How many *recent* hours?

[Papillons4me]

I am a non-traditional aged student planning to apply next cycle. I have over 4000 vet hours, but they are before 1998. Between 2001-2004 I logged many research/animals/PhD supervised hours by virture of full time jobs, but nothing at all since 2005 when I left the workforce to do the family thing.

I have just started shadowing a solo practice vet, and I'm curious how many recent hours it will take to throw my application into the competitive pile, assuming everything else is looking good?

I am sure this has been asked here somewhere, but I was unable to find this answer specifically. Thank you.

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[that redhead]

There is no specific answer because there is no magic number that will make your application more favorable. If you search for past successful applicant threads, you'll find people with a hundred hours and some with thousands of hours. Assuming all the other factors of your application are strong, the more vet hours the better.

 

[Leanne]

There is no specific answer because there is no magic number that will make your application more favorable. If you search for past successful applicant threads, you'll find people with a hundred hours and some with thousands of hours. Assuming all the other factors of your application are strong, the more vet hours the better.

Agree with this...I would think an adcom will be looking to see how much you have learned about the current state of vet med...different in a lot of ways from fourteen years ago. As long as you can demonstrate that and have been getting quality experience hours (and still try to get a variety of different experiences), I think that's what would count.

But just my opinion...it's hard to know what they're looking for.

 

[JoAnna423]

I am a non-traditional aged student planning to apply next cycle. I have over 4000 vet hours, but they are before 1998. Between 2001-2004 I logged many research/animals/PhD supervised hours by virture of full time jobs, but nothing at all since 2005 when I left the workforce to do the family thing.

I have just started shadowing a solo practice vet, and I'm curious how many recent hours it will take to throw my application into the competitive pile, assuming everything else is looking good?

I am sure this has been asked here somewhere, but I was unable to find this answer specifically. Thank you.

I agree with others in that there is no way to know exactly what will make you better. But I did want to point out that I think your diversity (being a non traditional aged student, what I am assuming is research/lab experience between 2001-2004?) can make your application stand out. When you are competing against hundreds of other applicants, sometimes simply getting noticed is what can make the difference between getting in and not.

 

[Papillons4me]

As long as you can demonstrate that and have been getting quality experience hours (and still try to get a variety of different experiences), I think that's what would count.

In your opinion, what are quality experience hours?

I agree with others in that there is no way to know exactly what will make you better. But I did want to point out that I think your diversity (being a non traditional aged student, what I am assuming is research/lab experience between 2001-2004?) can make your application stand out. When you are competing against hundreds of other applicants, sometimes simply getting noticed is what can make the difference between getting in and not.

Thanks, and yes. Research/lab experience with primates and then leeches (do they count? Seriously?) from 2000-2003 (under PhD), then just lab/virology experience from 2003-2005 when I left the workforce. Other lab/PhD supervised experience from 1998-2000, but no animals.

I should mention that I've been through this process once before. I applied to one school (regret that I didn't expand my options) in 2002. Was at the top of the wait list according to admissions, but did not get in.

I am just trying to figure out how to best use my time as I work toward applying next cycle. I am taking pre-reqs, one at a time, and shadowing the vet I mentioned in my initial post. It is a solo practice, house calls and not a clinic. Almost all my previous hours were small animal, with the exception of one vet I worked for one summer who did a mix of large and small. I do not know whether I should focus on small animal clinical hours, finding more large animal experience, or something else completely different that might make a difference with my application?

 

[PetPony]

What are you interested in working with?

 

[Papillons4me]

What are you interested in working with?

Small animal. And while I know I am not supposed to declare a specific interest or specialty before I am in school, I have great interest in chiropractic and rehab.

 

[PetPony]

I would try to get a little bit of each but mostly in small. You need to be able to show that you have a reason for being interested in something. It would look as good if you say you want to be an equine vet but have no experience with horses.

 

[that redhead]

I do not know whether I should focus on small animal clinical hours, finding more large animal experience, or something else completely different that might make a difference with my application?

You should focus on what interests you. I'd also try to get the variety if it's at all reasonable to your schedule. I think just about everyone (or a huge majority) has at least some small animal clinic experience, so adding something to that can only help you.

 

[Papillons4me]

You should focus on what interests you. I'd also try to get the variety if it's at all reasonable to your schedule. I think just about everyone (or a huge majority) has at least some small animal clinic experience, so adding something to that can only help you.

Yes, I agree with this. I have thousands of small animal clinic hours. My only concern is that they are not recent, and I am unsure if it is worth my time to get more, or if it is better to persue my interests (specifically vet chiro) and perhaps a bit of large animal. I would love to do it all, but I have to choose and make the best use of my time.

 

[Leanne]

In your opinion, what are quality experience hours?

Yes, I agree with this. I have thousands of small animal clinic hours. My only concern is that they are not recent, and I am unsure if it is worth my time to get more, or if it is better to persue my interests (specifically vet chiro) and perhaps a bit of large animal. I would love to do it all, but I have to choose and make the best use of my time.

To me, quality experience hours mean you're getting the most out of your time at the practice. You're asking questions, getting hands-on experience with whatever you're allowed to do - i.e. not just being a silent observer. Ten hours of getting really in-depth somewhere and learning from the experience is much better than two hundred hours of just showing up (as I'm sure you know). I'm sorry if it came across as though I thought you didn't have quality experiences; that wasn't my intention at all.

It sounds like you're already well on track as far as what you want to do - definitely pursue what you're interested in and try to get a couple additional perspectives as well.

 

[Papillons4me]

To me, quality experience hours mean you're getting the most out of your time at the practice. You're asking questions, getting hands-on experience with whatever you're allowed to do - i.e. not just being a silent observer. Ten hours of getting really in-depth somewhere and learning from the experience is much better than two hundred hours of just showing up (as I'm sure you know). I'm sorry if it came across as though I thought you didn't have quality experiences; that wasn't my intention at all.

It sounds like you're already well on track as far as what you want to do - definitely pursue what you're interested in and try to get a couple additional perspectives as well.

No worries, it did not come across that way. I just wanted clarification. Perhaps a better question is this: Will the adcom be able to make that distinction based on my application? Granted, much will depend on how I present the experience/s.

 

[kakurubird]

No worries, it did not come across that way. I just wanted clarification. Perhaps a better question is this: Will the adcom be able to make that distinction based on my application? Granted, much will depend on how I present the experience/s.

Yep, this is how they will know. All they can tell is what you put in the description or in your personal statement or what you say about it during your interview, whether its from descriptions of what you saw/learned/etc. or just your general understanding of the profession.

 

[Papillons4me]

Yep, this is how they will know. All they can tell is what you put in the description or in your personal statement or what you say about it during your interview, whether its from descriptions of what you saw/learned/etc. or just your general understanding of the profession.

Thank you.