Q from a premed out of curiosity

[bozz]

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I've always been fond of animals like all of you guys here.

I was simply wondering what kinds of extracurricular activities you guys have.

Animal shelter volunteers
Shadowing a vet

I was more concerned about "research." Most medical schools strongly recommend some exposure to research. However, most biological research that I've been exposed to involves using animals.

Is there a strong research side to veterinary science? And do you guys generally feel more sensitive to using animals in research?

As a side, are you guys ever asked questions like: Why animals instead of people?

Again, this is all just out of curiosity 🙂

 

[VAgirl]

I was simply wondering what kinds of extracurricular activities you guys have.

A peek at the "Successful Applicants" thread should help answer this question.

 

[bozz]

A peek at the "Successful Applicants" thread should help answer this question.

thanks
didn't notice the thread.. I thought it'd be a sticky

 

[twelvetigers]

As a side, are you guys ever asked questions like: Why animals instead of people?

That's the hot question, usually. No one really understands it except us... or at least that's how it feels sometimes.

 

[athenaparthenos]

My extracurriculars include publishing poetry and photography in school publications, being a school cartoonist, being president of the art club, spinning fire, and being generally awesome. 😀

As to research, I've done experiments and research projects on mice, black mollies (a guppy), frogs, and hissing cockroaches. I had to euthanize the mice in a CO2 chamber, the frog had to be killed for the experiment, and 3 hissing cockroaches were drowned in alcohol in order to be dehydrated for viewing under the SEM. I sound like a regular butcher 😱 but the animals were killed quickly and humanely. I felt a little guilty about killing them but not about experimenting on them. Though I want to make my living treating animals I have no qualms about their use in research if conditions are humane.

Why animals instead of people? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE people. I would be lonely working in a research job all day and much prefer to be seeing clients throughout the day. But nothing fires me up more than animals -- I'm just constantly thrilled by them. While I love personal interaction with people they just don't inspire that same uncontrollable enthusiasm in me that animals do.

I've never been asked 'why animals instead of people' though -- it's extremely obvious to anyone who's ever seen me around animals or heard me talk about gross cats or awesome bugs or local birds that animals are an obvious choice for me. 😀

 

[RockStarKDub]

As a side, are you guys ever asked questions like: Why animals instead of people?

Yes, every time a pre-med wanders onto our boards 😉

 

[david594]

I've always been fond of animals like all of you guys here.

I was simply wondering what kinds of extracurricular activities you guys have.

Animal shelter volunteers
Shadowing a vet

I assume these two come to mind because they are the animal equivalents of volunteering at a hospital and shadowing doctors.(which is largely expected of pre-meds)

When it comes to experience before med school I feel like most of the pre-meds are at a large disadvantage in what you guys are exposed to and allowed to do. A significant number of the pre-vets here work as techs at a clinic and as a routine part of their job will be drawing blood, placing iv catheters, administering medications, assisting with ultrasounds, taking x-rays or assisting on surgeries.

How often does a pre-med get to be present in the room for an invasive surgery, let alone scrub in and assist(even if it is just holding back organs so the surgeon can stitch up a diaphramatic hernia or supporting the limb while the surgeon places a pin in it).

Granted I have limited experience volunteering in a hospital, so I could be wrong.

 

[Lab Man]

One of my favorite extracurricular activities was volunteering with therapy dogs in human hospitals 🙂.

 

[CanadianGolden]

There is a huge demand for veterinarians in research. We might be pathologists, lab animal managers, run animal trials of potential human drugs, develop and test animal models of human disease, to name a few.

 

[bozz]

I assume these two come to mind because they are the animal equivalents of volunteering at a hospital and shadowing doctors.(which is largely expected of pre-meds)

When it comes to experience before med school I feel like most of the pre-meds are at a large disadvantage in what you guys are exposed to and allowed to do. A significant number of the pre-vets here work as techs at a clinic and as a routine part of their job will be drawing blood, placing iv catheters, administering medications, assisting with ultrasounds, taking x-rays or assisting on surgeries.

How often does a pre-med get to be present in the room for an invasive surgery, let alone scrub in and assist(even if it is just holding back organs so the surgeon can stitch up a diaphramatic hernia or supporting the limb while the surgeon places a pin in it).

Granted I have limited experience volunteering in a hospital, so I could be wrong.

Totally agree with you.. that makes sense. Most premeds don't get exposed to that...
I worked at a hospital volunteering with MRI research. We experimented on pigs and that was the only time I was able to help with doing an IV.

 

[pressmom]

I've always been fond of animals like all of you guys here.

I was simply wondering what kinds of extracurricular activities you guys have.

Animal shelter volunteers
Shadowing a vet

I was more concerned about "research." Most medical schools strongly recommend some exposure to research. However, most biological research that I've been exposed to involves using animals.

In college, I was involved in the campus daily newspaper. I wrote in several departments and was eventually editor of the weekly arts and entertainment magazine.

I didn't decide I wanted to be a vet until later in life, and then I shadowed and worked for a vet--3 separate small animal, all exotic and equine, volunteered at an animal shelter, took a class involving food animals, and volunteered in wildlife rehab. I'm doing my first research this summer, the summer after my first year in vet school, I am studying renal scintigraphy in cats. It's a retrospective study, so I'll be looking through a lot of medical records, reading ultrasounds, radiographs and scintigraphies. I won't be working directly with animals unless one happens to come in with a ureteral obstruction.

Is there a strong research side to veterinary science? And do you guys generally feel more sensitive to using animals in research?

I say definitely yes. There are lots of people in the MPH program here at TN, and we even have one person doing a PhD, even though we don't have a formal program. (Lots of schools have formal programs, though.)

This summer at TN, there are about 25 different school-sponsored research projects going on for 1st and 2nd year students. There may also be other students doing separate research projects.

I think it would be hard, but not impossible, for me to do a study that required euthanasia, but I did apply for one that would cause a small amount of discomfort in the animals studied. But it is a pain management study, so, obviously, they'd be getting relief from their pain.

As a side, are you guys ever asked questions like: Why animals instead of people?

Again, this is all just out of curiosity 🙂

Sometimes, but usually but pre-meds! 😉

 

[Moonpaw]

Sometimes, but usually but pre-meds! 😉

Well, not to be contrary or anything, but I did get the question, "Why do you want to be a REAL doctor instead of a human doctor?" at TN

 

[Truth74]

The U of I actually had that as the supplemental app question.

 

[bozz]

Well, not to be contrary or anything, but I did get the question, "Why do you want to be a REAL doctor instead of a human doctor?" at TN

LOL nice

 

[NoleDevil]

The U of I actually had that as the supplemental app question.

Actually, it was the exact opposite. The essay was, "Explain to your parents why you don't want to be a real doctor."

 

[Truth74]

Why yes, it was explain why you don't want to be a "real" doctor.
I've heard the question will be a really good one for next year.

 

[Moonpaw]

ahhh no, the doctor asking it said, "why do you want to be a real doctor?" And then the doctor next to him said, "Don't you mean why don't you want to be a real doctor?" at which point I jumped in and said, "I think it's because, you know, real doctors treat more than one species."

 

[CalpardNY]

ahhh no, the doctor asking it said, "why do you want to be a real doctor?" And then the doctor next to him said, "Don't you mean why don't you want to be a real doctor?" at which point I jumped in and said, "I think it's because, you know, real doctors treat more than one species."

Wow Moonpaw - way to think on your feet! Thats awesome - good work!

 

[NoleDevil]

Why yes, it was explain why you don't want to be a "real" doctor.
I've heard the question will be a really good one for next year.

Hopefully I won't have to find out what it is! 😳

 

[Truth74]

ahhh no, the doctor asking it said, "why do you want to be a real doctor?" And then the doctor next to him said, "Don't you mean why don't you want to be a real doctor?" at which point I jumped in and said, "I think it's because, you know, real doctors treat more than one species."

I know! i know!

Hey Nole,
I hope you're going to vet school somewhere this year, too.

Okay, this little old ladies going off to bed, now.

 

[NoleDevil]

I know! i know!

Hey Nole,
I hope you're going to vet school somewhere this year, too.

Okay, this little old ladies going off to bed, now.

Thanks.🙂 I'll know my fate by next week sometime (aside from my 2 pending wait-list positions)... oh, the suspense!