Possible Vet School in Maine

[Minnerbelle]

Unless I'm mistaken, most GPs (if that's what you want to be) don't care what your rank or GPA is. They even tell us to not put it on our resume. Now residencies on the other hand.. that's a different matter.

Yeah for the most part it doesn't matter. I never put my gpa/rank on my CV even though I was in the top quartile of my class. No one asked or cared.

But as with everything else in life, it depends on who's looking at your resume. Not all practice owners share the same values/sentiments. I've heard people say it's a huge turnoff for them. But I've had more than one employer ask me about classmates/other veterinarians and brought up how impressed they were with their gpa/class rank. As in, "hey do you know so and so? What do you think about her? She must be really smart, it says she had a xx gpa/was on the top of her class"

Some things that turn off one employer might be highly desirable by another.

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[Minnerbelle]

Here's one question on the issue that I've never found an answer to: What should incoming vet students be focusing on to prepare themselves for an over-saturated market? Do things like class rank play much of a role in landing a job post-DVM?

Common sense, good bedside manner, good communication skills, and a likable personality go a loooooong way. Knowing how to make yourself stand out on paper because that will determine even if you'll be chosen for an interview/reference check. Those are probably much more important than any credentials you could have as a new grad trying to get your first position.

You'd be surprised at how many people lack one or more of those.

 

[DVMDream]

Knowing how to make yourself stand out on paper because that will determine even if you'll be chosen for an interview/reference check.

This has always been the hardest part for me, even when applying for vet school. I feel like there is a very fine line between "selling yourself" and "being an egotistical douchenozzle" so I tend to not sell myself as much as I probably should.

 

[Coquette22]

Common sense, good bedside manner, good communication skills, and a likable personality go a loooooong way. Knowing how to make yourself stand out on paper because that will determine even if you'll be chosen for an interview/reference check. Those are probably much more important than any credentials you could have as a new grad trying to get your first position.

You'd be surprised at how many people lack one or more of those.

QFT. The owner of the clinic that hired me told me, "You're approachable. That's all that matters. I can teach you the rest of it."

 

[Minnerbelle]

As for skills, going out of your way to get as much surgical and dental experience during your third and fourth years will make you more marketable.

Which would you rather hire?

A: has only performed 5-6 spays/neuters, has never done dental procedure (maybe took out one tooth in a cadaver lab) - believe it or not, this is fairly common

B: has performed 50-100 spays/neuters as well as a handful of other procedures, and have done a handful of surgical dental extractions on live pets - it takes quite a bit of drive, but it can be done!

 

[DVMDream]

As for skills, going out of your way to get as much surgical and dental experience during your third and fourth years will make you more marketable.

Which would you rather hire?

A: has only performed 5-6 spays/neuters, has never done dental procedure (maybe took out one tooth in a cadaver lab) - believe it or not, this is fairly common

B: has performed 50-100 spays/neuters as well as a handful of other procedures, and have done a handful of surgical dental extractions on live pets - it takes quite a bit of drive, but it can be done!

Question:

What is the best way for placing these types of things into a resume?

 

[Minnerbelle]

Question:

What is the best way for placing these types of things into a resume?

I had a section for applicable electives and externships and put it in as the "job description." Hell yes I want them to know i did high volume spay/neuter, as well as dentistry, dermatology (all the otitis/hot spots/allergies you will see), clinical nutrition, and community practice. I also want them to know what skills I gained from those that my employer doesn't have to teach me. Kinda like:

Xyz community medicine elective, 5 weeks
Institution, city, state
*handled primary case responsibility for medical and surgical caseload under supervision of faculty
*surgeries performed: cystotomy, abdominal exploratory with resection and anastomosis, pyometra surgery, umbilical hernia repair, cherry eye, and routine spay/neuter
*diagnosed, initiated treatment, and provided follow up for dm in a dog through first BG curve
*gained competency in providing wellness care for kitten/puppy visits and became familiar with vaccine protocols, and multiple brands of common flea/tick/hw preventatives.

Also for somethings like that which would make me stand out, I brought it up in my cover letter.

It's not bragging or egotistical if it's factual and you are marketing skills they want.

 

[DVMDream]

I had a section for applicable electives and externships and put it in as the "job description." Hell yes I want them to know i did high volume spay/neuter, as well as dentistry, dermatology (all the otitis/hot spots/allergies you will see), clinical nutrition, and community practice. I also want them to know what skills I gained from those that my employer doesn't have to teach me. Kinda like:

Xyz community medicine elective, 5 weeks
Institution, city, state
*handled primary case responsibility for medical and surgical caseload under supervision of faculty
*surgeries performed: cystotomy, abdominal exploratory with resection and anastomosis, pyometra surgery, umbilical hernia repair, cherry eye, and routine spay/neuter
*diagnosed, initiated treatment, and provided follow up for dm in a dog through first BG curve
*gained competency in providing wellness care for kitten/puppy visits and became familiar with vaccine protocols, and multiple brands of common flea/tick/hw preventatives.

Also for somethings like that which would make me stand out, I brought it up in my cover letter.

It's not bragging or egotistical if it's factual and you are marketing skills they want.

Thanks!