Recording Vet Experience

[wyattsmommy]

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Is there any kind of form to record vet experience hours or not? Or do we just keep track of our experiences and hours on our own? What is it like when you put down your vet experience on the application? Any advice, tips?

 

[elefante7]

There isn't a form. Just keep track of the number of hours at each place. Also, knowing approximately how many hours per week helps. I also jotted down interesting things I did each day so that it was easier to describe each experience.

 

[rachroo]

You could do an excel spreadsheet or a notebook and list all the info that way. Date, place, hours, type of experience, interesting things seen (or learned), etc. I really think recording your experience as you go is a WISE decision; it will make things so much easier!

Also, don't forget to list awards, clubs, sports, other volunteer work, notable hobbies, activities that you have done, etc. These also have to be listed and can go as far back to include high school. Again, it'll be easier to remember the dates, hours, etc. when the time comes to put them into your VMCAS.

 

[wyattsmommy]

I appreciate the replies! Thank you

 

[lenmaca]

Is there any kind of form to record vet experience hours or not? Or do we just keep track of our experiences and hours on our own? What is it like when you put down your vet experience on the application? Any advice, tips?

When I was entering my experiences into VMCAS, I wish I had kept track of contacts and phone numbers. For every activity you imput into VMCAS, there is an optional field for a contact phone number.
So, for some of my more important experience hours, I had to go back and track down people that I had worked with for some of my activities. It was mostly for some of the community/volunteer stuff, but it would have been easier if I had obtained a phone number to begin with (and also let the person know that they would be a contact when I began my application).

 

[justinpaws]

It seems like people could easily get away with grossly over-exaggerating their hours this way 🙁

 

[No Imagination]

I just multiplied 40 * 52 * # of years I worked FT

Sure, some weeks I didn't work 40, other weeks I worked less, but I think overall it came out just about right

 

[aspiringDVM]

I was poking around the Cornell website the other day, and saw that they wanted a letter of evaluation for every single experience you listed. Not just a contact number, but a whole letter? Anyone apply to Cornell/ attend Cornell and have advice or words of wisdom about this? Do you submit the letters with the supplemental application, or is there someplace to tack them on the VMCAS? Requesting to use someone as a contact is one thing, but I'd feel more than little sheepish asking for letters from people I'd only worked under briefly many years ago.

 

[r00]

For now (with only like 120 hours under my belt) I have an excel spreadsheet that has the date, the time I arrived, the time I left, the name of the Doctor and a brief (or sometimes not so brief) description of the cases that we saw that day, and then a total hours column on the far right.

I havent looked at a VMCAS yet, but I plan to look at this year's to get an idea of what other things I need to keep track of.

 

[Trilt]

I personally keep an excel sheet with the dates and number of hours worked. I keep it with my organized class files, which are backed up online every time I leave my laptop idle. I have no urge to want to come back to a crashed computer and no recorded hours...

(r00, I love you avatar. Stains' expression is hilarious.)