Student Enters Clinical Rotations, Final Year of Veterinary School

We, the Class of 2020, are officially one month into our clinical rotations! The transition from classroom to the clinic floor has been a whirlwind of challenges and learning, but it has also been very rewarding.

At this point, we have all participated in three two-week blocks of clinical rotations. I spent my first two blocks participating in the Diagnostic Medicine rotation and my third block participating in the Ophthalmology rotation.

During the Diagnostic Medicine rotation, we spent our mornings learning about a variety of topics from business and learning to clinical pathology and the pathology of different organ systems. We spent our afternoons either interpreting cytology slides or performing gross necropsies.

On ophthalmology, we spent our mornings participating in teaching rounds or assisting or observing surgery, and the afternoons seeing patients. For all the rotations, we celebrate our growth on Friday with “Food Day,” where we all bring different dishes to share with our service.

(The photo above shows the students on the ophthalmology rotation with me: from the left, back row, they are: Caitlin Johnson, Michelle O’Brien, Brett Cattington, and Tony An; front row: Sarah Ruehle, Jennise Fermoso, me, and Renee Lamkin. Renee was on the rotation as part of her “professional development” period before she completed her veterinary degree and graduated on May 10. She is an aspiring ophthalmologist!)

It has truly amazed me how supportive our class has been. Whether it’s been teaching a classmate a new skill, assisting a classmate with a patient, or helping each other navigate the emergency on-call schedules, our class has been there for each other.

I know that we will continue to do so as we continue to grow as doctors. Only 13 more months until we can call ourselves “dogtors”!

By Sarah Wright