Veterinary Experience Questions

[Kota1000]

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Hey!

So I’m a senior in HS, and I will be starting undergrad school in the fall. Despite being 4 years from vet school, I still have a ton of veterinary experience.

At the moment I have over 700 hours of small animal vet experience, 5 of large animal (will be getting more this summer/next summer hopefully), and 44 hours of volunteering at an animal shelter. I also want to start volunteering at my local wildlife center once quarantine is lifted.

My question is, will vet schools still take this experience into consideration/will I be able to put it on my vet school apps despite it being 4 years out?

Thanks!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Yep! Definitely. Good for you for getting experience early...since you have a head start, use the advantage to branch out if you can (and try not to burn yourself out in undergrad/keep your grades up!).

 

[Lupin21]

All relevant veterinary/animal experience is accepted that holds to the stipulated guidelines of under a veterinarian or actual animal care. High school extracurriculars/jobs/awards will also be included. This is the time to show that you have explored the world in the next few years. Do not get too focused into all animal related activities as it does not show that you are well rounded, and this is a turn off for admission. Gotta show you know what else is out there and you still think vet med is for you and you have enough other interests to keep you sane.

 

[Kota1000]

Yep! Definitely. Good for you for getting experience early...since you have a head start, use the advantage to branch out if you can (and try not to burn yourself out in undergrad/keep your grades up!).

Thank you! I am hoping to do some research in undergrad, and I will be doing a work study position at the university I am attending, which I’m hoping will be people oriented.

 

[Kota1000]

All relevant veterinary/animal experience is accepted that holds to the stipulated guidelines of under a veterinarian or actual animal care. High school extracurriculars/jobs/awards will also be included. This is the time to show that you have explored the world in the next few years. Do not get too focused into all animal related activities as it does not show that you are well rounded, and this is a turn off for admission. Gotta show you know what else is out there and you still think vet med is for you and you have enough other interests to keep you sane.

Thank you for this! I have always wanted to be a veterinarian, so it is amazing to have all these early opportunities. I definitely want to try new things in the next year. Not sure if I want to work in a restaurant cause I have a lot of food allergies, but I’d like to do something people-oriented.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Thank you for this! I have always wanted to be a veterinarian, so it is amazing to have all these early opportunities. I definitely want to try new things in the next year. Not sure if I want to work in a restaurant cause I have a lot of food allergies, but I’d like to do something people-oriented.

If you like being around people and are in a tourist-friendly town, tour guiding is a fun thing to do. Tips are often very good, and you gets lots of practicing communicating with other people. 🙂 Same level of customer service as the food industry, minus the food.

 

[Kota1000]

If you like being around people and are in a tourist-friendly town, tour guiding is a fun thing to do. Tips are often very good, and you gets lots of practicing communicating with other people. 🙂 Same level of customer service as the food industry, minus the food.

Oh that sounds fun! Thanks for the suggestion

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Thank you! I am hoping to do some research in undergrad, and I will be doing a work study position at the university I am attending, which I’m hoping will be people oriented.

10/10 recommendation for research experience. It definitely helped me stand out a lot and has come to define how I see my career as well. Embrace all experiences!

 

[mammalade]

Also on the topic of research, for OP or anyone who might read this later, I had terrible luck the first two years of undergrad getting involved in a lab (interviewed to volunteer for several at my uni, got really close on some but no cigar). I ended up getting a position with the veterinary department that treats the animals for the research labs, and it’s something I didn’t know existed at the time, but I love it a lot! From this perspective I don’t think being in a lab would have been for me, but getting to see the vet med side of it was eye opening and I got to do so many things I wouldn’t have otherwise (plus I was peripherally involved in basically every lab I interviewed for so I still got to help them on thier animal procedures but didn’t have to do the “boring” stuff, in my mind). So if you’re interested in lab animal med but not necessarily being involved on one specific project I’d recommend looking into if your uni has a student position on their clinical veterinary staff, like I mentioned I didn’t know my job existed so I just want to shed some light on it! I think that experience set me apart along with the wildlife clinic, which you mention you’re also wanting to do and I also higly recommend working with wildlife if you have the time!

The best piece of advice I got in undergrad was don’t say no to opportunity.