Advice for a non-trad... where to start?

[gracietiger]

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Hi guys,
So I am 25, and just heading down the pre-vet path.
In college, I was a philosophy and environmental studies major, and I was SURE that I would end up in law school or some kind of policy program working on wildlife conservation/environmental issues.
After college, I pursued some opportunities working with wildlife at wildlife sanctuaries, and then did the Peace Corps where I worked for a chimpanzee conservation organization.
However, I found that while I was a keeper at the wildlife sanctuaries, I really most enjoyed working with the vets. I always thought I might have a natural inclination to medicine (runs in the fam!), but just headed down a different path in college.
I have a lot of diverse experiences, including animal experience, but no veterinary experience. So I am very aware that I need to get on that.
I am feeling quite intimidated as I read through these posts, as it seems that most people have thousands and thousands of hours of vet experience. I am starting to take the prereqs, and expect that I can be finished by next fall, hence, being able to apply then. So that doesn't leave a great deal of time to obtain veterinary experience.
I recently moved to Davis (my boyfriend has a great research job at the university), and I opted to take a job for the university as well (which has nothing to do with animals at all). I need the reduction in tuition, however, as I am attempting to take all the prereqs debt-free (which isn't easy because they aren't cheap at Davis).
I felt like I would be doing myself a HUGE favor by moving to Davis and having easy access to the vet school and its professors, but I feel like my quest for veterinary experience is quite stagnant. I do not qualify for any veterinary related jobs on campus, but I definitely need to keep my university job. So I could only offer a few hours of volunteer time per week.
I am not really sure where to go from here. Is it in my best interest to keep trying to get "in" with Davis? I have, in the past, benefited greatly from connections, so I understand the importance of getting into the system. But I also feel like I've hit a huge wall, seeing as how there are hundreds of other people just like me in this small town. Or, do I find a local private practice and commit myself to that? I know that experience is better than no experience, but I am afraid of beginning volunteer work at a private practice and then missing out on something at Davis. I am afraid of "burning bridges" by having someone take time out of their day to accommodate me as a volunteer, and then I end up deciding to leave for another position.
So I'm just looking for some insight from you veterans at all this. I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed by how behind I am in this process. I feel that I would be competitive in many other aspects of applying to veterinary school as I am strong academically and have a lot of diverse life experience, but I definitely recognize that a lack of veterinary experience is holding me back. And then I feel overwhelmed because there is so much I want to volunteer for, but I really have limited time these days. I think I need to pick ONE experience. What would you guys suggest that be?

 

[gracietiger]

One more thing... Along the same lines... For anyone on this forum who attended/attends school at Davis, or obtained veterinary experience in Davis, can you suggest any clinics that are pre-vet student friendly??? And also, do you know if during the summer, a number of students leave their positions at the vet hospital which would mean that job opportunities become available? Since I've been living here (and scoping at UC Davis' job board every day), I have only ever seen one position at the vet hospital! People don't budge, do they?!

 

[Caninerepro]

First of all, you said while working at the chimp preserve you worked with the vets there. That sounds like time spent observing under a vet to me. Also, your time working with chimps counts as animal time, and far better than just owning a parrot or something. Now yes you do need to get some clinical observation time in, hopefully SA and LA, but you do have a start, and a more unique basis for your animal time than many. I am a non-trad who decided later on to go after vet med, and I managed to get in a few schools first try with only 750 clinical hours of volunteering at a few places during a summer and two christmas breaks. True, I had about 10 years of pro show dog handling under my belt as well, but nowhere near "thousands" of clinical hours. I just went back to school, finished a BS and this year am doing a MS. Applied about 2 years after first deciding to get my butt in gear. So it can be done, and you have some unique experiences that many talk about but few actually follow through on. 👍

 

[sumstorm]

Seek out vets that offer saturday hours or do calls at night. Offer to show up on call and bring coffee. It will be hard on you, but might be worthwhile.

 

[ShelterGirl]

There's a good club that might be able to help. I don't know if taking prereqs part-time qualifies or if you need to be a FT undergrad, but it's worth asking -

http://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/aes/vetaides/

Part-time VMTH jobs generally get snapped up fairly quickly by vet students. I'm not super familiar with local clinics, but often places need extra summer help due to all of the HBCs/snake bites/heatstrokes/foxtails/etc. etc. that tends to come in when animals spend more time outside. Good luck!

 

[nyanko]

Another issue you may encounter with trying to work at the VMTH while you're in your other job at UCD: you can't work more than 100% of full time if you add both jobs together, so if your other position is 100% you won't be able to get a student position at the VMTH, if it's 75% fixed you can only work 10 hours per week and they wouldn't be likely to hire you, and if it's 50% fixed then you can work 20 and it's probably okay. If it's 50% variable and you work more than 50% in a month, you have to be wary of your VMTH hours then, too. If you quit your staff position you will no longer have tuition benefits. You are very unlikely to get hired with no experience in a staff position at the VMTH - they get a lot of applicants for the jobs that do come up.

Just wanted to mention some logistics stuff about working at UCD. In the past I've held a staff position at a feline research colony, a staff position at the VMTH, and currently hold an academic appointment as a TA and a student position at the VMTH in clinical micro, so I'm fairly aware of the way things work here if you have any questions. I'm a MS student with a PI in the school of vet med.

So all that long rambling boring stuff is to say - if you are gonna hold on to your staff job, you probably need to find paid vet experience elsewhere. The vet aide club that ShelterGirl linked is a good resource for volunteer vet experience with the school. Professors who are doing research you're interested in may be another resource for getting unpaid research experience.

 

[gracietiger]

Thanks so much!!!
Caninepro - your experience sounds quite unique as well🙂 I am curious... Did you decide to apply to vet school after beginning the masters? Or did you do the masters to help get into vet school? Congrats on your acceptances!!!

Sumstorm, the on-call work is a great idea that I didn't even think of!

Sheltergirl, thanks so much for the link to that club. I am going to contact them immediately after I write this and see if they may be able to offer me some insight. Such a great suggestion.

nyanko - I have a 75% appointment, but yes, I definitely need to hang on to it. I'm thinking that my odds of getting a position at the VMTH are REALLY REALLY ridiculously slim. I know undergrads in some of my classes who work at the VMTH, but I am not sure that they are exposed, at all, to any medicine. My impression was that their positions (more kennel-like) are quite separate from technician positions, and that they don't feel they have much opportunity to learn from the vets/techs. I do not know that it would be in my best interest at this point to gain more animal experience, as I am really lacking in veterinary medical experience. I know that I can clean kennels really really well, but I would rather learn how to give injections, etc. However, I am not sure if it's better for me to really attempt to get into the Davis system even if it means holding out for a kennel position or to go after the medical experience?

On a similar note, I have heard that vet clinics tend to hire more often in the beginning of summer. Would you guys suggest that I wait a few weeks more to see if any positions become available that would possibly pay me, or do I get on this right now and start volunteering?
Also, is it in my best interest to take a kennel position that pays, or volunteer to assist a veterinarian?
Lastly, I am honestly not sure what field of medicine I would be most interested in pursuing. I obviously have a natural affinity for zoo wildlife, as almost all of my animal experience has come from wild animals, but the more I learn about the field of zoo med, I am not sure it is for me. I really enjoy learning about population health so I imagine I would also be interested in shelter medicine. My understanding is that vet school would like a person to have a pretty strong idea of what kind of field they intend to pursue in school. Given that I don't have a strong idea, is it better for me to also seek shelter experience? I have volunteered a bit previously for shelters, but nothing big. I am also really not sure that I have time to do it all. Do I spend a few months- a year gaining medical experience THEN volunteer for the shelter? Or, do I just say that I'm interested in zoo medicine and stick on that path, knowing it may change once I actually go to school (if I go to school!)

I know I am unloading a lot. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read this post and offer me advice!!!!

 

[Caninerepro]

I went to school after deciding to pursue vet med. The MS was a program offered to me by a professor because I had not applied to vet schools that year, and needed something to do for this year while doing my first round of applications. The MS program did help me get in I am sure.