The rewards of forming a non-profit

This edition's Life as a Vet Student topic:

'Each day the veterinary profession becomes less national and more global. The AVMA states, "In recent years the AVMA has turned to the global stage to advance its strategic goals, particularly in the areas of animal welfare and veterinary education, and has worked hard to ensure that the U.S. veterinary profession's voice is heard in international settings." 

Are you interested in global health? How have you contributed or plan to contribute in international veterinary medicine?'

Winner, Life as a Vet Student Category
David Kim, UC Davis

As I walked along the dirt road, telling people in my broken Spanish that International Veterinary Outreach (IVO) was having a free animal clinic today at the local community center, I thought about my last experience here.  This past December, we arrived in Jiquilillo and Padre Ramos, two rural fishing villages on the northwest coast of Nicaragua for our first trip to provide free veterinary care, and we had now returned during the summer.  As I told the natives about our clinic, I saw a bemused look on many faces, and I knew what I looked like, a chinito gringo trying to speak their tongue.  But I didn’t care.  It felt good to be back.

 

I could write all about the communities visited, the animals seen, the surgeries and treatments performed, the number of Toña beers imbibed, but I think the excitement and opportunity to do international field medicine often overlooks the brunt of the work of making a trip like this even happen.  So what kind of work goes into making a project like this succeed?

 

When my friends and I first got together to brainstorm for our group, we quickly realized the limitations of being a school club because of the Healthcare Vendor Policy (HVP) and decided to take on the arduous process of becoming a 501(c)(3).  As you can imagine, it was a lot of paperwork.  After numerous redrafts and advice from lawyers, we finally sent our application to the IRS last spring and had to wait months for it to be approved.

 

Next, we had to form groups to plan various aspects of the trip from logistics to outreach and education.

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Internships

Internships: are you planning on pursuing one or have you already been accepted?  Internships have been viewed as a way to gain more clinical experience as well as hone in on a specialty area.  But with the low salary figures and rising student debt, is it worth it? It might be the only path for those wishing to become board certified, but what about those who aren’t? Some say students may pursue an internship because they are still exploring career options, while others state that some grads lack the confidence to jump directly into practicing high quality medicine without the guidance of an internship program.  Are we getting all of the knowledge we need in veterinary school to dive in after graduation? Weigh in on the pros and cons of the internship experience and tell us how you decided whether or not to participate in one.

Honorable Mention, Life as a Vet Student Category
Sharon Ostermann, UC Davis

I’m a few weeks from beginning 4th year clinical rotations at this point and despite moments of serious consideration and contemplation over the past three years, I decided that I will not be pursuing a veterinary internship. Clearly, at this point, I cannot predict whether, as a new graduate, I will feel competent enough to go out on my own and practice good quality medicine (but, then again, we will only be partially through our clinical year when we have to make the decision of whether to apply for an internship).
Do I believe that an internship can be valuable? Absolutely! However, I believe it is an individual decision to be made on a case by case basis. For example, my decision to not pursue an internship after graduation is largely influenced by other life factors, including age.
Though I am not the oldest person in my class, I have taken a rather circuitous path to become a veterinarian that has been extremely rewarding in the lessons it has taught me, yet it’s also cost me something far more valuable– time. There was a point in veterinary school when I considered myself to have all the time in the world and I wanted to pursue an internship and a four year residency when I graduate. It wasn’t until I considered how old I would be when I finally started my career that I realized that I may need to re-evaluate.

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Experiences: Moose Research Center

Honorable Mention, Experiences Category
Jenna Winer, UC Davis

No running water. Limited electricity. Miserable mosquito bites. Trading in the bustle of city life for the rustle of wind in the silvery aspen leaves. Swapping palm trees for spruce, the comforts of home for the challenges of the wild, and human relatives for moose family members. During the summer of 2008, I was hired by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to bottle-raise calves at the Moose Research Center. I knew the work would be demanding and push me beyond my comfort zone, yet I could have never anticipated that this summer job would evolve into a life-altering and passion-confirming adventure. I not only survived but thrived in harsh field conditions, working twelve hours a day building fences, radio-tracking adult moose using telemetry, and tending to the needs of my calves.

 My three-month job was physically challenging as well as mentally and emotionally demanding. As a tragic bear attack left four of my calves dead, and an unforeseen copper deficiency killed six of the seven remaining mooselings, I realized my responsibilities would extend well beyond adorable animal husbandry. Despite my sorrow, I focused on the invaluable lessons the job offered. Unanticipated illness and death afforded me the opportunity to gain hands-on veterinary experience: administering copper deficiency treatments, drawing blood from the cephalic vein and analyzing hematology, and assisting with necropsies provided priceless lessons on the demands of the veterinary profession. Both the loss of calves and the complete recovery of “Minnie,” our sole survivor, yielded scientific knowledge that the Moose Research Center will expand upon through future studies.
    This experience was truly transformative. Directly contributing to the betterment of a species inspired me and strengthened my commitment to veterinary medicine more than I had previously thought possible. Not only did I gain a clearer vision of my vocational goals, but I also developed the discipline and maturity to help these goals materialize.  Since completing my first two years of veterinary school at UC Davis, I am committed to a future career in zoological medicine now more than ever.  I frequently think back to my Alaskan adventure, drawing on this experience for inspiration and motivation – not to mention fodder for some pretty awesome stories to swap with my fellow veterinary students!

YOU should become a LOBBYIST!

Honorable Mention, Experiences category
Samantha McDonnel, UC Davis

Okay I’m going to keep this brief because I know you veterinary students have an attention span of about 0.034 seconds.  Ughh, I probably already lost some of you…  And that’s only if you glanced down at this title for long enough after tabbing over to Facebook from your pathology notes during one of your professor’s digressions, and decided to keep reading.

For those select few who are still with me… you’re probably thinking that you don’t want to be a lobbyist (ew); you want to be a veterinarian, and actually, you know, do some benefit for society and make your mom proud (things lobbyists clearly never accomplish).  But if you reach the end of this article, I hope you take away one thing: ANYONE can be a (part-time) lobbyist!  

I, Samantha McDonnel, current DVM/PhD student, was a lobbyist in February in Washington DC, petitioning our congresspeople (yes, that is the term, get used to it) to vote certain ways on certain issues.  Hanie Elfenbein (another UCD DVM/PhD student) and I attended the AVMA legislative fly-in and went to the offices of California Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and Rep. Mike Thompson (District 1) to lobby on two pieces of legislation of great importance to our profession: the ‘Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act’ and the ‘Fairness to Pet Owners Act.’  What’s that you say?  You’ve never heard of these things??  Of course not.  You’re a student, and you probably don’t even know much about national current events.  But there might come a point (soon) when you have heard of such bills, and when it really matters to you whether or not they pass.

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Should we incorporate ourselves?

Corporations and private investors are becoming a growing part of veterinary medicine.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of increasing numbers of corporate owned veterinary clinics? What are your experiences with this type of system, and will you or are you considering getting involved in corporate veterinary medicine in the future?  Why or why not?

Winner, Forum category
Becky Lee, UC Davis

 “Don’t work for them if you can help it.” This was advice I received from a vet working at one of the large corporate-owned veterinary hospitals. For some veterinarians, the reputation of these corporations can be dismal. In my personal experience, working for these corporations in the summers during vet school and on externships, I feel I’ve gained a general understanding of the pros and cons.  Although I try to keep an open mind, I have seen sides of the corporate behemoths that would make me think very carefully before signing a contract.

    I must admit that the compensation from some of these companies is very appealing, and the benefits they offer help keep our industry standards high. In some ways, I am grateful. This is important to us as students with our colossal loan debt. Of course, money is not the bottom line for us; otherwise, we would all be working on Wall Street or managing hedge funds instead of being vets and treating hedgehogs.  

    Large corporate-owned practices also have an abundance of resources. There is consistency in staff training and likely similar technology available between practices. If you are out of heartworm tests, you can drive over to your neighboring corporate location and borrow a few. Or if you have a staff member out sick, it’s probably easier to find a back-up technician as a substitute compared to working at a single, independently-owned practice. I also have to admit that I think wellness plans can be a good thing and encourage preventative medicine, so long as these plans are not rammed down the client’s throats, and the pets aren’t receiving unnecessary services.  Fortunately, I think the medical services provided with these plans have improved over the past few years. Lyme vaccine and tonometry, anyone?

However, despite the ample resources these corporations have, one issue that left a negative impression with me was the pressure to sell. “Were you sure to offer the wellness plan?  Did the receptionist, nurse and doctor all offer the plan to the client? Why aren’t you getting people to sign up for these wellness plans?” Questions like these were emphasized and re-emphasized by regional directors in their visits to the hospitals. In my opinion, the pressure to sell was much stronger in corporate veterinary medicine than compared to the independently-owned practices where I’ve worked.

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