Veterinary Experience
Perhaps the most important activity in which you will engage is shadowing a veterinarian. All schools require prior experience with veterinarians.
- Check with your potential schools for their shadowing requirements. Some schools (such as U Penn) can ask for as many as 500 hours.
- Try to get this experience both during the schoolyear and in the summer. If possible, get a job in a veterinarian’s office.
- Get experience with a variety of veterinarians (aim for at least three)
- Try to arrange it so that you get HANDS-ON experience with working with animals. This may entail some patience – while you may start out working with a vet by doing clerical work, do a good job and give the vet a reason to trust you and your abilities and eventually get you working hands-on with the animals.
- Make sure that at the end of your stint with the veterinarian, he or she would be willing to write a good letter of recommendation for you.
