Idiopathic Issues

For most of us, clinics are an exciting yet nerve wracking transition. After 3 years (numbers vary by school) of sitting in a classroom it is beyond thrilling to interact with patients and practice being a REAL veterinarian. But with this transition comes a whole new set of challenges. How does one get the most out of clinics, impress your professors, and save lives? Here is a quick list of how to succeed in clinical rotations.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections have been reported in U.S. domestic and wild birds over the past year. Avian influenza is primarily spread by direct contact between healthy birds and infected birds, and through indirect contact with contaminated equipment and materials.

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.