Vet Times

Tag: Students

  • Who runs the world?

    Who runs the world?

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    Toward the end of my first year at university, a friend of mine stumbled upon a funny online student-made list of “things NOT to expect at vet school”. From memory, I think it included things we all related to such as Christmas holidays (curse you, exams), summer holidays (why, EMS, why?) and “a coolness status…

  • Balancing health with a busy schedule

    Balancing health with a busy schedule

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    When it comes to a course as busy and hectic as veterinary medicine, it can be easy to let certain things slide – especially around exam time. There’s the occasional group event, the odd party and, of course, the big one – a healthy lifestyle. I know from experience that when the grind really sets…

  • Hitting pause

    Hitting pause

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    I’ve known for a long time I wanted to be a vet. This has meant that, since a very early age, a lot of my big decisions were pre-decided; GCSE and A-level options, university course, etc. My choice in universities was narrowed down to a one-digit figure before I’d gone to my first open day…

  • Mid-sessionals – the dos and don’ts

    Mid-sessionals – the dos and don’ts

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    Right now, a lot of vet students are heading towards their first mid-sessional exams – the first university level exams the majority of them will ever have experienced. The rest of us have mid-sessionals, too, off course, and while we no longer have the luxury of ignorance and the bliss it comes with, these are…

  • Don’t bite off more than you can chew

    Don’t bite off more than you can chew

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    All students dream of having it all – straight As, buzzing social life and maybe a small part-time job to help you afford the latter… There’s no doubt that whatever year you’re in, whatever course you’re on, you’ve probably got a lot going on. The important thing I’ve found, however (easier said than done, mind…

  • Lack of diversity in the veterinary profession is everyone’s problem

    Lack of diversity in the veterinary profession is everyone’s problem

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    It is heartening to see the need for diversity in the profession getting some airtime and column inches of late. Discussion of the issue is long overdue, but has this led to progress? Let’s be frank. Look around you – in your vet school class, your workplace, your boardroom and your practice. I’m going to…

  • Five-year plans

    Five-year plans

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    I like planning and being organised, and I used to always have a five-year plan. Back surgery and life in general has got in the way of that recently, but I still think having a five-year plan is a good motivator. I started thinking about this because of discussions around the training of vet nurses,…

  • EMS: life, death and lost holidays

    EMS: life, death and lost holidays

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    EMS is something I haven’t touched on too deeply, which is odd considering how much of a vet student’s life it takes up. For those not familiar with the term, EMS stands for extra-mural studies: work experience conducted outside of university term time. Each vet school organises its EMS slightly differently, but at Bristol we’re…

  • Farming EMS in the news

    Farming EMS in the news

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    I’m not from a farming background, and nobody I knew was agriculturally inclined when I decided to pursue production animal medicine. My family wondered why I would bother “messing about with cows” when I could comfortably work a four-day week petting kittens (their somewhat confused perception of small animal vetting). There were some not-so-subtle hints…

  • From the other side of the fence: how to help students make the most of EMS

    From the other side of the fence: how to help students make the most of EMS

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    Not long ago I was shadowing vets on placement, but now I’m on the other side of the fence – the one being shadowed. As a student, I found EMS placements variable – some were great, and some… not so much. This often depended on the individual vet, some of whom would be naturally better…