Vet Times

Tag: graduates

  • Preconceptions

    Preconceptions

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    Many preconceptions about the veterinary profession exist, with many of us having heard the old “is that seven years of training?” or “vets are all loaded” comments (cue eye roll). But what about on a personal level? Now I’ve finished vet school and passed (yippee!), I’ve been faced with a couple of misconceptions when I’ve…

  • Stitches

    Stitches

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    Legality within the veterinary profession can be a bit of a minefield, especially when it comes to things like drug licensing. This leaves many new graduates in fear of doing something against the law without even realising. However, while some veterinary legal principles are complicated but clear, others are genuinely vague, leaving us unsure on…

  • Final-year students get their kit off for charity calendar

    Final-year students get their kit off for charity calendar

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    As the end of vet school draws ever nearer, my fellow final-year students have been busy not only completing rotations, but also organising a number of events and keepsakes to act as a well-deserved send-off. With the final-year dinner, graduation ball, final-year holiday and yearbook, we have been inundated with requests for ideas, contributions and…

  • Student congress season

    Student congress season

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    The new year brought with it my last student congress season. It was the turn of Cambridge to host the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) Congress this year, and I attended lectures covering a range of disciplines and species. These included: equine dentistry rabbit surgery pig disease epidemiology a TB panel However, my personal favourite…

  • Under the microscope: lessons from pathology rotation

    Under the microscope: lessons from pathology rotation

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    The past couple of weeks on rotation have largely consisted of looking down a microscope or performing postmortems – and despite clinical and anatomic pathology being very different, a running theme seemed to exist across both. On the clinical pathology week, we pored over slide after slide of blood smears and cytology samples, trying to…

  • How to grab a grad: job ad tips for veterinary practices

    How to grab a grad: job ad tips for veterinary practices

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    2017 has reared its hopefully not-so-ugly head, and with it comes the realisation my classmates and I are mere months from entering the real world of veterinary medicine. While tales of classmates getting job offers following placements become more frequent, those of us without much of a plan have, so far, remained blissfully ignorant. But…

  • Careers: choices, paths and wishes

    Careers: choices, paths and wishes

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    I was talking to a colleague at work this week. We both have children about the same age, so naturally (and annoyingly to anyone who doesn’t have kids) there’s lots to share – nappy stories, who-jammed-what-object-where stories, and which-kids-TV-show-makes-you-feel-least-like-murdering-people stories. These conversations happen a lot, and when they happen with other vets, there’s an elephant…

  • The consequences of making a mistake

    The consequences of making a mistake

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    Fertility work makes up a large proportion of cattle veterinary work in the UK and, after spending a month on the farm rotation at university, I can appreciate the importance of getting it right – and how hard it can be. Experienced large animal vets make it look easy – they scan the uterus and…

  • Because you’re worth it

    Because you’re worth it

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    In my last blog, I talked about my lack of salesmanship skills with veterinary products. Today, I’m going to talk about something else I’m not very good at selling – myself. After we graduate, when we worry about how good we’re going to be at the job, it’s usually questions like: “Will I be able…

  • Change for the better

    Change for the better

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    The UK veterinary profession is suffering. While a documented shortage of graduates does not exist as in previous years, significantly less fuss has been kicked up about the announcement of the new Aberystwyth-in-conjunction-with-RVC vet school, compared with the opening of the Surrey Vet School in 2014. Is this because we knew Aberystwyth was in the…