DD 11 wants to be a vet

[LocumLibrarian]

11 years in year 6 not in year 11 to be clear. I know she is likely to change her mind and that it's a standard answer when asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" for lots of girls/kids.

She loves and cares for our ddog and dcat, she has a fish tank and is really interested in the different types of fish and looks after them. She has a genuine interest in animal and likes to care for them, learn about their body language, how they behave, communicate etc. When our pets are not well she takes an interest and wants to know what can be done to help them.

She loves science and art and is academic but not high flying, she has to put in the work to do really well.

What activities could she do to explore these interest further and learn more about animals? She loves the natural history museum and going to the zoo but how can she be involved more?

Apologies if this post sound ignorant or silly I don't know the next hing about being a vet but I can see she has a passion for animals and the natural world. Not necessarily to become a vet but to pursue her interest as a hobby.

See if she can get farm experience.
She needs good grades and a backup plan as it's very competitive. Not in a you'll never get there way, just in a realistic way

You could get her one of those 'be a zookeeper for a day' type things. There are quite a lot around so you could do a few at farm/sanctuary/zoo.

If she'd be interested in riding they're normally very hot on making the children care for the horses as well. It's about 50% riding, 50% horse care ime.

When she's a bit older she can volunteer to pet-sit or help out at a farm/sanctuary of some kind.

There are also lots of college courses/ further education courses around animal care for those who are interested but maybe not academic enough to be a vet, so you can make sure she's aware of everything that's available once she gets to that point.

If you can afford horse riding lessons, lots of riding schools run a pony club where kids do a mixture of learning to ride and learning ‘stable management’ skills like learning different horse breeds, first aid, how to look after horses. Some places also might let an 11 year old help look after the horses on the weekends. When she’s older from about 15 she should look at doing some volunteering at farms, vet practices, animal rescue as she’ll need these to apply but she’s probably too young for places to accept her.
If you have a local dog rescue centre they sometimes need volunteers to walk the dog-she could get involved in this as an adult/something you could do as a family.
She also might like another pet that is more her responsibility than a family dog or cat and she can research into how to look after it-something like a pair of rats, chinchilla (these live a very long time though), degu.
Finally, a local dog trainer might run dog agility or understanding behaviour classes for kids in the holidays

With an adult not as an adult

@CowsAreNotGreen farm experience is also a great idea, thank you. I know it is very competitive and only time will tell if she will take it that far, it will be up to her to work hard to pursue her dream (if indeed it still is s dream in a few years time).

@NuffSaidSam 'zookeeper for a day' sounds brilliant and would be such a treat! Will look into it. Dd has done riding for a bit and says she prefers the caring for the ponies over the riding lessons.

My dad is similar and did a set of online modules from the Cats Protection around cat care that she really enjoyed.

Thank you @Lampyshady, that's some really useful signposts! I love the idea of dog agility or understanding behaviour classes for kids that would be right up her street.

The RVC run a bunch of different activities throughout the year as part of their widening participation scheme - www.rvc.ac.uk/study/rvc-is-open-for-all/widening-participation/opportunities

For another museum option, the Grant Museum (UCL) is great & runs family friendly activities.

My dd knew she wanted to be a vet at that age. When she was 14/15 she started helping at a local stables. She also did lambing too. Clinical experience isn't possible until your dd is 16.
Lambing is the one experience that Unis seem keen on. My dd was fortunate in that she did lambing, dairy, stables, kennels, hedgehog sanctuary (she looks after them over winter) as well as clinical placements.
She is doing her A levels this summer and grade depending has a place at Liverpool Uni. It's all she's ever wanted to do and I'm so proud that she is making her dream come true.
That being said, if she wouldn't have had an offer she would have reapplied next year.

Imagine she is the DD of a vet or farmer. These DC have a huge advantage so everyone else has to get their experience with animals. Farm animals snd horse experience is very useful. Definitely working/volunteering at a rescue centre. Look to see if the universities say they want work experience and how much.

One last tip: make sure she does the right A levels! Someone I know was rather arrogant snd thought it didn’t matter which sciences. She got onto a foundation course but as a very bright DD, she should have looked at the requirements rather then guessed. Both parents were teachers too!

@LocumLibrarian as long as she has biology and chemistry A levels the 3rd doesn't matter (DDs friend did drama and got 4 offers). In fact DD would recommend Business as a 3rd as lots of the vet course covers this.
Work experience often has to be obtained in the 18 months before applying (RVC) to be eligible. Liverpool (pre covid) require the most with 2 weeks husbandry from farm, equine and small animal. And 3 weeks at a vet. Cambridge require the least work experience.
Variety is the key. You do not need lambing (DD hasn't met a sheep and got 4 offers). You need to show commitment to something (a job, volunteering) & be able to reflect on your experiences.
And you do not need perfect grades. GCSEs that are 6-9 are ok. A level offers are from AAB - AstarAA at Cambs.
DD is a 2nd year and loves it. Never wanted to be anything else since she could talk.

Haven't rtft, but don't forget about Veterinary Nursing as a career also.

@mumsneedwine
I think eligible work experience is not the same as being comfortable around large animals. Starting earlier with riding and being comfortable with big animals before you need to be is good prep.

The vet nurse degrees at Bristol are high quality. I know a DD who got no offers in 2 rounds of applications to be a vet but the other courses at Bristol are amazing and very very hard work!

This is a we’ll time thread. DS has only ever wanted to be a vet, he’s absorbed by the science side of it. He also has a disability so I’m worried about him getting too far along before realising it isn’t possible. The RVC website seems really helpful.

She will need to start building up her work experience. So at this age helping at stable etc is a great idea when she’s a bit older then she’ll need experience at large animal vet, small animal vet, exotic/zoo if poss plus befriend some farmers and get some hands on experience with lambing, cows, pigs, chickens etc they also like to see a job history something customer facing is ideal to demonstrate your ability to engage and deal with upset/difficult customers.

It’s one of the most competitive courses to get on so good luck.

@Sugarcube84 no she won't. They do not need that level of experience. They need some small animal, and either farm or equine. That's it.

@Sugarcube84 and totally agree with getting a customer facing role. It's a dealing with people job !

@TizerorFizz vet nursing is a fab degree too. Just a very different one.

@halfsiesonapotnoodle

Haven't rtft, but don't forget about Veterinary Nursing as a career also.

DD wants to take this route as she didn’t want to do all science A levels She has a small pet sitting Business plus she volunteers at a wildlife rescue and a community farm. She did Animal care as her voluntary enrichment at college last term. She is spending 2 weeks working at a vets next summer and they have said they will take her as a vet nurse apprentice post A levels if all goes well

Sorry I mean a vet nurse degree apprenticeship

@mumsneedwine
I have just looked at Bristol and the course the DD did is no longer listed. If was a hybrid of vet nursing and bio chemistry for vet science: if that makes sense. The grades for vet nursing are way lower than she had to get and animal behaviour wasn’t part of it. Maybe other universities have a hybrid course? But having a look is worth it because even with loads of animal experience and top grades there is not always success for vet science. Doing as much as you can with animals is never wasted. Especially if you enjoy it.

[quote mumsneedwine]@Sugarcube84 no she won't. They do not need that level of experience. They need some small animal, and either farm or equine. That's it. [/quote]
As it’s so competitive, and I know from experience, the more experience the better.

@Sugarcube84 and I know from experience it is not important to have masses. You need enough to get that interview. DD had equine and RSPCA for a week. And managed to get into 5 vet practices, including farm and equine. And she got 4 offers. No exotic or lambing or even working on a farm (she has now and loved both).
I'm not saying it's not good to have more but it's not vital. For some (us) who know no farmers or vets it's tough so don't want people put off because they think it will hinder their application.
But it is super competitive!

I think it’s very difficult to determine what “enough” looks like. You have DC who are offspring of vets and farmers. They have dealt with animals all their lives. No issues with getting into a vet practice. Others get nowhere near 5 opportunities with a vet so have to try other things.

It's very easy to know what's enough. The Universities publish it 😊. Liverpool interview everyone who has their required amount, doesn't matter if have more. Others rely on their own forms and SJTs. It's what you learn, not how much you do.
Vets are quite happy to take - it's easier than getting the husbandry experience. DD wrote a lot of emails, made a lot of calls and had a bit of luck.