Trouble getting Vet Experience?

I got you!

Animal experience- easy. VET experience- tricky.

VMCAS considers “Veterinary Experience” to be work- volunteer or paid- where a veterinarian was present. This can be tough, as vet tech jobs are hard to get! Trick: you don’t need to be certified to get a job in the back, get your hands dirty and get some experience under your belt and on your vet school application.

Dr. Katie and Bella, the horse who taught her A LOT about patience.

Different Vet Schools have different minimum hour requirements (some have none but recommend it.)

I recommend it… because its the best way to make sure this is what you want to do!!

So how do you find these jobs?

Few ideas:

1. Ask your personal Vet!

2. Google “mobile equine vet around me” and start cold calling. These guys often need a hand!

3. Check your local Vet School! (If there is one near you!)

4. There’s an app for that!! It’s called VetSetGo. And it’s free!

Here’s how VetSetGo works:

Sign up here! Then, download the (free) App.

Start looking around! You can search by what kind of experience you want, your location, etc! You can click on a clinic, read reviews, and apply!

This website is growing incredibly, and you should be a part of it.

Plus, they are always having fun prizes and games.

Other TIPS for getting a job:

1. Be willing to start working for free. TELL THEM THAT!

2. Try to talk to the Vet! The reception gets people requesting this all of the time… ask them if the vet has 5 minutes to talk!

3. Bring FOOD! It’s the best way to the receptionists’ and the vet’s hearts!!

4. Show up on time, leave last, get on your hands and knees and scrub. Clean the table and floor after every exam. Clean up a mess when you see it. Be the ultimate employee. Don’t let other paid employees out work you, don’t just stand idly in the corner. If this is what you want to do, show them. Clean up the diarrhea kennel, scoop the poop in the backyard. Do it without being asked!

5. Try not to ask too many questions. I know you want to look interested and invested. But sometimes that will interrupt their flow and their train of thought. Be a wallflower with a spray bottle and paper towels! Ask questions when the case is winding down if you still have them.

6. When they are hiring, they will call you, the poop scooping, table wiping, reliable hard working pre-vet student! Fill out an application after your first week or two volunteering and sit tight. When they have an opening, they will think of you first!

Also, be flexible. You may not get that first job you apply for. Keep looking, keep showing up in person.

It’s easy to ignore an email.

It’s hard to ignore a smiling face holding donuts.

And if you need one-on-one help finding and landing Vet Experiences, writing a bomb essay that sounds like no one else’s, knocking your interview out of the park, and WAY MORE, hit this link to Zoom with Dr. Katie.

Her Vet School Mentorship will guide you step by step!