What experience have you had, if any, working within a farm environment? What did you learn from this experience?
Working as a vet includes more than practice work, and you may be required to visit animals within their rural/natural environment. The interviewer is asking this question to ascertain if you have any experience working outside of a standard surgery. If you have not had this experience, be honest rather than untruthful, but ensure the interviewer is aware you would gladly take experience in this area.
"I have had experience working on a farm, as my family owns and runs a cattle farm where I spent a lot of my childhood growing up. Experience wise, my days were spent assisting with the cows, milking, cleaning etc, there was never ever work experience from a veterinary aspect, however I would watch and shadow the vets when they attended the farm, this helped me gain an incite into the industry and the role"
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I do not have experience working within a farm environment. This coming year before starting vet school, I hope to accompany some veterinarians on farm calls.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is an honest answer, and it's completely okay that you are waiting to gain experience in this area. If you have experience with large animals such as horses you could mention this here also.
Anonymous Answer
I have worked on a sheep farm, doing lambing and ringing lambs tails and testes. I also dosed ewes with medication. I have dehorned beef calves and dealt with both calf and cow. I have spent time on a dairy farm, both in a milking parlor and learning how to trim cows hooves. I realized that I enjoyed learning about and working with farm animals the most out of all my work experience. I also gained confidence in larger animals.
Rachelle's Feedback
Gaining confidence around larger animals is very important so, that is a great touch to your answer. You give a lot of detail here, which is very important.
Anonymous Answer
I have very extensive farm experience in working with horses. As soon as I started at my university, I began working at the campus horse unit, and many of my classes included visiting the other farm animal units. I additionally worked extensively with chickens at the school and in an internship after graduating. For the last year, I lived in a trailer at the horse barn and took care of the horses from sun up to sundown. I learned the attitudes and moral values of the clients I hope to serve as a veterinarian.
Rachelle's Feedback
Wow - you have very extensive farm experience. This answer is great! Your experiences will ensure that you have a great start to veterinarian school.
Anonymous Answer
While shadowing a large animal clinic one summer, I went on frequent farm calls to witness cases concerning equine, cattle, and goats. I learned that farm calls could randomly come up at the last minute, so vets in this field have to be prepared for last-minute trips. During farm calls, we often taught the clients how to manage treatment themselves for their animals.
Rachelle's Feedback
It sounds as though this experience gave you a really interesting perspective into how veterinarian medicine is performed in other capacities. Good answer!
Anonymous Answer
In 2018, I was volunteering in Uganda and got to spend a few days working on a poultry and pig farm. I learned two main things from this experience. First of all, I was amazed at the complete reliance and trust the team had with each other, allowing them to innovate and flourish in ways that you cannot do alone. With this, I learned the importance of the veterinary team - how every member is vital and should not be overlooked. Moreover, by investing in your team and building a sense of community, you can prevent passion fatigue and imposter syndrome. Secondly, I experienced first hand the close relationship Ugandans have with their livestock. Their hygiene protocols are not as efficient as in the UK and this, along with their hot climate, makes Uganda a hub for zoonotic diseases, such as Rabies and African sleeping sickness. This kindled a passion for the importance of one health and provided a passion to enter the veterinary world and make an active contribution to one health.
Rachelle's Feedback
It seems you had a significant and memorable takeaway from this experience in Uganda - further forming your interest in veterinary medicine and one health. You mention that the team members had complete trust and reliance on each other. I encourage you to expand on this statement. Try painting a picture for the interviewer of what this collaboration looked like and how it differs from what you have witnessed in the past.
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