How to find connections where you wish to practice

[wayne455338]

Hi current vet students and those already practicing in the field, I have a question regarding the places to practice after graduating from vet school. For those of you who could not go to your in-state and wanted to practice at your hometown, how did you find the connection during school? Did you work in your hometown during summertime? Or did you find a place to do the rotation during your fourth year? I want to practice in certain places and wonder how you build the connection where you wish to practice.
Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

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[MixedAnimals77]

Hi current vet students and those already practicing in the field, I have a question regarding the places to practice after graduating from vet school. For those of you who could not go to your in-state and wanted to practice at your hometown, how did you find the connection during school? Did you work in your hometown during summertime? Or did you find a place to do the rotation during your fourth year? I want to practice in certain places and wonder how you build the connection where you wish to practice.
Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

I went home and helped at my previous practice over summer and winter breaks for like a week during years 1-3 to get experience. I then did a 2 week rotation during 4th year at a potential hospital and then took a vacation block and did day long interviews at potential places that had job ads. Ultimately i didnt go back to the practice i grew up in but found my niche at one of my day long interview places. My advice is be open minded as you build relationships years 1-3 but as you get closer to 4th year and actually applying for a job have a list of things that are acceptable and things that are absolutely not. That list narrowed the job field rapidly for me. Still I had a heck of a time choosing but made some clinics super easy to move on from. All that being said, go to vet school, say yes to new experiences. Be open to practicing not back home right away. There are some amazing places. Depending on your goals going back home right away may or may not be the best move. You can always move back later. If the market stays like it is you wont have an issue fininding a job in your geographical area of preference. Feel free to pm me if you have more specific questions!

 

[genny]

Hi current vet students and those already practicing in the field, I have a question regarding the places to practice after graduating from vet school. For those of you who could not go to your in-state and wanted to practice at your hometown, how did you find the connection during school? Did you work in your hometown during summertime? Or did you find a place to do the rotation during your fourth year? I want to practice in certain places and wonder how you build the connection where you wish to practice.
Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

I didn’t have any connection to the clinic where I work now before I graduated. There are 4 clinics within the town where I wanted to practice, and even more options within a 20-minute radius (which is as far as I wanted to commute). I’d second Mixy’s advice about knowing what you want from a job when you graduate, and looking for openings that fit those criteria when you’re interviewing later.

If where you want to practice is really limited, then yeah, it’s probably a good idea to use your breaks to make connections to the clinic(s) there. But otherwise, use your breaks for experiences that you might not get to do after graduating. Take on something that broadens your horizons, because that makes you a better doctor too.