Job Prospects after Medical Withdrawal & taking 5 years for Vet school

[EB73674]

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Hi All,

Well I've graduated from the pre-vet forum to the vet forum! I was happily accepted to a number of vet schools for the class of 2025 last summer, and started as a first year at Ohio State. During my second semester, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition that required immediate & intense treatment and surgery, and I was forced to medically withdraw. Absolutely nothing to do with grades, I did very well my first semester & the beginning of second semester, it was purely that I needed to relocate out of state for support while undergoing medical treatment. In talking to tOSU's admin, we made the decision to have me drop into the class of 2026 and restart my 4 years. This was mostly due to a curriculum change - the spring semester I would have taken does not exist anymore - but also because I knew I wouldn't be able to catch up to my classmates over the summer. Assuming all goes as planned, I'll just be taking an extra year.

The real question - do we think residencies/internships or employers will see any of this as a red flag? My medical condition is technically curable, but can resurface at any time, and it's also one covered by the ADA, so it SHOULD be a protected class. But we all know that doesn't always mean squat & you can be denied/passed on by employers for fabricated reasons. Anything I should worry about here?

 

[WildZoo]

I wouldn't worry about it, particularly for your regular employers. Even for internship/residency I wouldn't expect it to pose an issue if you're otherwise a competitive applicant. But especially for other employers, I really doubt it would impact your prospects at all.

 

[EB73674]

Awesome, thank you so much for the response! That's what I figured, but just wanted to get some outside perspective, I know how funny different academic institutions & employers can be about the impression of a candidate's past history. Do we think I need to get any more specific in an explanation than I did above? I know I'll be okay at my current employer if I decide to apply there, and if I do a residency at tOSU they'll have all of my records on file, but I moreso worry about if I go elsewhere.

 

[WildZoo]

Awesome, thank you so much for the response! That's what I figured, but just wanted to get some outside perspective, I know how funny different academic institutions & employers can be about the impression of a candidate's past history. Do we think I need to get any more specific in an explanation than I did above? I know I'll be okay at my current employer if I decide to apply there, and if I do a residency at tOSU they'll have all of my records on file, but I moreso worry about if I go elsewhere.

I don't think you're under any obligation to get into more specifics than to say you had to take a medical leave of absence

 

[EB73674]

Great thanks!

 

[battie]

The real question - do we think residencies/internships or employers will see any of this as a red flag? My medical condition is technically curable, but can resurface at any time, and it's also one covered by the ADA, so it SHOULD be a protected class. But we all know that doesn't always mean squat & you can be denied/passed on by employers for fabricated reasons. Anything I should worry about here?

I also don't think it will affect you from an acceptance stand point. I am also a repeater and another repeater in my class was accepted to her top choice internship despite needing to repeat for grades. I also know a grad from CSU who repeated her first year for personal reasons who was also accepted to her top choice internship.

 

[EB73674]

I also don't think it will affect you from an acceptance stand point. I am also a repeater and another repeater in my class was accepted to her top choice internship despite needing to repeat for grades. I also know a grad from CSU who repeated her first year for personal reasons who was also accepted to her top choice internship.

Thank you so much, I realize it's an unlikely possibility, just feel like so much was already taken from me with this illness, I'd be even more devastated if it seemed like I would be at a disadvantage from achieving my original career goals!

 

[Minnerbelle]

All you really have to say is that you took a medical leave during your first year and then started over again. No need to elaborate further. If the rest of your 4 years goes smoothly, that record should speak to itself.

 

[EB73674]

All you really have to say is that you took a medical leave during your first year and then started over again. No need to elaborate further. If the rest of your 4 years goes smoothly, that record should speak to itself.

Great to hear, thank you!