"Research" and Large Animal Experience...Help.

[LightReaver]

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Hey yall! I have a couple of questions, and I was hoping you could help me. I am currently a senior in college in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and plan on graduating in December. Applications are about to begin soon, and I plan on starting them as soon as I can. I have been working in a small animal clinic (pretty much only dogs and cats) for 2.5 years while going to school. Starting as a kennel person, I worked my way up to a vet tech. Almost a year ago I began volunteering one day a week at one of the zoos here. My responsibilities there mainly consist of stocking/cleaning/etc., but occasionally I’ll be invited to watch a procedure and help out where I can. Additionally, in March I started “research” at the Amphibian & Reptile Diversity Center on campus. I say “research” because I asked if I could help out the professors and grad students there, and so far that consists of me reorganizing sample tissues in the big freezer, adding labels to the vials, sending out samples to other universities, and helping to finish their tissue catalogue by typing in missing information found in hand-written logs from the field. Also, I have the GRE coming up and correspondence courses from OSU that I still have to do, not to mention more classes coming up soon.


My first question is about my “research.” Although I am helping out the professors and grad students by making their research less complicated, is this sufficient enough for vet schools? Should I see if there is something better I can do there, and if so, what?

My second question has to do with large animal experience. I know that I am nearing the end right before application time, but I am trying to find a place where I can acquire some LA experience. I live in DFW, so the closest LA place is a good hour (at least) away from me. However, the Lone Star Park Equine Hospital is fairly close. Should I try to find a vet to shadow or should I simply try to get any sort of experience (not including vet)? Also, do I need to find a place where I can get experience with all types of livestock or would strictly horse experience be sufficient for vet schools?...Because almost all of the places around me are horse-only.

If yall can help me out, it would be greatly appreciated. 😀

 

[ORvetgirl]

To address the large animal question, the majority of my experience was equine (both hospital and ambulatory). The only other livestock experience I had was a very small amount of time helping the vets with sheep/goats at the family farm area of my local zoo. I actually have no vet experience with companion animals, just shelter experience.

I don't know who your supervisor at the zoo is (vets, keeper, etc), but I got a great shadow/volunteer experience by directly emailing the head vet at my local zoo and explaining that I was prevet. I also sent him a resume and cover letter. I worked with him and the other vet one day a week (as well as with the techs and interns they had throughout the summer). I got to assist with procedures and necropsies on all sorts of animals, and also got to observe surgeries. I did some cleaning, organizing, etc., but most of my time was spent either observing or working hands on with animals.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[Minnerbelle]

Wow, it sounds like you have A LOT going on. Do you feel like you're not a strong enough applicant as you are now to be competitive for vet school? and also, are you counting on rec letters from any of these experiences that you haven't started yet?

If it's a no to both questions above, then I think you're fine whatever you choose... Having just started this and that experience will be icing on the cake when you list them on your application.

If it's a yes to both questions, you might want to consider waiting a year before applying. I really don't mean to sound rude or discouraging, but I personally decided to wait 2 years after college before applying to make myself a better applicant, and I don't regret it at all.

The reaon I say this is because you'll want to work on your application within the next few month, and you don't want those same months to be when you acquire a huge chunk of your vet/research experiences... especially if you want to get rec letters. You want your reviewers to know you really well and see what you're capable of, not just how you handle training.

If you want your current research experience to really count as a "yes I've done meaningful research, let me tell you about it!" kind of thing, then no, I don't think it's sufficient. If you just want it to be more along the lines of "I'm kind of familiar with the atmosphere of an academic research institution," then I'm sure it's fine.

If you really want to get good research experience, there are so many things out there! Try getting a job as a full time research technician after you're done with school. If you look for the right lab to work for, you'll be doing something similar to a master's level work (except you don't get a degree, but you'll get paid enough to support yourself!).

I'm working as one right now, and it's amazing! My day is 95% benchwork, where I have my own project and get to work with state of the arts equipment. I will probably have authorship in at least a couple of very well respected journals before I'm done here.

If you're really set on applying this cycle, I would stick to the lab you're in and really talk to your supervisor and explain your situation. As long as you're willing to commit, they might be able to give you a little more responsibility.

Or, you might be able to find another lab that'll give you substantially more experience as long as you're willing to commit full time over the summer and 10-15hrs/wk during fall semester.

As for equine only or all types of livestock, of course the latter would be better, but I think vet schools care a lot more about what YOU do at the practice. If you're pretty well involved in just equine only, that should suffice. You're actually really lucky that you have ANY LA practice nearby. I live in the city with no mode of personal transportation... so I actually had to go to Texas to get some LA experience (though even then, it was animal care rather than vet).

Anyways, GOOD LUCK! Feel free to PM me if you'd like help finding other research options. I landed my current job with 0 lab experience during undergrad, so if I can do it, seriously, ANYONE can do it!

 

[nyanko]

If you really want to get good research experience, there are so many things out there! Try getting a job as a full time research technician after you're done with school. If you look for the right lab to work for, you'll be doing something similar to a master's level work (except you don't get a degree, but you'll get paid enough to support yourself!).

I'm working as one right now, and it's amazing! My day is 95% benchwork, where I have my own project and get to work with state of the arts equipment. I will probably have authorship in at least a couple of very well respected journals before I'm done here.

...

Anyways, GOOD LUCK! Feel free to PM me if you'd like help finding other research options. I landed my current job with 0 lab experience during undergrad, so if I can do it, seriously, ANYONE can do it!

No, anyone can't do it! I tried ridiculously hard to find that kind of job when I first moved out here and I had done undergrad research for a year and a half and written a thesis and still couldn't get into a lab. Everyone either kept old undergrads of theirs, hired people with an MS or just plain didn't have the money. Soooo, yeah.

Your gig sounds cool though, you're lucky.

Also I'm a Masters student making more than enough to support myself. 😉

 

[jglovicz]

My two cents--If you take work at the equine place, I don't think it will hurt you too much if you don't have LA experience (assuming you aren't claiming you want to go into LA medicine). I, personally, would not count your work as "research". I think you would be setting yourself up for an interviewer to say "so tell me about your research". I'm inclined to agree with nyanko that it would be hard to find a lab position if you were asking for a paid position. HOWEVER, I don't think it would be hard for you to find a lab position if you volunteered. In my experience (and experiences that friends have had), if you go to a PI and explain that you don't have experience but that you are really interested in learning, there is a good chance you will be asked to help out with various small projects in the lab. Of course, if you can get some experience at the bench in your current lab, that would be ideal 🙂

I also would disagree about waiting to apply to vet school. I think it's worth a shot (unless of course you are a weak candidate), even if you think you might be a better candidate next year. You never know what the applicant pool or your adcom will be like. If you don't get in first time around, I have heard that you may be given more of a look on a second app cycle (not counting experiences you have added to your app) because it shows that you went away for 1 year and came back still devoted to vet school. Good luck!

 

[Minnerbelle]

No, anyone can't do it! I tried ridiculously hard to find that kind of job when I first moved out here and I had done undergrad research for a year and a half and written a thesis and still couldn't get into a lab. Everyone either kept old undergrads of theirs, hired people with an MS or just plain didn't have the money. Soooo, yeah.

😱😱😱😱😱

I had no idea that it could be so difficult. I didn't take into account that it really depends on your location. I'm in Boston where it's universities, biotech companies, and research/teaching hospitals galore... so there's hundreds of job openings if you look hard enough. I probably applied to 100 jobs or so... and pretty much begged PI's to give me a chance.

Wow... 1.5 yrs of research + thesis and still no tech job.... I applied for tech jobs because I thought I had absolutely no chance for a shot at MS (much less getting funded!)...