism in practice (in a dog) but let’s take a moment to review this important disease. In general, dogs and cats tend to be more resistant.

I would like to believe my veterinary education was progressive in a lot of ways. We had classes in communication, business and professional development in addition to the traditional courses. Topics that the generations of veterinarians in front of me likely did not learn about were discussed in different ways.

TED Talks is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages.

Here are 9 talks I think would be very beneficial for Veterinary Students who may be just starting their journey as a 1st year all the way to the recent graduate. Take a look at these 9 gems and then read my takeaways through a veterinary lens as someone who has taken the journey through veterinary school and now is a professional.

The DEA is decreasing production of opioids again this year by another 20%. This will likely have a direct effect on our use and availability for our patients. We use opioids routinely for analgesia, especially for surgical procedures so this is causing some panic in our community.

This is mainly going to cause a shortage of schedule II drugs (for us this will mostly be hydromorphone, morphine, and fentanyl). And not only will these drugs be more difficult to get, but the price could be much higher. 

I once overheard a group of veterinary students discussing how their class was very competitive and that they didn’t really share materials with each other.

This discussion made me wonder about their reciprocity style and their potential for success in our field. Would they work well with others in clinics? What about in their first job or internship or residency?

How would this mindset affect their careers long term?