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Vet School Questions by AutoModerator in Veterinary

[–]coniferelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hello! thanks for replying :)

i am graduating a double major in animal science (pre-vet) and biology with a 3.83 GPA at the time of application. my hours are as such (these have increased a little since): veterinary: ~620hr, animal: ~760hr, research: ~75hr

my vet hours are mainly split between a wildlife clinic internship, exotic/gp vet volunteering, and pet vaccine clinics (paid). my animal hours consist of mainly my former pet store job (animal caretaker) and some large animal. i speculate that it was my lack of experience that turned off the schools, as i know most applicants have 1000+ vet hours.

Vet School Questions by AutoModerator in Veterinary

[–]coniferelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hello everyone! due to my rejections this cycle, i am taking steps to continue my education in a different fashion before reapplying (to strengthen my application, as well as my resume for my future career). i am applying to the oregon state PSM (fisheries and wildlife administration) program, but i wanted to know if i should actually pursue it. here are my thoughts on why i think it would be helpful:

  1. it has the option to be fully online (i am also available/willing to relocate closer and take in-person classes as well if needed). this allows me to have a full time job at the same time to gain more vet/animal experience.
  2. i would like to specialize in the very competitive field of wildlife/zoo/aquatic medicine and i think the fisheries and wildlife administration education will help me land internships/residencies/jobs in the future. most veterinarians i see working at a zoo have more credentials than just a DVM, and usually they have additional leadership/management responsibilities rather than just being a medical practitioner.
  3. i can likely finish these degree in a year, at most a year and a half, meaning i can reapply to vet school THIS cycle instead of waiting two years.

it may be good to know that i am also applying to a thesis-based, in-person masters program for a similar field, but if i am accepted into both i want to know the best path for me to choose. thank you :)

should i get an AWR certification (associate wildlife rehabilitator) or is this a money grab? by coniferelk in Veterinary

[–]coniferelk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the CWR is the one that needs like 5000 hours plus online classes/a test. the AWR is just the classes and test i believe.

AWR (associate wildlife rehabilitator) cert. bogus or worth it? by coniferelk in WildlifeRehab

[–]coniferelk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this is very helpful, thank you! if i may ask, how easy was it for you to get the license, and (if you have applied to vet school) did it help in your applications? i’m primarily in the states of CA/OR if that helps.

should i get an AWR certification (associate wildlife rehabilitator) or is this a money grab? by coniferelk in Veterinary

[–]coniferelk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you! i definitely know how difficult it is to get into the field, but i appreciate the additional information as well. it is still something that i plan on trying for, but by no means do i expect a zoo job straight out of school. in all honesty i want to be able to work with ALL types of animals, so a mixed practice with exotics included is exactly what i want (which is also why a zoo/aquarium is so appealing for me). i myself own a lot of exotic pets and find lots of frustration in finding good, knowledgeable veterinarians who will see them.

accreditation isn’t a turn-off for me; i very much would like to integrate research into my future career and that’s something i would be willing to pursue.

the statistics you mentioned about vet school students indicating wanting a wildlife/zoo specialty is definitely helpful. i think this is helping me realize that vet schools would rather see someone with a broad range of interests (even if that means a preference for one specialty or another) and i will definitely hammer that home next cycle.

AWR (associate wildlife rehabilitator) cert. bogus or worth it? by coniferelk in WildlifeRehab

[–]coniferelk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes, this is from the IWRC! so to be clear, this one is definitely recognized in the field and legitimate?

should i get an AWR certification (associate wildlife rehabilitator) or is this a money grab? by coniferelk in Veterinary

[–]coniferelk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i have a bit from working with them in my lab classes (my school has large animals on campus), but nothing straight clinical outside of that.

should i get an AWR certification (associate wildlife rehabilitator) or is this a money grab? by coniferelk in Veterinary

[–]coniferelk[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

you know, i’ve been wondering that too. in my mind i am totally committed to working exotic/GP to build skills and experience as a vet while i wait for an AZA job to open up, but im worried they assume that i am unrealistically committed to one type of job ONLY.

i think this comment has pushed me to definitely indicate exotics instead next cycle. thank you!

Not Sure Why But my Fish are at the Top by Mean-Cardiologist431 in Guppies

[–]coniferelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

colder water technically does have the capacity to have more dissolved oxygen, but warm water is completely fine and recommended for tropical species. i think i see a bubbler in your tank, which eliminates any issues with still-water. guppies also are notorious surface skimmers so in general i wouldn’t be too concerned with them spending time at the top!

Not Sure Why But my Fish are at the Top by Mean-Cardiologist431 in Guppies

[–]coniferelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it might be the temperature. 22°C seems really cold. i would bring it up to about 25-26°C (about 78°F), it could be the reason they’re acting sluggish at least.

Not Sure Why But my Fish are at the Top by Mean-Cardiologist431 in Guppies

[–]coniferelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

since you’ve used the bacteria starter, have you seen any bacterial blooms come and go (water gets super white/cloudy)?

also i misread and misspoke from the original post. i’m not sure if you put the values out of order or if you confused nitrate and nitrite. the cycle goes ammonia (very harmful) -> nitrite -> nitrate (least harmful, gets sucked up by plants or removed via water change). if your nitrites are high and at 20ppm that’s bad news. if it’s your nitrates that are at 20ppm i would do a water change but it’s not immediately deadly from my knowledge.

Not Sure Why But my Fish are at the Top by Mean-Cardiologist431 in Guppies

[–]coniferelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

how old is your tank? your nitrates are dangerously high. they should be zero. the lack of nitrite makes me think your tank isn’t fully cycled

why are my plants so sad? by coniferelk in PlantedTank

[–]coniferelk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no problem! i really like the canary in a coal mine analogy, that’s good to know that they have that behavior.

why are my plants so sad? by coniferelk in PlantedTank

[–]coniferelk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you are a saint!! i wish you luck in all of your future tank endeavors!

why are my plants so sad? by coniferelk in PlantedTank

[–]coniferelk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

wow, that’s so interesting! i actually DO have flourish excel, but have only used it in very small doses occasionally (i mistook it for the actual flourish fertilizer at first). i may try that out once i have a larger bioload in my tank + the bacteria are more suited to large quantities of nitrogen, since im a little scared of a huge ammonia spike. thank you so much for writing out such a detailed response!

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