Insight on how much "experimental surgery" is involved in Lab Animal specialty?

[riderrapidash]

So as I've looked at different specialties with surgical procedures involved, something interesting I found were a few websites saying Lab Animal specialists are also trained in surgery and for "experimental surgery" (found here: How to Become a Laboratory Animal Veterinarian and here: DVM/MS in Laboratory Animal Medicine | Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine). Would anyone with insight in this specialty be able to share some more info on this? I've done a lot of animal research in undergrad and plan to continue it, but I see myself working in a specialty that's more procedure-based. Thank you for any info!!!

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[supershorty]

So as I've looked at different specialties with surgical procedures involved, something interesting I found were a few websites saying Lab Animal specialists are also trained in surgery and for "experimental surgery" (found here: How to Become a Laboratory Animal Veterinarian and here: DVM/MS in Laboratory Animal Medicine | Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine). Would anyone with insight in this specialty be able to share some more info on this? I've done a lot of animal research in undergrad and plan to continue it, but I see myself working in a specialty that's more procedure-based. Thank you for any info!!!

@KCgophervet @that redhead @Lab Vet

In general, lab animal vets at academic institutions are probably not going to be the ones doing surgical stuff - that's more something that the researchers will do themselves, for the most part.

 

[chickenpotage]

I was a lab animal vet tech at a major (T10) medical school. One of our laboratory vets actually worked within one of the research groups helping to train med school residents on organ transplant surgery in NHPs and swine. However, most of our lab animal vets did not do surgery.

 

[teen witch]

I worked at the California national primate research center and was in the animal health department with other vet techs and veterinarians. The veterinarians within the animal health department did a lot of surgeries pertaining to their health so ie trauma related injuries. But as the above mention surgeries pertaining to projects will be done by researchers.

 

[Border Goat Bananas]

Most of our lab vets here only do routine surgeries (spays, dentals) and some exploratory surgeries. Other than that, they just come in at certain times during surgery to “check in”, but they aren’t allowed to stay in the surgery room here unless they are doing the sx.

 

[KCgophervet]

It will seriously vary by where you end up. In my residency (in academia) a lot of surgeries were performed by the researchers (and a lot of MD surgeons) with vet/vet tech anesthesia support, BUT we also did a lot of the surgeries for them (endometrectomies, c-sections, vascular access port placements, central line cutdowns, etc) or got to scrub in with them (cystectomies/biobladder replacements, etc). At the pharmaceutical company where I spent the last portion of my residency they had veterinary surgeons doing all of their experimental surgeries - primarily placing access ports (GI, vascular, etc) but also figuring out new experimental surgical models for things. They also did a lot of spay/neuters for adoptions of retired research animals. At a medical device company I interviewed at the veterinarians did all the surgeries - implanting heart valves and new medical devices, essentially developing the models for the new devices and how to implant them, and then going on to teach human MD surgeons how to do it. At my current position (academia) it's primarily the researchers performing surgeries cryi. I'm lucky to scrub in with the residents on our adoption spay/neuters or emergency dehiscence repairs or similar.

I think if you're looking to do surgery and are flexible you can definitely find lab animal positions that do a lot of surgery, but it's definitely not universal.

 

[that redhead]

Agreed it depends. At my current place I do a couple of routine procedures - mass removals, tooth extractions, ear hematomas, purse strings, amputations (digits, tails), inguinal hernia repairs. Another place I interviewed at (academic institution) was working on a program where the lab animal vets would help develop new procedures; many research places have the research team do the actual procedures but there is opportunity to do more.