What does a wet lab have to do with a free TV? Tune in as we chat with Shiloh Landskov, a 4th veterinary student at the University of Illinois to find out. We discuss what it’s like being a veterinary student in the age of COVID-19, the benefit of giving back with her VBMA service, ideas she has to stay connected with classmates, and how to appreciate the small things in the midst of these uncertain times.
A few resources discussed in this episode:
- VIN Foundation
Student Debt Center - VIN Foundation New
Graduate Student Loan Playbook webinar recording and checklist
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TRANSCRIPT
Intro
Jordan Benshea: Welcome to the Veterinary Pulse podcast. My name is Jordan Benshea. I’m the Executive Director of the VIN Foundation. Veterinary Pulse is the heartbeat of the profession. Join us as we talk with veterinary colleagues about critical topics, from student debt to mental health, and share stories. Stories connect us as humans, as animals, as a veterinary community. This podcast is made possible through individual donors like yourself, and our technology partnership with VIN, the Veterinary Information Network. Thank you for being here.
Meet Shiloh Landskov: A Fourth-Year Veterinary Student
Jordan Benshea: This episode we’re having a discussion with fourth year University of Illinois veterinary student, Shiloh Landskov. Shiloh has been an active member of the VBMA, the Veterinary Business Management Association, most recently serving as the National compliance director. As she makes her way to graduation, we discussed the realities of being a fourth year in the age of COVID. Thank you for listening. Hi, Shiloh. Welcome to the Veterinarian Pulse podcast. Thank you so much for being here.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Hi, thanks for having me.
Shiloh’s Journey to Veterinary Medicine
Jordan Benshea: Can you introduce yourself to us and tell us a little bit about where you are in your veterinary career?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yes, I’m Shiloh Landskov, and I’m a fourth year veterinary student at the University of Illinois. I’m in the class of 2020, so I’ll be graduating this May.
Jordan Benshea: Wonderful. We’ll chat about that a little bit. It’s probably a very interesting time to be a fourth year veterinary student right now.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Definitely.
Jordan Benshea: How were you first introduced to the VIN Foundation?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: The first time I ever really interacted was when I went to the SAVMA symposium when it was held at Texas A&M. I was at a wet lab for darting wildlife. We were actually in the middle of darting some sort of feral cat, it could have been a bob cat, but I can’t really remember. I got a phone call about this contest that I entered, where you just write your name and put it into a hat, and they draw your name, and you win a TV. It was the VIN Foundation calling me and telling me that I had won, so I basically finished up the wet lab and got my TV. That was my first memory of the VIN Foundation.
Jordan Benshea: That sounds good because it’s a positive memory, so I like it. How is the TV?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: It’s still doing well.
Jordan Benshea: Great. That’s always fun to see people and give those out. What drew you originally to the veterinary profession?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I’m not really the typical vet student who grew up knowing they wanted to be a vet since they were three. Growing up, I had a lot of interests in science and animals. I never really knew exactly what I wanted to be, but I always had a connection with animals. I was obsessed with the Crocodile Hunter. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Steve Irwin.
Jordan Benshea: Yep, yep.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I went outside every day, and played in the woods, got all muddy, caught snakes and frogs, and just loved wildlife and conservation. My whole life I just went with that and the fact that I love science, I just always knew that I would go into something potentially medical. I thought a lot about human medicine, but I realized I didn’t really have a draw to the human part of the medicine. When I was 18, I was about to move out for college and my parents were like, oh, we’re going to get a dog. I know you’ve been asking for one for 18 years, but since you’re leaving, we’re going to be lonely. We thought we might get something to keep us busy. That was where I realized that a veterinarian is also a doctor and works in science and medicine. I had had other pets prior to that, but I was too young to go with to the vet. I guess I wasn’t too young, but I had never gone and so I wasn’t really exposed until I was 18. I went to a private liberal arts school that wasn’t really well known for a pre-vet program, so my first exposure to vet medicine was honestly vet school.
Jordan Benshea: Wow, just sort of day one.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, I got to vet school and they’re like, ‘welcome to vet school, so what kind of vet do you want to be?’ I was like, there are different kinds? I had a lot to learn really quickly.
Jordan Benshea: When you were 18, that was your defining moment of yes, I want to be a veterinarian, or do you think it was sometime in your undergrad?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: It was the summer before undergrad started, because we had to pick a major, and I was just kind of flip flop flip flopping back and forth. It was an epiphany, almost, I just came across there’s this whole profession that I had never really thought about before. In my vet school interview, they asked me why I wanted to be a vet, and my answer was, well, this is the next best thing to being the Crocodile Hunter. I realized when I was about 16 or 17 that that wasn’t really a viable option for me, and that’s when I started hunting around in the medical field.
Jordan Benshea: That’s a great story. What area of the country did you grew up in?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I grew up in Minnesota, a small town, west of the Twin Cities.
Jordan Benshea: That’s fun. So, no Crocodile Hunter, but yes veterinary medicine.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yes, I still hope someday to visit the Australia Zoo where the Irwin family lives.
Jordan Benshea: That’s so great. What a great connection. Since you’ve been in school, have you noticed that you think about the Crocodile Hunter during school?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Oh, all the time. My dog’s name is Irwin, actually. I got him last year. He was my junior surgery dog, and the first name that came to mind was either Steve or Irwin. I think Steve’s a weird name for a dog, so Irwin it is.
Jordan Benshea: That’s awesome. What kind of dog?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: He’s a cattle dog mix, but definitely a lot of cattle dog in there.
Jordan Benshea: That’s wonderful. What a great story.
Impact of COVID-19 on Veterinary Education
Jordan Benshea: I am sure as with everybody in the world right now that you have probably been impacted by covid 19. One of the reasons that we wanted to chat with you is that we want to get feedback from everybody as to how this is impacting everyone, and what ways the VIN Foundation can help. What resources can we create? What information can we share? I’d love it if you’d share your story as to how COVID has impacted your life.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, everyone has their unique story. I think a lot of people are affected more negatively than others, but even though my story isn’t devastating, I still think it’s important to acknowledge everyone’s story. I count myself lucky that my school has still made it possible for us to graduate on time. Being in the class of 2020, I think that we made out pretty well, because we’re almost done anyways. Basically, the biggest way it’s affected my schooling is that our clinics have been transitioned to online learning, so that’s a little bit stressful. I’m about to be a doctor and we’re losing six to eight weeks of hands-on experience that was really supposed to be geared towards finishing up our critical skills that would really help us in practice.
Jordan Benshea: Right. Are they showing you videos? How are they trying to make up for that?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: It’s different at every school, but my school has decided to do online Zoom calls. It’s still in person, interactive lecturing. I personally have chosen to spend my first class doing advanced imaging, so we have been going over a bunch of thoracic radiographs this week so far. The professor will cherry pick us and call us out to answer questions to make sure we’re paying attention and getting the most out of it. It’s still been a good learning experience for me.
Jordan Benshea: I’m betting, as a lot of people are feeling, that when you’re in school you have this huge sense of community, and it’s probably a big shift to be learning while you are on this Zoom community. You’re definitely more isolated, and it’s probably that lack of face time, there probably is an impact from that on the learning. Do you feel so?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Oh yeah, definitely, especially just the learning curve with technology and the professors that have never used it before, because it’s all on them to lead this conversation and learn this technology at the same time. So, it can be a little bit awkward, too, like when our video is not working, or someone’s microphone is echoing really loud, or it just doesn’t feel the same to the lecturer when they ask somebody to participate and it’s quiet because people don’t want to talk over each other. It does impact the feel of the conversation.
Jordan Benshea: I think that I can imagine it’s probably a very different learning experience for you. You’ve mentioned a little bit about how the University of Illinois is managing it. For clinics and your learning, are they providing you with other resources to support you as well during this time, or is it mostly shifting from just teaching in person to online?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: They’re honestly doing the best they can right now. It’s difficult because they have to figure out a different situation for each of the four classes, as well, as I’m sure they’re dealing with the incoming class. So really, it’s five classes that they’re trying to manage right now, and I feel like the fourth years have really been prioritized. I’m thankful for that. They’re providing more online CE. A lot of professors have stepped up and been sending emails out to the whole school saying, “Hey, I’m going to be on Zoom at noon tomorrow. Email me any topics that you think would be beneficial to you in practice, and I’ll talk about it for an hour.” A lot of people have really stepped up and it’s been encouraging.
Jordan Benshea: That’s wonderful. It’s almost like office hours, but on Zoom.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, honestly, I think I’m still really learning just as much as I would have in the clinic. It is just less about patient care and communication and more about the actual medicine.
Staying Connected and Adapting During the Pandemic
Jordan Benshea: Are you finding that you’re connecting with other students at other schools? Are you guys comparing situations and experiences?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yes, I have the unique opportunity to know a lot of students at a lot of different schools. It sounds like most schools have switched to online clinics right now. Almost everyone is in about the same situation where their school is really trying their hardest to adjust to the situation. There’s definitely some ups and downs. It’s not perfect, but this has never happened before, so it’s hard to have a protocol for it.
Jordan Benshea: Absolutely. We’re all living it and none of us have been in this experience before, this situation before. I know that you were the national compliance director for VBMA in the previous year. Has that group or community been able to stay connected in the midst of all this?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, I speak frequently with both my national board as well as the board that’s currently running. Mostly the person who is taking over for me. I’m really proud of the current board that we chose to take our place. They’re really handling the situation with grace. I can’t imagine being in their shoes right now, but I think it’s helpful that we’re two boards together. We’re there for them as the previous board to support them and the things we know, but it’s good that they have support of our advisors, such as Paul. You know him, he’s helping them a lot. I think that they’re handling it well.
Jordan Benshea: Yes, Dr. Paul Pion from VIN and the VIN Foundation board. He’s definitely a huge resource. Are there specific things that the VBMA is doing to help stay in touch with different members at different schools in the midst of this?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, so we always are, I should say they, it’s hard.
Jordan Benshea: You’re still part of the team, right? To your point.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: They’re always in contact with the regional leaders, which are a phenomenal group of students. There are seven of them, and they are in communication with their chapters of that region, so it’s good to have that middle level of communication between the schools and the National Board. What the National Board has discussed, at least I saw they posted a letter today that they are canceling in-person lectures and requirements for their business certificate program this spring, but they will be providing some online webinars about how to deal with all the different types of situations in relation to COVID, such as wellbeing, financial health, and how this affects your student loans. I’m proud of them for coming up with that solution.
Jordan Benshea: That sounds like a great way to support their members. I think the VBMA is such a great group and provides such vital resources to veterinary students in general, but especially in a time like this. It almost allows each class, a subset of that class, who are part of that VBMA group to feel even more connected, and I think that can be extremely important in times like these.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: For sure, and it’s great how they’ve adapted because there’s so many events that have been canceled. People still need an education, and they just so quickly switched to an online platform. I don’t think that there’s going to be any skip in the business education of the members.
Jordan Benshea: That’s wonderful. I think this time, especially as there’s so much that’s unknown and a lot of people have anxiety or uncertainties right now, having things that you can depend on and also spending that time and energy to provide that for others, I’m sure that the leadership is all feeling probably stressed and overwhelmed in their own way, but there’s probably some sense of I don’t want to say accomplishment, but almost a sense of purpose that when they’re providing this for their members, it gives them some sense of routine and support as well.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Oh, definitely, and I can speak from experience that being on this national board, you definitely put in way more than you gain in a financial or a time sense. You put a lot of your time into this, but the sense of fulfillment that you gain from participating and really contributing is priceless. I think that this new board has done a great job. I can’t imagine stepping into your role in January and then having this outbreak happen and everything that we train them in on has basically changed now and they’re working on the fly.
Jordan Benshea: That’s so impressive, it’s great to hear that and hear how they’re adapting. Obviously, you can hear my dog in the background because we’re all at home.
Professional Development and Future Plans
Jordan Benshea: How is this situation and the COVID situation impacted your NAVLE prep or job prospects?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I personally have already taken the NAVLE, but I do have classmates that are either taking it for the first time or retaking it this spring. It has upset their schedule. I can only imagine how much stress they’re under right now because I know myself that having that day for me, December 12th, this is the day that I’m free. Being able to count down to that was everything to me. Now their test schedule is up in the air, postponed as far as we know. I think that can add stress onto an already stressful situation.
Jordan Benshea: Right, as we’re talking about that uncertainty and unknown of when that’s going to be, how do you continue to prep? How much do you prep if you’re not sure when?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: They say don’t study more than two or three months ahead of time.
Jordan Benshea: What if you don’t know what that two to three month is?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, exactly. As far as my job and other people’s jobs, I personally do have a job lined up, but I do have friends and classmates that are affected by this, that have either had to find another job because their offer was rescinded or their internship offered for them to step down without repercussions, which is nice, but I could also understand how it’s devastating to match at an internship and then have it respectfully taken back because of something out of your control.
Jordan Benshea: That’s got to be so tough, getting through school in general, graduating, and then to put so much time and effort to, ‘Oh great, I finally have this lined up!’ All the effort and time that goes into that and then you don’t have this lined up. I’m betting trying to find something else right now, there is probably a lot of uncertainty and unknown in that. It’s wonderful that you’re in a situation where you do have something lined up. How are others dealing with that?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I think that everyone at this point is taking this a day at a time. It’s funny, because I’m not superstitious, but when we got into vet school, everyone kept telling us what a great time it is to be a vet. Millennials are treating their pets like children and spending more money on them, and you’re really in this profession at the right time. They would compare it to the economic crisis of 2008 and it’s just so weird how things can change overnight, basically. People are losing their jobs and filing for unemployment. Even if that isn’t in the vet profession, it still will affect us. I know personally, even though I do have a job lined up, I do worry that as a person who wants to own one or more practices someday, it does worry me a little bit that the economy might impact my five year plan. You just simply won’t know until it all plays out.
Jordan Benshea: Right. You’re totally right. The best thing that everyone can do, each of us, is take it one day at a time and focus on the things that we are able to control. Try to set small goals for ourselves daily, and all those things can be beneficial to help amidst this time because I think one day at a time, that’s really the best approach because there’s so much uncertainty. We can’t control that, there’s no way to know when the NAVLE is going to be, there’s no way to know how the economy is going to do. There are projections just as there are projections of COVID cases, etc. and modeling, but we just don’t know. I think the one day at a time is a really wise approach for that.
Reflections and Gratitude in Challenging Times
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, it almost takes us back into a time before technology, and before everyone would plan their life out so far in advance. It’s grounding us all and making us appreciate the day to day and really live in the moment, I guess.
Jordan Benshea: Yeah, yeah, I think you and I spoke about the other day about how there’s some things that you take for granted. You come into this spot, and you think, oh, my gosh, I didn’t think about that until it’s not there. There’s still is, right now, so much stay grateful for and I think if you’re healthy, you should be grateful for being healthy right now. I think you and I were talking about that the other day, and I think there’s definitely a lot of truth to that.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Speaking of health, I’m lucky to be unaffected as of right now, and most likely not in the future because I’m quarantining myself in my home with my dog, but I wish that I could be with my family. Both my parents are immunocompromised, and my husband is a paramedic, so he’s on the front lines of everything. His work has asked him to limit his contact with non-essential workers, basically, your family, so if you don’t live with them, you really shouldn’t go visit them. I won’t be seeing my husband in a while, and although we’re both healthy, it still can be hard.
Jordan Benshea: Yeah, that’s really, really hard. I’m doing the same thing. My family was self-isolating in each of our own households and that’s tricky because you don’t want to get anybody sick, and you don’t know. Right? Like you said, you and your husband are both healthy, but if you were accidently carrying it and one of you got sick, it’s so tricky to know that. I can imagine that’s going to be hard being far away from your parents and your husband. How do you guys stay in touch in the midst of this?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Being a paramedic, he has weird hours, so he works the night shift. We have a phone call in the morning, and he says, “Good night”, and I say good morning. Later in the evening, we also try to call each other and just catch up with text messages and video calling.
Jordan Benshea: I think those things of normalcy in the midst of this are so important and even those little connections being on video chat, I think makes a really big difference.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, it really does feel no different than, for me at least, as long as I have that emotional connection, as long as we can speak every day, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re husband and wife, and we’re still connected like that. It’s hard when I’ve been busy for eight years. I’m too busy, I have to study, or I have a test, and I really shouldn’t go out this weekend thing, and then all of a sudden, I have all of this free time, but I can’t be with my family or my husband. It’s just a weird feeling.
Jordan Benshea: How are you finding that you’re spending this free time that you have?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: It’s weird because I still have kept pretty busy. Although it feels like we have more free time, I started up playing a video game called Animal Crossing to take my mind off things. I’m sure some listeners will know what that is, but for those who don’t, you’re living your life in this outside world walking around, and it feels good, because you can visit your friends. I visit my vet school. It’s a funny situation where we can still be connected with that. I also spend time with my dog and my two cats. It’s a nice excuse to say that I’m not technically talking to myself.
Jordan Benshea: Right!
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Speaking of normalcy, too, I’ve always been, my mom would tell me, I spread myself too thin, in her words, but I always really like to stay involved in my vet community. I like to check in with my colleagues and my classmates to keep up morale and see if they need help, or just want to talk. I know people are doing Zoom happy hours, and just keeping connected to keep that normalcy. With VBMA, I’ve felt an empty spot, so I’ve really enjoyed spending this week so far with the VIN Foundation, speaking with you guys and helping out there.
Jordan Benshea: We should probably say that Shiloh is doing a professional development week with the VIN Foundation, which has been fantastic. We’re halfway through, and it’s so fantastic getting to work with you. Our goal is that, or our mission is that we’re here to help and anything that we can do to help veterinary colleagues. It’s great to get different perspectives on things. We come to this always wanting to learn and improve. We really enjoy this time with you. Thank you for letting us.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I really appreciate the opportunity to have an inside look at everything that goes on, well, maybe not everything, but you know….
Jordan Benshea: The pretty parts, at least the pretty parts.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: The calls that I’ve been involved in, I’ve really enjoyed seeing just a little bit of how you make the magic. I’ve always known that the VIN Foundation likes to help out but seeing the amount of resources that you guys have and how much work that you’ve put into finding them, it’s really opened my eyes this week.
Jordan Benshea: Wonderful. Well, that leads us right into another question that I had, which is, are there any resources that you wish you had right now to help you in this age of COVID, professionally, as a veterinary student, or anything?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I guess, in just a life perspective, I appreciate and hope that we still have access to things like delivery services and personal protection equipment at the grocery stores, and all of that stuff that we probably took for granted before. When I go to the grocery store, I don’t think about being six feet away from someone else, but now I do. One thing that I’ve found difficult is to do self-teaching, and we’re provided a lot of resources by our school, but I appreciate when there are checklists or guided learning. So, I really like when the VIN Foundation does webinars or a type of learning that you can follow along to rather than having to motivate yourself.
Jordan Benshea: Yeah, that’s great. We started doing checklists about a year ago for the different sections, different paths with student loans, and I think people enjoy that it’s helpful too. It’s like if you’re going to write a document, and if somebody writes half of it for you, it’s much easier to go in and edit it than it is to start on your own. Right. So, if you have a checklist, at least it gets you started. It’s not all the information you’re going to ever need, but it’s ideally something in those to do lists that can help you in the process. Before COVID, there was just so much information and with COVID there’s so much information. Anything to, not dummy that down, but make it more digestible, and make it easier to comprehend, and I think being able to have those things from resources that you trust are extremely important. I know for me, personally, I feel that way.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Oh, definitely. Yes, and I was talking about that with Matt Holland, another person who works with the VIN Foundation, and we were talking about how there are so many resources out there, but like you said, can we make it digestible, and put it into something that people can actually process because it’s hard to look at 1,000 things and pick out the three that you need. I really appreciate especially the student debt repayment. There’s a checklist that helps you figure out what you need to gather once you’re about to graduate and things you need to think about.
Jordan Benshea: Wonderful. We’ll be doing another webinar for new grads within about a month or so for a new grad student loan playbook. We’ll link to that as well, the last year’s was in the Episode Notes for anyone that wants to take a look at it. This might be a tough question, but if you knew about a month ago what you know now, would you change anything? It seems like this last month, everything has just completely turned in a lot of ways upside down, and I’m just always curious if people knowing what you know now, what would you shift, if anything?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, I think it’s weird, because I was trying to think about the progression of this whole situation, because I was so involved with clinics in my own life that I tried to think back about when it started. All I could do was go, okay, what rotation was I on when we started talking more about it. I realized I was on my equine medicine rotation, and I just kept thinking, oh, my gosh, I feel like Corona or COVID gets brought up every three sentences. I realized that was about mid-February, and I remember taking it so lightly. I feel like if I could go back, I wouldn’t take it so lightly, because we’re all used to hearing about crazy things around the world. We’re not really used to it directly affecting us. As Americans, I feel like we’re privileged in that we are isolated from a lot of the bigger things that happen in the world, as far as affecting our daily life. If I could go back, I would have taken it a little bit more seriously. At the time, I was planning my honeymoon, and they talked about how Italy was being affected. Well, we were planning on going to Italy, maybe we should wait to buy the tickets. The following day, they actually banned all travel to Italy, so it was just a crazy timing. I feel like if I could really change something I probably would have gotten back to see my family sooner before its spread so that I could be with them right now instead of it getting over to Illinois and becoming a situation where I really shouldn’t go home.
Jordan Benshea: Right, that’s got to be really hard. Are you able to video chat with your parents also?
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yes, after many, many tries. My parents are boomers, so it was a bit difficult, but we finally got it going.
Jordan Benshea: Wonderful.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, my mom had her birthday on Saturday, and it was a task because we got another Boomer, one of their friends, to download Zoom and surprise my mom on a call for her birthday because they were supposed to hang out that day. She was really bummed out that they wouldn’t see their longtime friends, so it was a fun, innovative way to still make her happy on her birthday.
Jordan Benshea: Oh, that’s wonderful. My mom’s birthday is on Friday, and we’re thinking of it as an innovative thing, so I like it. Does it count if you like bake a cake and then eat it on Zoom and show them that that was their cake? I don’t know. Yeah, I try to look for some of the silver linings here, and I think one of them for sure is just feeling so grateful for the people that we love and expressing that.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, I don’t think we would be able to do this if this happened 30 years ago.
Jordan Benshea: Right, the technology right now is really in a place which allows us a phenomenal freedom that we never would have had before. To your point, if this had happened 30 years ago who knows where we would have been. With Zoom and everything it allows, as bad as the economy is, it allows so many to keep going, and there’s huge benefit in that.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yes, I feel like a lot of schools haven’t even really skipped a beat. They stopped clinics on Friday and started online clinics on Monday, just because of the resources. The internet, in general, allows everyone to connect.
Jordan Benshea: Yes, we are very, very fortunate to have Zoom, and Slack and other tools like that, that allow us to stay connected and video chat. I mean, FaceTime, or Google Hangouts, or all of these things that are really great tools that allow us to still feel some connection in the midst of it.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Even as silly as it sounds, even little things like Snapchat just keeps a constant connection with my friends and allows me to still share my daily life.
Jordan Benshea: Yeah, so that’s another thing I wanted to discuss with you. What has been your constant during all of this chaos? It sounds like Snapchat.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, so we just got into it a little bit. I would say technology has been my main constant. It’s kept me feeling less isolated. It’s allowed me to keep what my normalcy is, in that staying involved with the vet community by volunteering my time to different organizations. Without technology, I would not be able to stay connected with VBMA, VIN, and all the other groups I’m in and social media. I have found that some of my social connections have gotten better, because we all have more time to sit around and message each other instead of running around picking up dog poop or something. At clinics, it feels like you never get to sit down and eat lunch. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to reassess some of my friendships and relationships with colleagues and build them stronger.
Jordan Benshea: That’s wonderful. I think that all those things are so important. It’s important to remember the good things and to be grateful for the things that we are able to be grateful for in the midst of this time.
Outro
Jordan Benshea: I so appreciate you sharing your story with us and giving people a little bit of an insight on what it’s like to be a fourth year veterinary student right now in the age of COVID.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: I really appreciate the chance to talk with you today.
Jordan Benshea: Thank you so much, Shiloh, and thank you so much for this week of professional development, and we look forward to working with you in a lot of different ways going forward.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Yeah, me as well.
Jordan Benshea: Thanks, Shiloh. I’ll talk to you soon.
Shiloh Landskov, DVM: Thanks.
Jordan Benshea: Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Veterinary Pulse. Please check the Episode Notes for additional information referenced in the podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, subscribe, and share a review. We welcome feedback and hope you will tune in again. You can find out more about the VIN Foundation through our website, VINFoundation.org, and our social media channels. Thank you for being here. Be well.
