“Work” experience prior to application to veterinary school has been a long standing pre-requisite for all UK universities. The requirements vary by school and are to ensure that applicants have an awareness of the breadth of the veterinary profession and key aspects of animal care as they might pertain to future careers.
Increasingly, the sector recognises that access to these workplace opportunities can be difficult, often come at financial cost and are impossible to quality assure. The Veterinary Schools Council and its member organisations are committed to widening access, to diversity, equity and inclusion and is working to remove iniquitous barriers to entry to the profession. Although there is not yet a common approach to this amongst the schools, work is in train to create a more consistent and equitable framework. In the meantime, potential applicants should contact the individual universities, colleges or schools to whom they are applying to make themselves aware of the current requirements.
Veterinary schools explain their requirements for work experience in the admissions guide. This includes details on whether they ask for clinical experience shadowing vets and/or experience in a non-clinical animal husbandry setting. You should also take note of the amount of work experience beyond which further experience confers little advantage in their admissions processes.
Reflecting on work experience is an important element of the admissions process for veterinary medicine. Rather than being a passive observer, veterinary schools encourage applicants to take an active interest in the husbandry practice or clinical cases they see and the management or scientific principles which underlie them. You should try to be observant and thoughtful about what you see, ask questions, and possibly do a little extra reading or research once the working day is over. The nature of work experience means that very often you will not be able to follow clinical cases all the way from first consultation to clinical resolution. Veterinary schools are fully aware of this, so applicants should not be deterred from mentioning such cases in their application or interview.
For those interested in exploring a future career as a vet, the University of Nottingham has created a free virtual work experience course. On this course you will learn about the structure of veterinary practice and the different governing bodies, as well as discover the day to day challenges a vet might face. You will also be able to explore the different roles available outside of general practice and find out the great opportunities such a degree can bring.
