Heya!
Today in Imaging we got to take x-rays of a chicken! It was pretty cool because I've never really interacted with chickens before. I got to help carry it, restrain it for x-rays, and return it to its cage. We also watched two different blood draws on the chicken, which was pretty interesting. I find out that chickens get hematomas extremely easy, even with a perfect blood draw.
We also took some x-rays of one of the rats we have at school. The rat was so chill that we literally used no restraint for the one x-ray, and hardly any for the second one.
We didn't do a whole lot else today, but it was fun. I'll write more later :)
December 7, 2011
November 29, 2011
Weeks 8 and 9
Howdy!
I've learned some new language after visiting a farm last Wednesday! ;) For Imaging, we went to a local Horse Farm to take x-rays! It was very exciting and scary because I've interacted with horses before, but only when I was very young and the horses were super well trained.
The farm was absolutely beautiful and the horses were very gentle. Interestingly enough, our x-ray machine was acting up, and we didn't take a single x-ray.
Below is a picture basically explaining how we take x-rays "in the field." We have one person operating the portable x-ray machine, one person holding a cassette that contains the x-ray film behind the part being radiographed (here is the fetlock joint), and one person distracting the horse at the head. We even get to wear the ridiculous looking lead gear featured! Amazing what you can find on Google Images! :P
Work
I did two hours worth of inventory today, and still haven't finished! There is a lot to go through, and it is kind of fun to see all sorts of tools, products, and medications that I have sometimes only talked about but never seen, and other things that I haven't learned about yet, but know that I will!
Hematology
Tonight, I got checked off on drawing blood from a dog's lateral saphenous vein. I got blood as soon as I poked the needle in!! It was exciting! We also practiced our next technique - a jugular vein blood draw. It took me a bit, but I got blood, and even drew up enough for half of the class to run tests on!
We also ran some tests on the blood that we've been learning, and I perfected a few things that I have been struggling with! I did a somewhat difficult blood test by hand and my results correlated with the results from the automated machine! It was super exciting to see that I had done it right!!
I will write again later this week or next. Have a great week all!
I've learned some new language after visiting a farm last Wednesday! ;) For Imaging, we went to a local Horse Farm to take x-rays! It was very exciting and scary because I've interacted with horses before, but only when I was very young and the horses were super well trained.
The farm was absolutely beautiful and the horses were very gentle. Interestingly enough, our x-ray machine was acting up, and we didn't take a single x-ray.
Below is a picture basically explaining how we take x-rays "in the field." We have one person operating the portable x-ray machine, one person holding a cassette that contains the x-ray film behind the part being radiographed (here is the fetlock joint), and one person distracting the horse at the head. We even get to wear the ridiculous looking lead gear featured! Amazing what you can find on Google Images! :P
When we did ours, we hold the cassette using what's called a tomahawk. Basically a long pole that holds the cassette so we don't have to be that close to the primary x-ray beam.
Parasitology
Today in Parasitology, we got to exam the dogs for external parasites (mites, lice, fleas, etc.) We also got to administer a pill and Frontline (a topical that repels and kills Ticks, Fleas, etc). It went smoothly!
Applying Frontline
I did two hours worth of inventory today, and still haven't finished! There is a lot to go through, and it is kind of fun to see all sorts of tools, products, and medications that I have sometimes only talked about but never seen, and other things that I haven't learned about yet, but know that I will!
Hematology
Tonight, I got checked off on drawing blood from a dog's lateral saphenous vein. I got blood as soon as I poked the needle in!! It was exciting! We also practiced our next technique - a jugular vein blood draw. It took me a bit, but I got blood, and even drew up enough for half of the class to run tests on!
Jugular Blood Draw
We also ran some tests on the blood that we've been learning, and I perfected a few things that I have been struggling with! I did a somewhat difficult blood test by hand and my results correlated with the results from the automated machine! It was super exciting to see that I had done it right!!
I will write again later this week or next. Have a great week all!
November 19, 2011
Week 7
Hey All
Imaging
This week, we took a bunch of x-rays in Imaging. We did several different views on two cats and a dog. It was really fun to do what we will be doing in the clinical setting... everything from setting up, restraining, setting the x-ray machine, taking the films, processing them, looking at them and discussing them, labeling and putting away the x-rays, and breaking down.
Parasitology
In Parasitology, we did our normal fecals and those that found parasites got to decide on a medication, calculate the dosage, fill the prescription, and give the first dose. I wasn't one of those people, but it was cool to know that could be me next week!
I got to do what is called a Snap test to test if one of the animals had FeLV/FIV (Feline Leukemia Virus, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). The Snap test looks like this:
Imaging
This week, we took a bunch of x-rays in Imaging. We did several different views on two cats and a dog. It was really fun to do what we will be doing in the clinical setting... everything from setting up, restraining, setting the x-ray machine, taking the films, processing them, looking at them and discussing them, labeling and putting away the x-rays, and breaking down.
Parasitology
In Parasitology, we did our normal fecals and those that found parasites got to decide on a medication, calculate the dosage, fill the prescription, and give the first dose. I wasn't one of those people, but it was cool to know that could be me next week!
I got to do what is called a Snap test to test if one of the animals had FeLV/FIV (Feline Leukemia Virus, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). The Snap test looks like this:
You mix three drops of blood and four drops of a reactive agent, put it in the reservoir, wait for the blood mixture to creep up to the dot in the middle, and then press down on the opposite end to Snap it. You then wait a designated amount of time. The four dots represent a negative control, a positive control, FeLV positive, and FIV positive.
We can use a variety of these for differnt diseases as well, including heartworm, lymes disease, anaplasmosis, parvo, etc. They are quick and efficient.
The one I did was negative, which is good!
Hematology
For Hematology this week, we were tested on a cephalic blood draw for cats, and we did what's called a lateral saphenous vein, which is the vein that runs down the back leg, on a dog.
Feline Cephalic Veinpuncture
Work
For work this week, I did some paper grading, some filing, some stocking, and....Inventory. Anyone who's ever had to do inventory knows that it can be a MAJOR pain, but I've figured out a good system. I brought my laptop in and used an Excel spreadsheet to do the inventory. It's very easy using the "Find" feature! And, if I come across more of one of whatever it is that I've already counted, I can very easily add it in.
I also had my music playing on my laptop since there was no one else in the room I was counting. Much, much, more fun!
That's all for this week. Next week for Imaging we are going out to a Horse farm to take some x-rays on a Horse. It should be fun!
November 11, 2011
Imaging Midterm, Work
Hey! I know, I know. I'm just as surprised as you are...two days in a row! *takes a bow*
Anyways... Today we took our Imaging midterm. It went pretty well. One of the things that I absolutely love about my instructor is that she lets us utilize the tools that we have around us on exams. For example, we can go back to the x-ray room, turn the machine on and play with the settings if we need it to help us with the exam. She also encourages us to keep a stuffed animal at our desk during the exam to help visualize putting the animals in positions, placing markers, etc.
She posted our grades tonight and I got 115.5/120 = 96% :)!!
Work at school today was really fun too, as usual. I spent some time rearranging a file cabinet or two, made some signs, some name cards for the pocket pet cages, made some copies, filed some papers, organized some files, stocked some gloves, filled Nolvasan (disinfectant) spray bottles, mixed a bottle of diluted Nolvasan, and some other random stuff.
On Fridays, we close campus at 4:00pm (Winter Hours), so I've made it a point to make sure all the cupboards in the Vet Tech Department are locked. There are few classes and instructors around to do so, so I think that it helps out. Today I even shut down all the lights and locked all the classrooms. It feels great to be a part of something like that!
Well, it's the weekend. But that doesn't mean that school stops! I have a smaller project due Monday, and I have some catch-up studying that I need to do for Hematology.
Have a good one all! And let's see if we can go for three (school) days in a row! ;)
Anyways... Today we took our Imaging midterm. It went pretty well. One of the things that I absolutely love about my instructor is that she lets us utilize the tools that we have around us on exams. For example, we can go back to the x-ray room, turn the machine on and play with the settings if we need it to help us with the exam. She also encourages us to keep a stuffed animal at our desk during the exam to help visualize putting the animals in positions, placing markers, etc.
She posted our grades tonight and I got 115.5/120 = 96% :)!!
Work at school today was really fun too, as usual. I spent some time rearranging a file cabinet or two, made some signs, some name cards for the pocket pet cages, made some copies, filed some papers, organized some files, stocked some gloves, filled Nolvasan (disinfectant) spray bottles, mixed a bottle of diluted Nolvasan, and some other random stuff.
On Fridays, we close campus at 4:00pm (Winter Hours), so I've made it a point to make sure all the cupboards in the Vet Tech Department are locked. There are few classes and instructors around to do so, so I think that it helps out. Today I even shut down all the lights and locked all the classrooms. It feels great to be a part of something like that!
Well, it's the weekend. But that doesn't mean that school stops! I have a smaller project due Monday, and I have some catch-up studying that I need to do for Hematology.
Have a good one all! And let's see if we can go for three (school) days in a row! ;)
November 10, 2011
Update: Fall Quarter Week 6
Hey All.
Thanks for bearing with my busy schedule and complete absence of posting this quarter. I am at school every other day, making it easy to forget about blogging, homework, tests... (just kidding on those last two things ;)
Anyways, I'll recap you quick on things that I've been doing! I have now drawn blood from a feline's cephalic vein, run SEVERAL fecal tests looking for parasites, run blood tests, and my new favorite adventure: taking X-rays! When I was in High School, my original plan after was to become an X-ray Technician. I find it amazing that what I could have learned in 2 years I'm learning in 12 weeks. My class has only three students in it, so I get to be involved in all of the x-rays we take!
We get to don these awesome lead aprons and thyroid shields, as well as lead rimmed glasses. I assure you, we are runway worthy.
I have taken and helped restrain for several x-rays, including for a cat's thorax and a sedated Yorkie's pelvis and skull. I have taken pictures of them for my personal "x-ray album," however I don't know if I am allowed to share them with you. I will have to get clearance for that first :)
Midterm
It's about midterm and I am doing pretty good. I am getting a 96% in my online Spanish Class, a 95% in Imaging, A in Parasitology ( I don't know the exact percentage), and a 90.00% in Hematology.
I am trying to regroup and re-focus my energy towards Hematology, and keeping my 4.0. I have found going to school every other day really really makes it harder to keep on track. I want to keep my 4.0, and I have absolutely no reason that I shouldn't, so I am going hard core, all in the next six weeks.
Six weeks. In six weeks, I will be one half done with my program!! I am so excited and scared and nervous all at the same time. I know things will continue to get harder, but I've got such a great support system behind me, I know I will be just fine.
Sorry if this post is all over the place, but it is really hard to blog after an absence. Maybe I will add BLOG to my assignment notebook so I do it at least once a week?
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, I have a midterm exam in Imaging. I feel pretty good about it. The last exam we took was 106 points and it was probably 95% short answer (i.e. pull the answer out of our head...no choosing ABCD). I got a 102/106 - a 96% :)
Like I said earlier, sorry for the randomness, and I will try to post more. Midterm tomorrow and work at school (which I absolutely love, btw :)
Thanks for bearing with my busy schedule and complete absence of posting this quarter. I am at school every other day, making it easy to forget about blogging, homework, tests... (just kidding on those last two things ;)
Anyways, I'll recap you quick on things that I've been doing! I have now drawn blood from a feline's cephalic vein, run SEVERAL fecal tests looking for parasites, run blood tests, and my new favorite adventure: taking X-rays! When I was in High School, my original plan after was to become an X-ray Technician. I find it amazing that what I could have learned in 2 years I'm learning in 12 weeks. My class has only three students in it, so I get to be involved in all of the x-rays we take!
We get to don these awesome lead aprons and thyroid shields, as well as lead rimmed glasses. I assure you, we are runway worthy.
I have taken and helped restrain for several x-rays, including for a cat's thorax and a sedated Yorkie's pelvis and skull. I have taken pictures of them for my personal "x-ray album," however I don't know if I am allowed to share them with you. I will have to get clearance for that first :)
Midterm
It's about midterm and I am doing pretty good. I am getting a 96% in my online Spanish Class, a 95% in Imaging, A in Parasitology ( I don't know the exact percentage), and a 90.00% in Hematology.
I am trying to regroup and re-focus my energy towards Hematology, and keeping my 4.0. I have found going to school every other day really really makes it harder to keep on track. I want to keep my 4.0, and I have absolutely no reason that I shouldn't, so I am going hard core, all in the next six weeks.
Six weeks. In six weeks, I will be one half done with my program!! I am so excited and scared and nervous all at the same time. I know things will continue to get harder, but I've got such a great support system behind me, I know I will be just fine.
Sorry if this post is all over the place, but it is really hard to blog after an absence. Maybe I will add BLOG to my assignment notebook so I do it at least once a week?
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, I have a midterm exam in Imaging. I feel pretty good about it. The last exam we took was 106 points and it was probably 95% short answer (i.e. pull the answer out of our head...no choosing ABCD). I got a 102/106 - a 96% :)
Like I said earlier, sorry for the randomness, and I will try to post more. Midterm tomorrow and work at school (which I absolutely love, btw :)
October 18, 2011
Work, Feces, Work, Blood..and Spanish ;)
Work
Yesterday, I worked from 10:30 - 12:30 at school. I got to help with the incoming animals for the week, caged all five of the cats and gave all of the new arrivals water. Then, I weighed all of the new animals for the week by myself (not all of them sit nice like Humans do ;), and helped with paperwork. I absolutely love working with my instructors on a different level. They are a lot of fun to work with, and we have a quite a few laughs.
After Parasitology, I worked for another hour just did some quick paperwork, filing, and laminating. I had lunch and then it was on to Hematology.
Yesterday, I worked from 10:30 - 12:30 at school. I got to help with the incoming animals for the week, caged all five of the cats and gave all of the new arrivals water. Then, I weighed all of the new animals for the week by myself (not all of them sit nice like Humans do ;), and helped with paperwork. I absolutely love working with my instructors on a different level. They are a lot of fun to work with, and we have a quite a few laughs.
Feces
In Parasitology, we ran some fecal samples. We centrifuged them after adding some liquid and used the microscopes to look for parasite eggs. I didn't find any, but some others found some. Not the coolest thing in the world to do, but it's necessary and a very useful diagnostic tool for catching parasites!
In Parasitology, we ran some fecal samples. We centrifuged them after adding some liquid and used the microscopes to look for parasite eggs. I didn't find any, but some others found some. Not the coolest thing in the world to do, but it's necessary and a very useful diagnostic tool for catching parasites!
After Parasitology, I worked for another hour just did some quick paperwork, filing, and laminating. I had lunch and then it was on to Hematology.
Blood
In Hematology we had a quiz, a lecture, and then we went on to our Lab Practical. We had to do a cephalic veinipuncture on a dog and most of us just had to get a "flash of blood" in the needle. John needed some people to actually draw the blood so we could do the other part of the practical (I'll get to that).
In Hematology we had a quiz, a lecture, and then we went on to our Lab Practical. We had to do a cephalic veinipuncture on a dog and most of us just had to get a "flash of blood" in the needle. John needed some people to actually draw the blood so we could do the other part of the practical (I'll get to that).
I volunteered to be one of the people to actually draw blood. I got blood on the first poke :) Unfortunately, the dog jerked and my needle pulled out without getting the complete amount that we needed. Since we needed more, I also volunteered to draw a second time. I, again, got it on the first try and this time it went perfectly!!
We also had to take the blood that some of us drew and do some bloodwork, including packed cell volume and total protein like we've done before (see here) and blood smears (and here). We also learned a new technique for counting cells.
I was at school from 10:30 am to 9:30pm. A whopping 11 hours. Oofta! I'm glad I only do that once a week :)
Spanish
Today is Tuesday, and my day off, and I always work on my online Spanish homework. I get my entire week's worth of class done on Tuesdays, so it's not really a day off.
Tomorrow I have Imaging, work at school, Parasitology, and a little more work. I'll write soon!
October 15, 2011
Time For An Update, Ya Think?
Hello there...it's been a while, huh?
Well, first off I'll recap the end of last quarter. I'll just show you my Final Exam Scores for Anatomy and Physiology :)
I studied like hell to get those grades, and it obviously paid off :)
Now, for Pharmacology. It was definitely my most difficult class, and I had a 93% going into the final. Our final exam was weighted 30% of our grade, so I had to do very well to get an A in the class. I decided to host a Study Sleepover with some of the girls from school. We had pizza, drinks, girl talk, and studying until 4 in the morning....and it paid off. All of us got better grades than we had on most of our tests all quarter! I got a 96% on mine...and it actually RAISED my grade to a 94%!
I finished the quarter with all A's again :) 4.0 after three quarters!!
New Quarter
October 3rd I started a new quarter. I am taking Hematology (Blood), Parasitology (Feces), Imaging (X-rays), and Spanish I (Online). It's going pretty good so far. On Monday I stuck my first dog with a needle, and got it in the vein on my first try! I've developed some x-rays, although I haven't taken any yet, and looked at some fecal samples for parasites.
I've also started my new job at school and I love it! I do random tasks every day, such as filing, file making, laminating and stocking. Every day is different and they are extremely flexible with my school schedule. I basically set my own hours and I get paid! Best job I've had... so far ; )
Next week I have several quizzes and a lab practical. I've been very busy, being at school about 8 hours on Wednesdays and Fridays, and almost 11 hours on Mondays. I have Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which is really nice. I use Tuesday as my homework day and I work at Marketplace Thursday mornings. I usually have Saturdays off, which is really really nice to have, and I work Sunday mornings. I really like the schedule I have.
I'll try to keep you updated a little better. Sometimes I just forget to blog, and other days I'm just too lazy :P
Will write soon!
-Cherie'
Well, first off I'll recap the end of last quarter. I'll just show you my Final Exam Scores for Anatomy and Physiology :)
I studied like hell to get those grades, and it obviously paid off :)
Now, for Pharmacology. It was definitely my most difficult class, and I had a 93% going into the final. Our final exam was weighted 30% of our grade, so I had to do very well to get an A in the class. I decided to host a Study Sleepover with some of the girls from school. We had pizza, drinks, girl talk, and studying until 4 in the morning....and it paid off. All of us got better grades than we had on most of our tests all quarter! I got a 96% on mine...and it actually RAISED my grade to a 94%!
I finished the quarter with all A's again :) 4.0 after three quarters!!
New Quarter
October 3rd I started a new quarter. I am taking Hematology (Blood), Parasitology (Feces), Imaging (X-rays), and Spanish I (Online). It's going pretty good so far. On Monday I stuck my first dog with a needle, and got it in the vein on my first try! I've developed some x-rays, although I haven't taken any yet, and looked at some fecal samples for parasites.
I've also started my new job at school and I love it! I do random tasks every day, such as filing, file making, laminating and stocking. Every day is different and they are extremely flexible with my school schedule. I basically set my own hours and I get paid! Best job I've had... so far ; )
Next week I have several quizzes and a lab practical. I've been very busy, being at school about 8 hours on Wednesdays and Fridays, and almost 11 hours on Mondays. I have Tuesdays and Thursdays off, which is really nice. I use Tuesday as my homework day and I work at Marketplace Thursday mornings. I usually have Saturdays off, which is really really nice to have, and I work Sunday mornings. I really like the schedule I have.
I'll try to keep you updated a little better. Sometimes I just forget to blog, and other days I'm just too lazy :P
Will write soon!
-Cherie'
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