no large animal experience?

[sunnex3]

i'm currently in the process of applying and sort of freaking out that i have no LA vet experience at all. i have extensive SA vet experience though (shelter medicine, internal medicine, surgery, ICU/ER, and general practice) as well as having dabbled in some research (a couple labs here and there, learning basic lab techniques such as DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis, etc.). i do have LA experience (rode horses since i was 9 and volutneered at a therapeutic riding center in high school for 2 years). i have no interest in going into LA/equine/food animal medicine whatsoever and am pretty set in specializing in SA surgery or ER medicine and eventually opening a low cost medical clinic/shelter somewhere like Korea.

i have diversity within SA medicine but zero LA vet medicine experience whatsoever. i can probably fit in some shadowing experience (nothing more than 30-50 hours at the most with an equine vet mayyyyybe depending on my schedule). should i be worried at this point that i have minimal LA experience? i also live in a very urban area and don't have my own transportation (i take the bus + metro to work and class) so it's very difficult for me to experience LA medicine at all because it's all about 45-90 minutes away from me

this has been making me worry a lot all of a sudden!

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[Vet_Squared80]

I don't know where you are applying, but I had an adviser tell me that I shouldn't concentrate on just vet experience. I worried about the same thing, but he said if I was worried about it, I would be better off working on a farm with LAs instead of shadowing a LA vet. Since you already have experience with LAs, just not vet experience with them, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just my opinion of course

 

[Lab Vet]

I'm new to the application game, so am not sure how much right I have to weigh in. Here's my 2 cents worth, though:

You've at least got LA experience in general. From where I sit, vet school ad coms want to see that you've got broad experience (both clinical and non-clinical) with respect to your exposure to a variety of animal species. Many schools also expect you to have depth of experience in your specific area of interest (i.e., if you discuss a desire to specialize in a specific discipline of vet med, you had better have the experience to back it up). If I were an adcom reviewing your app, I'd glean from my review that you've got extensive experience in SA medicine/surgery (your area of interest), and have some general exposure to working/interacting with some large animals. That would be ok for me. You showed that you made the effort, and came out with an interesting learning experience to boot. I say that's a win.

Others on this board may have differing opinions on this question- I'd be curious to read their input.

 

[HelloNello]

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[millyt]

I wouldn't worry too much about not having LA experience. If anything, you can work on it right now and just update that info to the schools your applying to.

I had zero experience in LA, but had invites for interviews and was accepted into vet school. Just gives you an idea as to the type of applicants that are out there. =)

You've got a wide range of SA experience! Try not to stress too much.

 

[HelloNello]

Are we allowed to update schools as we get more experience? I have some LA opportunities and exotic opportunities lined up, but they wont start before the October deadline...

 

[SocialStigma]

I also had no LA vet experience (and had only 40 h LA animal experience), but I also said I was planning to go into either SA surgery or SA emerg/crit care. Since you have plenty of experience in the area you plan on specializing in, I wouldn't worry about.

 

[skittles12]

I had no LA vet experience, unless watching the vet work on my own horses counts. I did say I'd like to do mixed practice, so I guess they didn't count the lack of LA vet experience too much against me. I had other general LA experience just from owning horses, and being an animal science major. Most of my experience came from a spay/neuter clinic and the herpetology department at the zoo.

 

[scb44f]

Are we allowed to update schools as we get more experience? I have some LA opportunities and exotic opportunities lined up, but they wont start before the October deadline...

Mizzou asks in the interview if you have any updates to your application. Unfortunately, when I interviewed, they asked it in a really odd way, so it didn't connect that that's what they were asking until AFTER the interview. I emailed the admissions advisor and updated that way and it was no big deal.

I'm assuming other schools ask something similar, or are happy to hear updates on your experiences.

 

[StartingoverVet]

No LA experience depends on school.
None of the ones I applied to cared (Penn, UCDavis, Tufts, CSU).

Research the schools you care about.

 

[sunnex3]

No LA experience depends on school.
None of the ones I applied to cared (Penn, UCDavis, Tufts, CSU).

Research the schools you care about.

your comment actually makes me feel a little better, penn is my top choice (i went there for undergrad and love the city of philly) and tufts + CSU are also on my list!