In a large room filled with a half dozen tables, groups of students are following what might appear to be sewing instructions with stich names such as “cruciate” and “simple interrupted.” At the top of the sheet it reads: Practice Made Perfect. For the WSU veterinary students who are actually learning basic surgical suturing skills, this kind of practice gives them the confidence they need to perform surgeries later in the program.
After noticing an odd lump on his dog’s head in the spring of 2013, Joel Greenhalgh of British Columbia, Canada, took Mr. Bear, a then 11-year-old Australian Sheppard-Rottweiler mix, to his local veterinarian. At first the advice was to watch and see, but when it didn’t go away, his veterinarian took a biopsy. Mr. Bear had cancer.
After earning a DVM from the University of Montreal, Marie-Lou Gauthier was thrilled to be accepted as an intern at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital to further her education and gain more hands-on experience. So she felt very fortunate when she and other WSU interns were given the opportunity to spend two weeks at Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services (ACCES) in Seattle.
Earlier in this issue you read about Mr. Bear, an Australian Sheppard-Rottweiler that received life-saving brain surgery. Mr. Bear is one of thousands of patients who have been helped because of MRI. But after 18 years of dedicated service to our patients, the lifespan of our MRI machine is quickly approaching its end.
As we look to the future of patient care, a new MRI cannot wait.
The Newbrey Teaching Scholar is awarded for excellence in teaching during the first three years of the veterinary core curriculum. This award is given in memory of Jerry Newbrey, who joined the VCAPP faculty in 1975, and who died too young in a climbing accident in 1990.
Seeing the rolling green hills of spring on the Palouse is a striking metaphor for positive change. It has me thinking about similar changes in the college—changes underway, and future changes as we continue to meet our new challenges and opportunities.
Over the coming year, for instance, you will see many changes to patient services at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. We seek to perform more efficiently and effectively, which will improve our service to clients and referring veterinarians.