Veterinary Medicine 2016!

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Reply 40

Little Tail Chaser

Original post by dolphin16

Aha, exotics would be fun! Do you ever have to deal with spiders?? :redface:

Okay, yeah that would make sense! :biggrin:

No spiders unfortunately, but we do get a lot of birds and reptiles. Last week the vet did surgery to correct a prolapse in a 25g terrapin. The drugs had to be diluted down so much :tongue:

Original post by Random20

Just a couple of questions. From others experiences how much work experience have people at your uni for vet med done? Does it vary greatly?
Also do you think doing a vet med based EPQ at Sixth Form would be a good idea?
Thanks! :smile:

You could take a look at this . As Cucumber said it varies a lot, but on that page you can see how much they did and whether or not their application was successful. Remember that it's quality and variation over sheer quantity to a certain degree, though.

Quite a few people do them (obviously vetty people tend to choose vetty things to write about. Off the top of my head a few topics I've heard that people have done are colony collapse disorder in bees, Schmallenberg virus in sheep , and lameness in horses). I don't think it would be the be-all and end-all of your application, but it might be something to talk about at interview.

Reply 41

Random20

Original post by Little Tail Chaser

Wow, they're really do vary! That's what I thought, if I hadn't got as much as some applicants but could really show what I had learnt from them then that would be good!
I think an EPQ would help show I'm well rounded but I wouldn't want it to mean I couldn't do other work experience and achieve the best grades.

Reply 42

Jigsaw Puzzle

Original post by dolphin16

Maybe liverpool/bristol, or edinburgh/glasgow, probably not rvc or cambridge.... it'll be interesting to see how surrey turns out, as that would be the nearest to me... what about you?

Cambridge

but also Bristol and Notts. Not too sure about the fourth choice though :/ not that it really matters too much seeing as I'm only in Year 10!

Reply 43

Little Tail Chaser

Original post by Random20

On paper you only need 10 weeks in order to meet the requirements of all UK vet schools, but in reality having 15-20+ would put you in a much more comfortable position. By all means don't feel that you need to go out and get the 40-50 weeks that some people have (some of those will be re-apps, anyway), but do make sure that you cover all the staples (SA vet, LA vet, kennel/cattery, stable, commercial farm (esp. dairy), possibly lambing if you get the chance).

There are other ways that you could show well-roundedness, such as playing an instrument, being on a sports team, being a prefect/other position of responsibility at school, DofE, NCS, Scouts/Guides, volunteering for a charity... as long as you can link it to a trait required by vets then it's all good!

Reply 44

dolphin16

Original post by Little Tail Chaser

No spiders unfortunately, but we do get a lot of birds and reptiles. Last week the vet did surgery to correct a prolapse in a 25g terrapin. The drugs had to be diluted down so much :tongue:

Aha, bless!!

Reply 45

dolphin16

Original post by Jigsaw Puzzle

Cambridge

but also Bristol and Notts. Not too sure about the fourth choice though :/ not that it really matters too much seeing as I'm only in Year 10!

Aha!! Very true... just have to worry about gcse's and w/e!! :smile:

Reply 46

Jigsaw Puzzle

I went to the SA practice down the road for work experience today, and I got to listen to a heart murmur in a Cavalier King Charles spaniel :biggrin:

Does anyone know what sort of stethoscopes they use? :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 47

Little Highland

I'm in year 11 at the moment and thought I'd say hello. I started getting work experience at the beginning of last year and now have a few contacts so if anyone in the yorkshire (mostly south) area needs experience I can provide a few names, if anyone else can provide any info on people around there too I'd be grateful :smile:

I'm looking forward to knowing you guys and I'm thankful in advance for all the help I'll get from the more experienced members :biggrin:

Reply 48

skatealexia

Original post by Little Highland

I'm looking forward to knowing you guys and I'm thankful in advance for all the help I'll get from the more experienced members :biggrin:

I have a lot in west yorkshire if you need any.

Reply 49

Weirdrach

Anyone know of any places in south east kent (thanet) that offer w/e???

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Reply 50

Little Tail Chaser

Original post by Weirdrach

Anyone know of any places in south east kent (thanet) that offer w/e???

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Bit of an open question there, specifically what sort of experience are you after?

If it's vet practices you want, have you tried Find A Vet on the RCVS website? Places that offer EMS are more likely to take on work experience. :smile:

Reply 51

Weirdrach

Sorry i have a good small vets but i cant seem to find any large vets, dairy farms or farms that offer lambing experience. All the farms in this area seem to be growing crops and have no or very few animals.

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Reply 52

Little Tail Chaser

Original post by Weirdrach

You're going to have to be willing to travel, I'm afraid.

Large animal vets can be found on Find A Vet.
You could do dairy a bit later; go to other farms first and they may have contacts for you.
Lambing can be found on the NSA list. It's probably too late for this year (it's had its final update so all the slots are taken I would imagine), so you could try next time. I think the first edition of the list comes out in December.

Reply 53

Little Highland

Original post by skatealexia

I have a lot in west yorkshire if you need any.

Oh thanks

I've got a few already (or at least know of some leads) but one I've been struggling with is lambing. I've stalked the NSA list this year from when it was first published but everything has been 1 hour plus away and the closest I know of is a 40 minute commute. I know I'll probably have to travel this sort of distance but if there was anything you know of I'd be glad to hear it. I'd ideally like it next year so I'll be unable to drive myself and my parents have been great but their patience with commuting has its limits :tongue:

Also I wondered if anyone could recommend any books? Basic anatomy, microbiology etc. and if they thought it would be worth it? Sorry for rambling, thanks for the help :biggrin:

Reply 54

skatealexia

Original post by Little Highland

Oh thanks

Also I wondered if anyone could recommend any books? Basic anatomy, microbiology etc. and if they thought it would be worth it? Sorry for rambling, thanks for the help :biggrin:

I know one in great houghton if thats any help? I agree. What do you want the basic books for? :smile:

Reply 55

Little Highland

Sorry to sound dim but do you mean Houghton in Carlise, Cumbria? If so I it's a bit too far away for me, sorry but thanks anyway :smile:

I just wondered whether expanding my background knowledge (with books) would be any use yet or whether I should wait till nearer when I'd apply. A vet I went to lent me her copy of 100 top consultations in small animal practice, although a fair chunk went straight over my head (and it was pretty simple for a vets book) I wondered if getting to grips with basic anatomy now would be any good? Thanks :biggrin:

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Reply 56

skatealexia

Original post by Little Highland

Sorry to sound dim but do you mean Houghton in Carlise, Cumbria? If so I it's a bit too far away for me, sorry but thanks anyway :smile:

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Noooo. One sec, will post a google link. :smile:

. I wouldn't bother tbh, too much effort and you'll learn it at vet school anyway their way. It is quite hard to learn basic anatomy.

Postcode: S72 0DB

Original post by Little Highland

Sorry to sound dim but do you mean Houghton in Carlise, Cumbria? If so I it's a bit too far away for me, sorry but thanks anyway :smile:

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If you're looking for something to read I would recommend magazines like Farmers Weekly and New Scientist, they will be good for keeping up to date with topical issues which will really help at interview. Vet record and Veterinary times are good and quite easy to read if you can get hold of them. The DEFRA website is also really good if you want to look up specific diseases and also for topical issues,
I wouldn't bother with veterinary textbooks, unless you desperately want to, as they are really expensive and they get updated all the time so by the time you get to vet school you might find you need a more recent edition. At interviews they wont expect you to have vast amounts of veterinary knowledge so just make sure you know the basics and understand the basic management of farm animals and horses etc.
Hope that helps x