Paying for Your Pre-Veterinary Expereince Abroad

I was recently asked by a friend of mine if I believe people should pay for veterinary experience? I think a more pressing question -  with the growing cost of education - especially a veterinary education, will or should pre-veterinary students consider it as an option? I know many people that read this blog are wanting to become veterinarians. I know many of you would also be excited to get hands on experience. How far are you willing to travel and how much are you willing to pay? Is volunteering abroad even a necessity if you are applying to veterinary school?
 
It has recently become popular to volunteer and get pre-veterinary experience in foreign countries through volunteering, education, and adventure travel, but at what cost? Many of these trips, come with high costs - airfare, medical supplies, lodging, food, etc. But it does give the student a volunteer opportunity specific to veterinary medicine which in return gives them the privilege to see other parts of our world and experience new cultures.   

Most pre-vets get their experience working at local veterinary practices while they are getting an education and trying to maintain a decent GPA. This is the way I did it - Although I had not heard about these volunteer abroad experiences, I still think they would have been out of my budget. 

I think it is important to thoroughly research any program you are interested in and make sure you can talk to someone who has experience with the program. Many opportunities you find online if you just google "volunteer abroad prevet" provide "animal experiences" rather than "veterinary experience". While it is good to help animals in need - husbandry and basic care are appreciated, I don't think that will help you at all with your veterinary application. Admission commites want to see your experience with veterinary medicine. They know you are capable of feeding and watering animals.     

In my personal experience, before veterinary school, I traveled to South America and backpacked for almost a month with my boyfriend at the time. Although we did not volunteer - we allowed ourselves to be immersed in the culture, practiced our Spanish and experienced a way of living very different from the US. I had also previously traveled to parts of Mexico - although mostly touristy locations - I did open my eyes to the area surrounding our hotel. I did mention some of my travel experience in my veterinary personal statement - although it had nothing to do with animals - my experience opened my eyes and allowed me to gain cultural awareness - see my personal statements. 

In veterinary school - I have had the opportunity to work with RVETS in providing veterinary care to animals in need in the US - programs like these (RAVS) are excellent ways to get veterinary experience, but save money by staying local. In June I will be headed to Guatemala on a RAVS trip which will count towards my clinical veterinary education.   

In summary - I feel paying for veterinary experience abroad is NOT necessary - but is an amazing opportunity. If you can afford it and you know what you're getting into, then by all means go ahead and experience it! But if you are wondering if it will hurt you not to get this experience - you don't need to worry. Work on strengthening your impact in just your local community - find out what volunteer opportunities are available.   

VIDA - Veterinary Field Clinics 
Humanity World International 
 
Excellent resources for those interested in more specifically about what types of Pre-veterinary experience to pursue: 
Washington State Recommendations for Pre-Veterinary experience 

Me on the steep city street of Cusco, Peru

A pretty pair on the street of Quito, Ecuador

 

A Summer of Travel - Part 3

My final saga of my summer travel experience...! Poland & Italy

After leaving Morocco, I flew to Poland on RyanAir - which was an experience in itself because my checked bag cost almost double what my ticket cost! 

Leaving Morocco a week early to spend a week in Poland was so worth it! I met a friend, named Kamila in Morocco, we shared a room in the extern/intern house. We became friends immediately - after I cracked a few jokes ;) 

I swear if Kamila and I lived closer together we would be inseparable! She is an amazing graduate veterinarian from Poland and we have so much in common. I was lucky since I didn't know a lick of Polish that her English was really good! I have so many good memories from Poland - I can't wait to go back! 

Of course, my trip to Poland started out with a horse show! Kamila was an assistant veterinarian for the show - luckily we didn't see a lot of action other than the jumping competition! 

 We toured a local salt mine! There were a lot of stairs, but it was a really cool tour and the best part was you could lick the walls - although I preferred not too! You can also get married there in this ballroom/hall made entirely out of salt! It's amazing what you can find in this world.

 And any trip to Poland is not complete if you don't ride a Hucul pony through the Polish forest. It was nothing like renting horses in America - they tailor your ride to your experience level and of course we got ourselves on a couple of green horses and headed into the dense, green Polish forest! We encountered a soccer team running in the woods on our trail ride and of course our horses decided to run for their lives. Kamila fell on her horses neck, but luckily she was able to pull herself back up and into the saddle to slow her horse down! It was truly an unforgettable experience!

Zakopane

Wroclaw

I was truly blessed by Kamila's family's hospitality and that of her boyfriend - they drove me around everywhere to all the amazing sites! These pictures barely capture what Poland was all about! Full of churches, castles, amazing parks - and the food! Oh my, the Polish cuisine is so delicious! I had ample opportunities to sample the Polish food and I was never disappointed! 

Kamila and I at Wawel Castle

I was very sad for my week in Poland to end and I can't wait to see Kamila again! I hope she comes to California some day so I can show her around and give her the amazing experience she gave me in Poland! I wouldn't trade our good times longing on the river beach or staying up late talking for anything! Poland is an amazing country! 

I felt lonely at first when I began my trip to Italy - I flew to Rome and had a little trouble finding my hostel which wasn't in the main part of town. The first thing I did when I got of the shuttle from the airport was buy a Roma Pass - it costs 30 Euro and lets you see two major sites for free and the best part is you have 3 days unlimited access to the public transportation - the buses and the metro. Since my hostel was several metro stops away from all the sights - it was very helpful - and best yet, you got to skip all the lines to the major sites! 

The Pantheon - My favorite site in Rome. I had dinner just outside - and of course I had spaghetti!

I loved the Italian water fountains! It was nice not to have to buy water!

I went from Rome to Florence by train - it wasn't a very long ride, just about 3.5 hours. Florence was a very different type of city. I spent 5 days there, but wish I had cut it short and went to Cinque Terre earlier. Not that I didn't enjoy Florence, but it was more touristy than I would have liked. My hostel was great though and I met some very nice people there from Australia. Some of my favorite Italian food was in Florence - they got the pasta thing right! I enjoyed my stay there - it was very warm during the summer! 

The famous Bridge!

Of course I would find horses in Italy! Here they are on their lunch break.

 I took a day trip from Florence to Pisa - where of course I had to see the leaning tower! It's really not as big as you would imagine, but it was in a really nice area. 

Here I am hugging the tower! I met a nice German guy who traveled with me that day and took my picture.

Of course, I did go to Cinque Terre - Where I could definatly see myself visiting again someday! It was amazing! I would love to post all my photos cause they are stunning, but how about I leave the adventure to you to go there someday? 

 There are 5 main towns and you can get to each one by car, boat, train or by walking. The train is literally on the mountain overlooking the coast - it is beautiful! I only spent two nights there, but I could have stayed here for a week or more! The food wasn't that expensive for it being a tourist attraction and honestly there weren't a ton of tourists. I swam in the ocean every day and there was so much salt that you could float on your back for ever! I even floated on my stomach! It wasn't very warm water, but not cold either, probably about 70-75 degrees. I did the hike through the five towns which took most of one day - but was so worth it! Some of the hiking is very easy, while other parts are very steep and narrow, but the majority of the time there are spectacular views. 

Lastly, I traveled to Milan where I stayed for 2 days then traveled back to London to head home. Milan was an industrial city - I had a terrible time finding my hostel, but was lucky to run into a couple from Belgium I believe who really helped me out by recommending the place they were staying. 

All in all, I had an amazing summer trip - filled with new friends, great times, spectacular views and adventure. It was wonderful to volunteer in Morocco even though it wasn't what I had expected. I plan to travel more in the future and hope I can also volunteer as a veterinarian around the globe. I look forward to new adventures and I have many aspirations to see this amazing world we live in.

If you are at all interested, I plan on making a retro post on my travels to South America - which was about 4-5 years ago.
 
 

 

Admissions - UC Davis Class of 2017

Every year, a new veterinary class is admitted to UC Davis to join the veterinary profession. When I applied things were very different in the admission process department. 

This year, 238 candidates will be interviewing for 138 places in the Class of 2017. The new admission process is in place and will be conducting interviews as Multiple Mini Interviews. In order to do this over 5 mornings, there are 24 interviews taking place at one time. Prospective students rotate through several rooms and are given different scenarios. Interviews wrap up today and then the class of 2017 will be carefully selected. 

"The MMI is a series of short, structured interviews used to assess personal traits/qualities. Each mini interview provides a candidate with three minutes to read a question/scenario and mentally prepare before entering the interview room. Upon entering, the candidate has seven minutes of dialogue with one interviewer/assessor (or, in some cases, a third party as the interviewer/assessor observes). At the conclusion of the interview, the interviewer/assessor uses the next three-minute period to evaluate while the candidate moves to the next scenario. This pattern is repeated through a circuit of up to 8 stations.  

The MMI was derived from the well-known OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) used by most undergraduate medical programs to assess a student’s application of clinical skills and knowledge. However, the MMI does not test knowledge of veterinary medicine but rather personal attributes such as communication skills and ability to work as part of a team,  ethical and critical decision-making abilities, and behaviors important to being a veterinarian such as empathy, honesty and reliability." 

Acceptances will be mailed in early January. When I applied, I was notified in late March/early April, but we started courses in September. 

For more information, visit UC Davis SVM admissions: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/dvm_program/admissions/index.cfm

Do we REALLY need MORE veterinary schools?

There has been a great debate on the NEED for veterinarians to join the profession. Many people say we need more vets, but this is not true. What we do need is more vets in rural communities - however most vets can't afford to practice in these rural communities. We also have a share of animal welfare organizations working with vets to provide care to the communities in need by offering sterilization and vaccination clinics. 

As a veterinary student graduating in 2014 I find it daunting to know that it will be difficult to find a job. I am in a very fortunate situation to have a limited amount school loans and the ability to use my resources and acquaintances to find a job, but many of my classmates are starting from scratch and on top of that they will have over $200,000 in debt. 

To think that when the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine opened in 2003, it was the first veterinary school to open in the United States in 20 years. Now it is quite possible that FOUR new veterinary schools may be opened in the next four years, with one opening it's doors in 2014.  

The AVMA really needs to do more research as to the shortages in veterinary medicine and take a strong stance in support of current veterinarians. 

People considering applying to veterinary school in the future should also do their research and be careful and smart when pursing their future educational goals. 

Links: 
New Vet School Plans Press On Amid an Industry in Flux

More Bad News for New Vets - Dr. Bern

Tight Job Market Squeezes Large Animal Vets - VIN

 


 

My First Cat Spay

11-27-12

Tomorrow, I will spay my first cat - she is gorgeous and up for adoption at the Solono County Shelter - Her name is Darlene. I am a little nervous about being surgeon for the first time in our surgery team. I've castrated horses and cats, but a spay is different. 

I feel confident in my ligatures and suturing abilities, I just hope I pace my self adequately for the surgery ahead...

11-28-12

And I did it! My surgical time was 1 and 1/2 hours from my incision to my last skin suture. I think the part that took the most time was closing my incision! We do four closure layers - mostly to practice tissue handling and suturing since in real life, they don't really do that many!  

Thank You to Darlene - the lovely cat (I hope you find a forever home!) and to my Surgery team - Jes and Hai - you are amazing! And to our wonderful professors and technicians that help us in the Gourley Teaching lab. 

A Summer of Travel Part 2

I know it's been a while since I've been able to post about the rest of my summer travel experience, but here it is! Of course right before a hell week of 4 exams!

I'm planning on making a special post about the rest of my time at the American Fondouk. My experience volunteering there was not the best and there are many factors that contributed to my specific experience there that require a post in itself to explain. I am happy the American Fondouk exists as a resource for Moroccans and their equids and I admire those struggling to run a clinic in the political and progressive Morocco. I'm accounting my diminished experience mostly to bad timing. The UK veterinarian I looked forward to meeting so much was on holiday during my time at the American Fondouk and in her absence I believe the clinic didn't run as smoothly as it should have.

I spent two weeks at the American Fondouk volunteering. After that I spent a week traveling Morocco. I stayed two nights in the city of Fez where I got to explore the city with one of my fellow externs who was from the US originally, but more recently the UK. We traveled 4 hours north by bus to a small mountain town called "Chefchaouen" that was very peaceful and relaxing. We climbed the mountain towering over the town. It's an amazing city and known for it's rich blue colors. Here is a utube video because it's beauty was just so hard to capture in a still shot:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4kY0gH9PpA
 

Overlooking Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

During my time in Morocco I also saw one of the largest stables - "The Royal Stables in Meknes are an amazing site, as this massive stable yard was constructed to comfortably house no less that twelve thousand of the royal horses. Ismail had a great respect and admiration for these gracious animals, even more than he did for his human counterparts. His horses were waited on hand and foot, with a groom and a slave for each horse, to ensure that all their needs were met, stables kept in immaculate condition and his horses being taken care of. It is even said that after a horse had completed a journey to Mecca, slaves were forced to catch the urine in a bowl, as even the earth was too undeserving for the horse to urinate on. It is easy to say that Moulay Ismail was fanatical about his horses...Another feature that makes the Royal Stables in Meknes one of the finest tourist attractions in Morocco is the planning and location that was specifically chosen to accommodate the horses. There is a canal that ran fresh water through the stables constantly, so the horses never lacked clean water. Also, the sultan was concerned about the feed supply for his stables, and constructed a granary, known as the Water Palace (Der el Ma), behind the royal stables. The granaries were built on a reservoir and were designed to be able to store grain for the horse feed. To feed twelve thousand horses is already a great feat, but the granaries stored enough grain to feed the horses for twenty years!" 
Read more: Morocco.com Channel http://www.morocco.com/blog/royal-stables-in-meknes

The Royal Stables

I visited a Medersa or school of religion. I stayed in a Riad for one night - which was truly a guilty pleasure! I even got to go in a Mosque! I also saw the Roman ruins of Volubilis in Meknes/Idriss. 

To see my photos: (caution some may be of wounds in animals) 
https://picasaweb.google.com/hamaleo11/TheAmericanFondouk?authuser=0&feat=directlink

I think the biggest impact Morocco had on me was the feeling of a country being stuck between modernization and it's cultural roots. The Muslim religion and culture are a big part of Moroccan life and played a pivotal role in keeping Morocco feeling "old". Morocco is a developing country, but it is very different from Peru or Bolivia (from my personal experience). I haven't quite put my finger on it. 

The tension between traditions and modernization will continue to be an ongoing issue in Morocco. A big part of this battle affects the working animals of Morocco. As the new generation seeks to embrace modernization they have little desire to learn the old ways of how to care for animals and use them efficiently for work. As poverty and political issues seem to be a continuing problem for many in Morocco, they are forced to continue use of working animals although they have no desire to. I honestly believe they are thinking about their near future when they will no longer need that animal, it will be replaced by a motor. The younger generation doesn't think about using an animal for work so it will last longer, but using that animal for work now in a purpose that animal will not be needed for later. Life is tough for working equids in Morocco!

Donkeys hauling trash from the Fez medina

 

The "modern" Moroccan mule!

To be continued...in a "Summer of Travel Part 3" - My trip to Poland & Italy!

Veterinarians are OVERPAID? I think not...

I recently read an article on Salary.com titled, "The 8 most overpaid & underpaid jobs". The article compares several profession's salaries and how they are either overpaid or underpaid. The author, Dawn Dugan, even states: 

"In this article I’ll compare eight overpaid jobs with eight underpaid jobs. My methodology? None. I realize that some jobs require a certain level of training and education, while others are merely the victims of supply and demand. While I feel that all the jobs on this list have merit, they simply represent -- in my humble opinion -- jobs that are paid more or less than they are worth given day-to-day responsibilities and duties."

Let me just start by saying I did not seek out this article, but saw it posted on Facebook by a friend. The statements this woman makes are extremely inaccurate. I want to focus mainly on her comparison of Pest Controllers and "Research" Veterinarians. You can see the article by clicking on the hyperlink:

  
http://www.salary.com/the-8-most-overpaid-underpaid-jobs/slide/2/

I don't know how articles like this are written in the first place, especially with no foundational facts or previous field experience. This woman has absolutely no idea what it is like to be a research veterinarian, so what gives her the right to voice her opinion on something she has absolutely no knowledge about? She also has no idea what a veterinarian does all day from her statement: 

"...Veterinarians, for the most part, work in clean, well-lit environments with domesticated animals. While they may be on call for emergencies, their hours are relatively predictable and the pay is above average as well."

I'm sorry Mrs. Dugan, but first of all, veterinarians differ from "Research Veterinarians". They have go through a lot more education than your average veterinarian. 

Research veterinarians are not overpaid...nor are your average veterinarians! Your article is very fallacious. A lot of research veterinarians work with food animals and other large animals like horses, you tell me if that is a "clean, well-lit work environment with predictable hours" - I think NOT. Having been part of a research team myself. A lot of the studies we do are for people using an animal model. That's pretty valuable don't you think? Not to mention that "Veterinary Researchers" go to school for 4 years of undergraduate, four years of veterinary school AND four years of a Doctorate program - some even complete Residencies! Can you add up all those loans? That's a pretty measly salary for 12+ years of your LIFE!

Mrs. Dugan has a B.A. in English/Writing from St. Lawrence University. You'd think she would research the facts before writing and judging any profession or providing her very own "professional" opinion. Salary.com should be ashamed of this article and it's fallacious statements.