Howdy everyone! I am finally back. This is my first
blog following our summer away, and my first blog since returning
from my MBA program. For those of you new to the blog, I took
a year off between my second and third years of veterinary school
to earn my MBA. We have a fantastic arrangement between the
vet school and business school that allows students to graduate in
five years with their DVM and MBA degrees. If you would like
to learn more, see some of my older blog posts, but for today I
want to focus on all the cool new areas I found veterinary medicine
this summer.
So … I tried to do too much this summer. I know,
surprising. I have never been known to bite off more than I
can chew (please note the sarcasm in this statement). Over
the course of the summer, I was finishing up my MBA performing a
consulting project in conjunction with the Texas A&M Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospitals, I spent a month externing at the AVMA's
Government Relations Division in Washington, D.C., I spent 10 days
in Germany supporting my sister at an international equine
competition where I somehow signed-on the be an assistant manager
for Team USA, and I was getting ready to return to veterinary
school. Yeah, I didn't spend more than about 10 days at a
time at my apartment in College Station. It was quite a
ride. At the outset, I didn't know how Lauren and I were
going to make it through, but looking back, I am certainly glad I
took it all on.
I want to focus on my time at the AVMA GRD office in D.C.
I spent a month on an externship (named as such since veterinary
internships are post-graduation) learning all the in-and-outs of
veterinary medicine in our nations capital. I had a fantastic
experience meeting veterinarians who work as lobbyists,
Congressional staffers, food safety experts, international aid
distributors, agricultural import/export officials, and so many
more. I will focus on one high profile and one very unlikely
area of veterinary involvement.
The highest profile jobs in Washington have been, and probably
always will be, jobs for which you cannot apply, you must be
elected. Representatives, senators, and of course the
President, are the definition of the in-crowd in D.C. Did you
know we have a veterinarian currently serving in the House of
Representatives? Dr. Kurt Schrader proudly represents the people of
Oregon; trust me he will let you know just how honored he
feels. He is just as proud to be a veterinarian and former
practice owner. The first day I met Schrader, we were at a
luncheon hosted by AVMA thanking legislators who are supportive of
veterinary issues. In the middle of a group of other
Congressmen, Schrader immediately started talking veterinary
medicine with my extern mate and I as soon as he realized we were
vet students. At one point, we were discussing Caslick's
procedures in equine reproductive medicine. We had to explain
what that was to our other Congressional guests, after which I am
not sure they really wanted to hear about it over lunch. Such
is the conversations of veterinarians. Over the course of the
month, I ran into Schrader on several other occasions, and he was
just as nice as our first encounter. Just what you would
expect from your favorite vet, even if they have been elected to
Congress.
The other veterinary role catches most people by surprise.
Did you know that there are many veterinarians working every day to
protect our safety? I am not just talking about food safety
either. I met several veterinarians who work for the
Department of Homeland Security and the House of Representative
Homeland Security Committee. They work to prevent and prepare
for biological, chemical, and nuclear attacks. They oversee
the many animal assets, mostly dogs, who work to protect our
safety, they brief policy makers on threats and scenarios, and they
prepare contingencies should the worst happen. Why
veterinarians? As veterinarians, our training includes
population medicine (treating groups not just individuals) and the
simple fact that 75% of emerging diseases are zoonotic.
Therefore, veterinarians are at the front lines to protect the
United States homeland. Wow, what a job!
Reinforced was the idea that veterinary medicine is everywhere,
and can take its practitioner almost anywhere. And it is only
expanding. As one veterinarian put it, there are a lot of
jobs out there that may not have DVM in the job description, but
they are perfect roles for veterinarians. We just have to
educate people on our skills and training. In my humble
opinion, these other roles are vitally important to the future of
veterinary medicine. In fact, one Texas Congressman looked at
me and said more vets need to be involved in what is going on in
Washington. He says our help is needed. Even if you are
only ever interested in clinical medicine, you can still have an
effect in the policy realm. If you are interested in
non-clinical work, you are only limited by your imagination.