Popping in!

[Cussypat1974]

hi all!
i am not well and came home from college early so am popping in to say hi!
second year of vet nursing course is going great, but sweet Baaste it is TOUGH! we are doing the "real" nursey stuff this year. last year it was all basic cell biology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology etc. this year we are learning how to do blood transfusions, fluid therapy, all about the main illnesses and parasites etc. tomorrow morning I have to collect a poop from on of the cats, package it properly for biosecuroity measures, bring it to college and then test it for parasites. so that is the sort of "real life" stuff of the second year vet nurse student.

I left early today as I was feeling ill and have since been vomiting. But I cannot miss the poop class or I will lose marks. So it is grin and bear it.......

this year is tougher as we have so many assignments and projects and essays to do. it seems never ending to be honest and there is not one single day that I can happily relax in the knowledge that I am up to date with course work. It is like a marathon length sprint. I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how ANY vet ever qualifies, as they have to know so much more than we do!

In another way, this year suits me far better so far. I was completely out of my depth last year as being older, I hadnt studied biology in over 20 years..... my cat and dog rescue experience is standing me in good stead now. The lifecycle of the flea is not news to me as I have dealt with flea infestations, for example. Nursing the kidney failure cat is a no-brainer. Neither is nursing the geriatric cat or the dog with bowel issues. Neither is feeding inappetant snakes for that matter! I could actually do most of those exams from memory...... This is where my life experience comes into play really, and I am soooooo thankful for it! i think this year must be AWFUL for the youngsters who dont have that sort of experience, because academically it is bloody tough too. i still have to study the methods for placing catheters, but at least I already know what to do with a kitten suffering from flu. And I know what works.

One of the lecturers actually said that a predisposing factor for cats developing crystals was a wet diet yesterday..... and I picked her up on it lol. She corrected herself. She just mis-spoke as in the notes it said dry food.

I will update on the cats here in separate posts in the health section. We had a tragedy I feel terrible about, continued success with Locky and an elderly lady who I am seeking advice on. x

[lilynmitz]

Lovely to see you back, and hope you're feeling better soon. The course sounds a real challenge, but as you, thank heaven for real world experience! Well done, and keep it up.

[Crewella]

Good to see you! I've always thought that you would make an excellent vet nurse, I was chuffed for you when you started the course and I'm really pleased that you're starting to find that your years of experience are giving you an edge at last. Keep up the good work! xx