As you know, Vet School is a full time job.  For months at a time you eat, drink, sleep and dream veterinary anatomy, physiology, parasites, viruses, bacteria, etc., etc., etc..  The list goes on and on.  

For some of you, summer brings a long-awaited break.  For others, those breaks from classes take place at different times of the year.  Regardless of when it occurs, there are some things you just should not do during your time off.

Therefore, we've compiled a list of 3 Vet School Summer Break No-No's to help you use your time wisely.

1. Don't Go Home

Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't make a trip home to visit friends and family.  On the contrary, I encourage you to take a little time to reconnect with your loved ones.  But don't spend your entire break in the familiarity of home.

Sure, it's easy enough to go back to where you are comfortable.  You can probably even help out or work at the practice where you shadowed or worked before vet school.  But what's the true value in that?  

Broaden your experiences by volunteering at a practice entirely different than what you are used to.  You'll be amazed at what you learn, and what new interests you may cultivate along the way.

2. Don't Procrastinate

Odds are that you are required to complete a certain number of internship or externship or preceptorship or clinical experience hours. (Sidebar: Why there are so many  terms for what is essentially the same thing is beyond me.)  If this is your first Break, you will be tempted to chill out and unplug.  Afterall, you have plenty of time to finish those hours. Right? Wrong!

Don't underestimate how busy you will be once you hit clinical rotations full time. And remember, that pesky NAVLE will be creeping up on you too.  You might just need some of that Break time in the future to study for the biggest exam of your career.  So, get started on those required hours now!

3.  Don't Disconnect

If you find yourself longing to just "get away from everything Veterinary Medicine", you better figure out why.  Afterall, this is the career you chose.  And being a DVM is as much a life-style choice as it is a profession. 

Take some of your extra time to reignite the passion that lead you to vet school in the first place.  Attend a veterinary conference.  Participate in a new webinar.  Dive into that stack of journals you've been accumulating.  Interact on the ViralVet app.    

Do whatever it takes to revive your passion and remind yourself why want to be a vet.  You'll come back with a renewed sense of purpose and determination to finish what you started.  

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