Any doing/ applying for veterinary medicine please help

I really want to veterinary medicine at uni but I’m not sure what I need to do as everyone is telling me contrasting information. I’m going into Year 12 and I really want to do everything I can to get in. Please could you help with these questions:
What sort of in practice work experience should I be doing?
What sort of out of practice work experience should I be doing?
What sort long term volunteering should I do?
What I can do to make myself an outstanding candidate exsperince wise? Do things like poultry and pig farms stand out more? Should I be doing things like tropical pets?
Thanks for your help :smile:

Reply 1

Little Tail Chaser

19

Original post by amelia.jonathon

I really want to veterinary medicine at uni but I’m not sure what I need to do as everyone is telling me contrasting information. I’m going into Year 12 and I really want to do everything I can to get in. Please could you help with these questions:
What sort of in practice work experience should I be doing?

Anything you can get; small animal, farm animal, equine, exotics... single vet practices, hospitals, ambulatory vets... first opinion, referral... any of that would count. I'd advise at the very least doing some small animal first opinion and something with large animals.

What sort of out of practice work experience should I be doing?

Again, whatever you can get I would strongly recommend doing something with companion animal husbandry (kennels, catteries, shelters....), something with equine husbandry (e.g. a riding school) and a food producing farm (especially dairy work and lambing, but pigs and poultry are great to do if you can find anything). Aside from that there are lots of things you can do to set yourself apart from the crowd. Zoos, abattoirs and labs are the first few that come to mind, but anything with animals counts. Birds of prey centres, seal sanctuaries, dog grooming parlours, pet shops...

What sort long term volunteering should I do?

Anything you can link back to vet med. Your volunteering doesn't have to be animal related (although it is useful to kill two birds with one stone). Things like being a young leader at Scouts, St Johns Ambulance, volunteering in an old people's home etc etc are all examples of things that could involve skills required as a vet.

What I can do to make myself an outstanding candidate exsperince wise? Do things like poultry and pig farms stand out more? Should I be doing things like tropical pets?
Thanks for your help :smile:

Fancy things make you stand out yes, but I would recommend focusing on the basics first. I got four offers without having been to any commercial pig or poultry places, but they are very good to get to if you can

Reply 2

username3031792

OP

10

Original post by Little Tail Chaser

Anything you can get; small animal, farm animal, equine, exotics... single vet practices, hospitals, ambulatory vets... first opinion, referral... any of that would count. I'd advise at the very least doing some small animal first opinion and something with large animals.

Again, whatever you can get I would strongly recommend doing something with companion animal husbandry (kennels, catteries, shelters....), something with equine husbandry (e.g. a riding school) and a food producing farm (especially dairy work and lambing, but pigs and poultry are great to do if you can find anything). Aside from that there are lots of things you can do to set yourself apart from the crowd. Zoos, abattoirs and labs are the first few that come to mind, but anything with animals counts. Birds of prey centres, seal sanctuaries, dog grooming parlours, pet shops...

Anything you can link back to vet med. Your volunteering doesn't have to be animal related (although it is useful to kill two birds with one stone). Things like being a young leader at Scouts, St Johns Ambulance, volunteering in an old people's home etc etc are all examples of things that could involve skills required as a vet.

Fancy things make you stand out yes, but I would recommend focusing on the basics first. I got four offers without having been to any commercial pig or poultry places, but they are very good to get to if you can

Thank you so much for your help! I feel a lot happier now.
I have a lot of experience with horses and dogs as I have my own so would it be more beneficial for me to focus on other things more?

Reply 3

Little Tail Chaser

19

Original post by amelia.jonathon

Thank you so much for your help! I feel a lot happier now.
I have a lot of experience with horses and dogs as I have my own so would it be more beneficial for me to focus on other things more?

No, experience with your own pets does not count, since that would be extremely unfair to people whose financial/home situation would not support having pets. It's specified that experience should be away from your home environment (eg people who grew up on farms have to find placements elsewhere as well).

Since you have these animals it should be easier for you to find contacts for placements in these areas. :smile:

Reply 4

SomeRandomGirl12

4

Original post by amelia.jonathon

I have a lot of experience with horses and dogs as I have my own so would it be more beneficial for me to focus on other things more?

Indeed you can't use that as experience, but at an interview, any veterinary related knowledge would surely be appreciated by the interviewer. At the end of the day, if there was one place left on the course and it was between you and someone else, and you both had the exact same grades and experience, then something you have learned from your own animals could theoretically be a tie-breaker.

They do like to see farm animal work, though, as lots of vet students don't seem to realise that you have to study—and get hands on—with everything at uni. I took a friend to a dairy farm once, and she was so keen to be a vet—and then gave up on that idea the next day!

Reply 5

Rnorton3

2

Original post by username3031792

I really want to veterinary medicine at uni but I’m not sure what I need to do as everyone is telling me contrasting information. I’m going into Year 12 and I really want to do everything I can to get in. Please could you help with these questions:
What sort of in practice work experience should I be doing?
What sort of out of practice work experience should I be doing?
What sort long term volunteering should I do?
What I can do to make myself an outstanding candidate exsperince wise? Do things like poultry and pig farms stand out more? Should I be doing things like tropical pets?
Thanks for your help :smile:

Launder farm experience days have some great courses with links to lots of farm and equine work experience placements- may be worth a look :smile:

Reply 6

flamingolover

22

Original post by username3031792

I really want to veterinary medicine at uni but I’m not sure what I need to do as everyone is telling me contrasting information. I’m going into Year 12 and I really want to do everything I can to get in. Please could you help with these questions:
What sort of in practice work experience should I be doing?
What sort of out of practice work experience should I be doing?
What sort long term volunteering should I do?
What I can do to make myself an outstanding candidate exsperince wise? Do things like poultry and pig farms stand out more? Should I be doing things like tropical pets?
Thanks for your help :smile:

I am currently in year 12. I am getting an insane amount of work experience which is probs over the limit. get as much as possible. Rather too much than too little. Over a certain limit all extra work experience will be ignored. My advice look at Liverpool (and Bristol as it has full mark systems as there are no interviews). Liverpool has the largest requirements fill them and you are sorted. Long term volunteering is good for things like done but on most unis will be ignored other a certain point but check. A variety stands out but really poultry and pig vets are animal husbandry.

For variety try completely different fields like animal labs and seal sanctuaries. not just different types of the same thing.

everyone ha there own opinions.

My advice is go on the uni website find the requirements for all for hem. Find the largest ones and the examples of different ones (i.e exclude if they all same 1 week in a small vet practice- just put it down once) and fufill that.