This post is to begin the Vet School Diary of Scott, who will be commencing his veterinary school course work at Murdoch University in Australia. http://http://www.vetbiomed.murdoch.edu.au/vet/vet_about.html
The school year will start in February 2006, and it is a 5 year program. This diary will allow readers to learn what it is like to prepare for a move to another country with pets, find housing, financial aid, etc. all in preparation for veterinary school.
Congratulations on your acceptance Scott, and good luck in your studies!
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Greetings...
I'm a second career, soon-to-be vet student, recently admitted to Murdoch university in Murdoch, Western Australia. I chose to write for two reasons: I'd like to keep a log of my own experiences, and I think people will find my experiences helpful, as I've found those of others to be helpful.
Long story short -- three years ago my 14-yr old cat was given a steroid shot (don't remember what it was) that brought on diabetes and, eventually, chronic renal failure. Spent nine months and lots o' money trying to keep her alive and keep her comfortable, but finally had to put her to sleep. My experiences with my vets prompted me to re-evaluate my choice of career.
I started volunteering at a no-kill shelter. Then I found a part-time gig at a small animal clinic, as well as a 24-hour emergency hospital. I started working at a wildlife rescue. All the while, I continued my job as an engineer (must pay off previous student loans), and started back to school to complete the prerequisite course work.
I wanted to go to texas A & M university. But having an engineering degree and more calculus and physics [course work] than you'd like to imagine, I was a little anxious to skip those prerequisites and start ASAP. They said no -- I'm sure they have good reasons. So I decided I'd apply at the AVMA accredited programs in New Zealand and australia. And I got accepted at Murdoch university. I start in February, 2006.
I cried the day I got my offer of admission. I worked so hard the last few years, and now the hardest part was over.
So, now I'm trying to organize my move, moving my two cats over there, finding an apartment, arranging financial aid, etc. The good thing about being admitted so early is I get plenty of time to plan. The bad thing is I can't do anything for months.
My main stress these days is trying to figure out how to minimize the stress of moving for my cats. I went to the vet yesterday for the blood draw for the rabies titre check, only to find my USDA vet had moved out of town. Small set back. Doh! The good thing is they got a trip in their crates without being handled, poked and prodded by the vet.
Thanks for reading...
