Experience with VCA and the Mentorship Program?

[Springs10808]

I'm a fourth year veterinary student currently in the process of interviewing at a VCA hospital in my area for an emergency veterinarian position. I am not very far into the interview process and still don't have a lot of details, but I am very impressed so far with the salary and hours mentioned as well as the fact I'd get to participate in a mentorship program rather than getting thrown immediately into the deep end. From what I've gathered, the emergency-focused mentorship program is new, but I know a GP mentorship program has existed for a while. I was wondering what people's experiences working as a veterinarian for VCA have been, especially when it comes to either the mentorship program or, in general, an emergency position. I understand that it's going to vary widely with each individual hospital, but I want some idea of what I would be getting myself into. I've seen some pretty bitter reviews on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, but almost everyone on those sites is a tech/animal care assistant/receptionist, and there is also the reporting bias that people are more likely to go out of their way to report on their experiences if they are unhappy. I wanted a more realistic picture of what the vet experience is like.

I was also wondering what to expect regarding the interview process as a vet student. I am just starting to interview for clinics so I don't really know what to expect, but I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of getting tested on my knowledge in the interview (which is dumb, I know, but it is what it is).

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[Enzo07]

Bumping! I'm a third year and considering taking the same route as you so am curious as to how your experience goes and what people have to say

 

[Minnerbelle]

I dunno about the VCA mentorship program for emergency, but on the gp side most people who go through it are overall happy with it I think, at least that’s what it seems like from those I know who have been through it.

Your experience depends on the mentors you’re assigned. Some are good, some suck. But you get assigned to a bunch so it’s not like you get stuck with a dud for all of it. And it is what you make if it. We had some newfrads come through my hospital and a couple literally stood there looking bored and not engaging all day.

The only VCA ER I’ve personally practiced close enough to know closed down due to inability to staff it well before the pandemic hit. Years ago before salaries were as high as they are now, they were trying to bribe area GPs to take a relief shift here and there to float this ER for $150/hr. You couldn’t have paid me enough to work there. But each hospital is totally different.

 

[battie]

Bumping! I'm a third year and considering taking the same route as you so am curious as to how your experience goes and what people have to say

This post is a year old. However, I joined a VCA hospital and went through the GP mentorship program and am now doing daytime ER approximately 1/3-1/2 of my hours.

The GP mentorship absolutely depends on where you go and who your mentor is. My mentorship was truly a group effort amongst almost all the clinicians in the hospital. I had a main mentor I covered basic stuff with (go over physical exams, local prevention, etc). But what I've learned in GP and ER has come from all the other docs in the hospital. No true structure to be honest because it has depended on what presents to the hospital.

I did an externship with this hospital that went really well, so the interview was very chill and almost more of a formality. If you want to get a sense for a hospital, do an externship. If you're very interested in that specific hospital, the longer the better. With all that goes on in the hospital, there is very little faking for the sake of enticing a student to apply there. You can also ask recent grads how their experience was starting out.

 

[Enzo07]

Your experience depends on the mentors you’re assigned. Some are good, some suck. But you get assigned to a bunch so it’s not like you get stuck with a dud for all of it. And it is what you make if it. We had some newfrads come through my hospital and a couple literally stood there looking bored and not engaging all day.

Yes this! I'm afraid of it but feel better knowing it isn't just one person I'm stuck with. I totally understand it being what I make of it too...I do better with more structure to start off, but would go to a hospital and engage if it seemed like the right fit for me.

This post is a year old.

Oops! I honestly thought for a minute it was still 2021...clearly in disbelief we are over a month in to 2022 lol.

I did an externship with this hospital that went really well, so the interview was very chill and almost more of a formality. If you want to get a sense for a hospital, do an externship. If you're very interested in that specific hospital, the longer the better. With all that goes on in the hospital, there is very little faking for the sake of enticing a student to apply there. You can also ask recent grads how their experience was starting out.

Thanks for the info! The one VCA ER near me I'd be interested in I actually worked at this past summer as a student/tech, so I got a feel of how it's like and wouldn't mind working there post-graduation, but at the time only a couple of the doctors actually seemed to enjoy mentoring me.