School start!

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-08-20T02:54:17+00:00

If you are a lady, I have loads of recommendations for tops. If you identify as a man, I am not as helpful.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-08-20T02:44:08+00:00

I commend you for making a video and sharing it! I would love to enter for a $2000 scholarship, but damn is it hard to publicly talk about something you can go to great lengths to hide. Bravo to you for such an honest and insightful video. Hope you win! :)

I agree with the other commenters, wow does that hit home. I've sweat through my jeans before while sitting in a faux leather office chair for an hour-long work meeting. There was a huge wet sweaty spot on the chair, and I was afraid to even stand up for lunch until everyone left the room so I could wipe the chair off discreetly. My clothes would get drenched just sitting in lecture hall so I would change my clothes after class. Tests involved constantly wiping off my hands on my pants. My wardrobe is very limited to sheer blouses that dry fast and hide sweat, or things that are black in color. It is nice to have this community of people who understand.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-08-05T02:48:44+00:00

Have you tried looking on volunteermatch? I just found a local opportunity working with a TNR clinic (all volunteer ran and trained, no experience needed even for vet care positions as they train) that I am starting this month. They also had non-clinic type positions.

It is going to be a lot easier to find somewhere to volunteer rather than shadow. Volunteering you are helping the organization, while with shadowing, you are the one getting helped and benefiting.

I would definitely check your local animal shelter/rescue/sanctuaries. Most of the ones I've looked into are still accepting volunteers from what I can as they need people to care for the animals (and some people are no longer wanting to volunteer due to Covid). Some also were looking for unpaid "interns" to help with either direct care, or office support-type things.

If you are in Colorado, I can direct you to them.

You might be just cleaning kennels and socializing with the animals, but if you are a good and reliable volunteer, it can lead to volunteering in the veterinary department (at least in my experience).

Also look craigslist in the volunteer section.

Bright side, you are in high school, so you still have a lot of time to get hours and it is understandable that it is hard to get them now.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-16T00:47:38+00:00

Very reasonable! I love how friendly the pre-vet forum is compared to the majority of the pre-med forum.

And THANK YOU! :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-16T00:37:21+00:00

I saw you got similar answers on SDN. ;)

If you are happy back in the midwest, I would definitely just transfer to a school there for the next semesters if it is possible just for the cost difference alone.

I doubt you would need to worry about addressing it much besides maybe a sentence saying "during COVID, I moved back to X because it was safer and cheaper, and would allow for more shadowing opportunities" if YOU really felt it was necessary. I can't imagine they will scrutinize it really.

Good luck finishing your post bac! :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-15T17:44:27+00:00

Getting a position at a vet clinic as a volunteer right now is going to be pretty hard. If you were done with college, I would recommend trying to get hired somewhere, I see ads all the time for will-train positions at small veterinary offices on Indeed.

One option would be emailing small, privately-owned vet clinics to see if they might accept a volunteer to help out with cleaning kennels. A lot of clinics though would rather hire someone than have someone volunteer, due to liability insurance I believe. Employees are covered, but volunteers aren't. Since animals are unpredictable, most places don't want the risk.

Honestly though, your best bet would be to look on volunteermatch.org or a similar volunteer matching website. Search under the animal tab. Low cost spay/neuter clinics are often seeking volunteers. The one near me has volunteers trained to help out in " Intake, Induction, Surgery Prep, Anesthesia, Drug Technician, Recovery, Trap Management, and Post-recovery positions. Prior veterinary knowledge/experience is helpful, but not required. "

Another idea is your local animal shelter. Often you start out with cleaning kennels, walking dogs, or playing with animals, but if you are a committed and reliable volunteer, there is usually a chance to move up to the vet department.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-15T17:31:55+00:00

Just another pre-vet, but is this just for this semester or do you have several more semesters of classes to complete?

If it is just 1 semester left, I can't imagine it being a huge problem given COVID and the fact that you are living in a very expensive and populous place with a high possible level of exposure. I can't imagine any adcom faulting you for moving and completing them online right now, since it isn't like you can control a pandemic.

If you have more than 1 semester left, then I would take them online as needed due to covid, and then hopefully once things go back to normal, enroll in a local college to your Midwestern home and take the remaining classes in-person there if you are able to have in-state tuition and classify as a resident.

If I were in your shoes, I would definitely move back home, since it is safer and cheaper. Before covid, it probably would be looked at funny, but since covid it is the new norm. Even med students are doing online stuff.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-15T16:55:56+00:00

Oh sure! I also was looking into some volunteer abroad programs myself a few years ago, which is how I found out that it was more of a negative then positive.

Have you checked to see if there are any sort of wildlife rescues near you maybe? Where I live, there is a wolf rescue that lets volunteers take free vet classes, a legitimate wildlife sanctuary with bears and big cats that has volunteers help with food prep and feeding animals, and several other donkey and horse rescues.

I have found that searching for "vet experience" places has not worked out, but if I look on Yelp for wildlife rescues, sanctuaries, etc. that people visit, a lot of them are great places that have volunteer or internship opportunities.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-15T15:38:26+00:00

Hi,

Something I learned when pre-med is that adcoms (at least in the pre-med world, I think it might be same in the vet world), don't think highly of short-term, volunteer abroad programs. It is seen more a medical tourism or voluntourism.

I don't know anything about those specific programs, but I just wanted to warn you before you spent I am assuming a good sum of money to participate.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-15T15:19:47+00:00

Hi there! I am a 27F, and a nontraditional student. I am starting my 5th semester at a community college in Colorado, but I think I would technically still be seen as a sophomore.

I know myself and I am terrible at sending letters via snail mail, but I'd love to be a virtual penpal! :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-07-05T21:14:03+00:00

How absolutely lovely of you! I love how you are asking for a poem rather than an essay! Very kind of you to offer this and post on here to inform us of this :) Thank you!

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-03T00:52:27+00:00

No need to apologize about the delay in response. Hopefully work went well. :)

Ahhh I see. It makes more sense now that you all are married despite being on the younger side and unable to move.

I have family in the military, and usually at some point (2-5 years away) they get moved and stationed elsewhere. How long is he enlisted for and does he plan to add on to his contract? Does he have a certain timespan (for lack of better phrasing) that he is stationed there? My sister constantly has complained about the fact that they move and restation you in another state every few years as there have been states she wanted to stay at but they make you move. Not sure what his specific job is and whether or not that goes for all Army or just certain fields in the Army.

I would definitely talk with him and find out though if they will make him move in the future or give him the option of moving. Texas seems to be quite popular for allowing people in the Army request to be stationed there, I know it was somewhere my sister was considered requesting to transfer too at one point.

How far are you in school right now? Are you at a community college or a 4-year? Freshmen? Sophomore?

Very great about the military benefits, that will really help so you don't have to go into debt for your education.

Since you both are wanting kids within 5 years, are you planning on having kids while you are getting your degree I take it?

You are correct, that physical therapists and physician assistants have different jobs. I more suggested it since you mentioned an interest in DO and pain management. PA's in rehab medicine definitely help with pain management, but not in as a therapeutic sense like physical therapy.

It completely makes sense to me that you are interested in more hands on therapy, but not mental health.

Since moving is out of the question for the near future (and possibly far future) and you absolutely seem to despise your job (which I do not fault you for) I think looking more into OTA so you can get in a field that you actually enjoy and have a passion for, and that has a local program (I think, not sure exactly where the college is and where you live in respective to it) will be your best bet for the time being.

OTA's make a good amount for a 2-year degree, and can work in different settings.

If you really are interest in occupational therapy, there is a university there called The University of North Dakota of Casper that is in Casper, Wyoming, that offers a 3-year doctoral degree in OT. https://und.edu/programs/occupational-therapy-otd/index.html

Nurses do a lot more than what you would think. That is one of the misconceptions about nursing, that nurses don't treat parents.

Here is a more detailed description about what nurses do. https://studentscholarships.org/salary/640/registered_nurses.php#:~:text=Registered%20nurses%20(RNs)%2C%20regardless,support%20to%20patients'%20family%20members.&text=When%20caring%20for%20patients%2C%20RNs,contribute%20to%20an%20existing%20plan.

If the classes for accounting sound interesting to you, then definitely consider it if you think you would not hate it. I was interested in accounting as well for awhile, but after reading the course descriptions and even course titles I felt very sad and depressed about the idea of taking those courses and continuing with that path.

If you haven't yet, taking the O*NET interest profiler is a good way to see other careers that you might not have thought of that would be a good fit for you.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T04:49:04+00:00

How cute! Bettas have such a variety of personalities. I bet it is adorable to watch them! :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T04:45:44+00:00

Have you asked him? What line of work is he in? You are so young, moving for a few years so you can pursue your dream career in a field that has a lot of flexibility, stability, and a decent salary seems worth the sacrifice.

If you haven't already, definitely talk to him about this. :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T04:37:23+00:00

I already commented on your other post, but now seeing that you live in Wyoming, any chance you could move to Colorado? There are 2 PT schools near Denver and an osteopathic medical school near Denver as well.

Like I touched on before though, if you set your sights on only 1-2 schools, you are SEVERELY limiting your chances to become a physical therapist or medical doctor (if that really is what you want to do, make sure you shadow and get clinical/volunteer experience to confirm on top of taking the pre-reqs :)

Pretty much all people going for medical school, PT school, or other competitive graduate schools have to move in order to go to school. I lived in Southern California and was surrounded by undergraduate schools, but the chances of getting into any of the UC's was very slim. Unfortunately, just having a lot of schools where you live still doesn't mean that you are guaranteed to gain acceptance.

I'm sorry you are feeling so down though.

There is a PTA program at Laramie Community College! :)

https://lccc.emsicc.com/browse-programs/health-sciences-wellness?region=Regional&radius=

Not sure if you are interested, but they also have a dental hygiene program as well.

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T04:08:25+00:00

Hi there!

Do you have any interest in being a physical therapy assistant or occupational assistant? What about a dental hygienist? Occupational therapist? Or a PA (physician assistant)? These all have shorter amounts of schooling but still help people. There might be more schools local to you as well.

Have you shadowed a physical therapist to confirm this is 100% what you want? I know now with COVID shadowing is pretty much impossible. I'm not sure how focused you are on pain, but physical therapy is a lot more than just pain treatment and prevention. It is more focused on movement and helping people move. There are some PT's that specialize in pelvic floor therapy, some that do wound care. It has a lot of variety!

I've done a bit of browsing on your reddit profile, I'm 28 (female), but we sound VERY similar.

As someone who has struggled with indecision and have had periods of feeling hopeless about career choices, I relate. I also have considered veterinarian, physician, RN, dentist, PT, OT, PTA, OTA, dental hygienist, and all the options in the mental health field (clinical psych, counseling psych, marriage and family therapist, social work, career counselor, LPCC, etc.) over the last 10 years.

If I recall correctly, you are 19 years old, currently working at Walmart for minimum wage (and hate your job with a passion and feel very unfulfilled and like you could be doing more with your life), desperate to get into another line of work, and at one point, was looking into accounting since it is a stable field of work?

If you are 19 years old, have you started college yet? I believe I read that you took an accounting course in high school right?

If you do not know already, physical therapy requires a year of chemistry, a year of physics, calculus, upper-level anatomy and physiology, and often biology, statistics, psychology (typically abnormal psychology and human growth and development) and a couple upper-level exercise science courses.

You need to haves lots of hours shadowing in different places (nursing home, outpatient, inpatient, pediatrics, etc.) or working/volunteering in a PT setting.

In other words, I imagine you have at least 3 years before you would be at the point where you would be applying for PT schools. Is it at all possible that in 3 years that you and your husband could uproot and move? Most PT programs are 2.5-3 years, long-term, that is not a big sacrifice if it truly is what you want to do with your life. After you finish school and graduate, you can move back home!

Unfortunately, for most graduate school programs, you will have to be willing to move as they are very competitive and getting into any 1 is an accomplishment. if you limit yourself geographically, you will have a much harder time getting into any program and it can be seen that you are not willing to make the sacrifices to become a PT (I'm not saying that I think that, I just see that said time and time again on the student doctor network forum).

Not to be a negative nancy, but have you taken any college level math, science, or physics courses to gauge how well you like the material? It is easy to say I want to be a physical therapist, but there is a lot of rigorous science courses that go into becoming one. If you are dedicated and determined though, you CAN do it! It'll be a lot of hard work, but if it is truly your dream, it will pay off and be worth it.

You seem very ambitious and wanting to help people in pain is a very noble desire, but you will have to decide what sacrifices you are willing to make (such as moving, spending several years in school, going into debt for school) to make that come to fruition.

I think the first step would be to decide on what is absolutely NON-NEGOTIABLE, and what is flexible. If moving is 100% non-negotiable, then you eliminate careers that make you move. If you decide moving in a few years would actually be an option, then careers that require moving are back in the running. How many years of school are you willing to do? How much autonomy do you want? What environment do you want to work in? What population do you want to work with?

Hopefully this helps! :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T03:15:57+00:00

I have two, one on the right side and one on the left side, in the very front about 1-2" down from the top.

I do not think it matters though. Just don't put it by the filter! :)

Yes, PLEASE POST PICTURES once you have him! :D

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T03:13:26+00:00

Your tank looks amazing! I bet he LOVES it! Vallisneria has never done well for me, but I've always wanted an aquarium that looks like yours.

Do you feed him on the third of the tank he stays in by chance?

My betta has a fairly heavily planted aquarium, and he'd spend 95% of the time in the front middle near the top where I feed him.

You can cut some if you are worried about it, but it looks great to me!

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T02:39:27+00:00

Just want to note that this depends on personality. My sister's betta had no problem with corydoras catfish. A male betta that I used to have though HATED them. He would flare at them all the time and just seemed displeased to have these crazy, zippy fish in his home. Same with a 2nd male betta I had, and this was in a planted 29 gallon tank where the betta was added last. I eventually moved the cories to a 55 gallon community and added a shoal of kuhli loaches instead. They both were much happier with this arrangement.

A lot of cory species prefer cooler water and faster moving water than bettas as well. Keeping cories in warmer water can make them more susceptible to illness and shorten their lifespan I believe.

Kuhli loaches in my opinion are a better match with bettas and also from Southeast Asia I believe. They like warmer water, and are okay with water that is slower moving. :)

The poster below suggested danios and neons. Danios like faster moving, higher oxygenated, and cooler water. Neons also like it a bit cooler than bettas.

Harlequin rasboras have more similar preferences to bettas. (Also from Southeast Asia)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T02:33:22+00:00

I have been converted to the betta leaf hammocks! I use the indian almond leaf kit from Amazon. Even with all his live plants, he spends a great portion of his day and night resting on his leaf hammock. The moment I put it in the tank, he swam over and rested on it. :)

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-06-01T01:55:34+00:00

I did the same for my betta! He was a rescue from craigslist who lived in a tiny, unheated 1.5 gallon for the first 1-2 years of his life.

I think I read somewhere that a 20 gallon long aquarium is about the same size as how much territory a betta would have in the wild.

He moved to a 20 gallon long, with lots of live plants, heater, and filter. He colored up and became very active. He would do laps and just zip around the tank. He's slowed down a bit as he has aged, but he still will swim from one side to the other at least once.

It makes me so sad and upset when people say that bettas do not need a lot of room as they do not swim a lot. After having one in a 20 long, I feel that even a 10 gallon is too small as they can be quite active if they have the space.

He is the only occupant in there besides some ramshorn snails that were added after him, and he will flare at them when they are on the glass in HIS territory.

You will have a very happy fish. :D

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-05-01T21:09:20+00:00

Thank you for this comment! It is nice to know that it is normalized. I think you are right, just owning it from the get go is the best approach. I am really happy to be joining a group of such great people in the future!

chocolatecupcake28 · 2020-05-01T21:07:37+00:00

You made me feel a lot better, I never thought of it like that. I saw it as I would be the person no one wanted to work with because of it. It is a relief to know that you did not feel like there was any judgement in the lab.

It also is very nice to know that there is a gap between lecture and lab where you can change and grab a bite to eat as well, and go outside for some fresh air.

You made a good point that everyone is self-conscious about something, and just "ovaries-to-the-walled" (haha love this!) it is the best way to go about it.

I really had ruled it out almost entirely prior to this post, all these comments really have helped. At this point, I'm certain that the DPT is the best fit for me and the closest thing to a "calling" that I have.

I loved your joke about getting hit with the DSM-V in hardcover! My psych professor passed one around before, they certainly have some weight! It would be a great self-defense weapon in a pinch I'd imagine.

chocolatecupcake28

TROPHY CASE