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Well, I got offered three places having only done:
5 half days on dairy farm
5 half days on sheep/pig farm (the other half of the dairy farm days!)
2 days in lambing period
3 days in one vet surgery
2 days in another
and I work every sunday at a wildlife hospital, but that doesnt really count because i do most my work there showing members of the public around!
So, in all i put in 7 days on farms and 5 in surgery. It's not really how much you do, its how much you take away from it (and i dont men bails of hay or farm equipment!). Oh yeh, and get some variety!
5 half days on dairy farm
5 half days on sheep/pig farm (the other half of the dairy farm days!)
2 days in lambing period
3 days in one vet surgery
2 days in another
and I work every sunday at a wildlife hospital, but that doesnt really count because i do most my work there showing members of the public around!
So, in all i put in 7 days on farms and 5 in surgery. It's not really how much you do, its how much you take away from it (and i dont men bails of hay or farm equipment!). Oh yeh, and get some variety!
Oren
Well, I got offered three places having only done:
5 half days on dairy farm
5 half days on sheep/pig farm (the other half of the dairy farm days!)
2 days in lambing period
3 days in one vet surgery
2 days in another
5 half days on dairy farm
5 half days on sheep/pig farm (the other half of the dairy farm days!)
2 days in lambing period
3 days in one vet surgery
2 days in another
Wow that really isn't much compared to what most people have done!
Where did you get offers from?!
As for my work experience I did:
-approx half a day a week working in an animal shelter for the past 4 years
-3 weeks in a small animal vet surgery in France
-2 weeks in another in England
-2 weeks in an equine vet surgery
-2 weeks on a dairy farm
Try to make notes on what you see or what was particularly interesting... that way it'll be easier to "revise" before you go to interviews (I had lots of trouble remembering things I'd done 4 years ago)
And also remember to ask for references from the people you go to... interviewers sometimes like to browse through them!
good luck
Helen x
"Try to make notes on what you see or what was particularly interesting... that way it'll be easier to "revise" before you go to interviews (I had lots of trouble remembering things I'd done 4 years ago)
And also remember to ask for references from the people you go to... interviewers sometimes like to browse through them!"
And also remember to ask for references from the people you go to... interviewers sometimes like to browse through them!"
yeh, I had a little note book doo-dah for writing down intelligent sounding things when i had my breaks.
Offers:
ABB RVC
AAB Glasgow
AAA Bristol
Overall i did about 140 odd days in that wildlife hospital so i guess that shows some commitment, and I now help out one evening a week at a local vets. But yes that was all I did really. As long as you can answer questions in the interviews about what you've seen and get the vet to write you a decent reference then there shouldn't be any problem with doing less work exp. After I'd written my notes I went and did research on the actual topics, like FIV, for going into depth on, mainly because in the interview they ask you if you've seen a case you found interesting, you can then reel off knowledge of that case to show intelligence, commitment and attitude.
Have dragged this off an old thread- I'll try and put in a link to it... Oh I can't, i don't know how but if you flick back a couple of pages there's a thread called 'work experience' started 26/01/06
Here's my work exp- some more useful than others as some vets weren't all that keen to have work exp people around which was a shame.
4 weeks small animal (a week at 4 different practices)
1 week large animal vet (mostly equine)
1 week dairy farm
3 weeks lambing (total over 3 easter holidays over 3 years)
1 week pig farm
1 week doing odd days helping out at a riding stables
1 week Veterinary Laboratory
1 week Zoo
+ Vetsix but not vetsim so I didn't count it as experience, just good for guidance as to what the career involved etc.
Being in touch with what's happening in science, veterinary and human medicine (not reading hideously complicated journals back to back but having a bit of knowledge and your opinions on bird flu, badgers + bovine TB, anti-biotic resistant bacteria etc.)
Best of luck,
Lucy xxx
ps I got interviews at Cambridge, Nottingham, Liverpool and Edinburgh- offers from Cambridge and Liverpool, and an offer off the waiting list for Edinburgh. Reason I was rejected from Nottingham I think was that I didn't sound enthusastic/knowledgeable about my work experience and nanotechnology project I did. Practice talking about what you've done because even though obviously the idea of being a vet is SOO exciting and work experience is ace + you learn a lot- its hard to sound enthusiastic when you're nervous in an interview!
Here's my work exp- some more useful than others as some vets weren't all that keen to have work exp people around which was a shame.
4 weeks small animal (a week at 4 different practices)
1 week large animal vet (mostly equine)
1 week dairy farm
3 weeks lambing (total over 3 easter holidays over 3 years)
1 week pig farm
1 week doing odd days helping out at a riding stables
1 week Veterinary Laboratory
1 week Zoo
+ Vetsix but not vetsim so I didn't count it as experience, just good for guidance as to what the career involved etc.
Being in touch with what's happening in science, veterinary and human medicine (not reading hideously complicated journals back to back but having a bit of knowledge and your opinions on bird flu, badgers + bovine TB, anti-biotic resistant bacteria etc.)
Best of luck,
Lucy xxx
ps I got interviews at Cambridge, Nottingham, Liverpool and Edinburgh- offers from Cambridge and Liverpool, and an offer off the waiting list for Edinburgh. Reason I was rejected from Nottingham I think was that I didn't sound enthusastic/knowledgeable about my work experience and nanotechnology project I did. Practice talking about what you've done because even though obviously the idea of being a vet is SOO exciting and work experience is ace + you learn a lot- its hard to sound enthusiastic when you're nervous in an interview!
I was really lucky in the fact that my grandparents have a dairy farm, which I had worked on at weekends and holidays since I was 12 to about 16, when I got a part time job, I was really lucky in the scence that I got a real taste of what vets did on the farm and then the care the farmer would have to take on with the animal once the vet has left. I also did 5 weeks in three veterinary practices. I really think that work experience helps and is what got me my place.
Oren
Did you do all that in one year?
oh no, I did my first two weeks at a vet when I was 14 and then did a little each year from then!
Oren
Well, I got offered three places having only done:
5 half days on dairy farm
5 half days on sheep/pig farm (the other half of the dairy farm days!)
2 days in lambing period
3 days in one vet surgery
2 days in another
and I work every sunday at a wildlife hospital, but that doesnt really count because i do most my work there showing members of the public around!
So, in all i put in 7 days on farms and 5 in surgery. It's not really how much you do, its how much you take away from it (and i dont men bails of hay or farm equipment!). Oh yeh, and get some variety!
5 half days on dairy farm
5 half days on sheep/pig farm (the other half of the dairy farm days!)
2 days in lambing period
3 days in one vet surgery
2 days in another
and I work every sunday at a wildlife hospital, but that doesnt really count because i do most my work there showing members of the public around!
So, in all i put in 7 days on farms and 5 in surgery. It's not really how much you do, its how much you take away from it (and i dont men bails of hay or farm equipment!). Oh yeh, and get some variety!
I have to disagree a little here - some vet schools (namely Liverpool and Nott and Ed) have specific minimum requirements for work experience - Liverpool want 6 weeks, Nottingham 4. Thats minimum so a lot of other people have a lot more than that! My advice is get as much Work experience as you can in as wide an area as you can, and that is the way to get offers. You have to be pretty exceptional to get in with little work exp (so well done Oren!).
If anyone's interested I had:
1 week dairy, 2 weeks lambing, 2 weeks mixed, 2 weeks small, 2 weeks orthopaedic referral, 2 yrs saturday job at dog groomers, 1 yr of going one evening a week to a small animal practice, 2 yrs sunday job at Farm Park, day with Defra, day visiting 3 abattoirs. I also had a month at Chester Zoo lined up when my UCAS form went out.
I think I went OTT on my work experience, my social life disintergrated in the first year of college but I can chill out now 
!! Make sure you plan what your going to do, find interesting, original placements and if you can get them done earlier its a plus because you have more time to relax the next year!!
Just to echo what has been said, make notes, ask questions and get as much as you can in!!! But concentrate on your grades you won't get anywhere without those!!!
!! Make sure you plan what your going to do, find interesting, original placements and if you can get them done earlier its a plus because you have more time to relax the next year!!•
stables for a year
•
worked as a dog walker for about 2 years
•
i've worked at a veterinary practice on saturday for about 6 months but the unis don't know about that- I got it after I'd applied but learnt loads!
•
4 weeks at 3 small animal practices
•
3 months lambing on Saturdays (this year and last)
•
2 weeks in a zoo
•
1 week dairy
•
1 week diagnostics lab
•
1 month at an animal sanctuary
•
2 weeks at Leahurst (large animal hospital- farm and equine) 
(my favourite by miles!!)
•
had a day at an abbattoir lined up but it fell through 
Just to echo what has been said, make notes, ask questions and get as much as you can in!!! But concentrate on your grades you won't get anywhere without those!!!
yeh good point, sorry i shouldn't be promoting laziness. I really didnt think i was that much of a dosser, but evidently i am! lol!
I did a fair bit on the people side though, I've done 12 years in St.john Ambulance, have qualifications in using medical gases, Automated External Defibrilators and first aid at work (the government guideline thingy!) and i have done like 250 hours community service (voluntarily rather than as a sentence!) and i went to Sri Lanka after the Tsunami for the whole help the refugee thingy. Also helped run a physio class for VERY disabled children, which was cool cos i got to help them ride horses!
But i dont know if that counted anything more that interview filling subjects
I did a fair bit on the people side though, I've done 12 years in St.john Ambulance, have qualifications in using medical gases, Automated External Defibrilators and first aid at work (the government guideline thingy!) and i have done like 250 hours community service (voluntarily rather than as a sentence!) and i went to Sri Lanka after the Tsunami for the whole help the refugee thingy. Also helped run a physio class for VERY disabled children, which was cool cos i got to help them ride horses!
But i dont know if that counted anything more that interview filling subjects
hiya
i did -
5wks with a vet over a period of like 3 years
3 wks at a kennel
1 week horses
1 week dairy
1 day lambing
helped out with moet scheme (embryo thingie) with sheep.
This was really all i did and most of it fitted into one summer easy peasy.
I think its best to try and do a wide variety of thin gs, with one place you stay longer at, and try and have an interesting one in there as well to give you something to talk about at interview.
i did -
5wks with a vet over a period of like 3 years
3 wks at a kennel
1 week horses
1 week dairy
1 day lambing
helped out with moet scheme (embryo thingie) with sheep.
This was really all i did and most of it fitted into one summer easy peasy.
I think its best to try and do a wide variety of thin gs, with one place you stay longer at, and try and have an interesting one in there as well to give you something to talk about at interview.
outrageous121
I have to disagree a little here - some vet schools (namely Liverpool and Nott and Ed) have specific minimum requirements for work experience - Liverpool want 6 weeks, Nottingham 4.
Liverpool is ten I think, six weeks out of practice, four weeks in practice
I did:
Long term
4 months Birmingham nature centre
Six months cats protection
13 months at an Animal sanctury
In practice
15 weeks small animal vet, would have liked to have carried on but exam stress
lol1 week different small animal vet
1 day PDSA
1 week mixed
1 week equine
Farm
2 weeks lambing (though one when UCAS went out, did an extra week for fun lol
)1 week dairy farm
2 weeks french donkey farm, i was asked about this a lot at 3/4 interviews so I would say some more unusual work expereince is good. So maybe stuff abroad or working at a falconry centre- was going to do that but didnt work out lol, etc
1 week safri park, not really farm but still....lol
Conferences
RSPCA gold residential course (didnt have room for this on UCAS form though to be honest I wish I had done something more worthwhile and hands on but ahh well)
Vetsim
Vetsix
Paid
I also covered for staff at my livery yard
xxx
Oren
yeh, I had a little note book doo-dah for writing down intelligent sounding things when i had my breaks.
Offers:
ABB RVC
AAB Glasgow
AAA Bristol
Offers:
ABB RVC
AAB Glasgow
AAA Bristol
Are you my secret evil twin?
I got the exact same offers last year from the same vet schools and had similarly not done as much work exp as others
Your 4th choice wasn't Cambridge by any chance?
Yay! I was beginning to feel like I wasn't as good as everyone else because they'd all done more work experience!
Unfortunately my fourth choice was edinburgh, who didnt even give me an interview *sob* oh well, i didn't really like the main campus buildings there, and the vet prof I talked to was a really grumpy fellow!
Unfortunately my fourth choice was edinburgh, who didnt even give me an interview *sob* oh well, i didn't really like the main campus buildings there, and the vet prof I talked to was a really grumpy fellow!
personally,I have done
1.10 weeks computer salesman in a digital square
2.6 weeks sell clothes and shoes in a shop
3.1 weeks operator in a company
4.1 weeks business assistant in a machine factory
5.now be responsible for foreign trade in a eyeglasses factory
I like the first job in all of them.But,I should consider the job prospect,and I have learn more knowledge about eyeglasses,I enjoy that.though I don't like sit in office.
1.10 weeks computer salesman in a digital square
2.6 weeks sell clothes and shoes in a shop
3.1 weeks operator in a company
4.1 weeks business assistant in a machine factory
5.now be responsible for foreign trade in a eyeglasses factory
I like the first job in all of them.But,I should consider the job prospect,and I have learn more knowledge about eyeglasses,I enjoy that.though I don't like sit in office.
huangxiaoxia
personally,I have done
1.10 weeks computer salesman in a digital square
2.6 weeks sell clothes and shoes in a shop
3.1 weeks operator in a company
4.1 weeks business assistant in a machine factory
5.now be responsible for foreign trade in a eyeglasses factory
I like the first job in all of them.But,I should consider the job prospect,and I have learn more knowledge about eyeglasses,I enjoy that.though I don't like sit in office.
1.10 weeks computer salesman in a digital square
2.6 weeks sell clothes and shoes in a shop
3.1 weeks operator in a company
4.1 weeks business assistant in a machine factory
5.now be responsible for foreign trade in a eyeglasses factory
I like the first job in all of them.But,I should consider the job prospect,and I have learn more knowledge about eyeglasses,I enjoy that.though I don't like sit in office.
Er, mate this is the Vet. Med. section of TSR why did you post that?
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