10 Jun 2019
Elena Fenollosa Romero offers a flavour of life as a student in North Carolina as part of her residency, and tackling both heat and cold.
Elena Fenollosa Romero
Job Title
Image: Mark / Adobe Stock
I am at the end of my second year of a European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO) residency training programme at Dick White Referrals. I have three residency colleagues: Maria-Christine Fischer, Renata Stavinohova and Azzurra Massidda and we all work under the supervision of Ben Blacklock, James Oliver and Heidi Featherstone.
In total, 14 ECVO residents exist in the UK and 30 worldwide. I started my residency following the need and dream to become an ophthalmology specialist after working in an ophthalmology referral hospital for a few years.
Completing a residency involves three years of direct supervision by a diplomate in the field. We also need to fulfil particular requirements. These are to:
All of this is followed by a series of written and practical examinations conducted over three days.
The following is an account of my experience at The Biennial 13th William Magrane Basic Science Course in Veterinary and Comparative Ophthalmology, Raleigh, North Carolina, US.
Everyone who has been on the course before has said it will be fun, with plenty of social events and loads to learn. However, thinking about living the student life again, sharing a flat and going to lectures every day does not somewhat appeal to me.
The course is recommended by the ECVO as part of its residency training programme. It involves three weeks of lectures and some wet labs given by leading specialists in the subject, which it runs every two years. We were aware we had to attend since beginning the residency, so I knew I would go at the end of my second year.
The flight tickets had been booked around February, and June arrived in no time. Suddenly, it felt like a holiday coming – busy on consults and a particularly complicated cataract case made the “break” very wanted. Three of us going together also made it very appealing.
Time to pack, but what do I pack? It is hot there? I really did not know how hot it would be (not that I am complaining as I come from Spain and I am supposed to be used to the heat), and I have been told the lecture room gets cold because of its air conditioning.
Anyway, I will pack all these dresses I am not able to wear here in the UK and perhaps a couple of pairs of jeans, and a cardigan for that coldish lecture room.
It’s 2 June, 10:30am. We arrive at Heathrow in a taxi after a very early start joined by another resident from Davies Veterinary Specialists. Again, the feeling of an unexpected holiday creeps up. The flight is pretty uneventful, but after four movies we arrive in Raleigh. I hadn’t watched a movie for months – residency work does not allow much time for pleasure.
Wow. It’s hot. We arrive at NC State University’s accommodation by Uber. I have not been to an American university before. The place is ginormous, and looks very well looked after and clean. We have to register at reception; the young student who sees us all coming in like an avalanche feels a bit overwhelmed, but finally sorts everyone out and four of us are allocated to each flat.
Time to see my new home for the next three weeks. Well, it is not too bad at all; clean and very big – the microwave is big, the fridge is big and the bed is big. Everything is big. The mattress, I had been warned about – waterproof cover, perhaps to protect it from student excesses. I open the window of my bedroom and start unpacking. This hot air comes through it, but I still find it pleasant at this stage.
Once the suitcase is put away we go to fetch some groceries from the nearby supermarket. Everywhere seems spread out and we need to walk around 10 minutes to get there. Agreeing what to buy was pretty easy – it is the first day and it is like a holiday, so it has to be easy. On the way, the heavens open and it starts raining, but it is so hot it feels rather nice, although my hair really does not agree. The jet lag then starts to kick in, so we go to bed early.
It’s Monday morning and an 8am start. The organisers provide breakfast and lunch, so we do not have to worry about getting anything ready. I put on one of the dresses I never wear in the UK because it is not hot enough for me, but I also pack the cardigan and a pair of socks in case my feet get cold as I am wearing sandals.
Okay then, breakfast served. A bit high on the calorie content, but goes down very well. Around 80 of us have come from all parts of the world – Australia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine and, of course, the US. Michael Davidson, who has organised the course for many years, delivers a presentation and we all introduce ourselves.
So, off we go. Ocular histology is the first part of the lecture series. I find it fascinating; the anatomy of the eye makes much more sense when you can see everything on a histology slide. I may as well put my cardigan on because if feels a bit cold now.
We then get lunch. Again, it’s another rich American performance, but tastes very nice indeed. Histology continues and, by the end of the day, I have put on my scarf, socks and winter jacket (yes, I had taken a winter jacket with me, but thought I would not need to use it at all). I am so cold. My nose is cold and my hands are freezing, but hey, what an awesome day; great feeling. The speakers were great and we had the crème de la crème delivering all the histology information to us.
The first week goes by slowly. We get to know some people; there are many residents, but also veterinary surgeons who only work in the ophthalmology field. The dress code changes – socks, trainers, jeans and cardigan. The cold room gets more bearable as days go by. Ocular anatomy, immunology, pharmacology, physiology, glaucoma, infectious diseases, cataract surgery and laboratory animals are just some of the lecture topics. We start at 8am every day and finish between 5pm and 6pm. We cycle there and back almost every day, which is rather nice. However, the humid, hot weather does interfere with my appearance at arrival – curly, frizzy hair (my hair definitely does not agree with the humidity) and a sweaty body. But it feels good.
We have dinner al fresco one evening (and so do the mosquitoes) and have some drinks with some of the other people there. A barbecue and a trip to the Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk – where the Wright brothers invented, built, and flew the world’s first successful aeroplane – are other social activities.
Several trips to the grocery shop and many more to use the campus gym and swimming pool facilities add to the list of things to do after lectures. I could definitely get used to taking a walk in the hot weather and then submerging myself in one of the two amazing swimming pools to do some lengths every day.
The second week goes by much faster than the first one. I cannot believe we have passed the equator of our stay here. On Sunday, we go to Dr Davidson’s house; he has invited us all for a meal and to watch the World Cup football match (Switzerland versus Serbia). He is an amazing person, such a good teacher, and so generous and kind. It is boiling hot again, but the air conditioning keeps it very much under control. We have a very nice time.
I cannot believe it, but the third week begins. More speakers arrive to deliver lectures that include visual optics, electroretinography and ultrasonography. We continue with our trips to the swimming pool and the daily cycling; I will definitely miss this. But despite all the exercise, I manage to put weight on – even the bread has added sugar.
The last day comes and we feel full of knowledge. We have got to meet many people and some of these have become good friends. A last meal out to say goodbye makes everyone very united.
The following day and it is time to pack. The window is closed; the hot air once welcomed is now better kept outside. We all leave together by bus and then the heavens open again. Bye, bye Raleigh. Bye, bye basic science.
What an awesome experience. It was not so bad to be a student again for three weeks after all.
