Tag: Students
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Impostor syndrome: a pandemic among vet students
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The nature of the vet course is inherently competitive, with the odds stacked against you from the very beginning. During our A-levels we are told that only 1 out of every 5 to 10 applicants make it to vet school, and that you’re lucky to get a single interview or offer (any more than that…
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Naming names
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The naming of all things medical has always interested me… just who was Lister and how did he create his bandage scissors? Is there a Mr Gelpi around whose great-grandfather invented the retractors? Surgical instruments, surgical procedures and diseases have been given a variety of weird and wonderful names over the years. However, regardless of…
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Could COVID-19 close the door to the veterinary course?
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It has long been a fear – among those inside the profession and outside – that university places to study veterinary medicine are not as accessible as they should be. There is a perception the course, if not the vocation, is slightly elitist – not helped by the impression of most clients that the medical…
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In the pink
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I can probably count the number of blood samples I’ve taken to date on a single hand. That does sound pitiful, I know, but please hold off on any judgement as I was unfortunate enough this year to have a total of 10 weeks’ work experience cancelled due to the recent pandemic. Like everyone else,…
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Lymphocytes, part 1: Bridget Jones
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My job is full of beauty and wonder, but I must admit that, at first glance, lymphocytes aren’t much to look at. They come in all manner of varieties, but a standard-issue small lymphocyte is basically a tiny black dot with an almost indistinguishable small amount of cell juice (cytoplasm) around it. A small lymphocyte…
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Accessibility to veterinary medicine, part 3: postgraduates
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There are many reasons that someone may decide to embark on a veterinary course as a postgraduate. Whether that be because his or her A-level or equivalent grades weren’t reached at the time to enter at undergraduate level, or a change in career direction later in life (who genuinely knows what they want to do…
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Accessibility to veterinary medicine, part 2: attracting students
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So why is the veterinary profession struggling to attract students from underprivileged backgrounds? Whether it has anything to do with economical geography or not, many vets will tell the same story – they were told repeatedly during their childhood and teenage years that they would never make it as a vet and to pick another…
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Covideo killed the radio star
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While I try and keep these blogs as supportive, informative and educational as possible (I promise I do!), sometimes a little fun is required. During lockdown I marvelled as my clinical colleagues stepped up to continue providing for our patients, and I know this has been hard – shifts extended, clients more stress than usual,…
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Paying it forward
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Towards the end of what has been, regrettably for me, a distinctly non-“vetty” summer period, I was delighted to receive an email from the headmistress of my old secondary school, asking if some of her students who were applying to vet school in the near future could get in touch. Coming to sudden terms with…
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Accessibility to veterinary medicine, part 1: the COVID effect
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Applying to study veterinary is notoriously competitive. However, the questionable handling of A-level grading this summer has undoubtedly made it even more complicated. It has long been a concern that the veterinary course is not easily accessible for applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. Couple this with school leavers in the most affluent areas having their A-level…