Class of 2021 . . . how ya doin?

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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I'm totally jealous though, every time I moved across the country (and there were 3 times I went coast to coast and one time where I went coast to middle!) there's been a time crunch (plus all the pets, and a freshly repaired broken ankle the first time) and I haven't been able to see things.

edit: you'll have A LOT more free time in the first three years of vet school than you'll have for 4th year + internship/residency (if you go that route)
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Coopah said:
Nice thanks! Since I am moving across the whole damn country, I can go wherever I want in the process. I'm determined to make this a super fun trip! Thanks for the advice!
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I spent a good part of my childhood in Chicago, so depending on what you want to do, Chicago is really great. Especially in the summer! Downtown is great, great food, museums, and parks, and zoos, and fun! Ooooh and depending on when you're going, The Taste of Chicago might be going on which is soooooo cool.
I really really like Chicago if you can't tell.
 
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nyanko said:
I'm totally jealous though, every time I moved across the country (and there were 3 times I went coast to coast and one time where I went coast to middle!) there's been a time crunch (plus all the pets, and a freshly repaired broken ankle the first time) and I haven't been able to see things.
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That sucks! I hope you get the chance again.
 
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Idaho is pretty great. You can come visit me! :D After you visit dubz, of course.
 
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cdoconn said:
I spent a good part of my childhood in Chicago, so depending on what you want to do, Chicago is really great. Especially in the summer! Downtown is great, great food, museums, and parks, and zoos, and fun! Ooooh and depending on when you're going, The Taste of Chicago might be going on which is soooooo cool.
I really really like Chicago if you can't tell.
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I'm moving there this summer... tell me all the things to do!
 
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kcoughli said:
I'm moving there this summer... tell me all the things to do!
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Ahhhhh! Everything! I'm in love with Chicago! Are you moving to the city itself or to the suburbs around it? And if you're moving to the suburbs which one- because some of them are nice and some of them (like the one my grandma lives in) are bad.
 
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kcoughli said:
I'm moving there this summer... tell me all the things to do!
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This is very random, but how do veterinarians find jobs? Is there a site that lists jobs for vets? What about listings for specialties or boarded vets? I know it's a weird question, but whenever I look for jobs in my area to get an estimate of salary ranges I never find much for listings, even out of my area or in big hubs like Boston. Do they all list on certain websites I've never heard of? If anyone has any advice on how that works (not just putting all the pressure on you KC) I'd love to hear it!
 
Coopah said:
This is very random, but how do veterinarians find jobs? Is there a site that lists jobs for vets? What about listings for specialties or boarded vets? I know it's a weird question, but whenever I look for jobs in my area to get an estimate of salary ranges I never find much for listings, even out of my area or in big hubs like Boston. Do they all list on certain websites I've never heard of? If anyone has any advice on how that works (not just putting all the pressure on you KC) I'd love to hear it!
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There are often postings on state VMA's and the AVMA's websites, some people found out about places that were hiring via externships or word of mouth. I applied through the Match so kind of a different than normal scenario but you can get an idea of intern/resident salaries on the VIRMP website. Finally, the different specialties I assume have their own websites that might host job postings (at least I'm pretty sure ACLAM/ASLAP do for lab animal, not sure about the other specialties).
 
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cdoconn said:
I spent a good part of my childhood in Chicago, so depending on what you want to do, Chicago is really great. Especially in the summer! Downtown is great, great food, museums, and parks, and zoos, and fun! Ooooh and depending on when you're going, The Taste of Chicago might be going on which is soooooo cool.
I really really like Chicago if you can't tell.
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I live in Chicago and I :love: it so much. @kcoughli please let me know if you need any help or advice! And if anyone is visiting (which you should all definitely do!) hit me up. I plan on doing lots of touristy stuff before I leave for good, and I can get into a lot of museums for free with a guest!

Edit to emphasize this:

great food
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great food
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great food
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Yes yes yes.
 
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@Coopah if you are going through Colorado definitely should visit the wolves at Mission: Wolf sanctuary. It's out in the boondocks but it's free and if you go on the right day it's an awesome experience! !
 
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finnickthedog said:
MSU said they'll have vaccine clinics during the first semester but I have no idea how much it's going to cost so I'm trying to find out if I can get it covered by my insurance elsewhere anyways.
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its 750 for all 3 shots through the "clinic" they set up. Its a big scam I think. I had classmates use the student health insurance, and go to the student health clinic and have it all covered. I think its all about being persistent and working the insurance people.
 
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TrashPanda said:
I live in Chicago and I :love: it so much. @kcoughli please let me know if you need any help or advice! And if anyone is visiting (which you should all definitely do!) hit me up. I plan on doing lots of touristy stuff before I leave for good, and I can get into a lot of museums for free with a guest!

Edit to emphasize this:





Yes yes yes.
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I'm gonna try to make a visit up this summer. (Because c'mon- can't turn down free housing). I'm excited! I love Chicago so much.
 
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cdoconn said:
I spent a good part of my childhood in Chicago, so depending on what you want to do, Chicago is really great. Especially in the summer! Downtown is great, great food, museums, and parks, and zoos, and fun! Ooooh and depending on when you're going, The Taste of Chicago might be going on which is soooooo cool.
I really really like Chicago if you can't tell.
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I haven't spent near as much time there as you have, but I second (third? fourth?) the Chicago love. :love: The fiancé and I have seriously considered living there someday, just depends if I could find a job. And the cold would be an adjustment.

Kansas has the world's largest ball of twine if anyone's coming through this way...
 
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Never lived there, but just based on visiting/work trips, Chicago turned out to be everything I hoped NYC would be, except better. You're lucky, KC!
 
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TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
Ooohhh this sounds so cool!

*saving*
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Haha its a great place! I did a 4 month internship there a couple summers ago. Actually my avatar is a pup that came to them last month so if anyone goes in the next year you'll probably get to see the baby as well as the adult wolves. :)
 
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I'll be moving along the same route that I've done the past 4 years. Just 2 hours further. I'll be in the same city as the tree that owns itself though
 
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nyanko said:
Well I was just thinking if there's somewhere further away that she'd want to go that's on the way across, don't waste a day on Yosemite since she can go there when she has a free day or two anyway!
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While you can go to Yosemite on a day trip, there's an excellent East-West route that takes advantage of coming from Yosemite from the backside (speaking as one who has driven cross country about 14 times and taken every route. Below is my favorite route through the West. I can give some recommendations on the eastern side, too.

I can piece together the exact details for you, especially depending on where you start. But I recommend doing:
Stay south to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado
Duck up to the south end of the Rockies
Head back a little southwest to Spruce tree ruins in Colorado (awesome old Pueblo cliff dwellings)
Canyonlands of the Ancient in CO as you cross into Utah
Go through the canyonlands / arches as you cross Utah, with a quick jaunt down to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon
Cross into Nevada
Do Las Vegas, if that's your thing - but head north on HWY 93 from Las Vegas to get to the Extraterrestrial Highway through Rachel Nevada, to satisfy your UFO hunting needs (HWY 375)
At the end of 375, grab Nevada Hwy 6 and head West to see Mono Lake (MUST SEE)
Then it's an easy jump over the mountains through the east entrance of Yosemite and on to Davis.
 
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Balesofhay said:
I'll be moving along the same route that I've done the past 4 years. Just amputee 2 hours further. I'll be in the same city as the tree that owns itself though
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:eek: :laugh:

Also I'd never heard of this tree before, interesting!
 
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TrashPanda said:
Ok, one doctor's visit and four phone calls later... it looks like it'll be covered!

Details, in case they help:

My doctor said he does not carry the vaccine but I should contact a travel clinic. I found a travel/urgent care clinic that does pre-exposure rabies and takes my insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO). I called my insurance company to ask if it would be covered, and they said that immunizations are generally covered 100% and I wouldn't need to provide any paperwork, but I should get the exact billing code and call back to be sure. I called the urgent care clinic and they gave me the billing code. I called my insurance company again and gave them the code, and here's where it got a little tricky. The customer service rep put in the code and said it came up as a rabies "injectable oral medication." Since that didn't make sense, she then tried a whole bunch of combinations. Even with a specific billing code, how much I'm charged can depend on if the visit is coded as out-patient or in-office and if it's coded as an immunization (covered 100%) or an injection or injectable oral medication (I pay $500 and then the rest is covered at 80%). Eventually she figured that in this particular case, it shouldn't matter whether it's in-office or out-patient and that since it is an immunization, I should ask the doctor to code it as one and not an injection (and she said the doctor will as long as they think that's appropriate). I called the clinic back and was able to confirm that it will be coded as an immunization, so it should be covered 100%. Huzzah!

I hope this helps! For anyone else trying this, I would recommend finding a travel clinic that does rabies vaccines and making sure they take your insurance and are considered in-network (may be difficult if you have an HMO, but the clinic I'm going to is in-network for some HMOs so it's worth a try). Ask them for the billing code, then call your insurance company to ask if it's covered. You may have to go through something similar with immunizations vs. injections and in-office vs. out-patient. Feel free to PM (or ask here) if you have any questions.

EDIT: I'm annoyed with myself for not even trying this earlier. I used to volunteer at a wildlife clinic that would only let vaccinated people work with raccoons. I missed out on some baby raccoon snuggles!
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ABORT ABORT ABORT. DO NOT DO THIS.

BlueCross BlueShield sucks. A lot.

The clinic's rabies vaccine code is indeed for an immunization (because that's what it is!) but BCBS is not covering it because they say the code is for an injection, not an immunization.
:boom:

On the bright side, the clinic's billing manager is awesome. She suggested a conference call between her, me, and the insurance's customer service rep, and then proceeded to (politely) yell at the insurance company. BCBS is having a supervisor listen to the call logs to figure out what happened (I think the first person I spoke with was misinformed), and hopefully I'll hear back soon.
 
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I have BCBS too and they said 100% would not cover it because it was required by a third party so they should cover it... no pretty sure that's not how insurance works
 
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I just counted how many days of school I have left. 17 days and then 3 days of finals. I'm burnt out. And I've been sick since spring break & still can't breathe well.

I usually love going to class, but I have been accidentally dosing off and apathetic in everything. I failed a biochem quiz today and I didn't even care. I'm basically counting on my close friends to drag me across the finish line because I'm so done. Aghhh
 
TrashPanda said:
ABORT ABORT ABORT. DO NOT DO THIS.

BlueCross BlueShield sucks. A lot.

The clinic's rabies vaccine code is indeed for an immunization (because that's what it is!) but BCBS is not covering it because they say the code is for an injection, not an immunization.
:boom:

On the bright side, the clinic's billing manager is awesome. She suggested a conference call between her, me, and the insurance's customer service rep, and then proceeded to (politely) yell at the insurance company. BCBS is having a supervisor listen to the call logs to figure out what happened (I think the first person I spoke with was misinformed), and hopefully I'll hear back soon.
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Boooo. I am so sorry. Now I think it was a miracle my series was covered (almost) two years ago by them. It's good they will go through the logs and prevent this huge head ache for someone else.
 
TrashPanda said:
ABORT ABORT ABORT. DO NOT DO THIS.

BlueCross BlueShield sucks. A lot.

The clinic's rabies vaccine code is indeed for an immunization (because that's what it is!) but BCBS is not covering it because they say the code is for an injection, not an immunization.
:boom:

On the bright side, the clinic's billing manager is awesome. She suggested a conference call between her, me, and the insurance's customer service rep, and then proceeded to (politely) yell at the insurance company. BCBS is having a supervisor listen to the call logs to figure out what happened (I think the first person I spoke with was misinformed), and hopefully I'll hear back soon.
Click to expand...

Coopah said:
I have BCBS too and they said 100% would not cover it because it was required by a third party so they should cover it... no pretty sure that's not how insurance works
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Yeah I asked BCBS and they said they won't. Blah. We don't have to have them done until the end of the fall semester so I think I'm just gonna wait and do them through student health because I'm having a hell of a time even finding a place to get the series done around her. Paying out of pocket sucks, but it seems it's what most people have to do.

Hopefully it at least works out for you @TrashPanda since they have you incorrect info...let us know how it turns out.
 
One month until graduation and I series can't believe how quickly the time is flying...:eek:
 
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mmmdreamerz said:
Yeah I asked BCBS and they said they won't. Blah. We don't have to have them done until the end of the fall semester so I think I'm just gonna wait and do them through student health because I'm having a hell of a time even finding a place to get the series done around her. Paying out of pocket sucks, but it seems it's what most people have to do.

Hopefully it at least works out for you @TrashPanda since they have you incorrect info...let us know how it turns out.
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I'll be on whatever health insurance my husband gets at his new job (whatever that may be) so I'll just submit and hope for the best. Worst case I have to pay anyway, meh.
 
Coopah said:
I'll be on whatever health insurance my husband gets at his new job (whatever that may be) so I'll just submit and hope for the best. Worst case I have to pay anyway, meh.
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Husbands insurance lol. I won't turn 26 until after I graduate so I can mooch off my parents a bit longer. haha.
 
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mmmdreamerz said:
Husbands insurance lol. I won't turn 26 until after I graduate so I can mooch off my parents a bit longer. haha.
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This makes me feel old. I turn 27 this summer. :dead: <---- me starting vet school.
 
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cdoconn said:
Ugh I'm glad time is flying for you because it's a nope for me. Longest semester ever.
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I literally have the easiest classes ever this semester (easy because they're interesting to me anyway) and I'm working a bunch and I'm just happy. It's a good break from the stress.
 
cdoconn said:
I just counted how many days of school I have left. 17 days and then 3 days of finals. I'm burnt out. And I've been sick since spring break & still can't breathe well.

I usually love going to class, but I have been accidentally dosing off and apathetic in everything. I failed a biochem quiz today and I didn't even care. I'm basically counting on my close friends to drag me across the finish line because I'm so done. Aghhh
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I feel you. I've been sick a lot these last two semesters (most likely stress induced) and am holding out for summer. My level of commitment to undergrad has significantly declined these last few weeks. I also got a low grade in my biochem class and didn't care...I probably would have cried about it two years ago. :D But we can do it. Hang in there!
 
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Emily Faith said:
I feel you. I've been sick a lot these last two semesters (most likely stress induced) and am holding out for summer. My level of commitment to undergrad has significantly declined these last few weeks. I also got a low grade in my biochem class and didn't care...I probably would have cried about it two years ago. :D But we can do it. Hang in there!
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Ughhh. Bronchitis and walking pneumonia is the worst. I hate being sick (I've been sick since spring break :yeahright:). I'm just doneeeeeee.:arghh:
 
Heeeeeey idk where I've been this whole time, but I just joined and found this forum. Western University c/o 2021!! Hi all
 
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