Class of 2024... how you doin?

[WonderingStudent]

We’re finally done with classes…forever (not counting Dental week, economics weeks that are P/F). Maybe it will set in more once we survive finals

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[supershorty]

Meanwhile, we start clinics in 9 weeks and still don’t have our schedules.

 

[WonderingStudent]

Meanwhile, we start clinics in 9 weeks and still don’t have our schedules.

Did admin give any indication when you will get your schedule?

 

[supershorty]

Did admin give any indication when you will get your schedule?

"February"

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Meanwhile, we start clinics in 9 weeks and still don’t have our schedules.

We just got ours last week! There were so many delays!

 

[WonderingStudent]

We just got ours last week! There were so many delays!

Me over here thinking us getting our clinic schedules in Dec was late

 

[supershorty]

Well, we finally have ours, but uh...

yeah that's all I'll say for now.
Not filled with joy at the moment.

 

[supershorty]

Trying to move some stuff around because somehow I managed to end up with electives I'd ranked super low but not with any of the extra surgery blocks I requested, and given that I want to do a surgery residency down the road ...

 

[WonderingStudent]

Trying to move some stuff around because somehow I managed to end up with electives I'd ranked super low but not with any of the extra surgery blocks I requested, and given that I want to do a surgery residency down the road ...

At least it sounds like they allow you to move around your schedule! My school lets us swap 1 week and that’s it.

 

[supershorty]

At least it sounds like they allow you to move around your schedule! My school lets us swap 1 week and that’s it.

Yeah, I emailed and they said that if there's room in the surgery rotation, I can swap externship blocks out for it (or some of my electives, but only 1 of those actually lines up with available spots in surg and it's not one I think I should give up), so I have at least 2 that are options.

My understanding of your rotations is that the scheduling process is much more rigid than ours - ours is pretty much a free-for-all, which is allegedly why it takes so long to do.

 

[supershorty]

Trying to decide how utterly miserable I'll be if I swap small animal sx into my first block because right now, I have that as an externship block and I don't really think that's the best start to clinics ... there's a spot in SAS, so I could get in there, and it would get me one of the extra SAS rotations that I want, but it also means that my first month of clinics is SAS followed by internal med, and that's kind of a rough start.

I'm still leaning toward doing it. I ended up with externships front-loaded and back-loaded, so I'd rather switch out the early ones and then have more time out of the hospital toward the end. I want to do an academic rotating internship so not like I'm concerned about using those early externship blocks to try and get a private practice job offer.

 

[JaynaAli]

Trying to decide how utterly miserable I'll be if I swap small animal sx into my first block because right now, I have that as an externship block and I don't really think that's the best start to clinics ... there's a spot in SAS, so I could get in there, and it would get me one of the extra SAS rotations that I want, but it also means that my first month of clinics is SAS followed by internal med, and that's kind of a rough start.

I'm still leaning toward doing it. I ended up with externships front-loaded and back-loaded, so I'd rather switch out the early ones and then have more time out of the hospital toward the end. I want to do an academic rotating internship so not like I'm concerned about using those early externship blocks to try and get a private practice job offer.

I frontloaded my clinic rotations and was in externship from the first of February to graduation. It was worth it.

 

[supershorty]

I frontloaded my clinic rotations and was in externship from the first of February to graduation. It was worth it.

My second to last block is another internal med, unfortunately, but I have externships on either side of it (one at ASPCA in NC, haven't scheduled the other yet) so that shouldn't be tooooo bad.

 

[supershorty]

I have a vacation block right after the NAVLE window closes, and part of me is bummed that I can't take it when I'm off clinic, but another part of me is happy because it means I'll actually CHILL on my vacation.

 

[genny]

Trying to decide how utterly miserable I'll be if I swap small animal sx into my first block because right now, I have that as an externship block and I don't really think that's the best start to clinics ... there's a spot in SAS, so I could get in there, and it would get me one of the extra SAS rotations that I want, but it also means that my first month of clinics is SAS followed by internal med, and that's kind of a rough start.

I'm still leaning toward doing it. I ended up with externships front-loaded and back-loaded, so I'd rather switch out the early ones and then have more time out of the hospital toward the end. I want to do an academic rotating internship so not like I'm concerned about using those early externship blocks to try and get a private practice job offer.

My first block was a spay/neuter externship so I felt 2 weeks behind everyone else coming back to the hospital. But it didn’t really matter because it takes more than one rotation for 4th years to get settled in.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I have a vacation block right after the NAVLE window closes, and part of me is bummed that I can't take it when I'm off clinic, but another part of me is happy because it means I'll actually CHILL on my vacation.

I’m a strong believer in not taking vacation to study for the NAVLE.

Use your vacation to chill and recharge. You will already have a busy stressful year, which will just continue once you start internship.

I wrote my NAVLE while on ER, and though it wasn’t ideal being at school until 1am when I had to be at the testing centre at 9am, it worked out fine and then I got to really enjoy the time I did have off. If you weren’t going to pass, a week of studying directly before the test is probably only going to help you so much in that regard.

 

[britzen]

My first block was a spay/neuter externship so I felt 2 weeks behind everyone else coming back to the hospital. But it didn’t really matter because it takes more than one rotation for 4th years to get settled in.

6 of my first 7 blocks were externals and were not very hands-on. (5 of those 6 were epidemiology / public health). Man was it a rough introduction to the hospital in the fall.

I also hurt myself during block 5 and needed foot surgery during block 6, so showed up post-surgical and non-weight bearing on a knee scooter when my hospital rotations finally kicked off. Was pretty useless all around until December tbh

 

[vetmedhead]

Trying to decide how utterly miserable I'll be if I swap small animal sx into my first block because right now, I have that as an externship block and I don't really think that's the best start to clinics ... there's a spot in SAS, so I could get in there, and it would get me one of the extra SAS rotations that I want, but it also means that my first month of clinics is SAS followed by internal med, and that's kind of a rough start.

I'm still leaning toward doing it. I ended up with externships front-loaded and back-loaded, so I'd rather switch out the early ones and then have more time out of the hospital toward the end. I want to do an academic rotating internship so not like I'm concerned about using those early externship blocks to try and get a private practice job offer.

I'll also add that if you're interested in an academic SA rotating the earlier you can get in some rotations with surgery/IM/ER the better, as those tend to be the specialities many academic institutions like seeing LORs from and it gives you time to feel out who may be willing to write you a letter and develop backup plans if something falls through. This is very general (get good LORs over LORs from people with the "right" letters behind their names every time), and if you're interested in surgery I would assume you probably already have a surgeon or two in mind to write LORs, but just a rule of thumb that was mentioned to me by one of the people at my school who is in charge of their intern match selection process.

I agree it's a rough start. Unfortunately it's quite difficult to get the "ideal" fourth year schedule and sometimes things end up being negotiated weird and you just have to prepare yourself in advance for a rough chunk of time. Not sure what your situation is like, but I know when I was on clinics there was an informal agreement among my friends that anybody on a particularly rough block would sometimes get help with stuff like dinner or groceries from somebody in the group on an easier block. I used to go over to some friends' houses to bring them dinner or would bring an extra lunch to them at school and they'd do the same for me when my time came back around.

Once after a super rough day on IM (it was the Jan 6th insurrection, I had a recheck appointment on a 2 yo dog turn into a spontaneous euth, and a guy I had been seeing broke up with me later that same night) my friend surprised me with a bunch of booze the next day lol

 

[EngrSC]

Since you mentioned LORs @vetmedhead, I have a question (others can chime in as well).
I'm starting to feel really stressed about applying to internship programs this summer, though I'm looking at private practice (equine), not academia. I had really good reviews in clinics last summer and a few of the equine clinicians know my face and name, but I worry they don't know me well enough to write a strong LOR? When I applied to vet school I felt like my LOR writers really knew me well and I just don't feel the same in vet school, which makes me nervous! I know I'll have a strong LOR from working clin path since first year, but I'm nervous about the other two. Any tips? Should I not worry about it for now?

(One practice I externed at last summer expressed how much they want me to intern with them, and the feeling is mutual. But I also still need to go through their application process. Though I think they only wouldn't take me if my grades were atrocious (they're not) or if my LORs were bad. However, I am checking out a few other practices so I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket!)

 

[vetmedhead]

Since you mentioned LORs @vetmedhead, I have a question (others can chime in as well).
I'm starting to feel really stressed about applying to internship programs this summer, though I'm looking at private practice (equine), not academia. I had really good reviews in clinics last summer and a few of the equine clinicians know my face and name, but I worry they don't know me well enough to write a strong LOR? When I applied to vet school I felt like my LOR writers really knew me well and I just don't feel the same in vet school, which makes me nervous! I know I'll have a strong LOR from working clin path since first year, but I'm nervous about the other two. Any tips? Should I not worry about it for now?

(One practice I externed at last summer expressed how much they want me to intern with them, and the feeling is mutual. But I also still need to go through their application process. Though I think they only wouldn't take me if my grades were atrocious (they're not) or if my LORs were bad. However, I am checking out a few other practices so I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket!)

This is, again, general advice, but clinicians are usually used to this exact situation with students. The way I went about it was generally deciding ahead of time which rotations I thought I would be successful on (or would have good clinicians for letters), then would speak with the clinician I would be working with/wanted to write a letter within the first week on the rotation to very explicitly tell them that I wanted to apply for internships in the match that year, thought this might be a good rotation for highlighting my skills, and wanted to know if they would be comfortable observing me throughout the rotation and potentially consider writing a letter for me once the rotation was over. I always highlighted this as a potential (because you're asking for a letter, not telling) and usually scheduled some kind of a check in around the middle of the rotation to touch base with them and see how they thought I was doing (like, am I actually sucking and they wouldn't want to write me a letter? because that's fine, I just need to know) and what things they'd like to see me do in the week I had left. Many letter writers, especially ones who write many letters, will also ask for you to pass along a quick highlight page to them so they know things that may be worth highlighting in their letter and have a better picture of your overall strengths. Some of them also ask for a copy of your personal statement (or draft... lol) as well.

Usually when I had an overview thing to send them, I passed along:
1) What overarching goal I had for why I wanted to do an internship
2) What kinds of programs I was applying to - this is a GREAT time to be specific if you are looking at a specialty internship (I did shelter med), if you are trying to get something academic vs private, etc. If you have a top program chosen already, it is also very helpful to tell them
3) GPA & class rank (unfortunately this is just a reality of the app process, no great way around it)
4) Any extracurriculars of relevance/demonstrate interests (e.g. I was officer in the shelter med club, ran extensive tutoring sessions and like teaching, etc)
5) Any specific skills I thought might be worth highlighting or pointing out (e.g. I am a strong communicator, fast learner, and willing to try new things)
6) Honestly, as much as it sucks to have to have it together early, a draft of your letter of intent (personal statement? whatever they're calling it now). This helps them know what you're saying about YOURSELF to committees, as well as stepping in to give you feedback on it if they see anything glaring they think you should update.

Even though that list is long, this comes down to two pages at the very most, with one of those pages being your letter of intent.

iirc, most equine internships aren't through the match(?), so requirements may vary a bit. I would especially seek out any clinicians/residents who probably did an equine internship and see if they have any better insights.

Hope this helps!

 

[EngrSC]

Thank you so much @vetmedhead! All very helpful and useful advice.

And you are correct, in general equine private practice internships aren't through the match, thank goodness!

 

[supershorty]

I'll also add that if you're interested in an academic SA rotating the earlier you can get in some rotations with surgery/IM/ER the better, as those tend to be the specialities many academic institutions like seeing LORs from and it gives you time to feel out who may be willing to write you a letter and develop backup plans if something falls through.

Yes, I'm already planning on asking for letters from one of our surgeons and at least one of our oncologists (I have rotations for both within my first 2 months of clinics, they also have worked extensively with me on my PhD research that's heading into a clinical trial in our VMC)! I don't have ER until about halfway through my clinical year, unfortunately.

 

[vetmedhead]

Yes, I'm already planning on asking for letters from one of our surgeons and at least one of our oncologists (I have rotations for both within my first 2 months of clinics, they also have worked extensively with me on my PhD research that's heading into a clinical trial in our VMC)! I don't have ER until about halfway through my clinical year, unfortunately.

Yeah, and obviously it's not like that arrangement of specialities is a requirement or anything. Since such a large chunk of a small animal rotating is usually ER, I think that's why schools like to see it. But I know many people who didn't get an ER doc LOR and had no issues matching high on their list

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

Definitely decided to go mixed animal ( more large than small) and hopefully at a haul in practice ( besides large herd calls and emergency) because woo yeah externing had shown me I don't want to do full equine and make 54k a year,food animal all ( and never see equine) , I like a small amount of small animal integrative and GP ( +/- some non specialized surgery).

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

Has anyone done externships with a senior pet. There's a bunch of out of state externships but I really don't want to leave my senior pet for that long. I felt penalized by our farms unit for not having done externships in 2021 and was told there's grants for that when I said I wasn't able to do it due to finances and moving. Most grants are only 500 or less and not really helpful for anything but a flight if that.

 

[WonderingStudent]

Has anyone done externships with a senior pet. There's a bunch of out of state externships but I really don't want to leave my senior pet for that long. I felt penalized by our farms unit for not having done externships in 2021 and was told there's grants for that when I said I wasn't able to do it due to finances and moving. Most grants are only 500 or less and not really helpful for anything but a flight if that.

I have not personally faced this but I know plenty of students who stayed local for their externships due to multiple reasons (ie family, finances, pets). Other people I know plan out of state externships and find underclassmen or family to take care of their pets. In terms of finances, I only know of SAVMA and organization (ie AABP, AASRP) travel grants but there are probably more out there. For SAVMA it’s not guaranteed and you need to apply after the experience occurred and most likely the amount provided will not cover the full price needed for the trip. For the orgs that I know that have grants you have to be a paying student member for a certain time frame.

Your concerns regarding not wanting to leave your senior pet and the financial burden are extremely valid. I’m sorry that youre having these issues.

 

[SkiOtter]

Mine wasn’t a senior pet, but at externships where I was staying at a hotel, I specifically chose pet friendly hotels so she could come with me. She’s not one to really bark when left in the room so I was able to just crate her in the room during the day (she was normally crated at my apartment too, not just the hotel).

 

[couldhavebeenme]

Has anyone done externships with a senior pet. There's a bunch of out of state externships but I really don't want to leave my senior pet for that long. I felt penalized by our farms unit for not having done externships in 2021 and was told there's grants for that when I said I wasn't able to do it due to finances and moving. Most grants are only 500 or less and not really helpful for anything but a flight if that.

I know AASRP offers >$1000 to students for externships but you aren't eligible before you've been a member for at least 60 days. So if you aren't an AASRP or AABP member you should join!

 

[SardonicWit]

Has anyone done externships with a senior pet. There's a bunch of out of state externships but I really don't want to leave my senior pet for that long. I felt penalized by our farms unit for not having done externships in 2021 and was told there's grants for that when I said I wasn't able to do it due to finances and moving. Most grants are only 500 or less and not really helpful for anything but a flight if that.

I haven't... but I'm about to deal with a similar situation, I guess? I have way too many critters (long story short, I rescued a pregnant feral cat, and the babies aren't really adoptable, so... here we all are!). My faculty advisors highly recommended I do my externships at locations out of state due to the career path I want to take, and realistically, I don't see any way around that.

It's hard to leave town for me anyway - with all the cats and horses and such, travel isn't really a thing for me - but my dad is terminal and not expected to make it more than a few more months. My mother, who is my normal petsitter, is feeling very overwhelmed. I decided I'd be better off driving to both externship locations, even though they're quite far, due to the limited flight options both on my town's end and the externships' ends - as long as it would take me to drive, I can probably get home faster in a crisis than if I had to juggle a bunch of connecting flights at the last minute. And as long as I'm driving, I've booked pet-friendly hotels and figure I can take a few critters with me to lighten the load here.

Is it a mess? Absolutely. Does the school's clinic year schedule allow much time for travel to out-of-state externships? Nope, not at all. But I'm going to try it.

Is your pet comfortable with travel? I feel like some would be more comfortable at home, even with a sitter, and some would be more comfortable with their "parent," even on the road. How much time do you have to make arrangements either way? The longer you have to work out details, the better everyone is likely to feel about the situation.

I do sympathize. I know it's hard to leave town for some of us for oh so many reasons. We'll get through this, right?

 

[EngrSC]

Has anyone done externships with a senior pet. There's a bunch of out of state externships but I really don't want to leave my senior pet for that long. I felt penalized by our farms unit for not having done externships in 2021 and was told there's grants for that when I said I wasn't able to do it due to finances and moving. Most grants are only 500 or less and not really helpful for anything but a flight if that.

I have a 10-year-old Lab, though she doesn't act it. Last summer I scheduled externships at big practices that provide housing, so that kept costs down substantially. One of my friends in the c/o 2025 was here all summer working in the teaching hospital and she stayed at my house with my critters. I paid her, but it was less than a true petsitter. Sometimes I'm envious of my classmates that have no pets and can go wherever whenever at the drop of a hat with little logistics to plan out. But I also can't imagine living without pets so there's that. I have a couple classmates that took a dog with them, but whether or not that's feasible I think is very individual dog dependent. My dogs are chill, but I think much more comfortable at home.

 

[supershorty]

Our white coat is today. Clinics are looming.

I've been hanging out in our small animal surgery service for the past few weeks when I get a chance, and that's my first rotation, so I feel like I have an idea of what to expect once I'm on it, so that's good. And I love surgery

 

[Polocrosse2017]

We have finals next week then white coat two weeks from yesterday. Next come clinics with first one a radiology externship in my home town! Looking forward to my last finals week being over!

 

[supershorty]

Hooray!
Now for a week "off" and then straight to small animal surgery wheeeeeeeeeeee

 

[WonderingStudent]

View attachment 369878
Hooray!
Now for a week "off" and then straight to small animal surgery wheeeeeeeeeeee

Congrats shorty!

 

[WonderingStudent]

We had our white coat ceremony in mid-March and already got through 5 weeks of clinics somehow. doesn’t feel that way

 

[battie]

Congratulations, Fam!! So proud of you!! 😍

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

As a rising 33 year old 4th year (34 at graduation) who wants to go into mixed animal GP ( Food+equine/ small animal) I was told I basically should do an internship and that there was no way I was going to be successful without one going into practice. I am a lower income student, to move separately from my fiancee and pets would put him in a bad position and myself. I am the type of person once I learn it then I remember the second time. I really don't want to do an internship where I'm working 80-90 hrs a week for little pay just to get experience that I could get in practice with a decent mentor.

I'm burnt out on being cheap labor and don't know what to do about it

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

I haven't... but I'm about to deal with a similar situation, I guess? I have way too many critters (long story short, I rescued a pregnant feral cat, and the babies aren't really adoptable, so... here we all are!). My faculty advisors highly recommended I do my externships at locations out of state due to the career path I want to take, and realistically, I don't see any way around that.

It's hard to leave town for me anyway - with all the cats and horses and such, travel isn't really a thing for me - but my dad is terminal and not expected to make it more than a few more months. My mother, who is my normal petsitter, is feeling very overwhelmed. I decided I'd be better off driving to both externship locations, even though they're quite far, due to the limited flight options both on my town's end and the externships' ends - as long as it would take me to drive, I can probably get home faster in a crisis than if I had to juggle a bunch of connecting flights at the last minute. And as long as I'm driving, I've booked pet-friendly hotels and figure I can take a few critters with me to lighten the load here.

Is it a mess? Absolutely. Does the school's clinic year schedule allow much time for travel to out-of-state externships? Nope, not at all. But I'm going to try it.

Is your pet comfortable with travel? I feel like some would be more comfortable at home, even with a sitter, and some would be more comfortable with their "parent," even on the road. How much time do you have to make arrangements either way? The longer you have to work out details, the better everyone is likely to feel about the situation.

I do sympathize. I know it's hard to leave town for some of us for oh so many reasons. We'll get through this, right?

I'm sorry about your dad I lost mine to terminal liver failure in 2020 so if you need someone I'm here
. I wanted to say most of my exernships I found were in state and my pet travels well. One clinic even offered to let me bring him to work and set him up in a kennel. The other I'm about an hour commute out from my mom's but they will care for him during the day. He's 15.6 and he's still getting around despite a spinal issue and even better in his walkin wheels( we think stenosis/SAD/ or a cyst) but eats better if I'm there and has a 4-5 hr bladder timer.

Thanks so much for the advice everyone im sorry it took a bit to respond 😅

 

[finnickthedog]

As a rising 33 year old 4th year (34 at graduation) who wants to go into mixed animal GP ( Food+equine/ small animal) I was told I basically should do an internship and that there was no way I was going to be successful without one going into practice. I am a lower income student, to move separately from my fiancee and pets would put him in a bad position and myself. I am the type of person once I learn it then I remember the second time. I really don't want to do an internship where I'm working 80-90 hrs a week for little pay just to get experience that I could get in practice with a decent mentor.

I'm burnt out on being cheap labor and don't know what to do about it

What was the reasoning given? Many of my classmates went straight into practice (small, large, and mixed) and are doing just fine.

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

I know AASRP offers >$1000 to students for externships but you aren't eligible before you've been a member for at least 60 days. So if you aren't an AASRP or AABP member you should join!

Thank you for this as well I have been a 2yr member and their student rep. Didn't know about it being over 1k though.

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

What was the reasoning given? Many of my classmates went straight into practice (small, large, and mixed) and are doing just fine.

That id learn more during an internship and be prepared to practice alone. I rather be an associate with a boss that understands I'm a new grad. If I don't know it I use Vin or look it up etc. And same I feel like more folks are saying no to internships unless going into a residency. I would only do path as a residency, I love it but like living things so chose living.

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

View attachment 369878
Hooray!
Now for a week "off" and then straight to small animal surgery wheeeeeeeeeeee

Yaaaas you'll kick surgery's butt just remember to make friends with anesthesia and you'll be golden. They had my back so much 🤣😅

 

[genny]

That id learn more during an internship and be prepared to practice alone. I rather be an associate with a boss that understands I'm a new grad. If I don't know it I use Vin or look it up etc. And same I feel like more folks are saying no to internships unless going into a residency. I would only do path as a residency, I love it but like living things so chose living.

eh... you can practice alone as soon as you get your license. you know enough stuff, it's just a matter of getting comfortable doing it, which takes time. and i think getting comfortable is easier if you have a good boss, and you're not overwhelmed with cases immediately so you have time to VIN something or check vet-to-vet on FB or refer to a text.

 

[finnickthedog]

That id learn more during an internship and be prepared to practice alone. I rather be an associate with a boss that understands I'm a new grad. If I don't know it I use Vin or look it up etc. And same I feel like more folks are saying no to internships unless going into a residency. I would only do path as a residency, I love it but like living things so chose living.

If an internship doesn't sound right for you then I wouldn't worry that you're selling yourself short by not doing one or that you can't be successful. There are plenty of successful doctors who went directly into practice. Seek a job that can provide good mentorship, utilize resources to help you through cases, and if the first place you land isn't a good fit then don't be afraid to move on.

 

[Doctor Ham]

As a rising 33 year old 4th year (34 at graduation) who wants to go into mixed animal GP ( Food+equine/ small animal) I was told I basically should do an internship and that there was no way I was going to be successful without one going into practice. I am a lower income student, to move separately from my fiancee and pets would put him in a bad position and myself. I am the type of person once I learn it then I remember the second time. I really don't want to do an internship where I'm working 80-90 hrs a week for little pay just to get experience that I could get in practice with a decent mentor.

I'm burnt out on being cheap labor and don't know what to do about it

If this is your perspective on internship then I agree it isn't for you.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

As a rising 33 year old 4th year (34 at graduation) who wants to go into mixed animal GP ( Food+equine/ small animal) I was told I basically should do an internship and that there was no way I was going to be successful without one going into practice. I am a lower income student, to move separately from my fiancee and pets would put him in a bad position and myself. I am the type of person once I learn it then I remember the second time. I really don't want to do an internship where I'm working 80-90 hrs a week for little pay just to get experience that I could get in practice with a decent mentor.

I'm burnt out on being cheap labor and don't know what to do about it

Replied over on the vet side but thought id post something similar over here for anyone else thinking about mixed practice and what a mixed internship might mean. Please feel free to pm specific questions or anything about the mixed life. I live the mixed life and I'm a year out into practice now. Internship while it does have its place is for the birds esp for mixed practice Unless you want to emphasize something ie equine intership. Imo doing a small animal internship probably wouldnt be super worthwhile either-dont get me wrong those pursuing internship are awesome and you learn a ton but i have not looked at acid/base stuff or calculated a cri since i left school (we just dont have that equipment and my practice is well equiped for the area) If someone tells you to do/offers a true mixed animal internship it's because they want you for cheap labor. Find the right job for you and you'll be golden. Also I'm always available if anyone ever ends up needing help in the mixed world when you get practicing.

It's all about knowing your limits as well as pushing them and knowing where to go to help get answers! Just like any scope of practice. I will say with the caveat of if you're doing farm calls be comfortable that sometimes a phone call or your tech is all the help you're gonna have sometimes.

 

[EngrSC]

As a rising 33 year old 4th year (34 at graduation) who wants to go into mixed animal GP ( Food+equine/ small animal) I was told I basically should do an internship and that there was no way I was going to be successful without one going into practice. I am a lower income student, to move separately from my fiancee and pets would put him in a bad position and myself. I am the type of person once I learn it then I remember the second time. I really don't want to do an internship where I'm working 80-90 hrs a week for little pay just to get experience that I could get in practice with a decent mentor.

I'm burnt out on being cheap labor and don't know what to do about it

Ditto what everyone else is saying, don't do an internship if you don't want to do an internship. You'll be fine!

I have a good friend that graduated a couple years ago. She went straight into solo ambulatory mixed animal practice and she's done great! There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to success. Do what works best for you

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

Replied over on the vet side but thought id post something similar over here for anyone else thinking about mixed practice and what a mixed internship might mean. Please feel free to pm specific questions or anything about the mixed life. I live the mixed life and I'm a year out into practice now. Internship while it does have its place is for the birds esp for mixed practice Unless you want to emphasize something ie equine intership. Imo doing a small animal internship probably wouldnt be super worthwhile either-dont get me wrong those pursuing internship are awesome and you learn a ton but i have not looked at acid/base stuff or calculated a cri since i left school (we just dont have that equipment and my practice is well equiped for the area) If someone tells you to do/offers a true mixed animal internship it's because they want you for cheap labor. Find the right job for you and you'll be golden. Also I'm always available if anyone ever ends up needing help in the mixed world when you get practicing.

It's all about knowing your limits as well as pushing them and knowing where to go to help get answers! Just like any scope of practice. I will say with the caveat of if you're doing farm calls be comfortable that sometimes a phone call or your tech is all the help you're gonna have sometimes.

Thanks basically she's said that I'll not know how to do basic tasks coming out and need to have tubed 100 or so horses for colic before practicing. That I need an internship to be okay doing a colic by myself at night. I told her having a competent tech and being an associate not owning my own practice kinda helps with the fact that I can have help with learning those things. I'm a fast learner of tasks 🤷🏼‍♂️.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Thanks basically she's said that I'll not know how to do basic tasks coming out and need to have tubed 100 or so horses for colic before practicing. That I need an internship to be okay doing a colic by myself at night. I told her having a competent tech and being an associate not owning my own practice kinda helps with the fact that I can have help with learning those things. I'm a fast learner of tasks 🤷🏼‍♂️.

Lol I think I tubed a total of 1 colic solo before I got out of school. It hasn't been a problem. Granted I did alot of equine work before vet school. You don't need an internship to be comfortable doing colics in a gp setting. We regularly see colics and it's pretty easy. Either theyre surgical or surgery is a potential so we ship them down the road. Or they're not sx candidates so we keep them and do our best and hopefully they'll live.🤷‍♀️ I would say if anything lameness and pre-purchase exams take the most finesse but if you have enough eq rotations even picking up lameness isn't a huge deal

 

[battie]

do our best and hopefully they'll live.🤷‍♀️

This is literally everything in vet med. Internship, no internship, doesn't matter. Do your best, learn from the worst/hard cases, and keep going.