Gaining Experience

[WannaBeVet]

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Hi all!

I am a high school senior who will be attending Drew University come fall as a biology major with the intent of applying to Vet School. I have been doing research for quite some time now as to what requirements are needed to get into vet school and as to what courses I will need to take while doing my under-grad studies. In the midst of all this reading I have noticed that it is recommended to have a lot of hands-on experience. Could someone who has experience with this whole process please explain to me what is actually meant by that?

Are vet-schools looking for individuals who have worked at a vet office? Or for individuals who have worked as non-licensed vet assistants? Or are vet schools looking for individuals who have spent any sort of time with animals?

What is the best option? What looks most impressive and what offers the most valuable hands-on experience?

What I have done so far:
- I have worked at PetSmart as a Proffesional Dog Bather for a almost a full year now ( What I do: clip nails, brush teeth, brush coat, give bath, clean ears...) 10 hrs/week
- I have just started volunteering at Noah's Ark Animal Shelter ( What I do: I walk the dogs, socialize with dogs and cats, groom/general brushing for both cats and dogs....) 6-10 hrs/week
- I will be getting a job ( hopefully! Waiting for an interview offer right now) at Morris Animal Inn being a receptionist. So my job would be in short checking in the pets and socializing

Are these good? Would these activities be considered 'hands-on activities in the animal health care field'?


Thanks in advance for the answers/advice!

 

[HopefulAg]

Vet schools want two things:

1) Animal experience. Sounds like you have this covered with PetsMart and Noah's Ark.

2) Veterinary experience. This is any experience done under a licensed veterinarian. So it can be as an unlicensed vet tech/assistant, it can be as a licensed vet tech, it can be as a volunteer/shadowing, as long as it's with a licensed veterinarian (I.E. kennel work applies to animal experience, not vet experience. Watching the vet do a spay counts as vet experience.)

 

[WannaBeVet]

Vet schools want two things:

1) Animal experience. Sounds like you have this covered with PetsMart and Noah's Ark.

2) Veterinary experience. This is any experience done under a licensed veterinarian. So it can be as an unlicensed vet tech/assistant, it can be as a licensed vet tech, it can be as a volunteer/shadowing, as long as it's with a licensed veterinarian (I.E. kennel work applies to animal experience, not vet experience. Watching the vet do a spay counts as vet experience.)

Whoo. Thank you so much for clearing this up for me! I have been stressing soo much lately about this and I have not even started my undergrad studies!

Well at least now I know what I have to do in the future... Thanks again!

 

[GellaBella]

OMG I went to Drew University!!!!!! You are going to have SOOO much fun. I am totally in love with that school. feel free to PM me if you have any questions at all! I graduated in 2004 but I'd def be willing to help out all I can!

ugh!! JEALOUS!!! you have the best four years of your life ahead of you. for real!...

jeez I hope you love it as much as I did 😀

 

[sumstorm]

Kennel work could be debatable....depends on whether it is under the supervision of a vet.

Also, research under a PhD in the health fields is counted as vet experience by some schools.

 

[WannaBeVet]

OMG I went to Drew University!!!!!! You are going to have SOOO much fun. I am totally in love with that school. feel free to PM me if you have any questions at all! I graduated in 2004 but I'd def be willing to help out all I can!

ugh!! JEALOUS!!! you have the best four years of your life ahead of you. for real!...

jeez I hope you love it as much as I did 😀

Really?! Yay. I have someone who can dish me out some advice!

Yea, so far so good. Drew was the last possible school at which I thought I would end up at but....here I am. I have already chatted with the pre-vet advisor and I loved how accessible she was. So far I have received some great advice and guidance and I have not even started the school year!

How was it applying to vet school after graduating from Drew? That's one of the things that worry me also. The fact that NJ has no vet school. Also where did you end up going?

I have soo many questions for you! =)

 

[WannaBeVet]

Kennel work could be debatable....depends on whether it is under the supervision of a vet.

Also, research under a PhD in the health fields is counted as vet experience by some schools.

Well what I do at the shelter is just socialize with the dogs and give them some exercise. Also there is no vet on the premises so I don't think that would count as veterinary experience.

I am sure as I get into my second year, or earlier, of undergrad I'll find a vet office where I can shadow and get some vet experience.

 

[GellaBella]

well...I wasn't really pre-vet while I was at Drew. I ended up getting interested in research and so I've been doing my PhD since I graduated. There aren't really many pre-vets at Drew (its such a small school) but I do know a girl who got into Cornell! I think she was the only person who applied to vet schools out of at least 2 graduating classes. She just graduated this May (from Cornell Vet).

I'm really glad to hear that the pre-vet advisor is nice. When I was there the woman was HORRIBLE..very discouraging. I think enough people gave back bad critiques of her that they gave her the boot (she was pre-vet/pre-med etc).

And yeah, Drew was the last place I thought I'd end up too. But I am so glad I did. The types of friendships you can make when there are only 1600 undergrads are amazing.

 

[StillDreaming]

Hmm, what you've listed here seems to be animal experience focused. You may want to look around at local vet clinics for volunteer positions (is there a vet that works at the shelter that you could shadow???)

The vet experience I got was was that I volunteered at two small animal hospitals for about a totaly of a year (6 months each) and about 10-20 hours a week. I was offered a job multiple times at the second volunteer places, but just couldn't work with my hours so opted out of it (plus i was applying for a large animal job at the time)... I also have large animal teh experience at an equine hospital near the school i attend. I am a hospital technician so do everything from basic treatments to receiving emergencies and prepping for surgery. I also got some random hours ona study abroad trip i did for 4 weeks.

My animal experience varies, but you seem to have a very strong column with that aspect of the application. My advice to you would be to look into shadowing a local vet (at the shelter you already volunteer at, or at a local clinic)... then maybe over the summer look into shadowing a LA vet to get a little bit of varied experience.

You are on the right track, getting an early start! And stay on these forums! I found them only after I had applied (and was just looking for people going through the same thing i was waiting to hear back) and looking into the posts now, you will get AWESOME advice and a great number of different types of applicants.

 

[Trilt]

Haha, I thought this looked familiar- I sometimes frequent the College Confidential forums, and just realized that you posted a really similar thread there.

If your shelter doesn't have an on-staff vet, perhaps see if they could give you a bit of a shoo-in for one of the vet offices they use for spay/neuters?

 

[WannaBeVet]

Haha, I thought this looked familiar- I sometimes frequent the College Confidential forums, and just realized that you posted a really similar thread there.

If your shelter doesn't have an on-staff vet, perhaps see if they could give you a bit of a shoo-in for one of the vet offices they use for spay/neuters?

Yea! I wasn't getting any response on college confidential so I went on a little search and stumbled upon student doctor network. People have been amazing at helping me out. =)

Your idea is wonderful! I'll definetely see if I can get some experience through the shelter. Thank you!

 

[guppy73]

....and to add to Trilt's great suggestion, if any of the shelter animals are on prescribed meds through the vet, perhaps the staff will let you help administer them (or at least shadow & monitor). Every little bit helps.

Good luck to you! Sounds as though you're lining up some terrific experiences already. Keep us posted!

 

[WannaBeVet]

Well I am at the point where I am trying to find a paying position as a kennel attendant or veterinary assistant to start getting some veterinary experience hours. Though I am having a hard time...I applied to a few places. Yet I have only heard from 1 and I had to call myself in order to hear the 'sorry the position has been filled' speech.

Oh well. I guess I will continue applying and trying to get something. Paid or volunteer.

 

[AidanEvieCleo]

It can be very difficult to find a paid position at a vets office that gives you real hands on experience, when you don't have experience already. The best thing is to volunteer to gain experience, then once you know enough to be helpful either the place you were volunteering for may hire you, or you can apply for a job elsewhere and state that you have experience doing x, y and z. This worked for me, and if you put in a lot of hours it may only take a few months before you are a valuable worker that they don't want to loose!

Good luck with the search

 

[rileyroo]

The best thing is to volunteer to gain experience, then once you know enough to be helpful either the place you were volunteering for may hire you, or you can apply for a job elsewhere and state that you have experience doing x, y and z.

that is what i did. i volunteered at more than one clinic and then was hired at another clinic. 🙂

 

[WannaBeVet]

Yea it looks like that's my only option. Volunteering is just fine and dandy with me since I would be getting the exposure and experience that I need. I'll be doing some drive by dropping off my resume and selling myself visits soon I think. =)

Though earning some money for tuition would be even better...oh well.

 

[rileyroo]

i started off volunteering b/c of the flexibility with my schedule and it turned out really well. i was able to go in to the clinic and shadow the dr's a lot more than i had anticipated and even assisted after being there for a while. it's great exposure and will could eventually lead to that tuition help you're wanting. i recommend taking a small notepad with you when volunteering, to write down information throughout the day. it's kind of fun to look back at those experiences 2 years later. 🙂

 

[WannaBeVet]

i started off volunteering b/c of the flexibility with my schedule and it turned out really well. i was able to go in to the clinic and shadow the dr's a lot more than i had anticipated and even assisted after being there for a while. it's great exposure and will could eventually lead to that tuition help you're wanting. i recommend taking a small notepad with you when volunteering, to write down information throughout the day. it's kind of fun to look back at those experiences 2 years later. 🙂

I am planning on driving to some vet offices soon and asking them if they have any paid jobs or volunteer opportunities available. Any hints or tips as to how I should talk to them about it? Are there any questions that I need to ask specifically or a way I should approach the people at the animal hospitals?

 

[twelvetigers]

We have people walk in where I work, and I've seen some unimpressive stuff.

First, you are already doing the right thing by going there in person! So many people call on the phone and ask, "Are you hiring?" If you won't come to the office, the answer will probably be "no" anyway.

Second, dress nice! Don't wear a suit or something, but dark jeans or khakis and a nice shirt are great. We had a girl come in wearing daisy duke shorts and a handkerchief top... not too impressive. Another girl wore sweats.

Third, have a resume on hand. You might also consider a cover letter and a school schedule, if that applies to you. Ask to fill out an application, but attach these things as well.

Lastly, feel free to ask a couple questions about the clinic to show that you're interested. Know the vets' names (maybe use them in the cover letter) and know a bit about the place first. If you make a good impression on the office staff, you can bet they'll pass that info on to the manager or vet.

Remember... call back in a week or two! Don't let them forget about'cha.

That's my advice. Good luck!

 

[rileyroo]

I am planning on driving to some vet offices soon and asking them if they have any paid jobs or volunteer opportunities available. Any hints or tips as to how I should talk to them about it? Are there any questions that I need to ask specifically or a way I should approach the people at the animal hospitals?

for me, it was a really interesting beginning...i got shot down by a lot of places and some of the vets i encountered were nasty about it. so don't be discouraged if you run into a vet that is not crazy about the idea. you'll find the right one. what i did was search websites for local vets - to see what services they offered, a list of doctors and their backgrounds/specialties, etc. if i had a good feeling about that clinic i either contacted them by email or phone. i did walk in to a couple of places as well. but i ended up getting a really supportive email response from a doctor of one clinic and she was really excited about it, that she asked if i wanted to come in for surgeries the next morning. i spent the summer shadowing her for close to 8 hours a day, 3 time a week. i gained A LOT of experience and started to assist. she even let me run the blood chemistries which was really exciting lol.

my suggestion is to fine tune your resume, maybe put together a short cover letter, and take it with you to the places. some vets ask for it. and be persistent. even now, when i'm trying to volunteer, sometimes i wont get a confirmation email and i'll have to email again. it might take some work or you might just fall into an opportunity right away. if you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me. 🙂

 

[WannaBeVet]

Thank you so much for the advice. I have my outfit all planned and resume all printed. 🙂

As for the cover letter, I have one written up but I am not sure if it's okay. Would it be possible to get some feedback?

Here it is:

June 25, 2009

Dear sir or madam:

I am not sure if you are currently looking to add anyone to your staff at the Animal Care Center in Flanders but I thought that I would ask. I am looking for a paying position, if one is available that fits my skills and qualifications, or a volunteer position. I will be attending Drew University come this August as a Biology major and I wish to apply to Veterinary school once I complete my undergraduate studies. I am aware of the importance that veterinary and animal experience hold when it comes to becoming a veterinarian. Since this is my goal I am searching for a job, paid or volunteer, that would allow me to expand my animal experience.

I have been a Professional Dog Bather at PetSmart, Inc. for almost a full year now and I have gathered many useful skills while working there. Some of these skills include not only interacting with dogs and cats but also with customers; pet owners. I have experience in dealing with many breeds of dogs and many temperaments. I am also very capable when it comes to customer service and phone etiquette. Also to add to my animal experience I would like to mention that I am a Volunteer Dog Walker at Noah's Ark, where I take on the task of socializing with the animals that are at the shelter.

I have enclosed a copy of my resume as an attachment, which will offer more details of my qualifications.

Thank you for your consideration.

 

[WannaBeVet]

Don't bother offering feedback on this cover letter.

I went and re-wrote this one and added some finishing touches. 😀

 

[WannaBeVet]

Hello again. I just wanted to give the people who helped me a little update so show that their advice was indeed put to good use. 🙂

I did as many of you suggested. Printed out copies of my resume (personally addressed to certain vet clinics that I would soon be visiting), cover letter, and a few of my schedule for this fall. I went into 5 offices, had a chat with whoever was available, explained that I am either looking for paying job or a volunteer opportunity, left my resume, and then hoped for the best. The offices that were actually looking for someone, I gave them a call back to follow up... I thought I did everything pretty nicely and proffesionally but I didn't get any interviews, jobs, or volunteer positions. Oh well....

I pushed on. I talked to one of my friends, whose dad is a vet and owns a vet office, about me possibly working there. I didn't expect much since he is a very strict and stubborn man ( I have met him before..). But low and behold he has offered to help me out and I, hopefully, will be working and observing around his office for 3 days a week over the summer, and maybe a few while I go to school.

Well that was a long story! Oh well the point is I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my questions and to dish out some very much needed advice. So thank you! 🙂

 

[rileyroo]

I pushed on. I talked to one of my friends, whose dad is a vet and owns a vet office, about me possibly working there. I didn't expect much since he is a very strict and stubborn man ( I have met him before..). But low and behold he has offered to help me out and I, hopefully, will be working and observing around his office for 3 days a week over the summer, and maybe a few while I go to school.

that's fantastic! i have found that many of my opportunities came from places i was least expecting. i hope this works out to be a great learning opportunity for you and a stepping stone for additional experiences in the future! good luck!

 

[WannaBeVet]

I did my first 5 hours yesterday! So far so good... =D Saw some simple day to day stuff: a lump here and there (what's the technique called when you use a syringe to extract some of the contents of the lump to test them?), a lethargic dog, a few blood draws, and an abscess. To my naive eyes, everything was ridiculously interesting!

Now I'm going back tomorrow and he will teach me how to handle and restrain the animals so I can start helping him around the office... 🙂

 

[Angelo84]

I did my first 5 hours yesterday! So far so good... =D Saw some simple day to day stuff: a lump here and there (what's the technique called when you use a syringe to extract some of the contents of the lump to test them?), a lethargic dog, a few blood draws, and an abscess. To my naive eyes, everything was ridiculously interesting!

Now I'm going back tomorrow and he will teach me how to handle and restrain the animals so I can start helping him around the office... 🙂

FNA--fine needle aspirate

 

[WannaBeVet]

FNA--fine needle aspirate

Thank you!

I was wondering if you could answer some more of my questions? I did my second day today ( 9hrs!!), and I have the names of some of the tools he wanted me to remember but I don't know how to spell them in order to find them online..

One is the tool that vets use to break off the plaque off of teeth, clamp looking thing, something along the lines of a 'rougerne' (french name)?

The other is suturing, he was using a specific technique where he would make a knot, double a loop over the tissue for extra security, and then make anther knot. 'Intra-fix suture' or something along those lines?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated... I just want to set myself straight so I don't look like an idiot next time! 😉

 

[Angelo84]

Thank you!

I was wondering if you could answer some more of my questions? I did my second day today ( 9hrs!!), and I have the names of some of the tools he wanted me to remember but I don't know how to spell them in order to find them online..

One is the tool that vets use to break off the plaque off of teeth, clamp looking thing, something along the lines of a 'rougerne' (french name)?

The other is suturing, he was using a specific technique where he would make a knot, double a loop over the tissue for extra security, and then make anther knot. 'Intra-fix suture' or something along those lines?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated... I just want to set myself straight so I don't look like an idiot next time! 😉

As far as the dental instrument I think you mean a rongeur pronounced ronjur.

As far as the "suture pattern" I think you are referring to a ligature used to control bleeding and crush tissue. I can think of two possibilities a milller's knot and a transfixation ligature.

For the millers you pass suture around the structure twice to form two loops that each go around the entire structure. You then reach over the near side and under the far side to grab the short end and bring it through then tighten by pulling the short end away and the long end near.

The transfixation ligature you pass the suture through the middle of the structure then tie a knot to one side. Pass the short end to the other side and tie another knot on the other side. This suture can't slip off.

Do either of those sound right? You can probably use google images to see diagrams.

It could also be a ligature I haven't learned yet. A suture pattern is used to close susbcuatneous tissue of skin. So example would be simple interrupted, continuous, cruciate.

Did any of that make sense?

 

[WannaBeVet]

As far as the dental instrument I think you mean a rongeur pronounced ronjur.

As far as the "suture pattern" I think you are referring to a ligature used to control bleeding and crush tissue. I can think of two possibilities a milller's knot and a transfixation ligature.

For the millers you pass suture around the structure twice to form two loops that each go around the entire structure. You then reach over the near side and under the far side to grab the short end and bring it through then tighten by pulling the short end away and the long end near.

The transfixation ligature you pass the suture through the middle of the structure then tie a knot to one side. Pass the short end to the other side and tie another knot on the other side. This suture can't slip off.

Do either of those sound right? You can probably use google images to see diagrams.

It could also be a ligature I haven't learned yet. A suture pattern is used to close susbcuatneous tissue of skin. So example would be simple interrupted, continuous, cruciate.

Did any of that make sense?

Thank you! Yes both of your answers definitely made sense. What he was performing was the transfixation ligature. I think I need to bring along with me a notebook and jot stuff down on the spot...Though I don't know how he would take to that. Lol.

Thank you again!

 

[Angelo84]

Any time! Bringing a notebook is a good idea. That way you can keep track of what you have seen, learned about on a daily basis which will make writing up the experience on a resume, cover letter, or VMCAS much easier. I also used a notebook that I copied and gave back to the person I worked with as a reminder of what we did together when she wrote me a LOR for cornell (they require letters from each experience) and it made things much easier for her as she had specific examples to pull from.