Summer job

[FutureDVM423]

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Hi everyone, I am pretty new to this forum and I have a question. I contacted a lot of vets to try to get a summer job, but everyone who responded only hire long term, which I can't do because I go to college out of my home state. I am a junior in college and don't have much veterinary experience, only thousands of hours of animal experience, and I am getting worried that I won't be able to get enough veterinary hours. Any ideas on what I should do? Thanks!

 

[PetPony]

Have you thought about shadowing yet?

 

[SnowyRox]

Take a part-time job elsewhere and spend all of your free time shadowing vets. It can be advantageous not to work for the vet b/c you can spend all of your time in surgery with them and seeing the cool stuff rather than just scrubbing cages. Also, you can shadow several vets and get experience to a variety of practices.

 

[orca2011]

If you are able to obtain a different job for the summer, I would just look into shadowing. It counts as veterinary experience even if you don't all that much hands on. That's all my hours were during my first cycle and I did fairly well considering (wait listed at 4 schools). I got lucky this year and got an internship with the vets at the local humane society right after graduation and they hired me as an assistant a month later.

 

[mooshagen]

If you are a junior, you may want to consider waiting a cycle to apply. I was also in the same boat as you. I ended up externing unpaid at a variety of places. If this is possible for you, I would suggest it. If not, it might be beneficial for you to work next year after you graduate.

 

[orca2011]

Take a part-time job elsewhere and spend all of your free time shadowing vets. It can be advantageous not to work for the vet b/c you can spend all of your time in surgery with them and seeing the cool stuff rather than just scrubbing cages. Also, you can shadow several vets and get experience to a variety of practices.

I second this point. Now that I work for a vet, I feel like I don't get the chance to just stop, observe and ask questions because I'm constantly worrying about making sure something is being done to ensure appointments and surgery are getting done on time.

 

[mooshagen]

I second this point. Now that I work for a vet, I feel like I don't get the chance to just stop, observe and ask questions because I'm constantly worrying about making sure something is being done to ensure appointments and surgery are getting done on time.

I agree. I worked at one place and externed the rest of my time - learned a lot more.

 

[Fly Racing]

Paid summer jobs are pretty rare in most areas. Vets know we need hours...

At 3 months, a company has put more into a new employee than the labor type employee can do for the company.

Shadowing is the way to go (and even that can be hard to get!)

 

[FutureDVM423]

Thanks guys! I'll try to find a vet willing to let me shadow them. Mooshagen, I was actually thinking about waiting a cycle to gain more experience before applying.

 

[mooshagen]

Yeah, I think that would be the best idea. You don't just want to get a lot of hours but also a variety of hours. Allowing yourself time to do this will be better. 🙂

 

[DVMhopeful91]

I go to UT and am a Pre-Vet. My adviso is the department head of Animal Science and works closely with faculty at UT Vet Med. He told me that shadowing is worth nothing and should not even be mentioned in your application. I have no idea how other school treat or weigh its value but for me and our pre-vets we are told to obtain a job as a vet tech whenever and for how much time is possible. Don't set yourself on shadowing. Without responsibility, watching can only teach you so much.

 

[Emiloo4]

🙄

I go to UT and am a Pre-Vet. My adviso is the department head of Animal Science and works closely with faculty at UT Vet Med. He told me that shadowing is worth nothing and should not even be mentioned in your application. I have no idea how other school treat or weigh its value but for me and our pre-vets we are told to obtain a job as a vet tech whenever and for how much time is possible. Don't set yourself on shadowing. Without responsibility, watching can only teach you so much.

I can't agree with this 👎. And how many times have we had advisors be 100% wrong during app cycles?

However, if we want to take this view for a second, sometimes shadowing is your best way of getting into a vet assistant position.

I love people's first posts on SDN turning out like this one...

 

[orca2011]

I go to UT and am a Pre-Vet. My adviso is the department head of Animal Science and works closely with faculty at UT Vet Med. He told me that shadowing is worth nothing and should not even be mentioned in your application. I have no idea how other school treat or weigh its value but for me and our pre-vets we are told to obtain a job as a vet tech whenever and for how much time is possible. Don't set yourself on shadowing. Without responsibility, watching can only teach you so much.

Wow. I really don't think that's true at all (at least in regards to most schools). Several current vet students have gotten into schools with just shadowing experience. And as far as obtaining a job as a vet tech, it can be hard if you are unable to find places that will take non certified techs. Hell, I had a hard enough time finding people to let me shadow. Literally visited and dropped letters off at like all the vet offices in town after my junior year. I even tried to get experience while I was studying abroad in the UK.

 

[LetItSnow]

He told me that shadowing is worth nothing and should not even be mentioned in your application.

If he actually said that, you probably want to find a better adviser.

We can argue all day long about whether working as a tech is worth more, with all the usual arguments (techs develop clinical skills, shadowers maybe get a little better view 'from the doc side', whatever) - but to say that shadowing is 'worth nothing' is just asinine. Really. It's that dumb.

 

[Emiloo4]

but to say that shadowing is 'worth nothing' is just asinine. Really. It's that dumb.

👍:troll:

 

[SnowyRox]

👍:troll:

haha, yup!

I do always wonder what the profile of a "usual" troll is. Are they pre-vet students trying to get ahead by providing wrong info? Are they creepy old men chilling behind computers? Are they teenage boys just cracking up at how serious people get online? Hmmmm...

Shadowing is awesome!