I can’t believe that it has been almost a month since I last blogged, I am so sorry!  After finishing with the semester, I jumped right into work and veterinary school applications. There have been so many little things happening on the side too (including my sister graduating from high school)! Although I have been busy, I am loving life! I’m slowly adjusting to my crazy schedule and I have missed blogging so much. Today I’ve decided to share my experience with finding a veterinary hospital to shadow. It was not an easy process, but it has brought me so many opportunities!

One of the best things that I have ever done is volunteering at the vet hospital where I now work. During my winter break of my freshman year of college I contacted around 10 veterinary hospitals about volunteering for the summer. I received varying responses, but the most popular response was ” We are not currently accepting volunteers, but please feel free to contact us at a later time”. This initially disheartened me, but I persevered and I eventually found a place that was willing to have me volunteer for the summer. I set up a schedule and started volunteering the summer after my freshman year of college. I immediately fell in love with the hospital. It had the most beautiful facilities I had ever seen, a large staff of people who were willing to answer all my questions, and there was always something for me to do. At the end of the summer I talked to my boss about coming back to volunteer the next summer and she told me to contact her during my fall semester about scheduling and other details. What I didn’t expect is that when I called I would be offered an interview for a summer job, I was ecstatic! After the interview I received a phone call saying that I got the job!  This is now my second summer working at the hospital and I still love every second of it. I will be eternally grateful for the staff giving me this chance of a lifetime and I love being able to come back to the same place after each school year. For pre-vet students beginning college, I highly recommend building a relationship with a veterinary hospital, whether as a volunteer or as an employee, because having someone to talk to about veterinary school applications will make them much easier to fill out (and they can give you tips and write you recommendation letters)! Building a strong relationship with one hospital does not mean that you should stop contacting other veterinarians though, I still shadow other veterinarians to gain experience in other parts of the veterinary field. Being able to work with the same people summer after summer and getting to know how the hospital works has made my experience priceless and has helped me feel ready to apply to veterinary school!

I hope that you find my experience helpful and that you are able to have as amazing of an experience as I have had!

And here is a cute dog to start off your week:

Source: Bonifant Veterinary Clinic

Stay Fabulous,

Julia