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Raylee
Student
Welch, OK
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Are you where you want to be in your career?
In the Vet career, are you where you want to be? How long did it take you to get there if so?
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Skip Jack
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Starkville, Mississippi
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Skip’s Answer
Yes, but a year ago I retired after serving 36 years on faculty at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. But after all that time, I found it hard to "leave behind" that part of being teaching faculty (i.e. classroom teaching) that I enjoyed the most. So for the past two summers, I have returned to classroom for 8-9 weeks to provide the Histology (microscopic anatomy) to incoming 1st year veterinary students.
To get to those 36 year @ MSUCVM, I graduated vet school in 1982, taught for 1 year at my alma mater (U Maryland, Vet Science dept), then entered a private mixed rural practice about 30 miles from my childhood home. I didn't find this very fulfilling as we had our first child and I was constantly away while he was awake. So, returned to a pathology residency at Purdue. After 4.5 years, I was recruited to MSUCVM. An academic job provides multiple avenues to "practice" veterinary medicine (e.g. diagnostic post-mortem lab, teaching several courses, participation in residency training, and veterinary course work). During the past 30+ years, I worked primarily with catfish farmers, which provided several opportunities to teach/lecture around the world (Nigeria, Indonesia) and work with Christian Veterinary Missions (in the U.S., but also Brazil, Haiti, Nicaragua, St Kitts, Honduras, & Mongolia).
I continue to work with Christian Vet Missions, even in retirement. He's still working on me !
Vet Medicine is a GREAT career choice, demanding but highly rewarding. It provides a multitude of career opportunities. Most DVM/VMDs serve in private practice, but 15-20% follow "non-practice" oaths (e.g. research academics, regulatory (gov't: state and/or federal), One Health, pharmaceuticals, even politics (there are several veterinarians in the U.S. Congress).
Thanks for asking.
To get to those 36 year @ MSUCVM, I graduated vet school in 1982, taught for 1 year at my alma mater (U Maryland, Vet Science dept), then entered a private mixed rural practice about 30 miles from my childhood home. I didn't find this very fulfilling as we had our first child and I was constantly away while he was awake. So, returned to a pathology residency at Purdue. After 4.5 years, I was recruited to MSUCVM. An academic job provides multiple avenues to "practice" veterinary medicine (e.g. diagnostic post-mortem lab, teaching several courses, participation in residency training, and veterinary course work). During the past 30+ years, I worked primarily with catfish farmers, which provided several opportunities to teach/lecture around the world (Nigeria, Indonesia) and work with Christian Veterinary Missions (in the U.S., but also Brazil, Haiti, Nicaragua, St Kitts, Honduras, & Mongolia).
I continue to work with Christian Vet Missions, even in retirement. He's still working on me !
Vet Medicine is a GREAT career choice, demanding but highly rewarding. It provides a multitude of career opportunities. Most DVM/VMDs serve in private practice, but 15-20% follow "non-practice" oaths (e.g. research academics, regulatory (gov't: state and/or federal), One Health, pharmaceuticals, even politics (there are several veterinarians in the U.S. Congress).
Thanks for asking.
Thank you, Skip for the advice.
Raylee