What experience have you had working within veterinary medicine? What have you most enjoyed?
Interviewers often ask this question in order to gain a better insight into your career and work history. This question is asking you to explain your previous experience, if you have any, and then explain what areas you have most enjoyed. Try to focus on skills and specifics here, and think of examples which could be transferable into your new role, as this will show you have an understanding and experience of how your past career can be utilized further.
"I have had experience working within a local veterinary surgery as a weekend assistant. My role was to support the veterinary surgeon during local surgery, assisting with preparation and paperwork prior to and following surgery. The most enjoyable part of this role was having exposure to various surgical procedures, which allowed me to learn processes and ask questions throughout."
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 have shadowed at both a small and mixed animal clinic, which has allowed me to observe a wide range of routine to emergency cases. I have learned about many diseases and treatments from the vets and learned how to take a heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and breathing rates of patients during surgeries. I most enjoyed watching the surgeries as I found it fascinating to see various organs within an animal.
Rachelle's Feedback
It seems that you have a broad and valuable range of experiences, which is wonderful!
Anonymous Answer
I have had experience with two separate equine veterinarians. One of the practices focused on breeding, and the other focused on sports medicine. I was able to assist in some surgeries as well, such as castrations and orthopedic surgeries. I was fascinated by the operations, and I tried to learn each procedure and asked questions to get a better understanding. I found myself to be comfortable with the gross aspects of surgery, and that would be a specialty I would consider.
Rachelle's Feedback
It seems your experiences have been broad, exciting, and highly targeted to your desires as a veterinarian. Great answer!
Anonymous Answer
I have had a variety of experiences including the time I spent at small animal vets, safari parks, a poultry business, a dairy farm, and a horse livery. My most enjoyable experience was at the safari park because I have considered the possibility of becoming a zoo veterinarian. I was lucky enough to get close-up encounters with many different species, including endangered ones. I was able to observe vet training sessions, and I also learned the importance of animal breeding and conservation. I witnessed how the keepers and vets really bonded with each animal and the idea of playing a part in protecting vulnerable and endangered species that would not normally get veterinary care is very rewarding.
Rachelle's Feedback
The safari park experience sound really interesting! The details you give are excellent, and you have a true knack for bringing the interviewer along in your responses, helping them to see, feel, and experience your enthusiasm. Great job!
Anonymous Answer
A particularly rewarding experience for me was in a small animal vet clinic where there was a wall of thank you cards thanking the vets for dedicating their time and effort to not only improving the animal's lives but their owner's lives also. To me, this highlighted what a fulfilling profession veterinary medicine is, and that I want to dedicate the rest of my life to protecting the human-animal bond.
Rachelle's Feedback
The thank you cards sound like a nice touch! You do a good job answering the final part of the question, 'what have you most enjoyed' in terms of the environment. I recommend focusing further on your overall experience and exposure to the work of a veterinarian. Walk the interviewer through your career or student highlights focusing on the soft and hard skills you have gained thus far. Then, consider discussing how these experiences will help you to be a diligent and high-performing student.
Anonymous Answer
I have had the opportunity to shadow and work for a few different veterinarians. This allowed me to gain experience in a small animal, large animal, and mixed clinic. Through these experiences, I was able to assist with several procedures, including ACL repairs, enucleation surgeries, cesarian sections, and blood draws on both large and small animals. Through these experiences, I have learned how to do a thorough physical exam and a bit about how to do different procedures. What I most enjoyed was working with farm animals and dealing with their unpredictable behaviors in a setting outside a clinic.
Marcie's Feedback
This is an excellent answer because it is thorough and direct. Great job! If you wanted to add anything else, you might explain why you enjoyed working with farm animals outside the best and whether this is your ultimate goal or not.
Anonymous Answer
My father opened an animal hospital a year before I was born. This gave me a lot of insight into how a veterinary clinic is run and what it takes behind the scenes. I have seen my dad break down crying when I was just 8 during the financial crisis because we believed our family's business would go under. Since then, I have seen and participated in making decisions involving hiring, hospital policies, and employee training. I have greatly enjoyed seeing the growth of my family's hospital. It started with just my dad and one other veterinarian on staff, and they now employ nearly 50 veterinary assistants and five veterinarians. It has grown from helping 4 or 5 patients a day to helping nearly 25 a day. This is so astounding to me, and I hope to continue helping the community through this business.
Stephanie's Feedback
It's amazing that you were given a unique front-row seat to veterinary medicine, but the specifics of your response focus more on the business aspect and less on veterinary medicine. I suggest shifting your focus to the medical aspect and what you have enjoyed.
Anonymous Answer
I have completed 2 weeks of work experience in a veterinary clinic and 1-week work experience on a farm. In my work experience in a clinic, I learned about the different skills that are needed in a veterinary career such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork. I witnessed the importance of communication as the vet had to speak to a variety of different owners in order to make sure the follow-up treatment is carried out correctly to optimize the health of the pet. Additionally, communication between the vet and vet nurse is extremely important, to make sure that tasks are completed correctly, especially in operations. I watched one operation where the cat became unstable as the tail started to move, the operation had to immediately stop and the vet and vet nurse had to use communication skills in order to make the decision on what to do, also showing the need for decision-making skills. When I was at the farm, I got an understanding of the efficiency needed when treating animals and the problem-solving skills needed as I had to help the farm assistant to treat chicken with scaley feet mites and to ensure that none of the chickens were treated twice she had to use problem solving skills and teamwork to treat them as quickly as possible.
Amanda's Feedback
I appreciate the detailed nature of your response; however, it doesn't tell the interviewer what you have enjoyed most during your veterinary experience. You can improve your answer by talking about the setting, scenario, or case you most enjoyed working with. Make sure to share why you enjoyed it.
Anonymous Answer
I have work experience with a large animal vet, I assisted in castrating an alpaca and he let me take the fighting teeth out using a cheese wire. I also helped with vaccinations of lambs, reindeer and he allowed me to vaccinate one of the alpacas myself. I think my favorite part was removing the fighting teeth from the alpaca as this was interesting, I felt proud of myself for doing it and I knew it was something that would make the owner feel more comfortable.
Chad's Feedback
The interviewer will appreciate this insight into your work history within veterinary medicine, and you do well to provide an overview of your responsibilities during the time you worked with the large animal vet. Next, I recommend adding more detail, to ensure the interviewer will have a full understanding of your experience and the specific skills you have learned. For instance, you could talk about how long your work experience was in total, or explain how exactly you assisted with the various procedures.
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