Animals Experience: Which are valid and important in Vet School's View?

[failure2launch]

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Non-traditional vet school hopeful (have undergrad degrees in unrelated/non-science fields but returned to school and have completed most of the science preqs as a post-bac). My undergrad GPA was decent as are my science grades although most of these were done at the junior college... Anyway, have ~250 hours volunteering at a kennel (cat and dog handling), 25 lab hours working with cats and dogs in a vet tech lab course and 25 hrs working with/riding horses via an animal science course (both at a juinor college) so far. Here is my first question: does the animal experience I gained from the college courses in the animal science department count as "animal experience" in the minds of most vet school? If so, this means I have 250+25+25 = 300 hrs so far which is better than 250 obviously. My goal is to apply with between 1000-1200. I'll be applying likely within the next 2 years.

Also, planning on gaining another 50 or so hours of animal experience via course work next semester (animal science/ag course involves working with cows, pigs, and sheep - grooming, sheering, possibly milking and preparing them to be shown at a fair, I believe). I'm interested in small animal but realize I need to get some lg. animal experience as well... I sure hope the course work counts as I'm not sure how else I'd be able to gain lg. animal experience in my area...

Yes, I know I also need actual clinical veterinary experience as well (planning on volunteering 500 hours at a local small animal vet clinic as a vet assistant as small animal veterinary medicine is what I'm interested in careerwise). Also planning on volunteering around 100 hours in a zoo.

Overall, my plans are as follows: 500 hrs in small animal vet clinic, 250 hours in shelter/kennel (already done), 100+ hours at zoo/exotic animal sanctuary, 150+ via course work mainly in large/farm animal (50 of this is already completed and I've already registered for another 50 assuming it counts). Are the animal science courses likely to count? If so, does this sound like a decent plan? I know I should ideally try to do some type of research as well, but to my knowledge, it isn't an option as I'm not currently enrolled at university... Perhaps I should go back for a Master's Degree in Animal Science or Biology so I can have an oportunity to do research? Like I said, I got my undergrad degree in a non-science field and then went to a JC as a post-bac to take the science courses, so I've never done grad-school level work and/or research in a science field although I have no doubt that I'm capable - just don't want to waste the time/money if is isn't necessary, so is research really that important/something the vet schools will consider suspect if I have not done any? Thanks.

 

[SpunkyMaddie]

Here is my first question: does the animal experience I gained from the college courses in the animal science department count as "animal experience" in the minds of most vet school?

I counted the hours from my animal science classes but only the lab portion because the classes I took were lecture with lab so I only counted the hours in lab when we were working with the actual animals. And I'm almost positive that in the description section of the experience on VMCAS I wrote that I gained the experience in a lab class and the vet schools that interviewed me never mentioned anything about it and I was offered 5 interviews out of 7 schools I applied to so I think most schools will accept those hours. But you can always ask VMCAS just to be 100% sure 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

Here is my first question: does the animal experience I gained from the college courses in the animal science department count as "animal experience" in the minds of most vet school?

Sure it does. In the words of a well known equine surgeon here in MN: "If you ever touched an animal, put it on your application."

Yes, I know I also need actual clinical veterinary experience as well (planning on volunteering 500 hours at a local small animal vet clinic as a vet assistant as small animal veterinary medicine is what I'm interested in careerwise). Also planning on volunteering around 100 hours in a zoo.

Veterinary experience is more important than the animal experience. You want some degree of variety, but you also want to be able to reasonably claim you have sufficient exposure to the area you want to go into. So get a blend.

Are the animal science courses likely to count? If so, does this sound like a decent plan? I know I should ideally try to do some type of research as well, but to my knowledge, it isn't an option as I'm not currently enrolled at university...

Depends. If there's hands-on animal contact, then yes, count those hours. Just "animal science" courses in the classroom? No. With regard to research - no you don't have to have it. Having it is good. Not having isn't 'bad'.

Perhaps I should go back for a Master's Degree in Animal Science or Biology so I can have an oportunity to do research?

God no. If you have decent grades and plan on clinical small-animal work (you just said 'small animal', so I'm not sure if you meant clinical, research, or what) then don't spend the time going back for a master's, especially in your 30s.

Like I said, I got my undergrad degree in a non-science field and then went to a JC as a post-bac to take the science courses, so I've never done grad-school level work and/or research although I have no doubt that I'm capable - just don't want to waste the time/money if is isn't necessary, so is research really that important/something the vet schools will consider suspect if I have not done any? Thanks.

The route you're going is virtually exactly what I did. My undergrad (done in my 30s) is in theology. I went to a community college for the vet school pre-req science courses (fortunately, my CC had a remote program with a state university to offer bachelor's degrees in biology, so I was able to get the upper-level biochem or whatever that many CCs don't offer).

I had zero research experience on my application. I had some animal experience, but frankly, it was laughably unimpressive (except for some summers working a dairy farm, maybe, but even those were a bazillion years ago). I had a few hundred hours volunteering at UMN VMC in canine rehab, a few hundred hours of shadowing a SA clinician, and a handful of hours shadowing a dairy vet, and an equine vet. And that's it.

I'm not saying "don't worry about the hours." You do need them and there's no way around it. I'd work your butt off to get as many as you can. But if you're waffling between spending your time getting research hours versus veterinary hours - the vet hours should win hands down, no questions asked, don't think twice.

Best of luck!

 

[failure2launch]

Many thanks to both of your guys for your replies - relieved to know my animal science courses will count. LetItSnow, also relieved to know I'm not the only person who has seriously considered vet school at this stage in life and glad to hear that a person in a similar situation was sucessful.

 

[sheepurtle]

What about "dead animal" experience? I spent 2 years in grad school as an anatomy TA and hence spent a lot of time dissecting dead cats, sharks, lizards, frogs etc... Does that just count as work experience, or can I put it as animal experience?

 

[Trilt]

What about "dead animal" experience? I spent 2 years in grad school as an anatomy TA and hence spent a lot of time dissecting dead cats, sharks, lizards, frogs etc... Does that just count as work experience, or can I put it as animal experience?

Imho they don't stop being animals when the heartbeat stops. I also included TAing a human-animal interactions as animal experience - I honestly don't think people should worry too much about classifications, vet schools will rearrange it as they like when they get the application anyway.

 

[LetItSnow]

What about "dead animal" experience? I spent 2 years in grad school as an anatomy TA and hence spent a lot of time dissecting dead cats, sharks, lizards, frogs etc... Does that just count as work experience, or can I put it as animal experience?

I think I would just put it down as work experience.

But I also agree with Trilt: Do the best you can and don't lose sleep over it. The school will just adjust as they see fit. And remember, you have to explain your job duties, so they'll see what you were doing with those hours.

 

[Psittacidae]

Many thanks to both of your guys for your replies - relieved to know my animal science courses will count. LetItSnow, also relieved to know I'm not the only person who has seriously considered vet school at this stage in life and glad to hear that a person in a similar situation was sucessful.

You are most definitely NOT alone. One of many older non-trads here. Personally, I'm still in pre-reqs stage ( and I have NO college experience at 27 ), but working hard on being a " success story." Good luck on your journey!

 

[Bracco Pointer]

A question on what qualifies as "animal experience." I have a lot of hours (a few thousand) with a dog breed club. Of course, dogs are the purpose of the club, and everything deals with them. However, the majority of the time was not hands-on animal contact. I would say there have been a few hundred hours of true animal hours, but I served various elected positions, so there were a lot of administrative hours as well. Should I enter this as animal experience or community activities? Since it's such a big part of my application I don't want to put it in the wrong category, but I'd rather not have to split it up.

 

[JoAnna423]

A question on what qualifies as "animal experience." I have a lot of hours (a few thousand) with a dog breed club. Of course, dogs are the purpose of the club, and everything deals with them. However, the majority of the time was not hands-on animal contact. I would say there have been a few hundred hours of true animal hours, but I served various elected positions, so there were a lot of administrative hours as well. Should I enter this as animal experience or community activities? Since it's such a big part of my application I don't want to put it in the wrong category, but I'd rather not have to split it up.

I would just put the total hours you had with the organization and then in your explanation say what you just said on here. As long as you honestly and clearly explain your experience I do not think splitting is necessary.

 

[prevetdreamer]

So, I have done a couple of courses with labs, and I was planning on counting the labs in my hours since they are for LA and I definitely need more LA on my application. My question is, Since the professors for these classes are veterinarians and they did run the labs, teach us procedures, and supervise us when we did procedures, can I count these as vet hours? What about when I was just observing a procedure, but we didn't actually get to try the procedures ourselves?