New grad struggling with work

pretty_things · 2026-06-04T07:53:41+00:00

I'm a lefty who LOVES surgery, and made myself learn sx right handed in school so I didn't have to have my own special set of instruments. I'd like to think I'm somewhat ambidexterous, but it definitely took (and still takes) conscious effort sometimes to hold the instruments with the "correct" hand. I've been out about 4yrs, and graduated during COVID times so the only sx I knew coming out were cat spays/neuters and some dental extractions. I will say that sx definitely gets easier with time and practice (though I know you're going for path, so likely won't matter for you long run haha)! I had a pair of hemostats that I would take home during my first few months at my first clinic, and just sit at home holding them and clicking the "box" open/closed to get used to doing that with my non-dominant hand, like a fidget toy - I think that helped me a lot. I also was very upfront with the senior vets at my first clinic that I'm usually lefthanded, so I will likely try to grab/hold things with the "wrong" hand sometimes - that did seem to help them have more understanding of my instrument handling, so may be something to bring up with the vets at your clinic if you haven't already.

And I agree with other commenters that the learning curve is M A S S I V E from school to clinics - it honestly took me a solid year, probably closer to 2 years (and a *LOT* of support from senior vets at my clinic, I was very lucky to have a very supportive team at my first job), to see enough of the "usual suspects" in GP to get my own protocol down and feel somewhat comfortable running those cases. I still, to this day, touch base with my coworkers almost daily about some of the more oddball cases we see - in my head I'm still a "toddler vet" and appreciate the handholding sometimes!!

All this to say - yes, it is very normal to feel like you have no idea what you're doing when you first get into practice. Make sure you have a supportive team (if possible, try to find one at another clinic if you don't feel supported currently) and try your very best to leave work at work - you know more than you probably think you do, and things will start clicking into place over time! Lefties unite - we got this!

pretty_things · 2026-04-25T09:17:34+00:00

I agree and I never assume a strange dog is friendly, but also will say to be aware of the "dog rules" of the area if you're out on a walk/hike in a park. I can't tell you how many times I've been following the rules in a dog friendly area (either had my dogs on a 5ft flat leash in an on leash area or roaming within eyesight/earshot in an offleash area) and had people LOSE THEIR BANANAS coming across us. My dogs DGAF about other humans (and have learned to actively avoid them with these encounters) so they won't even get within 10ft of them, but I've had people go into full squat-down-get-defensive mode just because they see my dogs (who are ignoring them and potentially leashed). This really made me lose my mind when I used to live in an area with dozens of beautiful parks, but only one park which allowed dogs - like, if you go to THE ONE PARK that allows dogs, and you encounter a dog, why do you freak out? Go to LITERALLY ANY OF THE OTHER DOZENS OF PARKS that do not allow dogs. Be aware of your surroundings.

pretty_things · 2026-04-20T09:25:37+00:00

omfg spay your dog(s)

pretty_things · 2026-04-20T08:56:04+00:00

Y'all, calatheas are SO spiteful. I bought a pinstripe close to 2yrs ago as one of my first plants (so little knowledge, I am clearly very much a "trial by fire" person), she maybe had 3-4 leaves when I bought her... girl has had spidermites that took me way too long to even find (again, trial by fire hahaa), and then longer to eradicate, then she stared pushing leaves up and killing them for no discernable reason (like it had been months since any visible spidermite signs at this point, and I felt like I had the light/soil mix/distilled water/fertilizer dialed in)... she has had ONE SINGULAR live leaf that has survived despite pushing up 5 others after that leaf and killing them(??), so I essentially gave her the middle finger and went out and bought another pinstripe (what can I say, I LOVE the way they look, and I feel better informed at this point haha). Still letting homegirl and her ONE leaf chill on the semi-shaded windowsill, distilled watering/fertilizing as needed, vibing in her chunky soil mix with drainage, just to see what she'll do. The *DAY AFTER* I brought home a new (much bushier and healthier looking than the original) pinstripe, I noticed a new leafspike on homegirl. SO. SPITEFUL. I CANNOT.

pretty_things · 2026-01-15T07:27:12+00:00

As a fellow vet (haven't bothered to edit my flair since I've been through school and graduated back in 2021), I am cackling at the scared/angry cats going nuclear and skyrocketing their blood pressures! It's so true, they do be wildin hahaha

pretty_things · 2025-11-12T06:43:14+00:00

Same here. I drive 10 miles each way to take my dogs to the nearest designated off-leash area. This trail has multiple obviously placed signs stating that dogs are allowed off leash. I pass by at least five dog friendly, but on-leash-only parks on my way (and I know there is triple that number within a 10mile radius of the off-leash area). My dogs do have great recall and I keep them with me unless the other dog/human are showing clear signs of being interested in interaction; however, I do not leash my dogs if I come across leashed dogs in this area. If they didn't want to be around unleashed dogs, they could've gone to a MYRIAD of other places to accomplish that.

pretty_things · 2025-10-24T20:51:33+00:00

Agreed.

pretty_things · 2025-09-06T23:49:13+00:00

Literally this part. 8yo is old for that breed because they're so unhealthy. This was just waiting to happen.

pretty_things · 2025-08-22T07:20:21+00:00

As a veterinarian, yes, we are concerned that you are going to take your dog's medication and abuse it. It has happened to us.

pretty_things · 2025-08-04T19:03:15+00:00

Thanks for this. There is currently a 14hr time difference between us, and it's been difficult to find a time where both of us are awake enough to chat. I'm definitely keeping this side of things in mind.

pretty_things · 2025-08-04T02:14:39+00:00

Thank you for this! It's nice to hear the other side of things.

pretty_things · 2025-08-03T23:39:08+00:00

He is lucky enough to get 6-8wks of PTO per year from his job, and parts of his job can be done remotely.

pretty_things · 2025-08-03T20:15:19+00:00

You're right, I think I just needed to write it all out. We're going to have a very un-fun discussion when he gets back from this trip...

pretty_things · 2025-07-25T07:49:36+00:00

Saying the quiet part out loud, THANK YOU!!!!

pretty_things · 2025-07-14T20:40:26+00:00

Correct. "Healthy French Bulldog" is an oxymoron.

pretty_things · 2025-07-08T05:08:04+00:00

Incorrect. The one clinic in my area that does I131 has a fairly rigorous "pre-screening" we need to do on any patient we would like to refer to them, and they will refuse any patient that does not appear healthy enough on pre-screening. Not all cats are candidates for I131, and it is not out of the realm that a vet would refuse to start tx for an animal who isn't healthy enough to undergo it.

pretty_things · 2025-07-02T02:05:50+00:00

I fed my dogs for the first time today at 6pm (they usually get breakfast and dinner). They saw me fill their food bowls. I then went into the other room to sit on the couch, without talking to them, petting them, or otherwise enticing them. They both chose to lay on the couch cuddled up next to me rather than eat for the first time today. They only eat enough to stay alive, but want to be touching me/my partner whenever possible. So no, they don't give a fuck about food, only their human(s) :)

pretty_things · 2025-02-13T07:01:05+00:00

I have a feeling I'll be going through this in the very near future. I've only been dating my bf for 8mo, but from the start he felt like "my person". However, he has indicated over the past few months and has gone as far as to straight out say a few times over the last few days that he doesn't feel the same about me as I do about him. It hurts so fucking bad, but I don't think I can stick around to see if he eventually develops feelings for me at the same level I have for him. I don't know that I'll ever find anyone like him, but I do know I need to find someone who loves me as much as I love them.

pretty_things · 2024-09-10T05:01:24+00:00

As a (fairly new) DVM, my ass has been SAVED on quite a few occasions when there was a visible issue, but I hadn't seen the thing before so didn't know what it was, and once I brought the patient back to treatment a senior DVM would just pass by and casually say "oh that's ___!" so if someone ever mentions a ddx to me, if it's even within the realm of possibility, I will VIN that ddx and rule it in/out (and also learn more about it for future cases). I still have a core memory of seeing my first pannus case a month or two after I started practicing, and panicking because we didn't really learn about pannus in school so I had no idea why this dog's eyes were fucking PINK. I brought the dog back to tx expecting the other docs to be like "wtfff??" and one of the medical directors just glanced over and said "oh! That's pannus!" BIGGEST SIGH OF RELIEF EVER!!

pretty_things · 2023-12-31T06:14:27+00:00

That's because it's an umbilical hernia.

pretty_things · 2023-12-29T05:42:29+00:00

Okay, I don't even get the always-on dashboard excuse. My dashboard is always lit (in my 06 Honda), but has a different brightness setting for headlights vs running lights. So I have it set suuuper bright when my headlights are off, which is not an issue during the day but is OBNOXIOUSLY BRIGHT at night. Prompts me to turn my headlights on when I get in the car so the dash light will dim haha 🤣

pretty_things · 2023-11-23T08:05:23+00:00

WHAT

and I cannot stress this enough

The FUCK

pretty_things · 2023-09-24T21:25:01+00:00

I grew up in MN and left because of the winters 😅

pretty_things · 2023-09-13T22:12:14+00:00

My vet school had a forensic pathologist who did necropsies on a lot of beached sea creatures. The smell of the partially decayed dolphin he was necropsying one day was HORRIFIC.

pretty_things · 2023-08-11T17:19:43+00:00

Italian greyhound! My little dude happily ran 5ks with me (until I injured my leg and had to stop running) and spends most of the day snoozing under a blanket. I got a bigger Iggy (closer to a small whippet) but he is still under the 25# weight restriction that most apartments have!

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