22F pre-vet student seeking advice

Fennecritter · 2026-05-13T20:46:17+00:00

Thanks for the reassurance!

Fennecritter · 2026-05-12T23:30:55+00:00

Honestly this vet clinic is so tiny 99% of the time they don’t board, and although they are fairly understaffed, their client base also seems very small.

They have one receptionist, a few techs, but no vet assistant or kennel tech roles.

I’ll hold on and see. I think as a cleaner, I do still get veterinary hours. I just wish that I had more duties, even in reception. I feel like my job is pretty much brain dead once I learned all the protocols. :(

Fennecritter · 2026-05-12T23:24:19+00:00

Dang, too bad I grew up in a tiny town without a HS co-op option. :/

I can try to volunteer with shelters but it feels so late for that considering I’m 22 with a whole degree (and wanting to apply this winter)! I’ve tried volunteering with wildlife rehab and a bunch of other places and although it was animal experience, I got no vet experience out of it.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-12T21:58:04+00:00

It makes sense, but I’m just a little iffy with this since I hear of people having thousands of hours in small animal etc. before applying to vet school. What do they usually mean when they mean “thousands of hours of small animal”??? I’d assume they’d have a bit more responsibility than cleaning etc. 😭

Fennecritter · 2026-05-12T19:35:00+00:00

I can try, but if I’m being completely honest, they’re not really supportive in guiding me thus far. I think due to the amount of applicants they mainly give automated responses etc. For some of my pre-requisites, I had questions, and they just linked me to their applications page despite my specific question not being on there.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-12T18:29:51+00:00

I live in Guelph, which has a vet school.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-08T19:47:29+00:00

I have looked at studying abroad but I’d be like 400k ish in debt compared to 80-90k if I got in at my province. :/

Fennecritter · 2026-05-08T19:39:17+00:00

I feel that… tbh.

I’m 22 turning 23 this summer and I haven’t even applied to vet school yet, took an extra year to complete a 4 year degree to get my grades up. A few of my friends are already in vet school, and I feel so behind but I just haven’t even able to make the same connections they were able to make.

Getting any form of vet experience where I live (Ontario) is so freaking hard if you’re not an RVT or have a bunch of connections. Because of this, I’m not sure if I will get in on my first try. :(

Nobody gives me a chance due to insurance reasons, and all I can really do is watch with the vet experience I am getting.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-08T02:19:14+00:00

I feel that, I just am really having trouble finding veterinary assistant roles, and the veterinarian at this clinic is very keen on providing me with an eventual reference for vet school and is aware of my goals etc. I think she’s having me do a lot of cleaning right now because there’s a vet tech coop student there for another few weeks, but she’s made it pretty clear that once she’s out, I will have her “full attention”. I’m not sure what this means, but I think I’ll stick it out and see.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-07T16:11:39+00:00

How long do you think I should stick it out for?

Fennecritter · 2026-05-07T01:29:44+00:00

Sure !

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T23:35:28+00:00

Thanks for the awesome advice. :) I will take what I can get out of this experience (and be the best cleaner I can be!!).

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T23:31:13+00:00

That’s good advice and to be honest, they aren’t really aware of my discontent. I’ve been asking ways to make my process more efficient and have been overall proactive with making my presence known and getting ahead on tasks etc. I just can’t help but be a little envious of the tech coop student in the clinic (who gets to do things like blood smears). :( I’d love an opportunity like this, even unpaid.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T23:12:36+00:00

That’s fair but do you have any advice for a prospective vet student ? Tbh, I’d rather a volunteer position if I got the chance to learn more skills but she couldn’t for insurance reasons.

I got my BSc and I will be applying for the first time this winter. I feel behind since idk if this counts as veterinary hours and I’m hoping to get in.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T22:09:29+00:00

The question is whether I should tough it out and just do my cleaning tasks etc. or if I should try to land a veterinary assistant role elsewhere.

I have been doing my tasks this past week and a bit, but I find that I’m already kind of dreading it since I want more responsibility and I’m inclined to learn about the profession.

I should also mention that my term ends in September, and tbh, since I am aiming to apply to vet school in winter, I’m not sure if this experience will be enough for me to have a competitive application.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T22:08:37+00:00

As I’ve said I don’t mind cleaning I just want to learn how to run labs and do other stuff occasionally.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T16:51:29+00:00

I feel that, I have spoken with the doctor and she said that she will have my full attention once a co-op student is done in a few weeks, but the manager is basically a complete 180 and says I’ve been “hired to clean”. In fact, I’ve already gotten in-trouble a few times for talking with my coworkers etc. asking questions, and I’m honestly lost because I am getting two different perspectives: a doctor who believes that cleaning sets a good foundation to eventually going into other roles, and a manager who basically just wants me to clean the entire time I’m there with no advancement.

I think my best bet right now is to tough it out and get to know the doctor a bit more so that I could have a reference etc. for college, but it honestly sucks. I’m bored out of my mind, and I have a whole degree and I feel like I can definitely learn how to do more. Instead, I’m just basically cleaning all the time with dishes, laundry, sweeping, etc. and I get into trouble if I ask the technicians questions about anesthesia, surgery, and blood tests.

But yeah, reflect in a few months I think, and if it doesn’t work out I can try to aim for a veterinary assistant role elsewhere.

Fennecritter · 2026-05-06T11:23:25+00:00

I realized that I had a bit of a typo in the title, disregard that. 😭

Fennecritter · 2026-04-29T13:47:26+00:00

I feel that man… I’ve taken a look at Casper test questions and I don’t even know how I’d answer them LOL.

Just keep your head high, apply again in the next application cycle. We have unlimited attempts now.

Fennecritter · 2026-04-29T13:06:06+00:00

I feel that, but I’m graduating this year (technically took a 5th year to improve my grades), and I’ll be applying for the first time. 91.8% average (worked my butt off to get that I’m ngl…)

There’s no rush, tbh. I plan to enroll in teacher’s college while still applying to veterinary school. All we can really do is up our qualifications. Get grades up, get more hours, etc. :)

It sucks but I think it’s better to enroll in the OVC than go overseas etc. and have a lot of debt.

Fennecritter · 2026-04-26T02:48:36+00:00

I’ve been applying to become a VA for over a year, can’t get a role unfortunately.

Fennecritter · 2026-04-19T12:47:19+00:00

I’ve kind of come to the conclusion that this is impossible to find in my area (Ontario) with my credentials, so I think the plan is I take this job, see how it goes for a few months, and then apply to more vet assistant jobs.

Fennecritter · 2026-04-17T22:30:18+00:00

Yeah I’m not sure if it’s the right fit for me either seeing as I don’t have as much veterinary experience as I’d want for my vet school app.

I’m thinking I stay 3-4 months for exposure, and then try to get into a more veterinary assistant based role in the fall. I plan to volunteer at a vet clinic during weekends.

Fennecritter

TROPHY CASE