Is it worth it?

[gyng]

I'm planning on applying this year and I have been reading on the forums that people are trying to get veterinary experience from multiple places. So far this is what I have:

1 year volunteering at a animal shelter clinic
2 months at a panada research center
3 months at a local farm
Currently working at a veterinary hospital which is a small animal hospital but also has an equine business

I was looking in to volunteering at another wild life or large animal practice to get more diversity but since I am applying this year I could only acquire maybe a couple hundred hours by the time I apply considering I work full time. Is it worth it to look for a place to volunteer or am I decently rounded?

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[PetPony]

How many hours do you have that would count as vet experience?

 

[equinerider26]

How many hours do you have that would count as vet experience?

I agree, you definitely need to consider how much vet experience you have so far, not just animal experience.

But if all those hours are actually vet experience, definitely go for it! Diversity in what you see is great, and "just a few hundred hours" in something not everyone sees (ie, small animal) is awesome.

 

[BlackDog618]

I'm planning on applying this year and I have been reading on the forums that people are trying to get veterinary experience from multiple places. So far this is what I have:

1 year volunteering at a animal shelter clinic
2 months at a panada research center
3 months at a local farm
Currently working at a veterinary hospital which is a small animal hospital but also has an equine business

I was looking in to volunteering at another wild life or large animal practice to get more diversity but since I am applying this year I could only acquire maybe a couple hundred hours by the time I apply considering I work full time. Is it worth it to look for a place to volunteer or am I decently rounded?

Where is this panda research center and how did you get in? I would give anything to work with Pandas. Hands down they are my favorite animal.
It sounds like you've got some good experience, but like others have said, look at how much of it counts as vet experience. I myself didn't have many hours when I applied, but had a very strong research background. A few hundred small-animal vet hours on top of the unique experiences you have will definitely boost your application.

 

[HelloNello]

It sounds like you have some really neat experiences (Pandas!! I would love to work with a Panda...)

As some other people have already said, calculate the number of hours that count as veterinary experience. Some schools require a minimum number of veterinary experience hours. Research the schools you are considering applying to. If you meet the minimum then I say go for it. You don't necessarily need to have 10 million hours to be a successful applicant; you do need to have enough quality experiences that give you a clear understanding of the profession.

If you do apply this coming cycle, continue to get more experience. It will help you when it comes time to interview and it will help for the next cycle if you aren't accepted.

Best of luck to you.

 

[gyng]

I have about 1500 hours of veterinary experience

 

[pooter]

Meh, couldn't hurt. With the "well-rounded" requirement schools are really just looking for exposure to different fields; you don't have to have hundreds of hours or a lot of clinical skills. You can help yourself by riding along with a LA vet for a few hours or spending a Saturday or two doing wildlife rehab, but it sounds like you have a good amount of hours and some cool experiences, so don't kill yourself over it.

 

[kanariya]

My (animal) experience was minimal and I was able to get in, and I only applied to one school. But I do have 3+ years of clinical laboratory experience which gave me my edge. In my opinion, experience is more of a means to show that you are prepared for what the field has to offer, i.e. you are not going to lose interest and quit, taking the place of another possible applicant.

Your panda experience is unique and you will stand out because of it! Give it a shot. Worse case scenario, you don't get in your first try and have to reapply next year; however, the application experience can help you prepare for the next go round because you will know what your shortcomings are. Go for it!

 

[SocialStigma]

It's worth a shot. I applied with 1300 h vet experience (only SA/exotic/avian) and got in. Your experience is sufficiently diverse enough that so long as the rest of your application is good, you have a shot.

 

[SnowyRox]

Definitely can't hurt applying.

I was accepted to Penn during one of their early interviews.... and my vet experience hours were under the recommended minimum when I applied! (I'd reached the minimum by the time the interview came around with my addt'l experience). And my hours were mostly SA. So, I can't tell you what they were looking for, all I know is that it's worth taking a shot in the dark.