important questions from an aspiring vet

[busybird]

Alright. Here's a bit about me.
I'm 16 years old, almost 17. I have an un-weighted GPA of 3.95, with AP bio, animal sciences, and chem all under my belt. I have been studying veterinary medicine for quite some time and have gained quite a bit of knowledge. I am hoping to attend UF's small animal veterinary program with either just a general specialty for small animals, or a surgery specialty. Here are my questions:
What kind of grades am I going to need?
I am starting community college this fall as well, and was wondering what prereqs and classes would be best to take in preparation.
How do I land a volunteer position/vet shadowing position in the Orlando, FL area? Everyone seems to take me (a minor) as a walking liability. How do I convince them otherwise?
What are some key areas of VM i should study up on? I know my anatomy, and basic blood chemistry work, parasites, vaccinations,common ailments, and have studied countless hours of surgery videos, and procedures, and I am working on diseases. Any tips or pointers?
Thank you so much for reading through all this.

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[PppermintTwist]

Your GPA is great right now! Keep up the good work. You may not do so well in a course here or there, dont let that get you down. Get help in subjects you need help in and try to keep your GPA above a 3.5. People have gotten in with lower, but get the highest you can to be competitive.

I made a spread sheet in excel of vet school requirements. You can find them on each ones website. Most of the requirements are quite similar, but some only require one semester of organic chem, and some require animal nutrition classes. So take a look at all of the schools, and especially the ones that interest you like UF.

Attend in state if you can, debt is a real issue to be considered, and you can be a vet if you graduate from any of the AVMA accredited schools.

Also check to make sure the vet school you are interested in will accept community college credit.

Sounds like you've done a lot of studying up. Next step would be to get some hands on experience. Dress up nice and drive to every vet hospital you can and provide a resume, and ask if they have any openings for a pre-vet shadow or vet assistant. Be friendly, polite and as professional as possible. Be prepared to hear a lot of no's, but dont give up! Be persistent. You can also try shadowing shelter vets. Or try getting some animal experience, either on a farm, or kennel, just to get some experience and try again with the vet clinics the next year. Dont give up!

Be careful working and doing school at the same time. I wouldnt recommend it first semester. Give yourself some time to adjust. And remember to not work so much that you can't study.

As far as studying up on vet med. I'd focus on your college courses and getting hands on animal and veterinary experience right now and not worry too much about studying veterinary medicine itself right now.

PS. You do not need a degree to get into every vet school (check first). So you can get all of your pre-reqs first, apply, and if you dont get in finish your major.

Pick a major that interests you. You dont have to do animal science. Pick something that either gives you a plan B, or at least complements your studies. Like maybe business? Others may have some other ideas. You can major in anything though.

Best wishes!

 

[busybird]

Don't I need to have a certificate to become a vet assistant? I always figured it required some amount of technical school, with prereqs.

 

[Lissarae06]

Don't I need to have a certificate to become a vet assistant? I always figured it required some amount of technical school, with prereqs.

Some states require vet techs to be certified and others don't. Do some research into your state's laws regarding vet techs and whether or not they have to be certified. In Oklahoma, you don't have to be certified. RVTs make more here but it isn't required by law.

 

[Bracco Pointer]

In Florida, you don't have to be certified to work as a vet tech. If you are polite and professional, it's only a matter of time before someone lets you shadow/hires you. Ask around, some places are very strict on "no minors," but some don't have a problem at all.

 

[PppermintTwist]

Don't I need to have a certificate to become a vet assistant? I always figured it required some amount of technical school, with prereqs.

Vet tech is typically a two year program, pre-reqs probably vary by school, I just had to have a good GPA and have taken math I think. I believe strongly that only licensed technicians should be allowed to do certain things in the hospital, but laws vary by state. An assistant does not have to be licensed, and can work under the "supervision" of a licensed technician or veterinarian.

As someone coming in with no experience you would most likely start at the bottom, cleaning kennels and walking dogs, helping restrain. As you gain experience and your co-workers trust you should be allowed to do more.

 

[busybird]

Alright! Monday I'm going to go to the ones in my area (there are like 10)
What should I have on my resume? I don't have much experience working with animals in a professional setting. I worked at a therapeutic riding center, and have worked two jobs at pizza parlors. Do I talk to the vet himself or just talk to the receptionist? Sorry for all the questions, you guys are awesome.

 

[PetPony]

I would try to talk to the vets personally if possible. Talking to the receptionist hasn't done much good for me..

 

[nyanko]

I lived in Orlando - the place where I worked had a girl there who had worked and volunteered at the clinic since she was 15-16 years old. Talking personally to the vets will be to your advantage.

Many vet schools won't accept AP Bio/Chem as prerequisites so you may anticipate having to take general biology and chemistry in college for prerequisite reasons, even if it counts for your degree.

Nobody is ever going to care about your high school GPA again once you start college.

 

[NStarz]

Many vet schools won't accept AP Bio/Chem as prerequisites so you may anticipate having to take general biology and chemistry in college for prerequisite reasons, even if it counts for your degree.
.

Eh, I didn't take an intro bio course besides AP bio, and the schools I applied to (15) were okay with it. Most say that as long as it's on your transcript, you're okay. Others say that if you've taken upper level bio, that's okay, too. Of course, mileage may vary, and it's best to check with the individual schools.

 

[busybird]

What kind of resume would I need to put together to apply for a shadow/assistant position? What things would I need to have on it?

 

[bunnity]

You can google for sample resumes but basically at the top you put your name, address, phone number, and email. Then you put a section for "education" where you would just put your school, your grade, and maybe your GPA. Then put a section for "experience" or "employment" where you can list your previous jobs (name of the business, years that you worked there, a brief description of your responsibilities). After that you could add a section for volunteering or extracurriculars or awards you've won. You can put a couple personal references on a separate page with their contact info (not family members; you could use prior employers, school teachers, etc. Ask them first!). You're in high school so your resume is going to be pretty short but that's okay.

Also - many animal shelters allow volunteers at 16 so you could check that out too. Most shelters have a vet either on staff or that they take their animals to, so that's another way you could find vets to work with.

 

[david594]

How do I land a volunteer position/vet shadowing position in the Orlando, FL area? Everyone seems to take me (a minor) as a walking liability.

Your 16(almost 17). Unfortunately you are a walking liability. Veterinary clinics are an OSHA nightmare with a ton of hazards!

With private practices, I would approach them looking for shadowing opportunities. Volunteer is somewhat of a taboo word to vets as in most cases they can't legally have volunteers, and if you aren't an employee you aren't covered by workmans comp. Once your 18, then the rules change and looking for a job becomes much more practical.

I'd also second the suggestion to look into area shelters. They will always have non-medical volunteer positions. They aren't really what your looking for right now, but they will get your foot in the door to other opportunities once your old enough.

 

[busybird]

The local humane society shelters require that I be 18 as well. Do I need to be 18 to shadow? Is that a liability?

 

[OH Bunny Girl]

Using the word "shadow" is a little more vet-hospital friendly than "volunteer." This is just so you (and the vets!) know that you will start out doing lots of watching. Ask to speak to the office manager, as they are the ones who most often make the calls along with the vets.

Don't give up if you get some "No's." I actually called at least 12 different vet clinics and finally found one that allowed me to shadow while I was an undergrad. They allowed all ages to shadow, but I had to sign a waiver. There was another shadow there who was only 13, and she and her parents had to sign the waiver. So be prepared for this too.

Good luck!

 

[bunnity]

http://www.petrescuebyjudy.com/info/display?PageID=2751