Veterinarian Workshop

Veterinary Medicine: It's More than Just Loving Animals!

Presented by: Inga Bailey, DVM; Associate Veterinarian, Andover Animal Hospital

Workshop Description

• I will be bringing some x-rays for everyone to look at--both normal ones and plenty of odd-ball ones as well.  X-rays are something that I do on an almost daily basis so they are an important screening test for many problems (heart disease, intestinal blockages, cancer, etc).  I think you will be pretty amazed at all the different things we see on x-rays and what things an animal will ingest.
• I will also be bringing my own personal dog so we can discuss what goes into an examination in the hospital (tools we use) and why it's so important to not only do a good physical but to take a good history as well and this means talking with the owner and being a good listener.
• I will also be happy to answer any questions about veterinary medicine- related to the schooling/classes needed, what I do every day--the good and the bad parts of being a veterinarian, etc. 

Leader’s Job Description

I am one of 10 veterinarians working at Andover Animal Hospital.  I work on dogs and cats only but hope to broaden my skills to include rabbits and ferrets as well.  I do surgeries once a week and spend the rest of the time receiving patients which means I perform physical examinations on both dogs and cats and treat them based on the reason for their visit (for example, yearly examination and vaccinations, vomiting, diarrhea, trouble breathing, coughing, etc).  Running tests (diagnostics) is a large part of my day as well--this can range from a simple blood draw to check for heartworm to a complete blood count and chemistry profile to x-rays and ultrasound depending on the issue that the pet is experiencing.  Another important part of my job is public health--making sure that our furry companions do not pose a health risk to humans or other animals.

Advice for Career Path

If you wish to pursue a job in the veterinary field--then I strongly urge you to take math and science courses now as it can only give you an advantage later on.  I took as many science and math courses as I could such as advanced placement (AP) biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry I and II, AP calculus, and AP physics to name a few.  You don't need to take them all but the more you take the better prepared you will be for college.  I found it was a much easier transition and I felt more confident in college because I had seen a great deal of the information before.  Now, you don't have to major in biology, chemistry or biochemistry to become a veterinarian but it helps.  I had several classmates at vet school that had majored in things like theater and English but just made sure that they took the courses that the veterinary school required for admission.  The same principle applies to any professional school--they are all going to require some courses or tests for admission so make sure you do your homework.

The other piece of advice that I urge each of you to act on is to shadow a professional before you decide whether being a veterinarian, lawyer, teacher, etc is right for you.  I worked in several different clinics before I really decided that it was something I thought I wanted to do.  Visiting several different practices/businesses is a good idea as well because you should not judge a profession based on a single example good or bad.