My dream job

[Armymutt25A]

http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/dphp/rhm/documents/horn_of_africa_ncsu_cvm_magazine_2010floyd.pdf

This article covers a mission that is the reason I want to be a veterinarian, and in the environment in which I want to practice. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and hard on the family, but it would be the best utilization of my present skills, knowledge, and mindset when coupled with that of a veterinary education. Praying for good news in a few weeks.

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[LetItSnow]

http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/dphp/rhm/documents/horn_of_africa_ncsu_cvm_magazine_2010floyd.pdf

This article covers a mission that is the reason I want to be a veterinarian, and in the environment in which I want to practice. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and hard on the family, but it would be the best utilization of my present skills, knowledge, and mindset when coupled with that of a veterinary education. Praying for good news in a few weeks.

Sounds awesome. A lifetime or so ago I worked in the favelas around Rio de Janeiro doing medical relief type of things (mostly I was grunt labor - a strong back and weak mind). I've often wondered if there's some way to blend that sort of work with veterinary medicine, but so far I haven't come up with much. I'm the type of person that thrives in that sort of environment.

 

[Armymutt25A]

I think the draw is the element of danger coupled with making a very meaningful impact on people whose lives are basically sh**ty.

 

[bksambo]

This is really motivating! Just what I needed to plow back into Biochem. Thanks!

 

[sumstorm]

I'd sign up.

Hoping you get in, I think you'd be a welcome addition, and I think you will enjoy a lot of our DVM's in the food animal/mixed animal/zoo med sides.

 

[LetItSnow]

I think the draw is the element of danger coupled with making a very meaningful impact on people whose lives are basically sh**ty.

Could be. I don't think of myself as someone who seeks out danger/risk, but on the other hand I ride a motorcycle, used to fly planes, and enjoy scuba diving. I've always just thought of that as 'adventurous', but I guess some people would see it differently.

Mostly it was just really satisfying to help people who were in truly desperate situations. You knew without a doubt you were making an impact.

The typical SA clinic here is, of course, much less dramatic, but the immediacy of improving the quality of life for owner/animal is very much one of my primary reasons for wanting into veterinary medicine to begin with.

 

[bbeventer]

Since I was young I wanted to be an equine vet, but recently I have been drawn to the different missions that the army vets carry out. I find it terribly exciting and would love to be apart of it!

 

[Mama070609]

Very nice! I don't know how the Veterinarian Corps works at all...what age requirements, etc., there are, but I hope that you are able to find yourself in something at least similar to your dream job/mission.

Part of the draw to this, I'm sure, is just simply 'once military, always military'. It's hard to describe, but it's the same reason a lot of people who get out hate the civilian world and try to get back in. It's the reason people who could go and do something totally different, enjoy it, and potentially make more money (and spend more time around family), choose to stay in the military in some capacity. And the desire to serve does have to do with helping other people. It's what you're supposed to do. It's part of, or maybe the entire mission in everything we're doing currently. There are other aspects of it that draw people and help them to enjoy it. Sometimes it's the danger, but sometimes not. For others it might be the opportunity to really show what they're made of and what they can do and to eventually lead people.

(Edit: Ummm...for some reason, when I posted this, I was thinking that someone other than ArmyMutt made the original statement about the draw being part danger/part helping people. My comment makes no sense within the actual context of this thread. )

I know practically nothing of the Veterinary Corps (and, honestly, very little of the Army in general...in many ways it operates a lot differently from the Marine Corps). Will the drawdown have an effect on the number of veterinarians?

 

[awaring1]

You should all look into the army vet scholarship.

http://vetopportunities.amedd.army.mil/hpsp.html

I was drawn into looking at it because the thought of waving my tuition was tempting. However, I have never had an interest in the army and the thought of signing my life away to the government wasn't worth any amount of money. If you guys are chill with the whole army concept I highly HIGHLY recommended this. It seems like it would be perfect!

 

[twelvetigers]

Note that it's not a guaranteed thing. From what I understand, the program can be competitive. So yes, consider it, but probably don't rely on it.

 

[awaring1]

Note that it's not a guaranteed thing. From what I understand, the program can be competitive. So yes, consider it, but probably don't rely on it.

Of course any scholarship is going to be competitive. I don't know exactly, but I have heard that around 1/3 of people get it who apply. (note: this is not in any way, shape or form a fact). Most of the people who get it have been in the ROTC since high school or have actually been active duty and deployed. I just wanted to throw it out there because these seem like the type of people who the scholarship is aimed at and it would be a shame if they planned on doing army stuff and never knew about this opportunity.

I read that part of the responsibility of army vets is taking care of the ceremonial horses for military proceedings. I got all excited because this was a job I have actually wanted to do for a while. Then I read that they could just as easily send you into active combat zones and some vets have to vaccinate cattle with Apache helicopters above them for protection.

 

[Mama070609]

Any Officer selection method in the military is going to be competitive, including the scholarship. There are only a certain number of slots open within the specialty, as there is with any specialty and with any work position in any field. In the military, the number of these slots is determined by how many Officers are retiring or resigning their commission, as well as how many slots are allowed (my question above about the drawdown is directly related to this number). While it appears that there is no requirement for attending Officer Candidates School (Yes, I am obviously slightly confused about the path, as I am only familiar with the various routes to commissioning through the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School/Course...), you will certainly need to able to shoot proficiently, perform physically, understand military structure, and abide by regulations. It would make sense that those with prior military experience would have a competitive advantage.

 

[sumstorm]

if the 1/3 is correct, we apparently have too many applicants from our school. it is pretty competitive. Also, when it is granted greatly affects how much it helps. I know our former Navy student got it in our class, and for her it is great, but do not apply if you just want the fiscal benefits and don't want to really deal with military.

Honestly, I'd be fine with vaccinating cows under Apache's....what would drive me nuts would be food inspection duties...after it's off the hoof. And there are no guarantees....so even if I have an extensive zoo med background and focus area, with lots of marine mammal experience, I would not necessarily be assigned to the dolphin research in CA (assuming an opening)...and a less qualified individual could be assigned there....and that would really frustrate me.

Husband is ex army. When N. Korea fired on S. Korea, his first reaction was a lot of cursing and a prayer that he didn't get recalled (he is a tactical expert proficient in several asian languages.) Not everyone stays devoted to the military and some folks that do well as officers find it a pretty bitter experience.

 

[Mama070609]

Husband is ex army. When N. Korea fired on S. Korea, his first reaction was a lot of cursing and a prayer that he didn't get recalled (he is a tactical expert proficient in several asian languages.) Not everyone stays devoted to the military and some folks that do well as officers find it a pretty bitter experience.

Absolutely. There are plenty of people who hated their experience in the military, whether enlisted or officer. But even within that group of people, there is a split between those who will never want to do anything military-related again and those who find themselves drawn to similar things, even if joining again is not an option (for whatever reason). And being an Officer is definitely not all that it's cracked up to be. There are some privileges, but withe those come a lot of responsibility. And it's really not glamorous.

Because of my family situation, the Veterinary Corps would never be an option for me. If it were just me, however, I would probably be interested. But I would have to prove myself physically, to myself. But that goes into an unrelated topic and personal philosophy, so it's not really relevant.

 

[LMMS]

I think the draw is the element of danger coupled with making a very meaningful impact on people whose lives are basically sh**ty.

!!!

 

[Armymutt25A]

Then I read that they could just as easily send you into active combat zones and some vets have to vaccinate cattle with Apache helicopters above them for protection.

The whole "active combat zone" thing is a bit over hyped. It all depends on your unit and location. For the most part, VCOs (Vet Corps Officers) in Iraq are tied to a base and cover an area. They provide food inspection (farm to freezer), MWD care, and some vector control services. The ones out doing VETCAPs are usually part of a Civil Affairs team. Occasionally, a regular vet will get bored and ask to go out with a unit to a village, as ours did. In any case, I'd rather have a platoon of infantry around me than a helo overhead. They are good for psychological protection, but I never want to be anywhere close to them again when they are shooting.

While it appears that there is no requirement for attending Officer Candidates School (Yes, I am obviously slightly confused about the path, as I am only familiar with the various routes to commissioning through the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School/Course...), you will certainly need to able to shoot proficiently, perform physically, understand military structure, and abide by regulations. It would make sense that those with prior military experience would have a competitive advantage.

VCO is a direct commission. Sadly, I have to resign my commission in order to go to school and go back in the Army. Putting the paperwork together at this time.

Husband is ex army. When N. Korea fired on S. Korea, his first reaction was a lot of cursing and a prayer that he didn't get recalled (he is a tactical expert proficient in several asian languages.) Not everyone stays devoted to the military and some folks that do well as officers find it a pretty bitter experience.

It really comes down to the amount of BS you are willing to put up with. The guy who replaced me in my last job is fed up with it after a month. I did it for 3 years. I have a high tolerance for BS - well, I guess I cope with it better. Some people take things too seriously. Not sure how much I would call devotion. I'm fairly good at what I do, despite having no education in it, and I don't know of any civilian company that will pay me over $90K to do the same thing. Silly things like mandatory fun, driving into work to do PT when I can do more at home, and "dog and pony shows" drive me crazy. My coping method is simple, passive defiance. Haven't been to a social event in quite a while. I attend PT enough times a week to keep the boss off my back, and then stay home and do a good workout, and I haven't marched in a change of command ceremony in 3 years. The trade off is this week. Eleven straight days of work, including going in at 2:30 AM on Sat to jump out of a plane at 9AM, followed by whatever fun we have planned for the rest of the day. On Sunday, 'm back in at 8:00 AM to manage a command and control node until the last jumper exits at around 11:30 PM. After that, who knows what will happen. I anticipate getting home sometime around sunrise on Monday. You just have to look at everything and make your assessment. It works for me.