Catching Up

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It is that time of year again, the selected applicants are completing their veterinary school interviews at UC Davis. I remember being in their shoes, anxious, excited, feeling under-prepared at all the same time. Well, things don't change much after you get into veterinary school, other than feeling excited. Exams sure make you anxious and leave feeling like you were under-prepared. After exams you often feel frustrated and confused. Just this quarter, I have had about 18 exams, most of which I left them feeling more discouraged. 

There are a few things that keep me dragging my feet into class everyday....1) How well I do on exams will NOT be equivalent to the clinician I become when I graduate 2) I KNOW my patients will NOT come with multiple choice answers pasted on their foreheads 3) All the extracurricular activities I do really put things in perspective for me. Oh and I have a personal cheer squad of friends, family and boyfriend.

Everyday I feel I struggle just to do well on exams, but deep down I am plotting to be a practical clinician when I graduate. There is no one guide on how to be the most awesome clinician in the world, someone would make millions if they could make one. All I know is it takes a combination of things: knowledge, common sense, integrity, creativity, compassion, and people skills. That's right folks, most animals have a human appendage whether we like it or not.

I am constantly pleading with myself to just bite the dust on hopes of becoming an equine clinician. The days are long, hours are hard, the job is dangerous. Everyday you are working with patients over 1,000 pounds that could injure you on a whim. I know working with small animals has it's disadvantages too, but lets face it, I could work almost anywhere, I could have better hours, see more patients, etc. I guess it's just the part of my heart that made me want to go to veterinary school in the first place that I feel I am giving up on - My passion for horses. But that is just the thing, many equine veterinarians do not ride horses, let alone compete. I want the time and the money to have a horse of my own someday. I honestly feel that after working with horses all day, why would I want to come home and ride my own? 

These are things that sometimes keep me up at night, but I try not to think so far ahead. I'm only finishing my second year of veterinary school...one more year of courses and a senior year in the clinics and I am on my way to becoming a vet - living my dream no matter what animal species I work with.

I Wear Many Hats...

I am one busy veterinary student, but I like it that way. I juggle my classwork and volunteer activities, I'm involved in many veterinary related activities. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I think about where I am right now in advancing my career. I've had some amazing opportunities to volunteer with some invaluable community programs. I have a job as an equine ICU technician at the VMTH and I love working there. Although I only work a couple shifts a month during school, it is totally worth it. It's almost foal season and it will be a busy year.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of volunteering...for anyone. You learn a lot about yourself and your values. You get to help people and their pets (in my case).   


Volunteer Positions:
Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless Head Co-Coordinator
C4CC Feral Cat Clinic Co-Coordinator
VET SOS volunteer Vet Technician 
Vet Aid Club - Veterinary Student Resource

Club Positions:
Veterinary Student Outreach Club Co-Coordinator
Students For One Health Treasurer 
Equine Medicine Club Secretary


Job:
Equine ICU technician Job
 

The Benefit of Professional Conferences

I just got back from Orlando, Florida where I participated in one of the world's largest Veterinary conferences...the NAVC - North American Veterinary Conference. Although I was only able to participate in 3 days of the 5 day conference, it was really worth my time. I was able to attend about 15 different lectures on topics in small animal, equine, food and even exotic animal medicine! Many of the lecture topics were intriguing, complicated topics that are currently up for debate among the profession. Others were a great review for some of my veterinary courses (like Equine Nutrition and Digestion and The ABC's of Acid Base). Some lectures were totally over my head, but very useful information for future classes and clinics. For example, I attended a talk entitled, "Standing Sedation for the Equine Practitioner" which gave me a great introduction to the common drugs used by equine vets and why we use them for particular procedures.


Attending such a large conference with a diverse representation of people from the veterinary profession was eye opening! I was able to gain an insider's glance into the profession I will be joining (hopefully) in just 2.5 years! I was able to network with my future colleges. Most of all I enjoyed feeling so eager to learn. The reason I even applied to veterinary school in the first place (2nd to my love of animals). It really made me think that veterinary school isn't so bad, I am building my foundation on becoming a knowledgeable and talented veterinarian. 

If you are an undergraduate student at or near any veterinary school, I strongly encourage you to participate in any veterinary conferences or Symposiums.

Where to find information on local symposiums at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ce/index.cfm

http://www.alamopintado.com/veterinarians/conference/

Volunteering at VET SOS in San Francisco

The morning began early for the VET SOS crew. They loaded up their medical supplies and appeared at the Plaza behind the San Francisco City Hall wedged between the Bill Gram Civic center and the Asian Art Museum. I met them at 9AM and helped put the tents up to shelter the volunteers and animals that would be coming through the clinic that day. As soon as the tents were up and the medical supplies unloaded, we brought patients in to be seen by the veterinarian.

The organization, VET SOS is an organization offering veterinary services to pets of the homeless in San Francisco.  It was a great opportunity to see a similar program to the Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless in Sacramento. I learned a lot about their clinic and how they run their show. They have several clinics each month in different areas of San Francisco and offer veterinary services to the homeless pet population.

http://markrogersphotography.com/pets/links/

I got paired up with Dr. Durfee who has been a long-standing volunteer at VET SOS. We made a great team tackling many different cases. We saw both cats and dogs and were even handed a SNAKE to examine! I enjoyed working with Dr. Durfee very much and he had a lot of knowledge to share having been in practice for over 50 years as a veterinarian. 

A Rainbow Boa Snake that came in for a health certificate

This particular VET SOS clinic was paired with Project Homeless Connect, offering a variety of other free services to the homeless of San Francisco (Eye, Dental, Medical care, food, etc.).

For more information or if you would like to donate: VET SOS Website

Advice for High School Students pursuing a career in Veterinary Medicine

"I am 17 and a junior in high school in Knoxville, TN. I have always had a love for animals and I've dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since I was in elementary school! I have shadowed at my local veterinary hospital and volunteered with animal rescue groups. What advice do you have for a high school student wanting to pursue a career in this field? I know that I still have another year before starting my undergrad in pre-vet, but what can I be doing now to ensure I have the best chance possible to get accepted into veterinary school? Also, any idea what jobs are typically offered at animal hospitals for my age group? Any advice would be much appreciated! This is my dream and I am so motivated to do anything possible to make it happen." 

First off, way to go on getting started early! That is the first thing you can do right! The second is figuring out what part of vet med you like the most, do you like working with dogs and cats or horses or farm animals, or even lab animals. And keep in mind those are not your only options, just the most common. There are many other choices out there.  Keep your options open, try a little bit of everything!

I think you should focus on looking at colleges to go to. Keep in mind, junior colleges are much less expensive to go to than state schools and harbor a much more "personal" learning environment. Visiting colleges both undergraduate and veterinary is a great idea right now. Consider that veterinary school is very expensive, so if you can save any money on your road there, I would take that opportunity! 


As far as a job in a veterinary hospital right now, I would suggest applying to clean kennels and walk dogs. I know it doesn't sound that pretty, but we all have to start somewhere. I started mucking stalls (that horses lived in) when I was 11 years old in exchange for board for my horse and riding lessons. Eventually your experience pays off and you can move on to more advanced things, like maybe learning some technician skills. 


Also, think about volunteering with local Shelters and rescue groups, they have a wealth of animal experience that you can gain. In addition, you are also helping animals!

UC Davis Vet Aid Club Blog! A place for prevets to get information!

Before applying to veterinary school, I was part of the vet aides club at UC Davis. It was a club designed to get pre-vets experience and information about veterinary school. I heard they recently started a blog and wanted to share the link with any pre-vets that might read my blog and be interested. 

Blog:

http://vetaideclub.weebly.com/blog.html

Their website: 

http://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/aes/vetaides/index.htm

You Look Like an Equine Vet

 

Since I started riding and first met the ranch equine veterinarian, I've wanted to be one. I can remember begging my parents to let me stay out at the barn if a horse had any medical issue such as colic, injury, giving birth, etc. 

During our doctoring course, we did a practice client-veterinarian interaction. I of course picked the horse scenario. I had a client actor pretend that she was presenting her horse to me for a persistent lameness. I handled the interaction very well and my course/session leader was flabbergasted by my performance. She said, "You look like you're an equine vet." It just felt so natural to me, the terminology just flowed and you could really see my compassion. 

I know these are just client simulations, but her statement really impacted me. I honestly believe her, I feel destined to become an equine vet because of my experience and passion for horses. 

 With the economy the way it is right now, I worry about my future entering into veterinary medicine as a starting equine veterinarian.  It is difficult to find work. My possibilities are much more limited. Most people can't afford to keep horses as they have turned into more of a luxury item rather than a necessity. 

The charts below show a dismal future for equine veterinary medicine. As a starting veterinarian, my salary is likely to be about $40,000. This isn't much when you factor in a $200,000+ education that cost me four years. 

I'm not regretting going to veterinary school at all, I know it's my destiny, but I am considering majoring in Small Animal/Equine to prepare myself adequately for my future in Vet Med. We will see where my path takes me. I love small animal medicine as well and quite honestly would be willing to help any animal on this planet I have the ability to help. I think the following data is just something to think about. 


2009 Earnings for Veterinarians (before income tax): 

http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/usvets.asp

Mean First-Year Salary for Starting Veterinarians: 

AVMA

LINKS:

http://veterinarybusiness.dvm360.com/vetec/Veterinary+business/Can-discounts-work-for-your-equine-practice/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/600457

http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=18992