Volunteer

[mpang]

Hi, I was wondering how you get your volunteer opportunity? Unfortunately, I have never volunteered before, do you just go to random veterinary offices and ask whether they need volunteers? or call? Thanks in advance.

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[dgm]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=605228&highlight=volunteer

That should get you started. I got hooked up with a job at a vet clinic through a friend, so I have nothing to add.

 

[ckgilabert]

if i could, i would do the rural area vet stuff (just search RAVS on google). you can volunteer as a tech and i heard you learn SOOO much. and when you're a vet student, you can do it (but then seats are limited). you pay for your own way there...but it seems like they have it all over the country (and south america) so i think it could happen if you and a couple of friends could carpool or something.

 

[canis13]

just a note about the RAVS trips that ckgilabert mentioned - they are currently all filled up for the summer, so you won't be able to apply for any until they post the next round of trips, probably at the end of the summer.
if you have no tech experience, you cannot volunteer as a tech, but you can volunteer as an "other volunteer/support", which is what i'm doing this summer. from the descriptions in the training material, it seems like they often stick "support" personnel with the task of helping clients fill out forms, although i'm hoping i'll get to do more.
for the trip that i'm going to be doing at the end of may, there are 33 vet students, 4 DVMs, 2 vet assistants, 2 tech students, and i'm the only "support" person. so i'd say it seems more likely that you'd get selected to do these trips when you're actually a vet student.

in terms of volunteering/shadowing a vet, the way i finally started shadowing was by going to career services at my college, and getting the name of an alumni who is a local veterinarian.

 

[rachroo]

Hi, I was wondering how you get your volunteer opportunity? Unfortunately, I have never volunteered before, do you just go to random veterinary offices and ask whether they need volunteers? or call? Thanks in advance.

By being proactive about it! Most of the the places I have volunteered/worked/shadowed for (veterinary experience and/or animal experience) I got by seeking out the information myself. I would introduce myself in person (when possible) or by phone and explain why I was interested in Place ABC and asking if I could do XYZ things (job shadow/volunteer/etc.) to which it usually progressed from there.

A few places I found out about since I knew someone who already worked or volunteered there, one place I shadowed (mixed practice vet) at was a friend of my boss (SA vet), and another place was random since I sat next to the person on a really long plane trip.

You never know, so my advice would be to be proactive, professional, friendly, a good/hard worker, and learn to network!

 

[Optimistic 13]

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[bunnity]

If you are just starting out, I think a good strategy is to go for places that need you: generally shelters, wildlife rehab clinics, rescues, and other non-profits. Often these places are overworked and understaffed and will willingly take volunteers - and will want you to work hard and be involved, not just a shadow. When I did my internship at the shelter, I called up the head vet tech and asked if I could do an internship and she said, "Sure, what hours do you want and when will you start?"

 

[Pandacinny]

Just remember that if you volunteer with a shelter, they'll want to have you do things that benefit them, too. They'll often let you shadow or work with their vet, time permitting, but they may expect you to walk some dogs or clean some cages, too.

 

[ckgilabert]

we have an equine hospital that has this program called "foal team" and when it's foaling season, they ask students to come in the middle of the night to help feed and watch the animals.

so i did it for a while from 6pm-10pm on fridays during winter quarter and other days if i could have time......anyway, i did it so often that i asked the doctors if i could come during the day and they said yes! well...my plans actually changed so i couldn't do that...but my point is that if they see you enough and they know that youre really interested in what you're doing...they'll bend the rules a little for you.

i got to help feed the babies and give them the peptobismal and at one point a couple of foals came in that had to be in isolation...so we had to wear gloves and plastic shoe covers to enter the stall.

it was an awesome experience. we were also allowed in the surgery rooms or the observation deck to watch the surgeries. the interns were awesome and were happy to answer any questions we had.

 

[david594]

I got my first volunteer gig at a clinic by simply walking in the door and dropping off a resume. After a couple months it lead to a job, and once you have a job as a tech and some experience its pretty easy to go elsewhere.

Lately I volunteer a lot of time with some shelters and that came from a vet I met who was doing some relief work. "Your skilled and want to help? Sure! Come on over." Thats the general response I've gotten from most places since.

 

[mpang]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have tried couple clinics and they are not too eager to let a strangers wandering in their offices, but I also apply to volunteer at SPCA, so....we'll see.

I have one last question though, my resume mainly (ok, all) consists of experience (professional or not) with computer/software engineering, dropping off a resume like that in a vet office, does it help? or I have to "spin" it in a way that somehow a software engineer would be helpful? I have a pretty good resume (for a software engineer) but I personally can't think of a way that any vet would be "impressed" by it, thanks.

 

[david594]

I have one last question though, my resume mainly (ok, all) consists of experience (professional or not) with computer/software engineering, dropping off a resume like that in a vet office, does it help? or I have to "spin" it in a way that somehow a software engineer would be helpful? I have a pretty good resume (for a software engineer) but I personally can't think of a way that any vet would be "impressed" by it, thanks.

All I had on my resume was my computer science background. My current boss had appreciated that I had a degree in a technically challenging field from a good school and that I was at least a pretty smart guy. My objective on it stated pretty clearly that I was looking to gain exposure to veterinary medicine with the intent of going to veterinary school.

 

[mpang]

Thanks david594! It seems like you are also coming from a totally different background, what made you decided to pursuit in becoming a vet?

I personally just made up my mind and turning 28 this week, so I feel kinda uneasy starting this late in my life, given how hard to get into these programs, sometimes I think I should just stop kidding myself.

 

[InfiniVet]

One of my closest (and smartest!) friends in vet school is a guy who graduated with computer science degree, then at 26 decided he wanted to go to vet school. He is extremely appreciated in class because he's designated as student tech support for the instructors! Haha

Most of my resume was computer science background when I applied for my first clinic job. I presented my skills as being useful for tech support. They jumped on that, but mind you within 2 weeks the main server crashed, & I was in charge of trying to recover all the files (nope - hard drive was clicking), ordering all new computers and networking them together via a LAN (no internet!) lol.
But then of course that translated into a good letter of recommendation. =)

 

[stick91]

we have an equine hospital that has this program called "foal team" and when it's foaling season, they ask students to come in the middle of the night to help feed and watch the animals.

I see you are from Chino Hills so I assume you are referring to the hospital that is there. If you are, then I did that too! I had the 10pm-2am shift. I did it for three foaling seasons and found that the quality of the program really depended on who the interns were. My freshmen year most of them were great and very organized and then the other two years they were kind of ambivalent and didn't really seem to care if I came or not.


Also, to the OP on the resume thing. You could also include a cover letter (if you haven't already) to help explain why you are trying to get experience and that you are definitely willing to help out with the less glamorous aspects of volunteering so they know you are smart and will work hard!

 

[ckgilabert]

I see you are from Chino Hills so I assume you are referring to the hospital that is there. If you are, then I did that too! I had the 10pm-2am shift. I did it for three foaling seasons and found that the quality of the program really depended on who the interns were. My freshmen year most of them were great and very organized and then the other two years they were kind of ambivalent and didn't really seem to care if I came or not.

Hey! that's so neat. i mostly did it friday nights and i think the only people i met were a couple of people (boy and girl) that were going to western and another girl that was going for her RVT license and was doing her externships.

anyway, i totally agree that the interns made it what it was. I didnt recieve any news or flyers about foal team this year (which is alright cuz i didnt have the time, but i had a few freshmen asking about it). I worked a lot with Dr. Frank (forgot his last name) and he was totally cool cuz he taught me and a friend one night how to do a surgeons knot and another night he just spend like an hour talking about vet school.

anyway, are you still doing it?

 

[stick91]

anyway, are you still doing it?

Sadly no, I graduated last year and I'm back at home in Oregon this year. I didn't really do it my senior year, I wanted to but I tried to contact them and they never got back to me so oh well. I think they have moved to the new hospital by now though, which would have been cool to see. One sucky thing about the 10-2 shift (aside from it just being really late) was that the doctors were usually going/gone by then. Still, it was a great experience and I enjoyed being around horses once a week since I had to leave mine at home!