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tudent View


Not Just About Animals by Allie Ingram, AU CVM, Class of 2021


Since beginning veterinary school, I have noticed a pat- tern when telling others about my future career. I usually


get one of two replies: a sad story about a family pet that has passed or a story about how they or someone they know wants to be a veterinarian because they love ani- mals. Tese replies are usually met with polite conversa- tion while I slowly plot how to get away. I love animals. Otherwise, I have chosen the wrong profession; but the biggest lesson I have learned in my first year of veterinary school has little to do with animals. It is that this is a career about people. While I knew working and commu- nicating with clients would be an important part of my day, they are certainly not the only people I deal with on a daily basis.


Veterinary medicine is a team sport, and veterinary school is no exception. Many of my nights in undergrad consisted of me studying alone in my room. I have now traded some of those nights for Saturday mornings in the anatomy lab gazing over cadavers or identifying tissues in the histology lab, and I am not alone. I am with my lab partners, new friends, and people I did not even realize were in my class. Te reality is that I struggle with certain classes and topics, but I am also really good at other class- es and topics. Te lucky part is that I have 120 classmates in the same situation. Some are great at deciphering horse legs; some, like me, are not. However, when we accept our weaknesses and ask others for help, we all benefit. I can remember my friend emphasizing key points or the debate in a group message far better than reading those same points from a textbook. We are future colleagues for each other, and these “people skills” will make us better veterinarians in whatever area of the field we choose.


Yet these skills do not only exist solely within the walls of the veterinary school; they extend into our everyday well-being. We are highly compassionate individuals and would not have it any other way. But this also sets us up for fatigue. While first year veterinary school is not the same as a real-world practice, it has certainly left me drained at times. Before veterinary school, I would charge on and deal with it privately. Now, surrounded by similar students, I find it easier to accept help from others. We understand each other, and we are each other’s biggest


supporters. Because who else can you brag to about your perfectly skinned ca- daver leg? I never imagined


that I would become so close to people who I did not know existed a year ago. In the last three weeks, I have helped a friend make the decision to adopt a dog from the shelter, convinced my lab partner that she deserved an afternoon off at the dog park, and sat down with 20 classmates to celebrate an Easter meal when we could not make it home to our own families. We have become a much-needed veterinary family.


Te amazing part is that this is not unique to Auburn. I at- tended SAVMA Symposium over my spring break, which brought together hundreds of veterinary students from across the United States, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom. Despite attending schools thousands of miles apart, we all shared similar experiences, and within a few days, we were creating new experiences together. I found myself yelling up the escalator to tell others what was on the lunch buffet. I found myself discussing SAVMA ideas over drinks at a local bar. I found myself standing at a microphone raising an issue in front of the SAVMA lead- ership. It is this display of comradery, support, and trust that has made me proud to be in this field. I will always love animals, but it is my love for my veterinary team and veterinary family that will allow me to be as successful as I want to be. Ironically, it took a year of studying of animals to figure that out. 


10 KVMA News


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