The big and shiny work experience bible
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I am in year 12 and studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths and History, for work exp I have:
2 Weeks on a farm
1 week in an equine practice
1 week in a small animal practice
3 months in a small animal observing one afternoon a week
2 years in a riding school
I am also going to another equine practice for a week and i am trying to organise some lambing
Does anyone have any other suggestions? i think i might need some more small animal exp?? I live in cambs and if anyone has any places nearby then please let me know!!! Also if anyone knows of any useful pre-vet courses then that would be great!!
2 Weeks on a farm
1 week in an equine practice
1 week in a small animal practice
3 months in a small animal observing one afternoon a week
2 years in a riding school
I am also going to another equine practice for a week and i am trying to organise some lambing
Does anyone have any other suggestions? i think i might need some more small animal exp?? I live in cambs and if anyone has any places nearby then please let me know!!! Also if anyone knows of any useful pre-vet courses then that would be great!!
jpw92
I am in year 12 and studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths and History, for work exp I have:
2 Weeks on a farm
1 week in an equine practice
1 week in a small animal practice
3 months in a small animal observing one afternoon a week
2 years in a riding school
I am also going to another equine practice for a week and i am trying to organise some lambing
Does anyone have any other suggestions? i think i might need some more small animal exp?? I live in cambs and if anyone has any places nearby then please let me know!!! Also if anyone knows of any useful pre-vet courses then that would be great!!
2 Weeks on a farm
1 week in an equine practice
1 week in a small animal practice
3 months in a small animal observing one afternoon a week
2 years in a riding school
I am also going to another equine practice for a week and i am trying to organise some lambing
Does anyone have any other suggestions? i think i might need some more small animal exp?? I live in cambs and if anyone has any places nearby then please let me know!!! Also if anyone knows of any useful pre-vet courses then that would be great!!
What sort of farm? If it was a smaller, mixed farm, try and get some staple dairy, sheep (lambing time) and/or pig. Kennels and/or cattery are very good to have too, and there is bound to be somewhere near you. Abattoirs are very useful, but tricky to come by. You've got decent work experience (I assume the SA practice is on going) and you've got a fair amount of time, so you should be fine.
What is the experience like, in terms of what i would do?
Normally a mix of shadowing the vet - so seeing what they are doing (consultations and operations). And helping the vet nurses - cleaning, scrubbing operation kits, dishing food out etc.
Most places (unless you have been there a little while and they know you better) aren't going to let you do much (if anything) hands on with animals. If is more a case of watching/listening/asking lots of questions. And then getting on with jobs to help as much as you can, even if counting out 100 tablets into a bottle isn't huge fun!
Most places (unless you have been there a little while and they know you better) aren't going to let you do much (if anything) hands on with animals. If is more a case of watching/listening/asking lots of questions. And then getting on with jobs to help as much as you can, even if counting out 100 tablets into a bottle isn't huge fun!
yeh it depends where you are too, everywhere is different. A vet thats known me since i was a little kid and i've always taken my cats to him wouldnt let me do anything. I basically cleaned the surgery for a week, it was pretty rubbish as a learning curve as i never even saw what he did! so i came out knowing nothing about what vets do and i was basically a free cleaner for a week, but hey! that happens, and it'll happen to all of us at one stage, the important part is sticking at it. Anyway im rambling, at another surgery i got to do lots and even got to diagnose stuff under the microscope (but that could have been cos im an immunologist already) and got to help with allergy testing, so that was really good experience. Basically, expect anything, it depends where you are, the main thing is to just do what you're asked to, and try and learn where you can. I think half of work experience is proving you can really stick at it!
All of the above descriptions seem to be about small animal. Not sure what you were asking about, but i have shadowed a large animal vet that specialised in cattle and basically went with him from farm to farm and watched him do vaginal examinations and the like and just helped out by writing down readings and handing him equipment. I thoroughly enjoyed it although it was very cold!
I agree that it all depends where you go, some places ive been to werent keen on letting me actuall do anything, but really wanted to help me as much as possible and explained to me what they were doing and encouraged me to ask as many questions as possible.
I think you can get out of it as much as you want, the more enthusiatic and interested you seem the more the vet is likely to help you out meaning you gain more from it. Ask as many questions as possible and try to be as helpful as you can
I agree that it all depends where you go, some places ive been to werent keen on letting me actuall do anything, but really wanted to help me as much as possible and explained to me what they were doing and encouraged me to ask as many questions as possible.
I think you can get out of it as much as you want, the more enthusiatic and interested you seem the more the vet is likely to help you out meaning you gain more from it. Ask as many questions as possible and try to be as helpful as you can
It depends at every surgery, and with the type of practice. At the small animal practice I go to once a week, they let me do a far amount, but it took a few months to let me. I inject hedgehogs, birds and other wildlife (in fact, I pretty much do most things with the wildlife, like tube feeding birds and syringe feeding sick hedgehogs and bathing them), I get to give some injections to cats that are really easy going, I've also ET tubed a few dogs and cats in preparation for surgery I NEARLY got to help with a post-mortem, but they decided last minute they were going to reschedule it D; However, mostly I just watch consultations, help the nurses with their jobs (cleaning kennels, feeding, washing surgery kits, packing away equipment, restraining animals, keeping the stray cats company!), watch surgery and just stand around asking questions.
The other small animal practice I went to didn't want me to clean any equipment or kennels or anything like that because I wanted to be a vet, so they just wanted to show me what it was like and let me watch consults and surgery.
At the equine practice I was went to, I just shadowed a vet on all her house calls, so there was a lot of driving involved, and I spent a few hours a day at the practice itself. I got to draw up some injections, groom and tack up horses, feed the horses, muck out, hold horses for examination and just generally watch what everyone else does.
I NEARLY got to help with a post-mortem, but they decided last minute they were going to reschedule it D; However, mostly I just watch consultations, help the nurses with their jobs (cleaning kennels, feeding, washing surgery kits, packing away equipment, restraining animals, keeping the stray cats company!), watch surgery and just stand around asking questions. The other small animal practice I went to didn't want me to clean any equipment or kennels or anything like that because I wanted to be a vet, so they just wanted to show me what it was like and let me watch consults and surgery.
At the equine practice I was went to, I just shadowed a vet on all her house calls, so there was a lot of driving involved, and I spent a few hours a day at the practice itself. I got to draw up some injections, groom and tack up horses, feed the horses, muck out, hold horses for examination and just generally watch what everyone else does.
I might have some lambing work experience available for someone- but I won't know for another week or so. I am doing a research masters testing some of the ewes and we might need someone to help with noting down information on teat lesions and weighing lambs. The ewes are due to lamb in the next month, it is in the West Midlands area. Let me know if anyone is interested.
wallabingbang
I might have some lambing work experience available for someone- but I won't know for another week or so. I am doing a research masters testing some of the ewes and we might need someone to help with noting down information on teat lesions and weighing lambs. The ewes are due to lamb in the next month, it is in the West Midlands area. Let me know if anyone is interested.
Whereabouts in the West Midlands would that be?
I'd definitely be interested but I'm at uni in the week so I'd only really be available at weekends and evenings. Sounds like a great opportunity though!
wallabingbang
I might have some lambing work experience available for someone- but I won't know for another week or so. I am doing a research masters testing some of the ewes and we might need someone to help with noting down information on teat lesions and weighing lambs. The ewes are due to lamb in the next month, it is in the West Midlands area. Let me know if anyone is interested.
I would be very interested in coming to help, would you offer accomodation?
It would be wolverhampton ish! It would definately be weekdays I am afraid- as soon as they lamb we have to go! About accomodation...well I have a spare room in my house and that would be a possibility! (I am female by the by). Will have to see, the ewes don't appear to want to drop the lambs at the moment due to the cold weather!
Loosy what uni are you at?
Loosy what uni are you at?
Depends so much on the practice and the vet! At one practice I went to one vet would let me do stuff like holding a wriggly dog for injections and then another vet would come along and just say "I'll do that" and take over :/
At the smallie practice I'm at now I mostly watch surgury, I have been allowed to do various injections and feel lumps and bumps before they are scrubbed up and everything is explained to me very well
At an equine practice I was often allowed to be quite hands on, eg feeling for digital pulses and being allowed to have a good look at wounds and feel of haematomas and sarcoids. But this was probaly because I knew the vet very well!
At the smallie practice I'm at now I mostly watch surgury, I have been allowed to do various injections and feel lumps and bumps before they are scrubbed up and everything is explained to me very well
At an equine practice I was often allowed to be quite hands on, eg feeling for digital pulses and being allowed to have a good look at wounds and feel of haematomas and sarcoids. But this was probaly because I knew the vet very well!
wallabingbang
It would be wolverhampton ish! It would definitely be weekdays I am afraid- as soon as they lamb we have to go! About accomodation...well I have a spare room in my house and that would be a possibility! (I am female by the by). Will have to see, the ewes don't appear to want to drop the lambs at the moment due to the cold weather!
Loosy what uni are you at?
Loosy what uni are you at?
I'm at Nottingham studying zoology at the moment. Applying to vet med for 2011 as a graduate
My timetable is pretty packed at the moment so I couldn't really miss much...Let me know if you do ever need any help at the weekends though!
wallabingbang
It would be wolverhampton ish! It would definitely be weekdays I am afraid- as soon as they lamb we have to go! About accomodation...well I have a spare room in my house and that would be a possibility! (I am female by the by). Will have to see, the ewes don't appear to want to drop the lambs at the moment due to the cold weather!
Loosy what uni are you at?
Loosy what uni are you at?
Do you have any idea of when it would be?
It would start in the next four weeks and we would be going up there probably 2/3 times a week
The practice I was at for 2 years or more, I started off just watching consultations, wiping tables, cleaning kennels - ended up proving my worth and they showed me how to raise veins for IV drips and even ended up scrubbing up and helping spey and neuter dogs, cats and rabbits. Had a brilliant time. Obviously this was a smaller private practice and not a large coorporate practice that had strict procedures.
as others have said it depends on the vets...
when i went to SA i was effectively a vet nurse...did lots of prep etc for operations monitored recovery from anaesthetics etc and held animals for treatment...and at 8am every morning got to give the inpatients some TLC (yay for kittykats ) and watched numerous spays and castrations...
when i went to an equine practise it was amazing! gave vaccinations, microchips, and took a blood sample (from myown horse) listened to heart beats calculated breathing rates, used an ultrasound machine, looked at x rays, learnt to spot lameness, saw plenty of nasty wounds, preperation for uterine flushing (was infected) dental work, ...loads... oh and spent a day at the races with the vet checking none were lame before/after race went in the car that runs alongside the track, and saw an endoscopy of a horse that seemed to be struggling to breathe....that was an awesome 8 days!
when i went to SA i was effectively a vet nurse...did lots of prep etc for operations monitored recovery from anaesthetics etc and held animals for treatment...and at 8am every morning got to give the inpatients some TLC (yay for kittykats
) and watched numerous spays and castrations...when i went to an equine practise it was amazing! gave vaccinations, microchips, and took a blood sample (from myown horse) listened to heart beats calculated breathing rates, used an ultrasound machine, looked at x rays, learnt to spot lameness, saw plenty of nasty wounds, preperation for uterine flushing (was infected) dental work, ...loads... oh and spent a day at the races with the vet checking none were lame before/after race went in the car that runs alongside the track, and saw an endoscopy of a horse that seemed to be struggling to breathe....that was an awesome 8 days!
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