Veterinary Medicine - April 2008 - (Page 195)

What would you have liked to do if you hadn’t become a veterinarian? During my undergraduate studies, I minored in English literature, and I got better grades in those classes than I did in my science classes. If I hadn’t pursued veterinary medicine, I would have studied English in graduate school and spent the rest of my life reading. The amount of information we’re forced to teach in four years is daunting. do—and what I ﬁnd most rewarding—is the didactic and clinical teaching. If I had to pick one, I would just teach. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Up until the start of my residency, I was a dog person. Then Nuisance, a domestic shorthaired cat that lives up to his name, entered my life. What can I say? I just had to meet the right cat. Thankfully, he’s still with me. What changes in veterinary medicine do you hope will occur in the next 100 years? The future of veterinary medicine lies in subcertiﬁcation, meaning students being trained only in small-animal or large-animal medicine. The amount of information we’re forced to teach in four years is daunting. In the future, we’ll have to heavily track students to ensure that graduates practice high-quality medicine. What book would you recommend? Just one? I hope nobody lives a life in which he or she is forced to pick just one book. Veterinary medicine inspires me, but the thoughts stirred by what I’ve read have shaped me into who I am. What books are you reading now? I’m alternating between Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, a classic with a cynical view of the world, and the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, on which the movie The Golden Compass is based. Do you have a bad habit? Procrastinating! All-nighters do not end at graduation. I routinely ﬁnish lectures, notes, and interviews for Veterinary Medicine at the last possible minute. What makes a good veterinarian? What favorite musicians or songs would you include on your personal jukebox? My current favorite bands Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, and Of Montreal and classic rock staples, including the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Boston. It all comes back to what we try to teach in veterinary school— approaching patients by using the problem-oriented method. Anybody can look stuff up in textbooks, but you have to think like a veterinarian to be good at what we do. What part of your work do you enjoy most? My job is a balance among teaching, seeing patients, and doing research. Without a doubt, my top reason for doing what I Is there a veterinary leader you’d like us to interview? If so, please e-mail or fax us the person’s name and afﬁliation: vm@advanstar.com; fax (913) 871-3808. VETERINARY MEDICINE April 2008 195 http://www.idexx.com/snapfelinetriple http://www.idexx.com/snapfelinetriple

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - April 2008

Veterinary Medicine - April 2008 Contents Letters Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. Barrak Pressler Idea Exchange Help! My Dog Licks Everything An Update on Anaplasmosis in Dogs CE Form Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - April 2008

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