Look at this - I'm writing with some consistency! But who knows how long it will last....
Today I'm frustrated because I'm not sure what to do. I thought I didn't want to do an internship but now I am again on the fence, thinking about doing one. One of the surgery residents was telling us last week that doing an internship is a great idea and that it would not hurt to do one and that you would gain a lot from one. I'm so easily swayed by other people's advice. I have a lot of vets in the "real world" telling me, "no, you don't need to do an internship, you'll be fine." Then I have vets that I work with at school who have done them and gone on to specialize, telling me that it's a great thing to do.
Honestly, I do think that I have it in me to do one. I know many of us seniors are burnt out from 4th year already, but to be honest, this is what I was expecting from 4th year. To work hard and learn a lot. Maybe it's because I worked at an emergency hospital before school and I've already seen what it's like when a hospital is in utter madness and you just have to work as hard as you can with no time to complain to make things work. I have experienced craziness in emergency situations and I have at least some basic idea of things that need to get done. For students that haven't been in that situation, I can see how scary and stressful that could be. I don't feel burnt out in the least bit and I know that I am capable of surviving an internship. But that's not a justifiable reason to pursue one. I do think it would further my education and it would be awesome to learn under the guidance of people who have board certification. That would probably be the biggest perk for me to do one. But again, like I said last time, at some point in my veterinary life, I will have to leave that internship and do things on my own. I do believe that I will know when to ask for advice and when to trust my own judgement. And I do realize I am bound to make mistakes along the way. I don't think that whether I do an internship or not will sway these mistakes in any one direction. I do think it would be good for me. But I also think I could be fine without one too.
The only other real reason to pursue an internship is if I want to be board certified in something. Some days I think it would be great to become board certified in something like internal medicine. Other days I get excited about owning my own practice one day and being my own boss. I just feel like there are so many possibilities that all sound amazing in their own right.
This is why I cannot decide..... >_<
