I had some questions about asking for a veterinarian shadow. I made a resume and cover letter. I went to some animal hospital to ask if they would allow a shadow. Everytime I asked the receptionist if they would allow a shadow, they say that their hospital is either too small or busy. 😕 I was wondering if I should to ask the veterinarian personally to get a better success rate? I don't know how to exactly go about asking vets because I do not want to sound like I am bothering (them since they are so busy). Go and ask to talk to the vet or call them?
Vet Shadowing
- Thread starter Dashacles
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Keep asking! It never hurts to be tenacious about something you really want. It can be frustrating when you keep hearing a "no" answer, but if you don't keep putting yourself out there and asking, then you definitely won't be getting any shadowing opportunities.
My advice is to call early in the day ( many vet clinics are busy with surgeries or take lunch breaks in the middle of the day). Ask to speak with the veterinarian first. And do your research. If you want to shadow at a certain vet hospital, know the name of the vet you want to shadow. It looks unprofessional, if you just ask to speak with "a veterinarian" rather than Dr. John Doe or whatever his/her name is.
Tell the vet you are pre-vet and what you want to get out of job shadowing. That veterinarian was once where you are now. Many will be sympathetic to your cause of gaining veterinary experience and will listen to you. Be professional, be friendly, and most importantly be yourself. If the vet is unavailable leave a message with the receptionist, and always follow up with another phone call later in the week if you haven't heard anything back.
Keep trying. Many vet clinics have restrictions on job shadowing because of insurance and possible injuries, so try not to take it personally. If you continue to work at it and keep putting yourself out there, you will find a veterinarian that will let you shadow them.
My advice is to call early in the day ( many vet clinics are busy with surgeries or take lunch breaks in the middle of the day). Ask to speak with the veterinarian first. And do your research. If you want to shadow at a certain vet hospital, know the name of the vet you want to shadow. It looks unprofessional, if you just ask to speak with "a veterinarian" rather than Dr. John Doe or whatever his/her name is.
Tell the vet you are pre-vet and what you want to get out of job shadowing. That veterinarian was once where you are now. Many will be sympathetic to your cause of gaining veterinary experience and will listen to you. Be professional, be friendly, and most importantly be yourself. If the vet is unavailable leave a message with the receptionist, and always follow up with another phone call later in the week if you haven't heard anything back.
Keep trying. Many vet clinics have restrictions on job shadowing because of insurance and possible injuries, so try not to take it personally. If you continue to work at it and keep putting yourself out there, you will find a veterinarian that will let you shadow them.
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The way you're going about it isn't wrong! You can ask to talk to the business manager or ask to talk to the vet - I'd try and get past the receptionist, though. Mention that you want to go to vet school; I think they're more likely to be interested in helping you if you're on the vet track rather than just sorta curious to see what a vet clinic is like.
Try and think creatively: Do you have a family vet where you already have a history? Does anyone you know know a vet well? (I got my in from a study partner who was distantly related to her vet; SHE called for me and asked if the vet would take me on. It's been a *fantastic* relationship.)
Also, be careful how you approach them: Don't ask if you can shadow long-term or something. Just ask if you can shadow for one day. If it goes well, then ask if you can come back for one more day. Let it evolve into a regular thing rather than trying to make it a long-term thing out the gate - very few docs are going to want to give you that sort of access without a chance to get to know you.
Just be persistent. Assuming you're not out somewhere with only one or two vets in the county, you'll find one who will take you on. The fact that you put together a resume and cover letter says a lot about you.
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Networking can be your best friend with getting your foot in the door--I got my first shadowing opportunity from someone at my dad's work because he was talking about how I was looking for vet experience over the summer. I assume you've already asked your own vet if you have pets, but maybe ask friends where they take their animals?
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The veterinarian I currently work for loves volunteers, but has been in the biz for somewhere around 30 years and has had her share of lousy volunteers and assistants. Like suggested, try the one day at a time thing.
Also, there's a lot more legal worries when taking on volunteers and shadowers than there were in the past. The vet is liable for ANY words you say or actions you do. Mishear the doctor's instructions and pass the wrong words to the client and get a bad ending? Lawsuit. Not all vets might be as concerned as my doctor is, but this is what she has strongly expressed to me.
I've found that a lot of large animal vets avoid taking on anyone without any LA handling under their belt due to liability. It's something to consider. It's not your fault that you're not getting any bites!! Keep looking. If they ask for a resume, ALWAYS drop one off (I got a job offer a year after I left me resume at a clinic!). If you have a car, don't let an hour one-way stop you if you can afford the gas. You need this experience.
As for the following up, YES YES YES. Got my current job because the vet was so busy, she didn't even look at the applications. I was the only one who called to follow up!
Also, there's a lot more legal worries when taking on volunteers and shadowers than there were in the past. The vet is liable for ANY words you say or actions you do. Mishear the doctor's instructions and pass the wrong words to the client and get a bad ending? Lawsuit. Not all vets might be as concerned as my doctor is, but this is what she has strongly expressed to me.
I've found that a lot of large animal vets avoid taking on anyone without any LA handling under their belt due to liability. It's something to consider. It's not your fault that you're not getting any bites!! Keep looking. If they ask for a resume, ALWAYS drop one off (I got a job offer a year after I left me resume at a clinic!). If you have a car, don't let an hour one-way stop you if you can afford the gas. You need this experience.
As for the following up, YES YES YES. Got my current job because the vet was so busy, she didn't even look at the applications. I was the only one who called to follow up!
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Also check out nonprofits like shelters and TNR clinics. Many nonprofits now have their own vets, they are generally covered with appropriate volunteer insurance, and they always need help! I had no luck with local private practices but the shelter welcomed me with open arms... I got to shadow about half the time and the rest of the time I made surgery packs and prepped animals for surgery - so I learned clinical skills as well.
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Everything that everyone has said here has been great advice.
I would also make sure that you're dressing professionally. If I was considering letting someone into my hospital, wearing business/business casual would help me take them more seriously.
I would also make sure that you're dressing professionally. If I was considering letting someone into my hospital, wearing business/business casual would help me take them more seriously.
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I recently did a ride-along with a mixed practice vet on his large animal home visit day. When I'd called the office to inquire about shadowing in the first place, the tech on the phone told me that "they don't do clinic shadowing." I pressed on and inquired about any way I could maybe come observe, or even pick the vet's brain on my studies and plans, or interview him, and I got the chance to ride along. During the day I told the vet it was a shame I couldn't shadow in the clinic, because he was very informative and gave really good output for me to learn from. He looked at me and said "Huh?" Turns out the receptionist/tech on the phone was just a cranky lady and didn't like people in the office whom she didn't know.
So I guess the point of that story was what other people have already said. try and get past the receptionist. And don't expect to be handed anything. If shadowing isn't an option, ask if the vet would be willing to just spend a few minutes telling you about his or her path and medical interests. It's not a waste of time because you're building a relationship. If you're sneaky, maybe you can work in something about shadowing when you're talking to them. Just be respectful of their time, work, and clinic rules.
So I guess the point of that story was what other people have already said. try and get past the receptionist. And don't expect to be handed anything. If shadowing isn't an option, ask if the vet would be willing to just spend a few minutes telling you about his or her path and medical interests. It's not a waste of time because you're building a relationship. If you're sneaky, maybe you can work in something about shadowing when you're talking to them. Just be respectful of their time, work, and clinic rules.
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Has anyone else had the experience where you go in to shadow and a vet tech on a power trip treats you like a volunteer then sets you off cleaning and doing her job instead of actually shadowing the doctor? I showed up on time today for shadowing and was sent to the barn to clean stalls and groom horses, which forced me to miss rounds. It was very disappointing. I'm all for helping out, but I'm there to learn about being a doctor not a stablehand.
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I was always happy to help out if I was given something to do; I felt like it went a long way to making a good impression, and experience is experience, even if it's just filing or helping clean up the office. But they were also really accommodating; if there was something I wanted to see, I just took a break for a bit and then came back to finish whatever it was I was working on. I'm sure not all situations are the same though, plus I love barn work 😛
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If you were only there for the day, that would be an inappropriate use of your time and you should speak up (politely) in those scenarios. "Hey SusyTech, would you mind if I went over and watched Dr. HorseGuy do the abscess exploding? I'll be sure to come back and brush BobTheHorse afterwards." Be firm of course, but a pleasant attitude goes a long way. If this is a longer term deal, I think it's reasonable (although I wouldn't want to miss rounds. Again, I'd ask if I could attend and then help SusyTech out afterwards.) A lot of techs have been jaded by the pre-vet or vet student du jour: they come in and expect to do everything and see everything right away. They get in the way and turn their noses up at anyone who isn't an almighty Doctor.
Vet med is a lot about earning your place and having the attitude of "but I'm going to be the doctor!" will ruin your relationships quickly. I've found the best way to get on the staff's good side is to clean up the recently vacated kennel/stall, clean up after yourself and the others around, help them do tech stuff that isn't always doctor stuff, etc. (An attending clinician on one of my externals remarked in my review that I was always up to help the techs and didn't look down on them, even if it was more "grunt work" stuff. They really appreciate seeing that you can be humble and helpful.) When you show them that you aren't above getting your hands dirty, they'll be more likely to open up to your presence, make sure you do/see the cool things and even teach you some stuff themselves.
Of course, there are always the types of people who will walk all over the new kid. Learning how to be polite but confident is a good skill to build.
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I absolutely didn't go in there with doctor syndrome. I don't mind helping at all and I am totally willing to jump in and get my hands dirty; however, when I'm the only person out of three that is pulled to do manual labor while the others were allowed to attend rounds and actually shadow the doctors then I take some offense to the unfair treatment. I was the only one given a list of cleaning duties and treated like a tech in training instead of someone there to learn about what an equine vet does.
I work as a vet tech in a small animal practice, so I don't look down on the staff at all, but I also don't expect to be treated like staff when others are getting the shadow experience. I own horses so I'm well aware what goes into their care and cleaning stalls feels like a waste of time when I should be learning. It was Particularly irritating since my time there is limited. It was just disappointing, but I enjoyed spending time with the horses. There is a surgery tomorrow and I'm hoping to get to observe. If more barn duties come my way while my peers observe I will definitely assert myself in a professional manner. You're right I lack confidence and get bullied as a result. I lack confidence because I've been bullied. It's a viscous cycle.
I work as a vet tech in a small animal practice, so I don't look down on the staff at all, but I also don't expect to be treated like staff when others are getting the shadow experience. I own horses so I'm well aware what goes into their care and cleaning stalls feels like a waste of time when I should be learning. It was Particularly irritating since my time there is limited. It was just disappointing, but I enjoyed spending time with the horses. There is a surgery tomorrow and I'm hoping to get to observe. If more barn duties come my way while my peers observe I will definitely assert myself in a professional manner. You're right I lack confidence and get bullied as a result. I lack confidence because I've been bullied. It's a viscous cycle.
