So I traded 24 hrs of studying for a bio chem final that was on Monday for the chance to do my first c-section!!!! I headed out to a rural vet clinic 2 hrs away with 2 3rd year students as well as a second year student with the hopes of getting some calving experience. Groups before us didn't have much luck but we were hopeful! We got there and the wife of the vet(lets call him dr. bob) we were with,who has over 30 years experience, fed us a wonderful dinner. Just as we were finishing tea the first call came in. Big calf small hole scenario so one of the third years was asked to step in and perform the c section. I prepped cows and got to do some epidurals and nerve blocks. The second one came in right after and the other 3rd year got to perform that one. We finally got done around 130 in the morning and headed home to bed. Got another call around 7 in the morning, another difficult calving with a torn uterus so the 2nd year got to help on that one! We went home for lunch and Dr. Bob says to me, Angela, if we get one more its yours! So I was very impatiently waiting for the phone to ring as we ate lunch, had tea, watched a c section video, so on and so forth. Finally the phone rings! I almost wet myself with excitement. A C section is something a lot of 3rd years don't always get a chance to do! Sure enough it was another c section so I scrubbed in and got to perform the surgery! Dr. Bob was amazing. So patient and awesome at instructing what needed to be done. I can not even begin to describe what an awesome feeling it was getting to cut into a live living breathing animal. The calf was long dead, but stitching up was so fun! I was so slow compared to Dr. Bob,goes to show what experience does for one!
Dr. Bob also showed us some really cool "things" he has accumulated over the years and keeps in his freezer at the clinic. I was able to diagnose a huge hydroencephalic foals head that he has us palpate through a plastic bag.
It was an amazing weekend that ended too quickly. Too soon I was back in Saskatoon cramming for biochemistry. The exam went pretty well, but even if I don't do as well as I would like it will have been totally worth it!
6 comments:
Terrific Dr Oakley ! you still sound soo exited . What a great opportunity .Have you e-mailed Dave to tell him yet?
Very nice. Way to go. The more hands on the better huh? I worked for vets...usually only got to help when some rancher would bring something in that had been a few days. OMG the stink. Calf soup...just so nasty.
That a girl Ange. Dad looked at the picture only to see you ear to ear smile. Can't rub that one off. Looks like a great job. Very proud and happy for you. Off to New York in about nine hours. Will catch up with you on Monday. Have a great few days.
I am utterly exhausted. Just trying to get through the day to day for the next 5 weeks. I have never worked so hard in mylife, but events like this show that the pay off will be worth it in the end.
Great work!
Congratulations!
Pretty neat suturing there, kiddo.
Would that be considered a bikini cut on a cow?
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