vet2be.com

First off, I apologize for taking so long to update the blog - we are in the midst of another slew of tests and while writing the blog is the most important thing in my life, of course, I don’t believe that my professors will accept it as an excuse for bombing a test. But, at the risk of jeopardizing my performance on Monday’s histology test, I thought I’d better update the blog before I started losing readers (thanks for the guilt trip, Peter!).

While we are in the midst of test-taking, I thought it might be topical to talk about the vet school honor code. I’m not sure if the honor code is unique to the University of Minnesota vet school - I would venture to guess it isn’t - but it is certainly a refreshing difference from anything I encountered in my undergrad career. At the start of the school year, we were given a whole booklet that described the honor code, but what it states, in essence, is that the university is entrusting us to behave honestly with respect to our coursework, assignments, and tests. As such, there is no “policing” of such behavior other than by our fellow students.

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One of the nice things about vet school so far is that we’ve had the opportunity to interact with animals right from the get-go. I don’t know what it is like in other programs, but the prevailing rumor heading into vet school was that you spend the first two years with your nose in books taking all of the “foundation” courses required of veterinary medicine, and you don’t even get to touch a live animal until your third year. Thankfully, that rumor has proven to be false - from the very first week we’ve had “clinical skills” courses in which we’ve learned how to examine horses and cows, give injections, and move safely around large animals.

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Overheard in the freshman student lounge earlier this week:

Classmate #1: “Well, if you flunk out of vet school, you can always go to med school.”

Classmate #2: “No way. I’d never stoop that low.”

The tension was palpable this week as we were immersed in the test “trifecta” of a physio chem test on Friday, a histology test on Monday, and an anatomy test on Wednesday. Having the first test of your vet school career is stressful enough. Having three of them back-to-back is a nightmare come true. Even the second year students were feeling sorry for us, which is really saying something. They even went as far as to leave candy on our desks before our first test. Ya gotta love those second years!

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