What do vet student do in the summers?

[slainte]

Hey everyone,
I just got into OKSU OOS off of the alternate list and am starting to think about all the ways that my life will change. One of the things that came to mind is... How do most vet students spend their summers? I realize that the summer after the 3rd year is taken up by rotations, but what about the 1st year and 2nd year summers?
Do most vet students go back home to look for vet tech jobs? I'd imagine all the vet jobs in a vet college town such as Stillwater, OK would be taken. I'm sure there are programs and internships one can do. Is it even safe to leave all your stuff in your apartment/house for 3 months? Either way, hopefully there is considerable relaxing in the average vet student's summer. I'm gonna need it!

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[dyachei]

Hey everyone,
I just got into OKSU OOS off of the alternate list and am starting to think about all the ways that my life will change. One of the things that came to mind is... How do most vet students spend their summers? I realize that the summer after the 3rd year is taken up by rotations, but what about the 1st year and 2nd year summers?
Do most vet students go back home to look for vet tech jobs? I'd imagine all the vet jobs in a vet college town such as Stillwater, OK would be taken. I'm sure there are programs and internships one can do. Is it even safe to leave all your stuff in your apartment/house for 3 months? Either way, hopefully there is considerable relaxing in the average vet student's summer. I'm gonna need it!

I am going to work as an assistant this summer with the vet I used to work with. Other people in my class are joining research projects, working retail, taking a break, going to Africa to do a darting lab, etc.

Sometimes its a good idea to take a complete break from vet stuff.

 

[pressmom]

Well, I'm doing research with a professor here, and I'm starting an MBA program, which I will hopefully be able to finish sometime around when I finish my DVM. (Probably 6 months to a year later if all goes well and I like it.) But right now, I'm just trying not to procrastinate on studying for my gross anatomy exam. Whoops....guess I'm not being successful. Back to the lacertus fibrosis.

 

[NoleDevil]

A good friend of mine, who's a 2nd year vet student at UF, did a research internship with NIH up in Maryland her 1st summer off. Apparently, there are so many internships and other opportunities to take part in on your summers off - I'm sure you'll be privy to all of them once you get to school!

 

[Electrophile]

I kept wanting to call the lacertus fibrosis the lactiferous sinus, but any who! We're all done with large animal anatomy with the exception of an extra credit cow/horse palpation lab! WOO! Did reptiles last Friday, working on chickens and pigs this week.

Ahem! Back on topic...at Mizzou, we only get 6 weeks for summer due to nearly 2 full years in clinics. However, our summer semester (which starts next week meaning we'll be second years, yes!!) is supposedly not too awful bad.

I personally want at least a week or so of vacation. I haven't been on one since my honeymoon coming on 2 years ago. After that, I'm visiting the Natura pet food manufacturing plant in late July. I'm also trying to see if I can get some time shadowing/working at the St. Louis Zoo and/or the Omaha Zoo, especially in the nutrition department.

 

[twelvetigers]

That's right, the summer between 3rd and 4th year you actually start your 4th year clinical rotations. As for the other two summers... yeah, vet jobs are sort of slim here. But, there's an OKSU girl on this thread doing large animal work with the teaching hospital in order to familiarize herself better with the big buggers. (So, things are available if you look hard enough, or look ahead of time.)

There's also an option involving being one of the on-call students for the lab - like if a llama comes in at 3am with some horrible problem, you get called in to run the chemistries and do the CBC. You rotate with 3 other students and you train during the summers. You get paid 10 hours a week no matter how much or little you are called in. When you leave, you can read your own blood smears, microscopic urines, and have a profound understanding of chemistry results, cross match procedures, etc etc. I think it would be REALLY helpful, but also really stressful and a bit competitive. Just an idea.

One more summer option here involves a yearly NIH project. Every summer, something like eight students are accepted into the program and work with mentors (faculty) on certain research... you get a grant, and you make a poster at the end with a chance of winning a competition. I bet it looks great on a resume, and it's good experience.

There are also many positions with faculty that are more general - you just help with research. You can usually find someone you like doing something you like. I did this as an undergrad so a vet student that's really interested should have no problems.

Or, if you need a break... which is definitely understandable... you can go home for the summer. Many students do. I think your stuff would be okay staying over the summer... burglaries aren't exactly common here, though I'm sure they happen. I would make pals with your neighbors so that they can keep a general eye on things for you. Or, if you'd like to move, you can just store your things locally and find a new place when you return (or have something lined up). No problems there.

Whew!

 

[HeartSong]

There are as many things to do as there are vet students. My first year I went back home and worked at a boarding kennel. Then I stayed here and worked a non-animal related job just for extra cash and to take a break from the overwhelming veterinary-stuff of life.

I heard that NIH was able to increase the number of students they took for research projects. That's a popular thing to do but is quite competitive here. A first year has a much higher chance of getting a position than a second year.

As for your stuff, as twelvetigers said there shouldn't be a problem leaving your stuff in a house if you do decide to leave. If there's anything valuable you worry about you could always rent a small storage unit to keep it in.

 

[twelvetigers]

I'm totally shooting for NIH when I get in (again with that "when" word!) because I think it would be lots of fun... if Jeff Blair is still there, I'd love to do research on prions! Talk about neato stuff. I think he might have already left though.

 

[RazorDoc2010]

I haven't had a summer since before high school, but whatever, that's life. I'll be doing research and getting some money for next year. Not bad though, 6 weeks of full-time work and I get paid $4000 for it. Maybe I'll see some of you in East Lansing this summer...

 

[goldendog]

Has anyone heard of the Banfield summer job program? That's what I'm doing this summer, before I start my first year of vet school in the fall. Through the program, you can work a relatively flexible schedule with good pay for about 10 weeks. You're assigned a doctor as a mentor, and there's a list of what you should learn each week. It seems like it will be a good opportunity to learn some things in a vet office (in my last job, no one was willing to teach us anything... and I'm worried my experience may be lacking), as well as earn some extra cash. I don't know anyone else who's done it before, do any of you know someone who has?

 

[greenie53]

Has anyone heard of the Banfield summer job program? That's what I'm doing this summer, before I start my first year of vet school in the fall. Through the program, you can work a relatively flexible schedule with good pay for about 10 weeks. You're assigned a doctor as a mentor, and there's a list of what you should learn each week. It seems like it will be a good opportunity to learn some things in a vet office (in my last job, no one was willing to teach us anything... and I'm worried my experience may be lacking), as well as earn some extra cash. I don't know anyone else who's done it before, do any of you know someone who has?

After you put this up, I found the relevant webpage and it actually sounded perfect for what I needed. I have 2 months in the summer with nothing scheduled as of now (I just quit my job because my boss was a jerk), and Banfield says they have jobs for people recently accepted if they can give 6 weeks minimum work. Unfortunately for some crazy reason, there are absolutely no petsmarts within the immediate Chicago area participating in the program. I live practically in downtown and it'd take me 45 minutes to get to the closest one, when I know there are actually tons of petsmarts obviously in Chicago! Sigh...anyone have any other ideas for a short term kinda job? I'd be greatly appreciative

 

[alonepear]

Has anyone heard of the Banfield summer job program? That's what I'm doing this summer, before I start my first year of vet school in the fall. Through the program, you can work a relatively flexible schedule with good pay for about 10 weeks. You're assigned a doctor as a mentor, and there's a list of what you should learn each week. It seems like it will be a good opportunity to learn some things in a vet office (in my last job, no one was willing to teach us anything... and I'm worried my experience may be lacking), as well as earn some extra cash. I don't know anyone else who's done it before, do any of you know someone who has?

I'm participating in this too! It is one of the most flexible summer jobs you can find as a vet student, unless you already have an "in" at another clinic. The pay is quite decent too, and from my previous experience working at a Banfield, you will get to actively learn and participate quite a bit, if you're willing to put the effort in. The corporate aspect can be a pain, with the paperwork, last-second drug test, and the online teaching modules they make you do when you start, but being able to choose how long I want to work, and which days I need off, and knowing that I will actually have an income is just really nice, plus the experience is a great benefit. Whether or not you'd ever consider working as a vet for Banfield, I think the summer program is a nice opportunity if you need job security (and want experience) for the summer.

There are a lot of little vet-student oriented trips, programs and "internships" internationally that are just a week or two long, and doing this Banfield thing is leaving me time at the end of the summer to participate in the Marvet program in Grand Cayman, so I'm really excited =)

For me, this will be my last summer off of school, since we roll into clinics a week after we finish our second year, and I plan on having my third-year break over the winter and filling it with some electives so that my fourth year is a little more spaced out. I plan on RELAXING and living it up a little since it will be my last big sunshine-filled break until 2011!!!

 

[RazorDoc2010]

I'll post this here since some of you students on here might have heard something...

So I would love to go do some veterinary work in an African country, or possibly SE Asia. Are there any summer programs (for those of us with only 6 weeks total for summer) that yall have heard of/have heard good things about?? I figure it'll be mostly LA work, which is probably most in need and that would be awesome with me (although I would love any experience I could get, especially if it helps the people).

 

[slainte]

Thanks for all the replies!
A friend of mine did some kind of trip to South Africa as an undergrad and I think it really helped her to get into vet school, although I'm not sure how beneficial it'd be to a vet student. I think they dealt with more with exotics. If you'd like more info, I can ask her about it for you. Lemme know.

 

[stick91]

For short international trips you can also check out World Vets
http://www.worldvets.org/Trips.html

The trips can be pretty spendy, there is a trip fee which covers local transportation, lodging, and food, plus the airfare to get there but if you can swing it some of the programs sound really interesting and would undoubtedly be good experience!

 

[PAThbrd]

Good questions, you can do anything and everything you want... people work, people bum around and relax, go to Africa, South America, do externships, attend conferences.

My summer before vet school I did nothing. I had been working non-stop since my freshman year of high school and needed a break. I trained my dog in agility (couple hours of training a day), filled in occasionally at the SA vet I used to work for, and went on vacation with my family. It was great and Im really glad I had the chance to train my dog because agility was always something that I wanted to do, but wouldnt have had the time to teach all the basics in vet school. Now I have a dog that is very competitive when I actually have the chance to trial which is great.

Last summer (between 1st and 2nd year), I did two two-week private practice externships at equine hospitals (one in Ky one in Fl) and had a blast. Im planning on doing an equine internship when I graduate and would encourage anyone else who thinks that they might do that to do externships early so you know what is out there. I also went to the AVMA annual convention in washington, dc which was great. I went on vacation with my family for two weeks, and some friends from vet school and I went on the craziest two week road trip from Philadelphia to Nova Scotia and back. Scattered in between I managed to get to a couple agility trials with my dog. It was a fantastic summer and went by really really fast.

This summer (between 2nd and 3rd) is my last summer ever I have a two week private practice equine externship scheduled in Washington state in June, which Im looking forward to. Then Im coming back to Pa for a couple weeks then heading to an agility trial in NY then down to Florida for two weeks with the family. When I come back, I am doing a large animal emergency rescue training course which should be amazing, then its up to NY again for a friends wedding, then down to Tennessee with my roommate for a Rural Area Vet Services spay/neuter/vax trip. After that, Im headed to Kentucky for the Opportunities in Equine Practice weekend and a visit to my undergrad school and some good friends. And then its back to school. In between that, Ill be training my agility GSD because we are headed to nationals for the organization that we run in in October, and Ill also be training my GSD puppy in the basics of life and agility. So it should be fun

Both summers and this summer I moved home with my family (only an hour from school) and people that I know have subletted my room in my apartment.

 

[PAThbrd]

PS. I have two friends (both in vet school) that did the banfield thing last summer. One absolutely hated it, the other didn't mind it so much as she was just looking for some SA experience since she is 100% LA.

 

[bnicolec]

For this summer (the summer before vet school) and for the following 2 summers (until my junior year) I will be working at Purdue's Pathology Department. I was hired about 2 weeks ago and had to committ to 3 years of work. I will work the summers and during the school year. During this summer, I will work 40hrs/week but the following summers I will be hired as part time (b/c they hire 2 new students out of each class and they are the ones that are full time). My supervisor told me if I would like a second job in the hospital she could "hook me up" lol

I would like to spend this summer relaxing, but I NEED the money!!!

 

[ratbandit]

I think I'm just going to continue with the two jobs I already have and just add some hours. Currently I work as the after hours emergency receptionist at the teaching hospital and am an "animal socializer" for some dogs and cats used by some researchers. I have to stay in the state of Missouri and work all summer to get residency boooo. Hopefully next summer I can do something fun and interesting! I can't wait until I don't have to do work + vet school anymore!!!

 

[fargeese]

For those of you doing the Banfield thing, not only observe the medicine, but the way the practice is run as well. I worked for a Banfield (I needed the money!) and it was dreadful, and I wouldn't take a pet there that I liked, or even one I didn't like. I am sure there are some good ones, but that was not my experience, at all. It was interesting though, from an anthropological point of view, to see what happens when a field that is ultimately one of human compassion is run entirely by business principles

 

[alliecat44]

My summer plans were up in the air for a long time, and just resolved this weekend! I'm happy to be working full-time as a tech in the teaching hospital here. Depending on what happens with their other staff, I'll either be the main ICU technician during the week or split my time between anesthesia and ICU. So psyched!

My roommate (who is a classmate) is going to South Africa for the summer for her MPH field experience doing avian flu research. This impacts me because she needs someone to ride her horse!

Sooo, I'll be spending this summer working, getting to know the clinicians/new fourth-year students, horseback riding, and running. Oh, and going home for a couple of weeks just before the beginning of classes. Next summer, I'm planning on applying for the Merck-Merial Summer Scholars Program, but not necessarily at my own school.

 

[Charm_333]

I'm working in the Dean's office of my vet school.
So I kind get to have a bit of everything...

 

[spikey]

before vet school, i just continued to work at my SA clinic and enjoyed my time before school began. this summer, i'm doing the same. i'm so looking forward to working (and usuing my knowledge) and relaxing.