Fourth Year = Fun + Food + Friends

One of the fun things about fourth year clinics is all the people I am getting to know and work with. Of course I mean all the great senior clinicians and house officers! Seriously, not just sucking up here...especially since none of them read this. But I also mean my classmates. You would think that after spending three years confined in a windowless lecture hall day after day (after day...) together we would be sick of each other. And that is definitely true - there are some people that I am glad not to be trapped with! But with almost 100 people in our class, I definitely did not talk and get to know everyone. However, with these clinical rotations I am really getting to know classmates that I did not have a chance to talk to and am having a blast!

One of my favorite rotations has been my most recent, diagnostic radiology. This rotation focused on taking and interpreting x-rays, ultrasound, and MRI. I had some great classmates on this rotation and had a lot of fun! It was so great to have such a great atmosphere and support while we waded through (re-)learning how to read x-rays. In this picture are two of my classmates evaluating digital x-rays on a post-operative patient that had reconstructive knee surgery. That's right...veterinary medicine is just that cool!

Having great people to work with makes the rotations so much more enjoyable, especially when they can be stressful. Over the course of the rotation, I learned so much about them my classmates and their backgrounds. Many of us had very diverse backgrounds, from city life to farm living. However, in spite of these differences we had so much in common: our interests, sense of humor, and thankfully - work ethic.

So, clinical rotations last two weeks and on the last Friday of a rotation there is a hospital tradition called 'Food Friday.' Basically it is a department potluck where we have fun and eat a bunch; all while we are working of course! This is especially a treat, as for some rotatiions require 16 hour days. (And then Food Friday lunch becomes Food Friday dinner too...aka my orthopedic rotation). So for our radiology Food Friday, we had a Breakfast For Lunch Theme. (Because of course you need a theme for a potluck!)

Two girls brought in electric skillets, a waffle maker, crockpot and a bunch of other cooking gear - all for our potluck. It was hilarious! They did a great job cooking: french toast, waffles, and scrambled eggs. This was in addition to a breakfast casserole, hash browns, and bacon that we all brought in.


These girls were incredible to take the time to bring in all their gear and cook everyone a hot lunch. I had no idea that they were such great cooks and so big-hearted. And of course we all enjoyed this food while working and learning away! Plus I got a great new recipe - breakfast casserole! Maybe these Food Fridays will teach me to be a better cook too!?! Wow, I am learning a lot during my fourth year!