Is vet school getting you down? Lost your motivation? Starting to question why you’re studying veterinary medicine in the first place? Here are 4 steps to re-motivate yourself to succeed in veterinary school: Step 1 - Assess the Situation Ask yourself why you are feeling demotivated. Is it because of stress or is it an issue with career choice? If it is stress: It is very common to get stressed out because of the heavy workload, and as a result lose your motivation for vet school. Many students face this, you...
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What is Addison's Disease? Addison's disease (also referred to as hypoadrenocorticism) is a disease caused by a reduction in corticosteroid secretion from the adrenal gland. What are the Adrenal Glands? The adrenal glands are located in the abdominal cavity medial to the cranial pole of each kidney. Like the kidneys, both adrenal glands are retroperitoreal (situated or occurring behind the peritoneum) in position, lying ventral to the psoas minor muscle. The canine adrenal glands as visible in EasyAnatomy The hormones produced by the adrenal glands include cortisol, a stress hormone, and aldosterone, a hormone that regulates the...
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When the stresses of a mounting workload, approaching exams, or overshadowing student loans start to wear you down and hinder your daily performance, try reducing the tension with these 4 simple tips to reduce stress as a veterinary student: Tip 1: Swap that coffee for herbal tea Caffeine induces feelings of stress, nervousness and anxiety. Herbal teas are caffeine free and filled with good vitamins and nutrients and are good for relieving stress or anxiety. Try one (or all) of these stress relieving herbal teas. Tip 2: Turn that Dorsal Dog, into Downward Dog The calm breathing and…
Studying for the NAVLE? Here’s 7 Exam Tips for Keeping You On Your “A” Game For those of you preparing for the NAVLE, good luck! We know that studying veterinary medicine is challenging, there is so much to learn, so little time and very few resources. We asked veterinary students and practitioners what they did to study for the NAVLE and ace the test, and here’s what they had to say: 1) Keep Your NAVLE Studies Organized Having a plan and understanding what needs to be covered is helpful in making sure you…
Allie Catalino is a 4th year DVM student, an AVC class representative vice-president, and seems to have many of the secrets to vet school success dialed in. Fortunately for us, despite being incredibly busy working on a farm this summer, she took the time to share some of her vet school experiences and insights. Whether you’re about to enter your first year, nearing the end of your degree like Allie, or already graduated, there’s surely something to be learned or related to in this brief Q&A conversation, so read on! …
We often speak to the value of incorporating 3D resources and tools into education. Intuitively it makes sense to learn 3D subject matter by studying 3D sources, but for a variety of reasons the tools necessary to enable this type of learning have been slow to grab a foothold in education, and ever slower to enter veterinary medicine. Studies indicate that learning anatomy in 3D makes it easier to grasp complex concepts, increases student engagement and knowledge retention, and improves assessment. While it sounds great to objectively recite the potential…
Sometimes coming out of school and going straight into the field can be a little nerve-racking. You’re likely unsure of what to even expect! To help reduce the anxiety and uncertainty, Dr. Nicole Salloum, MVB, gave us these 9 helpful tips to pass along to you soon to be vets. 1. Its normal to feel overwhelmed. When you leave vet school, you’ll have a whole bunch of knowledge at your fingertips, but during your first week in practice you’ll be faced with real life situations and may feel like you actually know very little about…
When people think of what it’s like to be a veterinarian, what comes to mind is typically a work environment filled with cute animals, a hefty paycheck, and of course the occasional difficult time when it comes to things like euthanasia. But many don’t realize how difficult the job actually can be, not to mention the intensive process of becoming a vet in the first place. Here are just a few things people don’t realize about being a veterinarian: 1. Time Commitment “Vet school is just a two year program…
EasyAnatomy is not a digital textbook. When studying veterinary anatomy, the 3D models it offers definitely beat the 2D diagrams in textbooks. Here’s why: 1. Why study a 3D subject like canine anatomy in 2D? Anatomical structures are three dimensional in real life, so studying 3D models will give you a more realistic understanding of the structure. Three dimensional objects are best understood when viewed as they should be, in 3D. 2. Textbook diagrams can be hard to interpret. Since they are just a single view, complex anatomical structures and how…
Become an expert in a specific species. Becoming a veterinarian doesn’t always mean you will end up working in a typical veterinary clinic dealing with common household cats and dogs; there are a number of areas that can be specialized in. Currently there are 41 specialties recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). These specialties range from animal welfare, to dentistry, to surgery, and of course veterinary practitioners. To become a specialist, a veterinarian is required to pass an examination that evaluates their knowledge in their specialty area. Within the…