VMCAS experience section - question

[ellehan]

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I have 2 questions regarding the animal/vet experience section.

First - I know there was a topic about this a while back but I couldn't really find any real answer - I have ridden/shown horses my whole life... well since I was about 10 anyway. My family has our own barn and we keep our horses at home, which means that in addition to riding every day I also took care of my horses, cleaned stalls, fed, medicated, etc etc. And, at horse shows I did all my own care (a lot of people hire grooms). So my question is, how do I record the hours for all this? It is an outrageously high number so I feel a bit weird putting it down, but on the other hand the hours are legitimate.

My second question is, I was able to go in and shadow in an animal pathology lab. Due to the timing and some other circumstances beyond my control, I was only able to do this for about a week. Should I even both to include this in my experience? Thanks guys.

 

[hopefulprevet]

I had similar equine experience..I put down a huge number..i would just multiply years, by days, by hours per day I guess to get an estimate.

Definitely put down your 1 week shadowing experience!!!


SHadowing is a great thing, and at least you can say another field that you've gotten to witness...just one week could let you know if it's something for you or not.

 

[No Imagination]

My second question is, I was able to go in and shadow in an animal pathology lab. Due to the timing and some other circumstances beyond my control, I was only able to do this for about a week. Should I even both to include this in my experience? Thanks guys.

If you have more/comparable experience, I'd leave it off - Raises more questions then it answers. "Did this person due one week just to fulfill a req?" "Why only one week, what did they think they can get out of it?"

If its all you got, then certainly put it on.

Just MHO

 

[GeeQued]

I left my equine experience off since I had so mnay hours i did not one to come off as a horse girl. But I did mention that I had shown on a national circuit in several essays and in my personal statement. Also after speaking with some school reps there was a mixed opinion on the matter, some only wanted hours if you were showing on a national circuit (AQHA, APHA, APHC, etc) In my case I showed, fitted, and trained all my horses and have placed at the world so I could easily meet those, other schools didn't care what level you were showing as long as it was showing and not just casual horse exp (just like we cant put down on ouapps as taking care of our own personal pets.. Id email the schools and get an opinion from each one and go with the majority.

 

[DVMorBust]

For the horse experience, I also had a ton. The only stuff I listed on VMCAS (and it still wound up being a huge amount of hours) was the stuff I'd done for employment or for other people, so I listed stable hand experience, grooming, barn management, working student, riding instructor, etc. hours. I didn't put down anything else.

I'd put the path lab stuff down. I had 1 day of zoo vet shadowing, and put it down, because I didn't have any other zoo vet stuff and wanted to show I was dabbling, even if the bulk of my hours were equine and research. So I guess, if you show your committment somewhere else (other type of experience, etc.) it probably won't hurt to show you've tried new areas as well.

 

[nyanko]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=620715

I posted that thread cause I figured other people would have questions about experiences and what to put them down as, and if we can keep the types of experience in one place maybe it will help others who come here to ask the same question. So you should put that in there, too!

 

[sumstorm]

Personally, I would record the significant equine hours (things that wouldn't be thought of as pet care such as actual competition, seminars, etc and limit the grooming, pleasure riding, mucking, etc.) and/or I would include my method of tally in the explanation, such as during summer, competed 3 out of 4 weekends each month, plus trained 2 hours a day (or whatever) and during the winter did X hours throughout the week.

As for the 1 week of experience, I would include it. Shadowing in a unique environment can provide very interesting perceptions. IE if I went overseas to a 1 week intensive S/N clinic, I would certainly include it, even though it was one week. I included my marine mammal necropsy training, which was 2 weeks. I don't think there are many people who know how to locate and remove all the major organs of a dolphin while on a wet, swaying deck.

 

[Qwerty85]

ok so yeah i'm bringing an old topic back up, but i need opinions here... if i shadowed a veterinary pathologist what animal types would i select on the VMCAS app? We reviewed case material from all species of patients in the teaching hospital... I guess I am just reallly unsure how to categorize it. help!

 

[twelvetigers]

I did something like that, and I just tried to remember honestly what species we covered. Llamas, horses, cows, dogs, and cats in my case. So, the exotic box is the only one I left unchecked. If a bird had come in, well, I probably would have checked it.

Just be clear in the description about what was involved and I don't think it'll be a deal breaker or anything.

 

[JuniorJumper]

I had lots of horse experience too. I owned, showed, took lessons for years, etc. I just totaled the hours of riding other people's horses, taking care of horses that weren't my own, training, and competing. It still ended up being a huge number, but that is pretty much my only equine experience so I wasn't going to leave it out.