Work experience

This section is more specifically relevant to applicants to the Veterinary Medicine degree options. However, work experience is a really valuable way of discovering the real world of work and can be a brilliant way of finding out where you fit in.

All sorts of rumours fly around about the quantity of work experience required for entry on to a veterinary medicine degree. This section is here to help you understand what constitutes work experience and why veterinary universities ask you to do it. This section is by no means a comprehensive guide to what you might be expected to do, but hopefully it will serve as a starting point.

Work experience does exactly what it says on the tin: it provides you with experience of work in your future field. There is all sorts of veterinary and paraveterinary work available and not all of it involves small furries and cute animals. Due to the large number of applicants to veterinary medicine courses, work experience is required to make sure you really understand what you will be doing when you qualify. Additionally, it helps you learn some basic animal handling skills which are essential for the job.

How much work experience do you need?

Different universities have different minimum entry requirements for work experience. It is important to consider how much you can fit in around your current studies and how much you want to see before you're sure veterinary medicine is for you. As a rule of thumb, quality of work experience should come before sheer quantity. However, you must meet the minimum requirements of the university you wish to apply for.

It is a good idea to visit a variety of different establishments to gain work experience. This gives you the best opportunity to see all the various aspects of your chosen career. Below are a some suggestions for placements:

University research laboratory
Cattery/Kennels
Veterinary practice (Small, Large or Mixed)
Pig/Dairy/Poultry/Sheep farm
Animal sanctuary
Zoo
Abattoir
Stables
Lambing

Entry requirements for the RVC

Work experience entry requirements for the RVC vary depending on the course you are intending to apply for. For specific details visit the entry requirements page of the course you are interested in.

Where to start

First things first, you have to find a suitable placement. You can find possible placements in all sorts of ways: on the internet, via word of mouth, in the Yellow Pages or by going out and looking around your area. It is important that the placement has enough animals or work for you to observe or assist with so you aren't wasting your time. The best way to find out more about the placement is to visit or give them a ring and introduce yourself.

Once you have found a suitable placement and established that they are happy to take on a work experience student it is a good idea to write and confirm the dates you are planning to attend. You could also include information about your level of experience with the particular species you'll be working with and what you hope to achieve. It is advisable to check you will be suitably insured whilst on your work experience placements.

Making the most of your placement

It is really crucial to make the most of your time spent on work experience placements. It can be useful to record your experiences in a diary so you can refer back to them before writing your personal statement or before an interview. You could also take photographs for your own reference. If you would like a personal reference from the placement ask them for one in advance so you can collect it on the last day and keep it in a safe place!

Whilst you are there

Ask questions.
In fact, ask as many as you can; there is no such thing as a stupid question. It is advisable to pick your moment though, it's probably not a good idea to ask when your supervisor is in the middle of a crisis.

Observe.
If there are some things you can't get involved in directly then don't stand around texting or picking your nose. You can pick up an awful lot from just watching how something is done. Don't get hung up on the details of a procedure or practice (you're a student, not a professional), but do try and get a good idea of key concepts such as animal handling or research protocols.

Get involved.
Whenever you can, get stuck in! The old saying "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." is often too true. Try and avoid being used as slave labour, but do make yourself useful when you can. It will endear you to your supervisor and usually makes a placement a lot more fun!

Communicate.
It can be awkward meeting someone for the first time, but it's a great opportunity to practice your communication skills and you have to start somewhere. Try and be open-minded on your placement; just because something is done differently to what you might be used to doesn't make it wrong.

What to wear on your placement

This might sound a bit frivolous (the obvious answer being, 'clothes'), but what you wear on your placement can be the difference between having a great time or a total disaster. Study the weather if you're going to be outdoors and consider the conditions you are likely to encounter (whilst you might look great, turning up to a any placement in flip flops and a miniskirt is likely to be entirely impractical). The person best placed to advise you on clothing is your supervisor.

For placements involving hands on work with animals, the following bits of kit might be useful:

Overalls
Wellies
Sturdy boots
Waterproofs
A warm coat, hat, scarf and gloves

After your placement

After your placement consider whether you enjoyed your placement and what aspects you liked and did not like. Think about the different jobs and lifestyles you encountered on your placements and which one might suit you best. Use your work experience to inform your university course choices, it is one of the best opportunities you will get to explore career options for the future.

For more information on making the most of your work experience take a look at the work experience podcast by Jess Granger: Work experience requirements.

You might find some useful information about including your work experiences in your personal statement and interview in the Personal statement and Interview process sections.

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