What’s it like to be in veterinary school? The Merck Manuals Student Stories program, now in its seventh year, is sharing the experience through blogs written by nine contributors.
Take, for example, Maria Estefania, a third-year student at the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, who recently wrote about her white coat ceremony.
“I … realized how veterinary school has shaped me into a self-determined and stronger woman,” she stated on her blog. “I will never stop learning and doing my best. I want to make my family proud and inspire youth to believe in their goals/dreams.”
Paula Simons, a fourth-year student at Ontario Veterinary College, reviewed a trip she and five classmates took to a North Carolina spay-neuter clinic.
“I had preconceived assumptions about high-volume surgery and assumed that to some degree animals would receive a lower quality of care than they would in a clinic setting,” she said. “I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was so far from the truth.”
Student Stories, which can be found at vetstudentstories.merckmanuals.com, delves not only into the veterinary student experience but also provides advice about veterinary colleges and addresses the human-animal bond and trending topics.
“Veterinary students seem to be under a particular amount of stress these days and maybe a little camaraderie and student advice is good,” a Merck Manuals spokesperson said.
“It’s a great resource for any student or person interested in going to veterinary school.”