Does veterinary experience expire?

[Maddiegirl]

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I don't think it does, but I'd like some feed back from the peanut gallery on this....

I've got roughly 2500 hours of veterinary experience: shadowing, assisting with procedures (vaccination, surgeries, dentals, lab work etc.)

However, it was about 12-14 years ago. I'm planning to do some additional veterinary experience for my application so I have something recent, but I am wondering if I can still include the previous hours on my application?'

Lastly, what kind of documentation do I need to obtain to prove that I have the experience? One of the vets was a real tool and I would not want to ask him for any kind of eLOR, but still think I should still get the credit for all the time I put in working there.

Thoughts?

 

[LMMS]

Hey Maddie,

Nope, it never expires. I've asked... The only issue you may run into is if you apply to Cornell because they won't accept any experience without a letter from the clinic or institution. However, if you have a just reason, they will accept a letter from another member of the team for the experience.

Hope that helps some!

 

[Maddiegirl]

Awesome! The last clinic I was at should be no problem to get a letter from because I got along great with the doctor I worked for and loved the place. They were also my vet for years before I moved to Texas.

The first vet I worked for, while in high school, screwed me over when I was about to graduate high school and assumed I was quitting so they seriously cut my hours without even talking to me. SO, needless to say, I didn't leave there on the best of terms, but I DID work there for 2 years though, never got into any trouble and had was a good employee. I would hate to lose all that time I invested there.

 

[crittergal]

Also, if you're applying to TAMU, they put little weight on experience. I seem to recall that your experience hours max out at 100? After that they are HEAVY on the academic portion of the point scale. If your numbers are good, you'll probably be ok.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I got so fed up with TAMU during last year's cycle I stopped paying attention.

 

[LivestockDoc]

When I spoke to an admissions person at CSU, my most recent vet experience was 17 years ago. She suggested that I obtain some more recent experience, even if it was just volunteer. I think adcoms would like to see some recent activity because it demonstrates your continued interest in the profession, and it gives you the opportunity to keep abreast of new happenings in the field, so your plan to obtain some new experience is a smart one.

That said, ALL vet experience, no matter how long ago, is relevant and should absolutely be included in your application/s. I think mine goes back to the mid-1980's. VMCAS (and at least the supplementals I've filled out) don't require any documentation other than contact info. It's basically the honor system. Luckily, I'm not applying to schools that require letters from every vet I've ever worked for. I couldn't do that anyway. One's dead, and several are retired. I think I had one hospital listed whose contact number I did not even include because the vet sold the hospital, so it's all new people there who've never heard of me.

Good luck to you (and to all of us non-trads)!

 

[ATX00]

Also, if you're applying to TAMU, they put little weight on experience. I seem to recall that your experience hours max out at 100? After that they are HEAVY on the academic portion of the point scale. If your numbers are good, you'll probably be ok.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I got so fed up with TAMU during last year's cycle I stopped paying attention.

I've heard 100 hours and I've heard 500 hours, so I'm not sure anyone knows for sure. In any case, it's almost definitely less than 2000 hours.

But they award points for hours as well as for diversity of experience. Before interviews, vet experience is worth 12 points (8 for quantity, 4 for diversity I think?), and after interviews it's worth 22 points, (18 for quantity, 4 for diversity). It's not a ton of points out of 300, but from what I've gathered, every little point matters -- the difference between acceptance and not even making the waitlist can be less than 5 points.

 

[Maddiegirl]

When I spoke to an admissions person at CSU, my most recent vet experience was 17 years ago. She suggested that I obtain some more recent experience, even if it was just volunteer. I think adcoms would like to see some recent activity because it demonstrates your continued interest in the profession, and it gives you the opportunity to keep abreast of new happenings in the field, so your plan to obtain some new experience is a smart one.

That said, ALL vet experience, no matter how long ago, is relevant and should absolutely be included in your application/s. I think mine goes back to the mid-1980's. VMCAS (and at least the supplementals I've filled out) don't require any documentation other than contact info. It's basically the honor system. Luckily, I'm not applying to schools that require letters from every vet I've ever worked for. I couldn't do that anyway. One's dead, and several are retired. I think I had one hospital listed whose contact number I did not even include because the vet sold the hospital, so it's all new people there who've never heard of me.

Good luck to you (and to all of us non-trads)!

\
This is such great news! Thank you!!!

 

[Maddiegirl]

I've heard 100 hours and I've heard 500 hours, so I'm not sure anyone knows for sure. In any case, it's almost definitely less than 2000 hours.

But they award points for hours as well as for diversity of experience. Before interviews, vet experience is worth 12 points (8 for quantity, 4 for diversity I think?), and after interviews it's worth 22 points, (18 for quantity, 4 for diversity). It's not a ton of points out of 300, but from what I've gathered, every little point matters -- the difference between acceptance and not even making the waitlist can be less than 5 points.

Goal before I apply is to get some diversity of experience! 🙂