Sorry, future me.
So far I've been doing really well in vet nursing. I'm just about to finish my first semester of my second year (of two), with only exams to go. I've already passed two of my courses through internal marks alone (exams are worth 40%) and the one I haven't passed, I need to get something ridiculous like 5%, since that exam's worth 50%. My last course is assessed through the year via the blue books (we have specific tasks we must complete for each area of the specialist clinic, and it's graded at the end of each semester), and I've got all my tasks signed off within the allotted time (which is apparently uncommon). Furthermore, the specialist clinic liked me so much that they invited me back in for an extra day of one-on-one learning, which I jumped at, and I had that today.
I was actually really surprised at the...level of expectancy that the staff have of the students at the specialist clinic. See, I don't feel like I'm totally rad or anything, really - I feel more or less overwhelmed by all the stuff I don't know, and if I'm at all ahead of my peers, I feel as though it's because I realize how little our course really covers, and am making an effort to read around it and study what interests me outside of class. But the things that my classmates apparently get pulled up on are basic, BASIC things, like knowing how to scrub in. Keeping in mind that this is a surgical department, and surgery is what they do at a surgical department, some people still don't think to read through the information we were given to at least familiarise themselves with scrubbing in. (Surgeries at the specialist clinic are sterile.
I had really good vibes from everyone today though. The vet I was in surgery with remembered my name, which is a good sign, and all the vet nurses were really complimentary.
