Volunteer Experience vs. Paid Experience

[Mexi]

How do volunteer experience and actual paid experience compare? I would assume that paid experience would come out on top, as it shows that you were deemed qualified enough to be paid to do the tasks instead of just volunteering your time/shadowing.

From that, how important is it to have paid experience? I'm worried about not being able to obtain paid experience for two reasons - small town, and living expenses. Small town is pretty self-explanatory; less clinics/positions to go around. And as far as "living expenses" go, I'm worried that any position I might be able to obtain will be minimum wage, and depending on the hours offered, I'm not sure if I can keep myself afloat on that. Anyone run into this problem?

And lastly, how did you all find paid positions? Any tricks to the trade, or just plain promoting yourself until you find something? I'm guessing many of you went from volunteering to working at one specific place, so they knew you, your work ethic, your skill level, etc?

Thanks!

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[jmo1012]

i honestly dont think one is better than the other because, at least in my experience, you tend to learn and do different things. for example, if you're being paid to work as an assistant at a vet hospital, you likely aren't spending time in the room with the doctor and client learning that side of vet med however you might get to do more hands on stuff because of liabilities.

i dont think that paid is better because you were deemed qualified enough to actually earn money in the position. i think it makes you LUCKY. finances are tight these days and a lot of places have a hard time justifying the expense of hiring and training a temporary employee (especially for summer jobs). unless there truly is specific need at a place AND they can really afford to hire someone on even at minimum wage, i've found it very hard to convince someone to hire you for a few months.

2 of my veterinary jobs were just me dropping off resumes to as many places as i could think of and the third came from shadowing. honestly, more than anything i feel like getting a job these days unless you're able to give good hours year round is really difficult.

shadowing/volunteering can be a lot of fun. you have no obligations to be productive at every second, you get to do/see things you probably wouldnt if you were working, and you have the opportunity to really spend time with both the doctor(s) and the techs. if you can get a job that works for you, awesome, otherwise i dont think you're going to be looked down on for it

 

[LetItSnow]

How do volunteer experience and actual paid experience compare? I would assume that paid experience would come out on top, as it shows that you were deemed qualified enough to be paid to do the tasks instead of just volunteering your time/shadowing.

You're thinking of it as if they're evaluating your experience for the clinical skill set you bring with you to school. I'm sure that weighs in on their thinking some, but primarily they're evaluating your experience to see how broad your exposure to vet medicine is. The question they're asking themselves is: Does this person have an adequate understanding of what being a vet really entails?

So I doubt that having 'paid' experience trumps 'volunteer/shadow' other than for the fact that generally you'd accumulate a ton more hours from a few years of a full-time paid job.

If it makes you feel better, I had absolutely zero paid veterinary or animal hours. (Technically, I did get paid for some of the farm work I listed on my app, but it was a few decades ago and I didn't bother noting the income because I don't remember what it was and it was more one of those "go work on your uncle's farm for the summer" type of deals.)

 

[StartingoverVet]

Agree with the above posts, and some schools have specifically stated there is no preference in their official literature.

A few clinicians have specifically stated (to me) that they prefer students without tech experience since they don't have make them unlearn bad habits. Of course, that could be a Pennwe thing.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I've never done volunteer work, so I don't really have a basis for comparison.

That said, I found paid positions by starting at the bottom (kennel attendant at a veterinary clinic) and working my way up. Kennel work wasn't overly exciting, and the pay wasn't great, but once I made it apparent that there was an interest, most of the doctors and techs were more than happy to show me the ropes. The basic skills and animal experience I obtained in the kennel eventually made it possible for me to transition into more involved (and better paying) positions later on.

 

[Coquette22]

i honestly dont think one is better than the other because, at least in my experience, you tend to learn and do different things. for example, if you're being paid to work as an assistant at a vet hospital, you likely aren't spending time in the room with the doctor and client learning that side of vet med however you might get to do more hands on stuff because of liabilities.

That was my experience. When I was working as an assistant, I was working. Sure, it was more hands-on, but only in a limited sense. I couldn't stand around watching surgeries, because there were kennels to clean and animals to prep and laundry to do.

When I was shadowing, I could follow the doctors more closely, since it was their job I was aiming for. I figure that vet school will teach me the hands-on skills when I need to know them, but before that can happen, I need to really get a grasp of vet med. As others said, it's more about exposure then technical skills.

 

[SocialStigma]

As everyone else has said, I don't think it matters. I have 0 paid experience and I still got into vet school! The paid positions were only for a receptionist and I would rather go unpaid but learn from following the vets around than be paid but sit at the desk all day.