New Veterinary Graduates: Spreading Their Wings and Exploring Career Paths in Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine Author(s): Tracey K. Ritzman, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian and Exotic Companion Mammals) Source: Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, 28(2):168-172. 2014. Published By: Association of Avian Veterinarians DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1647/1082-6742-28.2.168 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1647/1082-6742-28.2.168
BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder.
BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.
Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 28(2):168–172, 2014 Ó 2014 by the Association of Avian Veterinarians
Round Table Discussion
New Veterinary Graduates: Spreading Their Wings and Exploring Career Paths in Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine including them in our daily care. Avians, reptiles, fish, exotic mammals, and the other nontraditional patients are fascinating animals and their families are a joy to work with. To find out about the plans of new veterinarians who have an interest in avian and exotic animal medicine, I have invited 6 soon-to-be veterinary graduates to share their thoughts. These participants are veterinary students with an interest in nontraditional patient care and they have found ways during their veterinary training to include this area of veterinary medicine in their lives. The participants are Ben Hantler, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, North Grafton, MA, USA; Jennifer LaPierre, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, North Grafton, MA, USA; Stephany Lewis, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2015, North Grafton, MA, USA; Katherine O’Connor, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, Lansing, MI, USA; Ken Theus, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, Manhattan, KS, USA; and Caitlin Vandecar, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, Lansing, MI, USA. I am grateful to these wonderful individuals for taking the time out of their busy schedules to answer my questions. I am sure that everyone reading this round table article will find the information to be interesting and thought provoking. To this group of newly trained veterinarians I extend a warm welcome from all of us. Welcome to the veterinary work world and best of luck to you as you embark on your new adventures!
It is springtime and for those of us who live in a cold climate, our thoughts often focus on warmer weather and plans for enjoying the summer months. For those graduating from high school, college, veterinary school, medical school, or other educational programs, spring is a time for celebration and exploring career opportunities. My family is excited to be in this category as my husband is completing his medical residency and embarking on his exciting career as a physician. Those of us who work with students are fortunate to see their excitement and enthusiasm for our profession and share in that as they complete their training, ‘‘spread their wings,’’ and take flight with their careers. The recent economic recession that occurred in the United States has certainly had an impact on the veterinary profession in terms of employment opportunities for new veterinarians and even seasoned practitioners. Job availability can be influenced a great deal by geographic area, population, whether or not there is a veterinary college in the state, and other demographics. In many states, newly graduated veterinarians are finding a challenge with being able to obtain employment in their home city or state. It can be a daunting task to find a job that is the right fit and has the criteria desired. Other factors such as educational debt accrued during training can be a big influence when deciding on employment. For veterinarians with an interest in avian, reptile, and small mammal medicine and surgery, the search for employment may come with added challenges. Many veterinary hospitals do not see ‘‘exotics’’ and those that do may already have veterinary staff with an interest in that area that prefer not to ‘‘share’’ the caseload. Some veterinary practices may not recognize the interest or need to provide avian/exotic animal care and some practice owners may be hesitant to include these patients because of the lack of knowledge or interest. Certainly for those of us in the profession who see these patients, we know the wonderful benefits of
Tracey K. Ritzman, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian and Exotic Companion Mammals) Associate Editor Question: How did you become interested in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery? 168
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
B. Hantler: I frequently kept exotic animals like amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals as a kid so it seemed like a natural choice when I entered veterinary school. My goal of a career in zoo animal medicine made working with avian and exotic species make that much more sense. J. LaPierre: I had always been interested in avian and exotic animals, ever since I was a small child. I owned many exotic and avian species growing up and was interested in a career in veterinary medicine so that I could treat all types of pets. S. Lewis: Between my junior and senior years of college, I ‘‘interned’’ at a local wildlife rehabilitation center, just for something different to put on my veterinary school applications. My entire life I had wanted to be an equine veterinarian and had no intention of ever changing my course, but eventually I realized how much I loved wildlife rehabilitation work, and I felt very lucky to be able to help such a variety of amazing species. After completing that internship and staying on as staff (because I didn’t want to leave!), I ‘‘interned’’ at 2 more wildlife rehabilitation programs and worked as a veterinary technician at a small animal practice that saw occasional exotics. Luckily for me, I was the only technician at the practice who liked birds, so I got to help with all of the bird cases that came in and found that I really enjoyed working with birds and exotics in a private practice setting as well. K. O’Connor: I became interested in avian/exotic animal medicine after working with an avian veterinarian during my first job as a veterinary assistant. K. Theus My interest in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery evolved from owning budgies as pets during my childhood. I performed research with small mammals and several fish species during college. I spent the year following Hurricane Katrina attending to the needs of various exotic pets evacuated from New Orleans. My career path prior to veterinary school culminated with the
169
veterinary technician position at the Parrot Garden at Best Friends Animal Society. I am a founding board member and past-president of Feathered Friends of Las Vegas, a parrot rescue and adoption organization. C. Vandecar: My love of exotic animals dates back to when I was a little girl growing up with parakeets, an African grey, an Indian mynah bird, and numerous hamsters and fish. When I started working as a veterinary assistant in a small and exotic animal hospital before veterinary school, I quickly realized the direction I wanted my career to go in. Question: Did your veterinary school offer any courses, lectures, or clinical rotations for avian and exotic animal education? B. Hantler: Yes, we had several courses that covered avian and exotic/zoo medicine. We were also offered the choice of doing elective time with our Zoological Companion Animal Service during our fourth-year clinical rotations. A 2-week core rotation at the Bernice Barbour Wildlife Clinic is also mandatory for all fourth-year students. J. LaPierre: Yes, my veterinary school offered 2 courses that contained lectures on avian and exotic companion animal species. The first is called Zoological Medicine and the other is called Comparative Anatomy. During our fourth year, we can sign up for elective weeks with the Zoological Companion Animal Medicine Service. S. Lewis: Yes! In the first-year curriculum we have the Comparative Anatomy course, then the Introduction to Zoo Medicine course in second year, and the Zoo Animal Medicine course in third year. We have very active avian, wildlife, and exotics clubs on campus that organize plenty of lunch lectures, field trips, and wet labs, and a symposium every year. Additionally, we have our Wildlife Clinic right on campus, where every student does a core rotation during their fourth year, and an exotics department that takes students for elective rotations, and there is also a week-long advanced
170
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exotics elective and an advanced avian elective held every year for students in their clinical year. K. O’Connor: An elective once-a-week lecture course was offered as a basic avian/exotic animal medicine introduction. A few lecture hours in required courses were dedicated to avian/exotics. A wildlife rotation was offered but no formal avian/exotic companion animal rotations were offered at the time my clinical rotations were scheduled. K. Theus:
S. Lewis: During the school year, I was a work-study student at the Wildlife Clinic, shadowed at our exotics department, and did an avian necropsy elective class. During my first summer, I did a research project with red-tailed hawks, and last summer I externed at Cape Wildlife Center and Dickerson Park Zoo. For the upcoming year I have externships scheduled with the University of Wisconsin’s exotic animal medicine service, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. K. O’Connor:
My veterinary school has a third-year core course in exotic animal medicine followed by an elective advanced exotic animal medicine course. I also participated in the elective fourth-year clinical rotation in exotic animal and zoo animal medicine. I participated in the school’s very active Exotic Animal Medicine Club. The school also has a student-run herpetarium. C. Vandecar: We were offered an elective introductory course in exotic species and small mammal medicine during our second year. We also had the opportunity to volunteer for our hospital’s rescue wildlife ward and participate in a few exotic and lab animal wet labs for some of the student clubs. There were not very many opportunities in clinics to get hands-on experience with exotic and avian species within the teaching hospital. Question: What did you do outside of your veterinary school program to gain further experience with avian and exotic animal patients (externships, conferences, etc.)? B. Hantler: I volunteered for about 3 years at the St Louis Zoo Veterinary Hospital. I assisted our faculty exotics clinicians the summer after my second year in school. I also chose to do elective time in my fourth year at both the Roger Williams Zoo and St Louis Zoo. J. LaPierre: I worked as a veterinary technician prior to veterinary school at a small animal practice that saw a small number of exotic animal and avian patients.
I scheduled and attended 2 3-week externships with ABVP [American Board of Veterinary Practitioners]certified veterinarians. The first veterinarian is ABVP certified in avian and exotic companion mammal practice and the second is ABVP certified in avian practice. I also helped organize and run an extracurricular Zoo, Exotic, and Wildlife Organization for veterinary students in which wet labs, handling labs, and lectures were given. K. Theus: I have attended various conferences over the years including AAV, AAZV, AVMA, and AAHA. I completed a fourth-year externship at the West Esplanade Veterinary Clinic, a very busy exotics exclusive practice in the New Orleans, LA, area. I was also the student representative for the Lafeber Company during my 4 years of veterinary school. C. Vandecar: I went on a couple externships specializing in exotic and avian animals, including one with an ABVP board certified avian and exotic companion mammal veterinarian. While I did not go to any exotic or avian conferences specifically, I went to as many exotic animal and avian lectures that were available at the conferences I was able to attend. Question: Do you belong to any professional veterinary associations? If so, which ones? B. Hantler: Not at this time. J. LaPierre: I am a member of SCAVMA.
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
S. Lewis: Yes. I belong to AAV, SCAVMA, and NWRA. K. O’Connor: I’m currently a member of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. K. Theus: I am a student member of SCAVMA, AVMA, AAHA, and the AAV. C. Vandecar: Yes, currently the AVMA and MVMA. After graduation, I also plan on becoming a member of the AAV and AEMV. Question: What type of job would be your ideal first choice after graduation? B. Hantler: My ideal job would be one with a high caseload of exotic animal and avian patients. My ultimate goal is a residency in zoo animal medicine so I would like as much experience with those types of patients as possible. J. LaPierre: My ideal job after graduation would be as an associate veterinarian in a busy small animal practice. S. Lewis: My dream job would be a veterinary position at a wildlife rehabilitation center, but I am pretty open-minded and would also love to work at an exotic pet practice, zoo, conservation center, etc. Basically, my main goal is to be able to work with birds at least 15% of the time. I really like to teach as well, so I think I would enjoy being at a university hospital or somewhere that takes students.
171
K. Theus: My ideal job after graduation would be an associate position in a small animal practice with at least a 30% exotic animal case load. C. Vandecar: Ideally, I would like a position in a practice that is 50/50 small animal and avian/exotic animal medicine and surgery. While I do love avian and exotic animals, I cannot deny my soft spot for dogs and cats, too. Question: If you have already accepted a job after graduation, what type of practice/work opportunity is it? B. Hantler: I have accepted an internship in avian and exotic animal medicine at the Broward Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital. J. LaPierre: I have accepted a position as an associate veterinarian in a busy small animal practice in Connecticut. S. Lewis: Since I am just entering my fourth year now, I do not have a position lined up after graduation, but my plan is to do a rotating small animal internship my first year out to solidify and gain confidence in my abilities as a clinician and afterwards, seek advanced training in avian and exotic animal medicine. K. O’Connor: I have not yet accepted a position at this time. K. Theus: I have not yet accepted a job offer following graduation. I am still pursuing my ideal job. C. Vandecar:
K. O’Connor: My ideal choice would be at a busy multipledoctor small animal clinic that also treats avian, exotic companion mammal, and reptile patients routinely.
I have accepted an Associate Veterinarian position at a small animal and exotic animal/avian hospital in Southeast Michigan. I will be working with anything that can fit through the front door! It really is my dream job!
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JOURNAL OF AVIAN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
Question: Are you planning on doing any advanced training in avian/exotic medicine after graduation from veterinary school? If so, what program? B. Hantler:
K. O’Connor: I am highly interested in pursuing an ABVP certification in avian practice after graduating from veterinary school.
Yes my internship program is devoted solely to avian and exotic animal medicine.
K. Theus:
J. LaPierre:
I am not doing an internship during this first year after graduation. However, I have not ruled out the possibility of future advanced training.
I am planning on become a member of the AEMV, ARAV, and AAV. I plan on attending a CE in my area that is focused on exotic animal/ avian medicine. S. Lewis: Yes, but I do not yet have a specific program in mind. I hope to eventually become ABVP certified in avian medicine.
C. Vandecar: At this point, I am focusing on getting my feet wet as a new veterinarian, but will be concentrating much of my continued education on exotic and avian species. I am also playing with the idea of becoming ABVP certified down the road.
BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder.
BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.
Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 28(2):168–172, 2014 Ó 2014 by the Association of Avian Veterinarians
Round Table Discussion
New Veterinary Graduates: Spreading Their Wings and Exploring Career Paths in Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine including them in our daily care. Avians, reptiles, fish, exotic mammals, and the other nontraditional patients are fascinating animals and their families are a joy to work with. To find out about the plans of new veterinarians who have an interest in avian and exotic animal medicine, I have invited 6 soon-to-be veterinary graduates to share their thoughts. These participants are veterinary students with an interest in nontraditional patient care and they have found ways during their veterinary training to include this area of veterinary medicine in their lives. The participants are Ben Hantler, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, North Grafton, MA, USA; Jennifer LaPierre, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, North Grafton, MA, USA; Stephany Lewis, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2015, North Grafton, MA, USA; Katherine O’Connor, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, Lansing, MI, USA; Ken Theus, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, Manhattan, KS, USA; and Caitlin Vandecar, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2014, Lansing, MI, USA. I am grateful to these wonderful individuals for taking the time out of their busy schedules to answer my questions. I am sure that everyone reading this round table article will find the information to be interesting and thought provoking. To this group of newly trained veterinarians I extend a warm welcome from all of us. Welcome to the veterinary work world and best of luck to you as you embark on your new adventures!
It is springtime and for those of us who live in a cold climate, our thoughts often focus on warmer weather and plans for enjoying the summer months. For those graduating from high school, college, veterinary school, medical school, or other educational programs, spring is a time for celebration and exploring career opportunities. My family is excited to be in this category as my husband is completing his medical residency and embarking on his exciting career as a physician. Those of us who work with students are fortunate to see their excitement and enthusiasm for our profession and share in that as they complete their training, ‘‘spread their wings,’’ and take flight with their careers. The recent economic recession that occurred in the United States has certainly had an impact on the veterinary profession in terms of employment opportunities for new veterinarians and even seasoned practitioners. Job availability can be influenced a great deal by geographic area, population, whether or not there is a veterinary college in the state, and other demographics. In many states, newly graduated veterinarians are finding a challenge with being able to obtain employment in their home city or state. It can be a daunting task to find a job that is the right fit and has the criteria desired. Other factors such as educational debt accrued during training can be a big influence when deciding on employment. For veterinarians with an interest in avian, reptile, and small mammal medicine and surgery, the search for employment may come with added challenges. Many veterinary hospitals do not see ‘‘exotics’’ and those that do may already have veterinary staff with an interest in that area that prefer not to ‘‘share’’ the caseload. Some veterinary practices may not recognize the interest or need to provide avian/exotic animal care and some practice owners may be hesitant to include these patients because of the lack of knowledge or interest. Certainly for those of us in the profession who see these patients, we know the wonderful benefits of
Tracey K. Ritzman, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian and Exotic Companion Mammals) Associate Editor Question: How did you become interested in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery? 168
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
B. Hantler: I frequently kept exotic animals like amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals as a kid so it seemed like a natural choice when I entered veterinary school. My goal of a career in zoo animal medicine made working with avian and exotic species make that much more sense. J. LaPierre: I had always been interested in avian and exotic animals, ever since I was a small child. I owned many exotic and avian species growing up and was interested in a career in veterinary medicine so that I could treat all types of pets. S. Lewis: Between my junior and senior years of college, I ‘‘interned’’ at a local wildlife rehabilitation center, just for something different to put on my veterinary school applications. My entire life I had wanted to be an equine veterinarian and had no intention of ever changing my course, but eventually I realized how much I loved wildlife rehabilitation work, and I felt very lucky to be able to help such a variety of amazing species. After completing that internship and staying on as staff (because I didn’t want to leave!), I ‘‘interned’’ at 2 more wildlife rehabilitation programs and worked as a veterinary technician at a small animal practice that saw occasional exotics. Luckily for me, I was the only technician at the practice who liked birds, so I got to help with all of the bird cases that came in and found that I really enjoyed working with birds and exotics in a private practice setting as well. K. O’Connor: I became interested in avian/exotic animal medicine after working with an avian veterinarian during my first job as a veterinary assistant. K. Theus My interest in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery evolved from owning budgies as pets during my childhood. I performed research with small mammals and several fish species during college. I spent the year following Hurricane Katrina attending to the needs of various exotic pets evacuated from New Orleans. My career path prior to veterinary school culminated with the
169
veterinary technician position at the Parrot Garden at Best Friends Animal Society. I am a founding board member and past-president of Feathered Friends of Las Vegas, a parrot rescue and adoption organization. C. Vandecar: My love of exotic animals dates back to when I was a little girl growing up with parakeets, an African grey, an Indian mynah bird, and numerous hamsters and fish. When I started working as a veterinary assistant in a small and exotic animal hospital before veterinary school, I quickly realized the direction I wanted my career to go in. Question: Did your veterinary school offer any courses, lectures, or clinical rotations for avian and exotic animal education? B. Hantler: Yes, we had several courses that covered avian and exotic/zoo medicine. We were also offered the choice of doing elective time with our Zoological Companion Animal Service during our fourth-year clinical rotations. A 2-week core rotation at the Bernice Barbour Wildlife Clinic is also mandatory for all fourth-year students. J. LaPierre: Yes, my veterinary school offered 2 courses that contained lectures on avian and exotic companion animal species. The first is called Zoological Medicine and the other is called Comparative Anatomy. During our fourth year, we can sign up for elective weeks with the Zoological Companion Animal Medicine Service. S. Lewis: Yes! In the first-year curriculum we have the Comparative Anatomy course, then the Introduction to Zoo Medicine course in second year, and the Zoo Animal Medicine course in third year. We have very active avian, wildlife, and exotics clubs on campus that organize plenty of lunch lectures, field trips, and wet labs, and a symposium every year. Additionally, we have our Wildlife Clinic right on campus, where every student does a core rotation during their fourth year, and an exotics department that takes students for elective rotations, and there is also a week-long advanced
170
JOURNAL OF AVIAN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
exotics elective and an advanced avian elective held every year for students in their clinical year. K. O’Connor: An elective once-a-week lecture course was offered as a basic avian/exotic animal medicine introduction. A few lecture hours in required courses were dedicated to avian/exotics. A wildlife rotation was offered but no formal avian/exotic companion animal rotations were offered at the time my clinical rotations were scheduled. K. Theus:
S. Lewis: During the school year, I was a work-study student at the Wildlife Clinic, shadowed at our exotics department, and did an avian necropsy elective class. During my first summer, I did a research project with red-tailed hawks, and last summer I externed at Cape Wildlife Center and Dickerson Park Zoo. For the upcoming year I have externships scheduled with the University of Wisconsin’s exotic animal medicine service, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. K. O’Connor:
My veterinary school has a third-year core course in exotic animal medicine followed by an elective advanced exotic animal medicine course. I also participated in the elective fourth-year clinical rotation in exotic animal and zoo animal medicine. I participated in the school’s very active Exotic Animal Medicine Club. The school also has a student-run herpetarium. C. Vandecar: We were offered an elective introductory course in exotic species and small mammal medicine during our second year. We also had the opportunity to volunteer for our hospital’s rescue wildlife ward and participate in a few exotic and lab animal wet labs for some of the student clubs. There were not very many opportunities in clinics to get hands-on experience with exotic and avian species within the teaching hospital. Question: What did you do outside of your veterinary school program to gain further experience with avian and exotic animal patients (externships, conferences, etc.)? B. Hantler: I volunteered for about 3 years at the St Louis Zoo Veterinary Hospital. I assisted our faculty exotics clinicians the summer after my second year in school. I also chose to do elective time in my fourth year at both the Roger Williams Zoo and St Louis Zoo. J. LaPierre: I worked as a veterinary technician prior to veterinary school at a small animal practice that saw a small number of exotic animal and avian patients.
I scheduled and attended 2 3-week externships with ABVP [American Board of Veterinary Practitioners]certified veterinarians. The first veterinarian is ABVP certified in avian and exotic companion mammal practice and the second is ABVP certified in avian practice. I also helped organize and run an extracurricular Zoo, Exotic, and Wildlife Organization for veterinary students in which wet labs, handling labs, and lectures were given. K. Theus: I have attended various conferences over the years including AAV, AAZV, AVMA, and AAHA. I completed a fourth-year externship at the West Esplanade Veterinary Clinic, a very busy exotics exclusive practice in the New Orleans, LA, area. I was also the student representative for the Lafeber Company during my 4 years of veterinary school. C. Vandecar: I went on a couple externships specializing in exotic and avian animals, including one with an ABVP board certified avian and exotic companion mammal veterinarian. While I did not go to any exotic or avian conferences specifically, I went to as many exotic animal and avian lectures that were available at the conferences I was able to attend. Question: Do you belong to any professional veterinary associations? If so, which ones? B. Hantler: Not at this time. J. LaPierre: I am a member of SCAVMA.
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
S. Lewis: Yes. I belong to AAV, SCAVMA, and NWRA. K. O’Connor: I’m currently a member of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. K. Theus: I am a student member of SCAVMA, AVMA, AAHA, and the AAV. C. Vandecar: Yes, currently the AVMA and MVMA. After graduation, I also plan on becoming a member of the AAV and AEMV. Question: What type of job would be your ideal first choice after graduation? B. Hantler: My ideal job would be one with a high caseload of exotic animal and avian patients. My ultimate goal is a residency in zoo animal medicine so I would like as much experience with those types of patients as possible. J. LaPierre: My ideal job after graduation would be as an associate veterinarian in a busy small animal practice. S. Lewis: My dream job would be a veterinary position at a wildlife rehabilitation center, but I am pretty open-minded and would also love to work at an exotic pet practice, zoo, conservation center, etc. Basically, my main goal is to be able to work with birds at least 15% of the time. I really like to teach as well, so I think I would enjoy being at a university hospital or somewhere that takes students.
171
K. Theus: My ideal job after graduation would be an associate position in a small animal practice with at least a 30% exotic animal case load. C. Vandecar: Ideally, I would like a position in a practice that is 50/50 small animal and avian/exotic animal medicine and surgery. While I do love avian and exotic animals, I cannot deny my soft spot for dogs and cats, too. Question: If you have already accepted a job after graduation, what type of practice/work opportunity is it? B. Hantler: I have accepted an internship in avian and exotic animal medicine at the Broward Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital. J. LaPierre: I have accepted a position as an associate veterinarian in a busy small animal practice in Connecticut. S. Lewis: Since I am just entering my fourth year now, I do not have a position lined up after graduation, but my plan is to do a rotating small animal internship my first year out to solidify and gain confidence in my abilities as a clinician and afterwards, seek advanced training in avian and exotic animal medicine. K. O’Connor: I have not yet accepted a position at this time. K. Theus: I have not yet accepted a job offer following graduation. I am still pursuing my ideal job. C. Vandecar:
K. O’Connor: My ideal choice would be at a busy multipledoctor small animal clinic that also treats avian, exotic companion mammal, and reptile patients routinely.
I have accepted an Associate Veterinarian position at a small animal and exotic animal/avian hospital in Southeast Michigan. I will be working with anything that can fit through the front door! It really is my dream job!
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Question: Are you planning on doing any advanced training in avian/exotic medicine after graduation from veterinary school? If so, what program? B. Hantler:
K. O’Connor: I am highly interested in pursuing an ABVP certification in avian practice after graduating from veterinary school.
Yes my internship program is devoted solely to avian and exotic animal medicine.
K. Theus:
J. LaPierre:
I am not doing an internship during this first year after graduation. However, I have not ruled out the possibility of future advanced training.
I am planning on become a member of the AEMV, ARAV, and AAV. I plan on attending a CE in my area that is focused on exotic animal/ avian medicine. S. Lewis: Yes, but I do not yet have a specific program in mind. I hope to eventually become ABVP certified in avian medicine.
C. Vandecar: At this point, I am focusing on getting my feet wet as a new veterinarian, but will be concentrating much of my continued education on exotic and avian species. I am also playing with the idea of becoming ABVP certified down the road.
