Yipes!

[kernel]

Like oh-so-many, I am a pre-med gone pre-vet (because that's where my heart truly lies!). I just finished my second year as an undergrad, and I'm lucky to have already knocked off some of the general science requirements.

Still, I've been bracing myself for the big changes, and all this time I've known that I'm really going to have to put the pedal to the metal in terms of volunteer hours and clinic/shadow experience... BUT JEEZ! I just skimmed the successful applicants thread and saw numbers that I didn't even know existed.

I've always known it ain't easy, but at this point I'm beginning to get really down on myself. I live in a nicely sized city... one would think that it would be relatively easy to get "in" with a vet, but I'm having a pretty hard time finding a practice that will have me in the midst of trying to be a shiny sparkling perfect student with my varied, exotic and attractive extracurriculars. Le Sigh.

Where do I start? The animal shelter? Walking my neighbor's dog? (Just kidding.) And, roughly, what would be an ideal and realistic number of hours to achieve within then next 2.5 years?

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[david594]

2.5 years while still in school? I would think you could pull off 2500 hours relatively easily. That would only be 16 hours a week while in school and 40 hours a week during the summer.

I would try to start at a clinic. Apply for any positions they might have open. Hours accumulate a lot quicker when your not trying to divide your free time between your work hours and your "vet hours. Shelter experience can be amazing, but it can also the exact opposite. If you show up with no experience you may end up walking dogs and cleaning cages(very important for the shelter) instead of working with the vet staff if they even have one(very important to you).

 

[lalzi22]

Don't be intimidated! Some of us on here a bit crazy with experience, and some of us have worked for 3,4 even 5 or 6 years, so it makes sense that they have 5,000 hours. In 2.5 years you should easily be able to rack up 1000+ hours. Think of how much you can work during the summer! 40 hours per week, 12 weeks per summer, times 2 summers is 960 hours. Add in working a few weeks during winter breaks and you're golden.

As for having trouble finding places, go to EVERY clinic you can, in person, and talk to people. Even if its far-ish away. Many people on this site travel 30+ minutes each way to get to their shadowing/job. Sometimes it sucks, but it's necessary. Also, like David said, if you can get PAID to do it, go for it. I started as a kennel worker at a clinic (walking dogs, mopping, cleaning cages), and I was able to work up to taking blood, doing pre/post-op care etc.. after time. They start to trust you and you ask to do things and it comes together. If you can't go in for a job (since next to no one will hire a random college kid to just start as an untrained tech), ask for SHADOWING experience, not volunteer. Some vets won't touch a volunteer due to liability reasons, but they will welcome a shadow. Then, again, you may start to be able to do things other than shadow. Even if you can't though, shadowing is still vet hours, so go for it.

Good luck!

 

[that redhead]

Two and a half years is plenty of time to rack up the hours, so don't get down on yourself. If you're concerned about your grades slipping (which is a legitimate concern, and one that I brushed aside), you can work part-time or volunteer somewhere during the school year. Use the summers and breaks to your advantage, though. Work full time or shadow full time to rack those hours up. Depending on where you live, there may be a lot of opportunities for things other than small animal. If you're at a university, dig around and see if you can find a research and/or animal care position. Good luck.