I really need to stop writing so infrequently. Maybe when vet school is over and life can catch up with me a little more I will be able to accomplish that sometime soon... It's kind of crazy that I've already been a senior student for almost 4 months already. Big time scariness! I feel like I am learning a lot but I also feel like I have a lot more left to learn. Which leads me to a question of, to pursue an internship or to not pursue one? I have arguments for and against both. I do feel that I should only pursue an internship if I want to do a residency. I don't think I want to do an internship just because I feel like I am not ready for the real world. Although I am sure that I would learn a lot from an internship, I think even after an internship I would still feel like I am still unready. I don't think an internship would change that feeling much. I also don't want to put my life on hold any longer than I have. I want to start a paying career and settle down somewhere in the wonderful world of Southern California. I want to spend time with my family and friends. I want to have fun, become a better veterinarian daily and still have a life to enjoy.
In some senses, I wonder in the future if I will look back and wished that I had done a residency. If I had to pick a topic of choice, I would probably be looking at internal medicine. Medicine is what makes sense to me. I may not be great at it quite yet, but it's something that usually has a story that can be followed. Surgery is difficult for me because I am so bad an anatomy - something we learned rigorously our first year <--- i.e. that was a long time ago. If I don't use something, my brain definitely opts to forget it. Therefore, I have forgotten much of my anatomy. Hopefully I know the basics of general principles, but I do know that I am far worse off than many of my colleagues in the sense of anatomy. Plus my grades are nowhere near where they should be for a surgical residency. Nor do I think it's something I would enjoy doing exclusively. Which brings me to another point. I want to do a variety of things. I want to do a lot of medicine, some surgery, a lot of emergency, and I even want to do client education and be interactive with them. That sort of points me towards general practice no? And in California, there are plenty of hospitals that are 24-hr that do not require board certification to work in. Take that as you will. I'm sure some people would view that as a negative and others as a positive. I think it would probably depend on how the hospital is run and as well as the integrity and passion of the doctors that work there. I mean, ultimately, it's up to the vet to stay up to date with current topics as well as choosing the best treatment option for the patient.
I would think it would be foolish for any vet to believe that they are 100% competent at any point in their career. I say this because I think the knowledge and world of veterinary medicine is continuously changing. So it's up to the vet to stay up to date with current topics as well as a little common sense and communication with other vets to pick the best treatment plan for the patient. Any vet that doesn't do this is bound to get behind and loose sight of what is truly best for the patient. Having said all that, I do believe that if I never loose that train of thinking, I will always push myself to learn and be a better veterinarian. Basically what I'm saying is that I believe I can strive to be better, with or without an internship and/or residency. Given my interests, it does seem like I should go into general practice at an emergency hospital in Southern California. I'm 99.5% certain this is the path I plan to follow... I hope it's the right one.
