I bet everyone was beginning to think this blog was primarily about Blaine now! WRONG! We pay attention to what Eric is doing more than you may believe! :) We eat, breathe and sleep vet school as a family (minus the studying for me and the baby, thank goodness!).
So Eric has reached the semester where every student must pass and perform their "Rossie" before even thinking about leaving this island. What is a "rossie", you might ask? It is THE most anticipated, simulated spay surgery that each student performs individually in surgery lab. At the beginning of the semester they are given a practice rossie to take home. The rossie is basically comprised of a thin cotton material (epidermis layer) covering a foam cushion (adipose aka fat tissue/muscle, etc.), and is rolled up to replicate the abdominal/pelvic region of a cat/dog. Inside the body cavity is a stretchy band like material that represents the uterine horns/ovaries, etc. The student must demonstrate an incision through the layers of tissue, perform the spay and removal of female organs, perform a ligature to a bleeding vessel if present, and then stitch the layers of tissue once procedure is complete. (I am probably only semi-describing this right...Eric will probably laugh at my elementary portrayal of one of the main undertakings that will make or break your vet career here).
So Eric has reached the semester where every student must pass and perform their "Rossie" before even thinking about leaving this island. What is a "rossie", you might ask? It is THE most anticipated, simulated spay surgery that each student performs individually in surgery lab. At the beginning of the semester they are given a practice rossie to take home. The rossie is basically comprised of a thin cotton material (epidermis layer) covering a foam cushion (adipose aka fat tissue/muscle, etc.), and is rolled up to replicate the abdominal/pelvic region of a cat/dog. Inside the body cavity is a stretchy band like material that represents the uterine horns/ovaries, etc. The student must demonstrate an incision through the layers of tissue, perform the spay and removal of female organs, perform a ligature to a bleeding vessel if present, and then stitch the layers of tissue once procedure is complete. (I am probably only semi-describing this right...Eric will probably laugh at my elementary portrayal of one of the main undertakings that will make or break your vet career here).
Each student is assigned a date to perform their Rossie, one-on-one with a professor. If a student fails their first attempt, they have only one more chance to pass, or they have to repeat the whole 6th semester again. YIKES! They are also delegated a spot to perform their "mock" trial with a professor to gauge how they are doing before the actual, actual doom day :) Eric already performed his mock exam and did really well. They must complete the entire process, from sterilization phase (hand wash/glove/gown/set up of sterile supplies), to prep phase to surgical phase in under 60 minutes. Eric practiced his simulated spay the night before his mock trial at home. I was so lucky to be selected as his assistant! Here are some pictures of his mock, mock exam in our kitchen. I was told after 5 pictures to quit taking them. Due to HIPPA laws, we don't want to reveal the identity of his patient. (No really, he just doesn't like his picture to be taken).
Introducing...Eric A. Metteauer, future DVM.
(ps...the fashionable, green head band is a sweat catcher, secondary to the warm temperatures of the island. Large animal surgeries are performed outside, small inside, but Eric wants to get used to donning this unfamiliar headgear. If sweat lands in the sterile surgical field, that is grounds for failing the rossie, or any other real surgery they may perform. No room for error in this school!)
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