Earlier this week I returned to the scene of the crime…18 years ago 😱, I sat in the same classroom as a young, fresh-faced veterinary student full of hope and overwhelmed at the sheer volume of information I needed to cram into my brain. 

Back then I never dreamed I would one-day return to teach the latest generation of students how to study for THE BIG TEST — the gateway to the next phase of their lives. 

Having had a rich and varied career in veterinary medicine thus far, if I could go back in time, there are some things I’d tell the "Former Me". 

To that stressed out vet student who was desperately trying to remember which cranial nerve innervated the lateral rectus muscle (CN VI, the abducens), I would say:

Cast Your Sights Much Wider than just Clinical Practice. Don’t limit yourself. As veterinarians, our knowledge base affords us tremendous opportunities including research, public health, industry, food safety, national security, as well as education. Of course, most of us will start out in clinical practice.  But if the day ever comes when you are looking for a new challenge or a different career path, don’t discount all the amazing things we can do with that DVM degree.