How to classify reception experience?

[toro2013]

Hello everyone,

I see conflicting answers on how to classify reception experience when applying to vet school. I've worked reception in an ER and Specialty hospital for about 2 years. Probably 2000-3000 hours. Just now I am making the switch to assistant. However, during my reception experience I shadowed alot, would always ask questions, and watched surgeries. As long as I worded it correctly can it be vet experience or leave it at animal experience?

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[deleted676737]

Hello everyone,

I see conflicting answers on how to classify reception experience when applying to vet school. I've worked reception in an ER and Specialty hospital for about 2 years. Probably 2000-3000 hours. Just now I am making the switch to assistant. However, during my reception experience I shadowed alot, would always ask questions, and watched surgeries. As long as I worded it correctly can it be vet experience or leave it at animal experience?

Vet experience, no question.

 

[Trilt]

Veterinary reception work should absolutely be classified as veterinary experience. The human side of vet med is just as legitimate and important as rolling around on the floor with the pups.

 

[dyachei]

vet experience. It's very much so.

 

[LyraGardenia]

I agree with everyone else, but I just wanted to add that it doesn't really matter how you classify experiences on VMCAS, the schools will re-categorize things if they disagree. Personally I've been cross-trained as a tech and receptionist, and I think my time up front dealing with clients is way more valuable than the days I spend as a tech just cleaning and doing kennel work. But I wasn't trained as a receptionist until after my apps were submitted, and I don't think I mentioned my receptionist experience in my Kansas interview, so I don't know how schools feel about it.

 

[CynicKitten]

"the schools will re-categorize things if they disagree"

How do you know this? I don't think it's worth mentioning unless it's true for all schools, and undeniably true. Just categorize it right first - much safer that way.

 

[LyraGardenia]

"the schools will re-categorize things if they disagree"

How do you know this? I don't think it's worth mentioning unless it's true for all schools, and undeniably true. Just categorize it right first - much safer that way.

Well yes, definitely make your best effort to categorize things correctly, but if you classify an experience as veterinary and the school considers it animal experience (or whatever) they're generally not going to knock you for it unless it's a blatant attempt to pad your hours. That is the general impression I've gotten from my communications with schools and things people have said on here. But I don't think very many things are undeniably true for all schools -- I've heard of people getting conflicting advice on how to categorize an experience from different schools they were applying to. Of course it never hurts to contact the schools you're applying to if you're in doubt of how to categorize something or want to know how they'll value an experience, but not every school will necessarily feel the same.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

"the schools will re-categorize things if they disagree"

How do you know this? I don't think it's worth mentioning unless it's true for all schools, and undeniably true. Just categorize it right first - much safer that way.

You would know if you spent as many years following VMCAS as some of us have I don't mean that as an insult by any means, but it has been clarified by VMCAS that this is absolutely the case. The experience categories are not mutually exclusive or one size fits all. You kind of have to go with the best fit. Some people like to split up their experiences as well, but that complicates things IMO. There are certain experiences that you can't exactly "categorize right" because they fit under 2-3 categories at once.

And Lyra isn't saying the schools 'correct' your categorization, but they really just say "Oh, we'll list this under animal instead of research" (I've seen that one contested a lot) if they do pay attention to hour numbers that well.