#the med assistant

[medicaldoctordana]

3x18 ncis

Why the hell is NCIS at a high school active bomb threat in the middle of the day, I'm assuming its Tuesday or something. I don't know.

[izze-art]

med school may be difficult but at least katara has a philosophy ta to rant about the healthcare system to (bonus part is that he’s madly in love with her)

[alostwanderernotfound]

PANDEMICS- Hostile Power Takeover? Learnings on Urban & Domestic Warfare, “Disease: Bacteria Part 1, Fundamental Considerations”:

Let’s say the hostile power is more technologically advanced & half robot/half machine or full machine, so seemingly unkillable. Organic beings are very vulnerable to having disease used as a weapon against them.

Disease can be a major benefit to this type of hostile power & it would be an incredibly powerful weapon. This allows the destruction of an organic-based domestic population & it can also allow the harvesting of resources to build new bodies and/or reuse of the entire body depending on the disease process.

There are many insidious ways diseases develop & spread. This process DOES NOT just occur in a laboratory. Remember that there are many different “groupings” of entities we refer to as pathogens or things with the ability to cause disease.

Bacteria are an important one. Bacteria & other pathogens can reproduce by multiple means. Here I’m going to speak about bacteria with the capacity to do Bacterial conjugation. This involves passing characteristic between two different bacteria similar to how sexual reproduction can pass on characteristics. This is overall an important conversation because a lot of the most complex & common life forms in our daily lives also spread these characteristics through similar principles through sexual reproduction.

> A lot of bacteria to our awareness are able to pass on characteristics. Bacterial DNA contains the “instructions”/“resources” for bacteria to either have or not have characteristics.

-Bacterial conjugation for example allows one bacteria to attach to a second bacteria & send resources to the second bacteria. After this process, the second bacteria is able to transform and display the characteristics transferred to it. Example: Bacteria A can change colors like a chameleon. Bacteria B cannot change color. Once Bacteria A attaches to Bacteria B and they are compatible, Bacteria A passes on resources to Bacteria B. Bacteria B then acquires the ability to change color. Bacteria B now can change color & has attainted the same advantage as originally only bacteria A had. Now Bacteria A and Bacteria B can change color like a chameleon.

- The other way characteristics form & occur in a bacterial population is through mutation. If a bacteria’s DNA is altered or mutates then it can produce a bacteria with new traits & characteristics. Radiation for example, like from X-rays, often causes mutations. Sometimes mutations do “nothing” we can really perceive with our eyes. But overtime, they will eventually create large changes and can produce huge benefits for bacteria. For example: A bacteria could have always have been wiped out from nuclear weapons then overtime from mutations it can acquire the ability to survive living inside an area with nuclear radiation.

-This is a very important concept to fully understand so that you can become cognizant of how insidious this process is when discussing what bioterrorism in the modern world can look like. Pandemics are not caused just from mysterious lab leaks. The practices we do everyday are still contributing to the next pandemic occurring.

-This also gives everyone a better understanding of how MRSA or an antibiotic resistant bacteria really was “made” inside our hospitals.

> Bacteria can possibly have random or genetically engineered characteristics.

-If there are 100 random bacteria on an isolated surface that formed there naturally, some will have favorable characteristics to cause severe disease. But, some bacteria will not have those characteristics to cause severe disease. The bacteria lacking these deadly characteristics, but are still part of the same family of bacteria, would be considered weaker pathogens (weaker pathogen meaning they would cause less severe disease in organic beings).

-**But it is important to remember, If someone purposefully put bacteria down on a surface there is a chance it will not be a random distribution in strength of bacteria & they will mostly all be bacteria with strong characteristics. That group would probably be closer to 100 out of 100 of the bacteria carrying the deadly characteristic.**

>There are 2 main basic premises (which can be further subdivided and added onto when discussing what makes pathogens strong, but for now I’m discussing a more fundamentals explanation) we consider when determining bacterial pathogen strength: number of bacteria & the amount of deadly/harmful characteristics each bacteria possess.

-Reducing the overall number of bacteria in a group of random bacteria does not always mean you make a pathogen less strong. (Example: Purposefully killing 50 bacteria out of 100 and now there are only 50 bacteria in the group.)

If you destroy many of the weaker bacteria & only leave strong bacteria to reproduce, pathogens overtime can get stronger & more deadly. So, by destroying only the weaker bacteria in a group of bacteria, you slowly make pathogens stronger through this natural process & it doesn’t have to occur inside of a laboratory. To make a bacterial pathogen less strong by focusing on decreasing the overall number of those bacteria that exist in our world, you would also have to consider how many of each strength you eliminate. This is because we currently we do not use practices that wipe out groups of bacteria 100%, so we must consider these two elements together instead of separate when evaluating pathogen strength. Example: Lets say there are 100 bacteria and you wipe out 90. Bacteria A can cause humans to be paralyzed. Bacteria B cannot paralyze humans. Out of the 10 bacteria still alive, if all 10 are Bacteria A then you have eliminated the chance people would be infected with the less severe version of the disease, with Bacteria B. In the long term Bacteria A now has a strong chance to reproduce & when Bacteria A infects people it would then cause paralysis in everyone & the population could collapse. In another scenario, consider if you wiped out 90 bacteria out of 100, but you did it purposefully. Out of the 10 bacteria left, 9 were Bacteria that were Bacteria B & couldn’t cause paralysis. The last 1 out of the 10 left was Bacteria A. Then when those 10 bacteria reproduced it effectively helps “dilute” this negative characteristic in this bacterial family. Based off randomness & probability, when there this group reproduces to the size of 20 bacteria only approximately 2 of them may carry Bacteria A’s paralytic characteristic & 18 will carry bacteria B’s characteristic that does not cause paralysis. So, even though we can’t stop the bacteria number from growing, since we mindfully intervened we can still divert the trajectory of the pathogen from becoming a pathogen with the ability to become “pandemic level” and/or very very harmful.

>Two ways pathogens can get weaker is by lowering the amount of bacteria in the world & by lowering its severe disease characteristics, but this these two categories have an important interplay.

-This is an oversimplified explanation of how disease spreads & evolves, but the fundamental principles are VERY important to the overall understanding of what’s occurring. Imagine a group of bacteria you count has 100 total bacteria. 50 of them carry a gene to cause paralysis in humans & 50 do not carry this gene. When 100 people come in contact with the 50/50 bacteria distribution and get sick only 50 out of 100 of the people get paralyzed. This allows the other 50 people time to work on vaccinations & interventions to stop everyone from eventually being paralyzed.

-But, if you kill the 50 out of the 100 bacteria that do not carry the gene for paralysis then your bacteria group went from 100 to a total of 50 in size. In the short term the spread of the disease is likely to go down, as it is less likely people will randomly spread 50 objects instead of 100. BUT, those 50 bacteria with the gene to cause paralysis will only reproduce with other bacteria that also have that gene. So this bacteria, since you wiped out the 50 that don’t cause paralysis, now ALL cause paralysis & anyone who comes in contact with this bacteria strain will get paralyzed. So eventually with time the group of 50 bacteria will reproduce to 100 & spread at the same rate as they were originally, but now they cause more harm to people.

>When you unknowingly touch a colony of bacteria on an object or life form, you pick up a random sample of random “strength” of bacteria.

>****PLEASE READ: you can ALSO pickup a sample of bacteria that is all “strong bacteria” but this is NOT usually a natural occurrence you will see & is suggestive someone or something altered the bacteria and purposefully put those bacteria there. A group of bacteria that looks like it formed organically vs one that was purposefully placed there can be differentiated with taking samples of surfaces and people & counting how many strong bacteria vs weak bacteria there are, but we as a population do not regularly test for this in this way. Due to this I’m going to speak with the viewpoint of natural bacteria groups that have a gradient of “strengths”. In an ideal world we would identity groups of bacteria that have gradients of strength of bacteria vs groups of all similar strength, as interventions to stop them from becoming strong pathogens work DIFFERENTLY.)

>After you touch those bacteria they attempt to multiply and stay alive on you. Then if you touch other things they can be placed on another surface or thing. Sometimes they are placed on other surfaces in an environment or you touch your body & they are placed closer to an entrance to the inside or your body & then they are able to enter your body.

-This process will cause one of the following to occur: bacteria will stay in the area you touched & colonize it, they will die when attempting to enter the body, the bacteria will give you a disease , or in some cases the bacteria will live symbiotically inside you & help your body. If a bacteria lives symbiotically with you & does not cause harm then we do not refer to that as a pathogen, but rather just as a bacteria.

>Anytime you wipe out a group of bacteria by taking out 100% it causes that pathogen to get weaker overall, but the issue is that we do not do interventions that wipe out 100%.

-Currently anytime you clean an object in the hospital with a sanitizing wipe, you always kill less than 100% of the bacteria. This leaves behind a certain % of bacteria & they will be the strongest of that group of bacteria, because they were able to live even though you applied a cleaning product on them. This means the strongest bacteria left, even though there are less after cleaning, are now reproducing over and over again & getting stronger.

-So, when there is an environment with a large amount of bacteria variability (so all these new patients with new exposures to new bacteria that travel and touch things all the time), with shared equipment, with not 100% effective methods to destroy pathogens, & this long list of variables, we slowly produce very strong & deadly pathogens inside of hospitals.

-IF someone purposefully puts deadly bacteria ontop of a surface inside a hospital and it is a group of 100 strong & identical or cloned bacteria with no difference in genetics then wiping them out through imperfect cleaning will overall reduce pathogen deadliness. This is because there are no “stronger” pathogens vs “weaker” pathogens. They are all the same strength in this example and therefore will always get weaker when you reduce their number because they won’t reproduce to be more deadly.

>People often think when people are trying to cause them harm that would only occur when someone makes a pathogen in a lab & then deceptively goes and places some near you. This is not accurate.

-With knowing this do you see how for a hostile power there is actually LESS incentive to going through with all that work & instead a hostile power can abuse the system to cause harm? If you expect biological warfare to ONLY come out of a lab, this means you would be looking for the wrong patterns of behavior & pathogens will spiral out of control.

A lot of practices we currently use now unfortunately heavily contribute to this process that causes pathogens to get stronger.

[kirby-the-gorb]

[joanna-study]

My boyfriend and I decided to study in the library and I think it was a great idea.🎇 We were so concentrated and time went by fast ✨

[tabl3]

mighty med hero society: no killing!! >:(

davenport family (esp in this arc):

[glamnotes]

Suture Types and Patterns

[paravet]

4 month old Boston terrier came in yesterday with labored breathing. X-rays showed pneumonia in the lungs and a very narrow airway. Today he came in to be put on oxygen, because the owner refused to go to the emergency room to do that last night.

We spent two hours trying to save this puppy but he died in my arms. I'm pissed off because we should have euthanized him. He died in agony at a very young age. The owner let us know later this afternoon that she's getting ANOTHER puppy from the same litter. THE SAME FUCKING LITTER.

I feel like I just got whiplash...

[fuwaprince]

Okay hi we're all doing well and staying cool this summer. I'm not the most comfortable asking this but recently I've been struggling with basic stuff/life and could rly use some help! Would anybody pretty please be able to cover me for food today?? 🥺✨ Sorry but also thank you so much for reading! Please REBLOG and take care!

I have cashapp, paypal, venmo... an e gift card would work too for something Ike doordash!

[life-at-animal-control]

That's not how cats sound

[funerals]

got my sleeping meds finally after like a month of not sleeping well im so happy

[hillbilly---man]

[joanna-study]

{04.11.2023} The weather is magical 🌻😁 I wish I could concentrate on my studies more

[paravet]

Taking a hiatus from veterinary medicine. I had a small nervous breakdown during a shift due to bad management, hostile work environment, and unreasonable expectations. They fired almost everyone in the summer, refused to hire new employees for like 2 months, and started overbooking appointments. 15 minute back-to-back appointments starting at 9 am to 6 pm, with a mandatory 2 drop off appointments per doctor per day. We had one technician (me), one receptionist, one CVT who would regularly disappear for hours, and two doctors. I never had the chance to take any breaks. If I got behind I got yelled at. My coworkers were getting written up for unbelievable things that didn't happen during business hours nor on site. They asked me to work an extra day past my two weeks because otherwise it would have been one technician doing regular appointments PLUS surgery. On my last day, they asked me to stay, I refused. Then asked if I could stay part-time. Then told me that regarding work stress that "I do it to myself."

I'm now working for a local kennel, it pays less and is pretty boring, but I'm so much happier. I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to veterinary medicine, if I do, it won't be for the same clinic. The doctors were great, I will miss them. They even defended me when management tried to say I "was not fit for this type of work" even though I've been doing it over 5 years. It's a major veterinary chain, though I won't name it.

I've had two doctors advise me that my job was stressing me out too much. I was on prescription anti-nausea medication and my blood pressure was very high despite being on medication for it. But you know, "I do it to myself."

[cvt2dvm]

Introduction!

TLDR Summary: CVT2DVM is run by me, Elizabeth, a 23-year-old pre-vet student who shares my small on-call apartment with 2 dogs and 2 cats. I work full-time in veterinary medicine while also taking night classes. My Tag: #CVT2DVM

Hi Everyone! My name is Elizabeth, I'm a 2nd generation veterinary professional currently in phase 2 of 3 in my journey to a DVM pursuing my associate's of veterinary technology. I have 4 critters of my own, 2 cats (Olive 10, and Hannibal 6 months) and 2 dogs (Chewbacca 7, and Phobos 2). My Blog is best viewed on a desktop via cvt2dvm.tumblr.com

About Me:

Name: Elizabeth

Age: 23

Meyers-Briggs: ENTJ

Enneagram: 8

Astrology Big Three: Scorpio Sun, Cancer Moon, Libra Rising

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Religion: Episcopalian

Nationality: American

Ethnic Background: Polish & Irish

Languages: English, Polish, Gaeilge, Greek, Latin

Job: Live In, On-Call Veterinary Assistant

Interests:

Bite Sports (PSA, KNPV Trials, French Ring)

Epidemiology

Theriogenetics

Sports Medicine, Canine & Equine Fitness, and Rehabilitation

Hikes

Women's Fitness and Nutrition

Comparative Theology both within the Christian faith and with world religions

Volunteering as an escort for both my local Women's DV Shelter and Planned Parenthood

Feminist Theory

Being on a breakfast team at Church

Line Dancing

Ice Breaker:

Guilty Pleasure: Contemporary Cowboy Romance Novels

Drink of Choice: Coffee with cinnamon and honey during the day,

Cardio or Weights?: Weights, but I love going line dancing as a form of Cardio

Favorite Indulgence: A glass of merlot, a baguette, and warmed brie by a fire

Favorite Show to Binge: ER or American Horror Story

Ocean, Lake, or River?: River

Usually Craving: Soy-Free Teriyaki Flank Steak

Celeb I'd Love to Meet: Anna Wintour or Reese Witherspoon

Alternate Job: Singer-Songwriter or Cabinetmaker

Current Goals

Gain more muscle mass

Maintain a minimum 3.8 GPA

Achieve PSA 1 by Fall 2025 with Phobos, and continue pursuing PSA 2 and PSA 3

Be an advocate for my patients with both their medical team and their owners.

Graduate on Schedule as Class of 2027, and earn my CVT License while continuing to pursue my pre-requisites for Vet School while being realistic about my financial situation and responsibilities

Further deepen my relationship with Christ

Get back into the saddle in a lesson program

Expect

Case Studies

Revised Notes

Studyspreads

Accountability posts

Dog Training & Sports Content

Cats Adventuring

Lakeside views

[idontmindifuforgetme]

I am so glad that I’m setting aside time to volunteer.